While it’s possible to achieve rapid weight loss with extreme (i.e., unsustainable) diets, a permanent change in dietary habits is generally required for long-term success. In other words, the best way to lose weight and keep it off is to settle into dietary habits that you can sustain for the rest of your life. Since the desire to enjoy food is part of being human, some level of periodic indulgence or “cheating” is practically a necessity for any diet to be sustainable. This leads to the big question: to what extent can we indulge in a cheat meal while still supporting good health and a desirable body composition?
I don’t like the cheat meal concept because cheating implies a deviation from the plan. If well-managed consumption of not-so-healthy food is part of the plan, then it’s not really cheating. The key here is “well-managed,” which will be the focus of this article.