Can Being Good On Your Diet 100% of The Time Be Bad???
Can Being Good On Your Diet 100% of The Time Be Bad???
Cheat meals are a debated subject and feared by many in the fitness community. When my personal training clients come to me they often need to be educated on the importance of cheat meals and the positive impact they will have on their fitness goals. Depending on the individual goals of my clients, a cheat meal is in the prescription for an efficient working metabolism. I can always tell when my clients skip their prescribed cheat. You see there is a method to this madness, leptin the hormone responsible for regulating hunger and energy expenditure, becomes elevated during a cheat meal. What does this mean?
Boost Your Metabolism With A Cheat Meal!!
Increased leptin levels help us to reduce body fat more efficiently. Following your diet and eating clean 100% of the time results in a drop of ones leptin levels. Due to the fact that primarily body fat synthesizes this hormone, the body will panic, refusing to give up energy in starvation mode. The result is a slowed metabolism and fat loss will come to a halt with these lowered leptin levels. The remedy I utilize to kick up leptin levels is an increase in calories. This will boost the metabolism and results in weight loss. A cheat meal is a solution to heighten leptin hormone and enjoy foods not typically on your meal plan.
Having A Cheat Meal Prevents Fitness Failure!!
Eating clean and following a healthy meal plan 90 percent of the time and allowing for 10 percent splurges during the week would be considered a strict eat clean strategy but still allows for some indulgence. Doing so has both physiological and emotional health benefits. Cheat meals are designed to promote a positive diet outlook, stave off cravings, and keep you on track with overall health and fitness goals because it prevents you from feeling deprived.
How To Incorporate A Cheat Meal!!
Now that you know the benefits of a cheat, remember it doesn’t mean a free ticket to gorge on everything in sight. The goal is to spike leptin levels and boost metabolism not to derail your hard work and progress you’ve worked hard all week to achieve. Trudging through the week on reduced calories takes a toll on the body and what you want to avoid is allowing your body to adjust completely to the lower calorie lifestyle. To sum it all up, refueling with a cheat meal has been found as a positive benefit to reach and maintain your fitness goals. Now just remember to cheat smart, keep the leptin levels normal and metabolism boosted, this is key to maintaining a fit body.
For more information on how to incorporate a cheat meal to reach those personal fitness goals, or if you’re frustrated with your current level of fitness and thinking about hiring a personal trainer, contact us.
