Alright girls, let’s talk cheat meals! What better topic than that on a Sunday!

I get asked pretty often if I ever eat sweets because of my diet, so here’s the answer: I definitely do! Being on track with your workouts and nutrition doesn’t mean that you cannot make exceptions every now and then. It means that you have to have the discipline to know when it’s time for an exception and for me, that’s pretty much every Sunday! Remember: Fitness is not about being extreme. It’s about being consistent!

When working our hard, we do deserve to treat ourselves every once in a while. What we cannot do, is make it a habit. For this reason it’s best to have our weekly cheat meal scheduled; f.e. every Saturday or Sunday, since most people get to relax and might go out to eat on the weekend, or even randomly grab some ice cream! Put your cheat meal in your calendar if you have to! For me personally it gives me something to be looking forward to after working hard all week!

What I also recommend, is to simply listen to your body. Are you dealing with cravings? If yes, indulge them! The best food to conquer a craving is the food you are craving. This means, if you’re usually craving brownies, then make them your cheat meal! Another way to deal with cravings is to pinpoint what you’re craving and make it healthier. Sure, you can’t be ordering pizza 3 times a week, but you can definitely have homemade low-fat protein pizza!

Now, as much as you’re rewarding yourself for your hard work, you should not turn a cheat meal into a cheat day, week or month. A lot of people get consumed by guilt and end up falling off track. Just remember: When you drive in the wrong direction, do you just keep driving or do you take the next U-turn in order to get to your destination? Do not judge or blame yourself for making an exception. Instead, treat your body with love and it will take care of the rest!

Stop assuming that one dinner will ruin all your hard work. This is not true at all. What matters is what happens after that dinner! Drink some water, be grateful for the food you just had and keep going! Instead of focusing on this one meal, focus on the next one! Grab your phone, look at your macros and try to hit your daily goal regardless. What’s missing today? Protein? Make yourself a shake and get it off your mind!

And the most important rule of all: Love your body and it will love you back!

xoxo

Anna