![\"How](\"http:\/\/fatlossaccelerators.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/MP900422273-300x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\nEarly Monday morning, my client Eleanor was feeling unusually lethargic. Sure it was early and humid, but I had a feeling it wasn\u2019t simply a case of Monday-itis. Concerned, I checked in to see what had been on the menu lately.<\/p>\n
For more than three weeks, her diet had been healthy and clean, with no cheats. That\u2019s awesome work, except one thing was missing.<\/p>\n
My advice: have a strategic cheat meal.<\/p>\n
Really? A cheat meal?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
Absolutely.<\/p>\n
Cheating rocks. Not all kinds of cheating, mind you. I don\u2019t ever condone cheating on your partner, ok?<\/i> That\u2019s not cool.<\/p>\n
Of course I\u2019m talking about cheat meals, and how they can help you accelerate fat loss and keep your sane for the long haul.<\/p>\n
When you\u2019re on a calorie-restricted diet, every 1-2 weeks you need a calorie rich meal and a flood of calories to boost your metabolism, elevate your leptin levels and prime your body for optimal fat burning.<\/p>\n
This way, your body doesn\u2019t adapt to low caloric intake and as a result, slow your metabolism and hit a plateau.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Like I said, your cheating needs to be strategic<\/b>. Through countless experiments, I\u2019ve perfected the art of cheating and getting away with it!<\/p>\n
One Note:<\/b> If you\u2019ve just started a new fat loss program, I advise you to give it 2 weeks before you have a cheat meal.<\/p>\n4 Strategies for Cheating<\/b><\/h1>\n
1. Have a cheat meal Out and set a time limit<\/b><\/h2>\n
Never cheat at home. First of all, you\u2019ll end up with left over evil food lying around the house that will tempt you. Being around other people will keep you on your best behavior (unless you\u2019re like the baboon opposite me at Starbucks this morning shoveling 2 muffins down his throat. Unbelievable.)<\/p>\n
Give your meal a time limit. A good ballpark number is 60 minutes. This isn\u2019t supposed to be an all day affair. And also, avoid guzzling a lot of booze. Trust me, this will set you back a few extra days. One or two cheeky beverages are acceptable, but as long as it doesn\u2019t send you off the cliff.<\/p>\n
Seriously, what\u2019s the point of cheating if you feel guilty? None. You need to work on your relationship with food, and enjoy everything you eat (that includes kale and other delish greens).<\/p>\n
Pick the things you\u2019re craving and go all in. No guilt. No regret.<\/p>\n
If you want to eat ice cream or chocolate, get the best damn quality you can find. Enjoy it and savor every last bite.<\/p>\n
Chances are the higher quality treats (even if they are more expensive) contain less harmful chemicals and additives.<\/p>\n
This meal is not the last supper. Don\u2019t stuff yourself to the point of discomfort. Eat until you feel satisfied, then call it a day. The last thing you need is rolling yourself home in a food coma.<\/p>\n
For this reason, I would avoid going anywhere that resembles a buffet. That includes your parent\u2019s place.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re still worried about damaging your progress, check this out. Now there\u2019s new scientific research showing strategic timing of intervals can reduce the impact of a cheat meal on your waistline. Is that cool or what?<\/p>\n
Research from the University of Texas South West Medical Center shows even doing little exercise before your cheat meals can reduce the damage.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a quick overview of the study. In Group 1, they did no exercise. Group 2 did slow cardio for an hour. In Group 3, they did a two minutes of interval training (90% VO2 max). In case you\u2019re wondering, that is really intense and sucks.<\/p>\n
The next morning, they returned to the lab and ate a big cheat meal (1100 calories). Both exercise groups led to a reduction in blood lipid levels (triglycerides), however the interval group had the bigger reduction, and had a significantly larger increase in post-meal fat burning<\/strong>.<\/p>\n How awesome is that?!<\/p>\n Do a short, intense workout before <\/b>your cheat meal.<\/p>\n So this weekend, be strategic and get your cheat on.<\/p>\n One other important thing:<\/strong> Always plan your cheat meal in advance. Random cheats will leave you feeling guilty and out of control, and that’s no fun…<\/p>\n Enjoy the weekend,<\/p>\n KV<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Reference:<\/b> Trombold J. R. et al. (2013) Acute High-Intensity Endurance Exercise is More Effective than Moderate Intensity Exercise for Attenuation of Postprandial Triglyceride Elevation. J Appl. Physiol.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Early Monday morning, my client Eleanor was feeling unusually lethargic. Sure it was early and humid, but I had a feeling it wasn\u2019t simply a case of Monday-itis. Concerned, I<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4173,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[179],"tags":[232,230,231,228,229],"class_list":["post-4158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fat-loss-tips-2","tag-4-strategies-for-cheating","tag-best-time-for-cheat-meal","tag-best-workout-before-cheat-meal","tag-cheat-meals","tag-interval-training-and-cheat-meals"],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nTake Away message<\/b><\/h3>\n