Hi everyone! Ever noticed that sometimes a cheat meal becomes a cheat day, this becomes a cheat week and so forth.
So, it was weekend and you had a celebration and obviously may have had a little more cheat meals than you should have and partied a bit more than usual, or you just basically “fell off the wagon” and want to get back on.
I think we all have those weekends or even weeks that gets us thrown off track and has us indulging in things we normally wouldn’t. While it’s really fun and you get to eat ALL the delicious food, it’s also really hard to get back on track after a few days of this. After you cheat, it is common for your weight loss to suddenly stall or plateau.
So let’s get back on track!
First, what NOT to do:
Definitely DON’T assume that you’ve screwed up your diet and you will be a fat failure forevermore. Don’t beat yourself up and call yourself names. Don’t tell yourself that you’re weak, have no willpower and can’t do anything right. None of these things are true – you just went a little off course, that’s all.
Definitely DON’T starve yourself as punishment or in an effort to try forcing your body to lose the weight you gained from a cheat! Eating too little will only slow down your metabolism and make matters worse.
Most importantly, don’t quit your diet! Don’t see your cheat as a “failure” – see it as an opportunity to do better from this moment on. And most important, DON’T STOP YOUR INJECTIONS OR DROPS.
What to do next:
Depending on the magnitude of the cheat, you may want to take a few steps for the next few days that can help you bring your body back into fat-burning mode.
Always remember cheating on the HCG diet is common, just as common as any other diet.
Unarguably, the hCG diet is not an easy task. It is common to cheat. However, it is an effective weight loss program even if you do meet obstacles and suffer a few weaknesses. When your weight loss stalls or you gain a kilo or 2 because of a cheat day, then you should try an Apple Day or Steak Day. However, this method should not encourage one to cheat and then rectify with the apple or steak as your metabolism will become lazy. This method should only be used when serious damage has been caused.
What is an Apple or a Steak day?
You have two options to break your plateau after you experience a cheat day on the hCG diet: Apple Day or Steak Day.
Apple day: During an Apple Day you consume nothing but six green apples and unlimited water. Try to space the apples out throughout the day to curb your hunger. The green apples help your body detoxify from your day of cheating. The apples will expertly help you get your diet back on track, so the kilos start to slip away.
Steak Day: is usually the backup plan if Apple Day does not break the plateau. During Steak Day you will eat one large steak. You can also drink a limitless supply of water throughout the day.
Choose one plateau breaker
You should never try both the Apple Day or Steak Day on consecutive days. Use one plateau breaker and then check your weight for at least two or three days to determine if you are again losing weight. Always weigh yourself in the morning after you have used the bathroom and keep track of the weight’s number.
Stay hydrated
If your cheat included foods that are high in sugar, fat and sodium, drinking more water can help your body flush out toxins and any excess water that it may be retaining due to the content of the food you ate. Drink enough water so that you are visiting the potty regularly and your urine is virtually clear in color. Partying usually goes hand in hand with having a few drinks – at least it does for me every once in awhile– especially during celebrations. Which means you’re more than likely dehydrated at this point. One great way to start feeling better and to even get rid of cravings is to stay hydrated. Add a liter of water to the normal amount of water you usually drink in a day to get back on track after a weekend of fun.
Eat High-Fiber Vegetables
Include plenty of high-fiber, nutrient-rich vegetables in your diet for a few days, especially vegetables like spinach, broccoli and cabbage. This will help keep you feeling full while also stimulating your digestive system to keep things moving along smoothly, and boosting your metabolism these foods require your body to expend a fair amount of energy to digest them.
Detox round
Depending on your “falling off the wagon” duration, your body is probably filled with toxins that you don’t normally have. One way to kick extra cravings and feel all-around better is to start a detox first thing Monday morning.
This will not only wake up your system, but it will help flush out all of that junk that you put into your body during your free for all. This way you’ll feel better and be reenergized to get right back on track.
Patiently Wait Out Cravings
Finally, if you cheated with a food that has now triggered cravings for more of the same food, you’ll have to patiently wait it out until the cravings pass. Remember that some foods (like sugar) create a chemical chain-reaction in your body that makes you want more and more of them. When a craving comes over you, simply take a few deep breaths, affirm that it will pass, and wait until it does.
Cheating on your diet is not the end of the world – it’s not even the end of your diet, if you simply keep your common sense and do what you can to get back on track as quickly as possible. And if you find you’re consistently cheating on your diet, then it may not be the right diet plan for you. Losing weight permanently means making changes you can live with for the rest of your life.
Reevaluate Your Goals
Sometimes one weekend is enough to derail us from our goals the Monday after. We get so caught up in the drinking and eating junk food that we think it’s not a big deal to just have a few more cheat meals during the week.
One way for you guys to get back on track is to re-evaluate your goals. Open that picture up again or go find that piece of paper that had them all written down. Coming face to face with those goals will push you to stick to your diet and exercise program.
Prepare Healthy Snacks And Meals
When you have a few cheat meals, chances are those meals were BIG – I know mine always are. That means your stomach has stretched out a little bit and you’ll start to feel hungrier more often than you did when you were in your prime routine.
In order to get back on track, you should prepare healthy snacks and meals that you can just grab quickly and eat. If you have to wait and think about what you want to eat, you’ll probably end up choosing something that resembles your cheat meal weekend. Always aim for fruit or healthy forms of protein to keep you feeling full!
If you struggle with this, you could follow our link https://viplounge.dietdoctor.co.za/recipes/ which will give you tons of recipes to keep you on track to reach your goals.
Never Skip A Monday
This is theGOLDEN RULE! If you really want to stay on track after a weekend where you partied a little more than usual, never skip that Monday. You may feel tired, weak, and kind of crappy from all the junk food, but you HAVE to get into that gym and eat the same foods you were before.
By going in on that Monday, you’re telling your body that it’s time to get back on track and you’re also showing yourself that you can get right back to it without skipping a day. Mondays are so important because they’re always the hardest. If you can push past it and go in on a Monday, you can do it on any day.
Get Right Back To Your Previous Routine
Just because you took a weekend off doesn’t mean that your routine is completely ruined. Your body will recognize being back in the routine and start to feel much better if you stick to it. Don’t wait a week before going back to things as you did before, start right away and it’ll wake your body up! This includes sleep routines and exercise routines.
Overall, the most important thing you can do to get back on track after a cheat meal and partying is to get right back into your routine – same workouts, same meals, etc. Doing this will get your body back into the swing of things and it’ll be easier for you to maintain.
This happens to everyone – even the best of us – so it’s really important for us all to know how to get back on track. Tell me about a time you had to get back on track and what you did to maintain your routine.