Cheat Meals

It's inevitable that working in a hotel with a Michellin-star restaurant brings with it copious temptations of the edible kind. On Friday, this came in the form of a magnificently decadent dark chocolate torte. And btw...it. was. amazing. Almost good enough to redeem the 13-hour shift from hell (followed by another 13 hour shift yesterday).

So this brings me on to discuss the importance of CHEAT meals, the fundamental concept being that you needn't restrict your diet 100% - you can slip in the odd 'fave' without having to worry about gaining weight or getting a rough case of the diet sweats. (Not sure if that last one exists, but hey - it seems logical enough)

Before I get into the science bit, I just want to reiterate the meaning of a cheat meal. It doesn't come in the form of some flimsy supermarket diet brand food - so throw those low-fat biscuits or Weight Watcher's chocolate away (how does that even exist in the first place?!), and let's get down to the good stuff - because after all, we deserve it for sticking to the clean-living diet 90% of the time.

While you should really live, love and breathe your standard clean eating diet, this acts as a kind of side-benefit for the ultimate motivation boost, and further incentive for your next kick-ass workout. Basically, it's the one time of the week you can fully tune into your cravings and just annihilate them - without feeling the need to binge.

Not only is this an essential remedy for satisfying your body and mind (after all, eating is part psychological and part physical), but believe it or not, it's actually good for your body because it can help to boost metabolism in response to the slight temporary increase in your bodies caloric intake.

Cheating is an essential part of your weekly diet. If you don't believe me, then listen to the wise words of Cassey (I don't mean to reference her in every single blog post btw - it just seems to happen by itself!):

if you’re eating clean all the time, having cheat foods is actually good for your metabolism! It keeps your body guessing for what’s next. It doesn’t get comfortable with how to burn calories – it has to continuously work hard to figure out new ways to function so that you don’t plateau. Much like with working out and how you should change your routine every 4 weeks to keep your body shocked, you need to do the same with your diet every once in a while.

There's only one rule I'd advise: moderation. But above all, enjoy - and don't regret!