Weight Loss Tips- How to Use Cheat Days for Losing 10 Pounds Fast

     Enjoying not-so-healthy but delicious foods on a predetermined day every week (every two weeks; every month) can be a very effective dieting strategy. Over the course of time, those days make eating the way you must in order to build muscle and stay lean a much more manageable process. Cheat days turn structured nutritional practices into a series of 鈥渟prints鈥?(so to speak) rather than a significantly more difficult 鈥渆ndless marathon.鈥?

You should always keep in mind that a 鈥渃heat day鈥?is nothing more than a mental break from your structured, disciplined eating habits. Unlike some people mistakenly believe (or want to believe), eating unhealthy foods has no physical benefits鈥攕o you should exhibit some self-control during your cheat days. Eat enough to satisfy your cravings without adding too many unnecessary calories and disrupting the efficiently running metabolism you've worked so hard to create.

I've always realized that eating a reasonable amount of delicious "junk food" from time to time wasn't going to bring my physique-enhancing progress to a screeching halt or anything. However, I always had trouble finding the right balance between indulging too much and totally depriving myself. I always seemed to feel uncomfortable eating fattening foods because, in the back of my mind, I knew that the short-term pleasure I was enjoying was going to be negated by all the hard work and sacrifice I was going to have to suffer in order to take off the body fat I've accumulated. And, I don't like the feeling of walking around fat and unhealthy.

What I've discovered about planned cheat days is that one day a week is the right balance between enjoying life and moving closer to my bodybuilding goals for me. After eating a "clean diet" all week long, I've established Friday night and Saturday as my official cheat days (one meal on Friday night and whatever I want on Saturday). This works well with my social life as well because that's when most "regular" people plan the weekend activities and fun. My Friday night and Saturday cheat days get me one step closer to that seemingly-always out-of-reach goal of balance in life.

Physically, you keep your body fat levels down because you鈥檙e only eating junk food one day a week鈥攏ot three days some weeks; not one day on some other weeks; not zero days on others. Because the "cheat days" are planned, it becomes easier for you to relax and enjoy the food you eating. You actually feel that you deserve to enjoy what you鈥檙e eating because you've earned the privilege for being disciplined all week long. There's no doubt that you'll enjoy the eating experience at a greater level if you feel you deserve the privilege and have anything you want.

You don鈥檛 necessarily have to eat junk food on your cheat days. I sometimes use those days to miss a meal, or sometimes even several meals, so that I can focus on other areas of my life鈥攚ithout feeling guilty.

It just goes to show that simply setting goals and executing your plan will make just about whatever you do a more fulfilling experience. Oftentimes, it really doesn't matter how high your standards are. It doesn't matter how effective your strategies are. It doesn't even matter some of the time how significant the results you achieve may be.

1. Prev:Social Support: The Simple Secret to Weight Loss Success
2. Next:Slim Chews Natural Weight Loss Plan