In the world of dieting, the term ‘cheat meal’ often carries a negative connotation, suggesting that indulging in your favorite foods is a wrongdoing. We prefer to use the term ‘free meals’, viewing them as a strategic part of your meal plan that doesn’t necessarily sabotage your results.
The Concept of Free Meals
A ‘free meal’ is essentially a meal that includes foods you enjoy but wouldn’t typically consume as part of a calorie-controlled diet. It’s a break from dietary restrictions, allowing you to indulge in your favorite foods without guilt. But how do these free meals impact your fat loss journey? Let’s delve into the various aspects.
Free Meals as a Reward and Social Buffer
Maintaining a highly focused approach to dieting can be challenging over extended periods. Strategically scheduling free meals can break up long periods of dieting into more manageable blocks, serving as a reward to look forward to. No diet is entirely distraction-free. You can align free meals with social events like birthday meals and nights out with friends, ensuring you don’t miss out on social interactions while dieting.
Free Meals and Dietary Variety
While dieting, it’s sensible to focus on foods that are low in calories per gram and high in protein or fiber. These foods help keep you satiated, while energy-dense foods like sweets and fast foods, which often constitute free meals, are less satisfying. Free meals offer a chance to relax these restrictions, allowing you to enjoy foods you might have temporarily limited but sorely miss.
The Potential Risks of Free Meals
While free meals have their benefits, they also come with potential risks. Allowing yourself a free meal can lead to an over-fixation on the meal and a higher chance of overeating. For instance, it’s not uncommon for deprived dieters to stretch the definition of a free meal to include multiple courses spread over several hours!
If you’re starting a training and nutrition program after years of poor eating habits, then taking breaks early in the process can disrupt the creation of new healthy eating habits.
Free Meals as a Red Flag for Unsustainable Diets
If you regularly feel the need for a free meal, then it’s likely a sign that you’re attempting to follow a diet that is too strict. If this is the case, you need to listen to your body and find ways to make your diet more sustainable.
Strategizing Free Meals for Optimal Results
For optimal results, we recommend basing 80-90% of your diet on foods that are favorable for fat loss like lean meats, fruits, and vegetables. The remaining 10-20% of your diet represents ‘free calories’, which you can allocate to any food or drink of your choice.
In practical terms, allocating a smaller amount, e.g., 5%, would not get you very far (about half a chocolate bar to be precise!). An important point to make is that you do not need to use the 20% buffer for free calories every day.
The Key Takeaway
The key takeaway is that 100% dietary discipline is not needed for optimal results. In fact, adopting an ‘all or nothing’ approach can negatively affect your progress. If you want to maintain your results long-term, you need to learn how to include a variety of foods in your diet.
