Health and Weight Loss Articles
Losing Weight While on a Diet with One Cheat Meal a Week
25/04/2013

One of the most common problems people have with going on a diet is that they miss the unhealthy (but delicious) foods that they once used to have on a regular basis. Cheat meals help to alleviate this problem. They allow you to take a short break from your strict diet and return to your normal eating habits. But is it still possible to lose weight while having a cheat meal once a week?

There is a great debate on the important of cheat meals in diets. Some say that they are pointless and unnecessary. Others say that they are essential to keeping you motivated with your diet. The real answer is somewhere in between.


It is true that cheat meals are a physically unhealthy option. After all, they involve giving up your diet for a short time and eating something that would usually cause you to put on weight. However, by limiting your cheat meals to once a week you can receive the full benefits of a cheat meal and none of the consequences. Since you are only having one unhealthy meal a week, your body will be able to cope with that sudden increase in calories. You’ll be eating healthy every other time, so you will continue to lose weight. The single cheat meal each week will serve to improve your mental health and help to ensure that you do not lose motivation.

One thing to keep in mind is that you should never start having more than one cheat meal a week while on a diet. It may be tempting to occasionally start having two or three cheat meals every few weeks. However, research has shown that this often leads to more and more cheat meals, which eventually puts an end to the diet.

So is it acceptable to have one cheat meal a week? YES! In fact, many dieticians recommend it. Cheat meals will help keep you motivated and focused on the thing that matters most: stating healthy and losing weight.