YOLO Meal...Let's cheat ;)

People say to me, "wow, you stay in shape so you must follow a really strict diet and NEVER eat cheat meals or desserts. Ever." Ha. False.

First of all, we need to clarify. I LOVE ME SOME FATTY FOOD. On occasion. Carbs are my weakness...chocolate is my weakness...pizza can be great...and there are days when I get a deep down craving for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Don't know why. And I do it. I eat it. No, girls, you should not be eating this everyday, and even eating like this a couple days a week will add up. It depends what you're training for...if you are a high school athlete who is in season, you can probably get away with eating some treats and cheat meals on the weekends compared to a figure competitor prepping for a figure competition...who cannot, at a certain point.

We all seriously WISH, right?

However, I encourage you to have a cheat meal. I'm actually giving you permission to have that one day when you eat something delicious that you really want to eat, like that home baked brownie or the ice cream sandwich in the freezer. I call this...a YOLO meal. Because 1. YOLO, right? And 2. Eating a cheat meal can actually help you continue to lose weight. WAIT WHAT? Am I saying that eating a slice of cake or a hamburger after sticking to your diet can be a good thing? Yes.....all you women whose eyes just got big...that I am.

You see, when you're on a diet and you cut out a lot of carbs of treats from your meal plan, and you're training, your body adjusts...you're burning calories and on a roll, but sometimes, every once in awhile, you can increase your metabolism by shocking your body. Some people call these "re-feed" days, when they re-feed their bodies after being pretty strict. Your body needs to keep guessing what's coming next! It's how your metabolism rolls. So when you eat some warm cookies once in awhile...you get to indulge...and your body gets re-energized.

The other part of having a YOLO meal once in awhile, is that it really truthfully keeps you mentally sane. If you're on a pretty limited diet or you've cut out junk food or treats and you're training, it can take a toll on you after a couple weeks. You start to mentally give in, and also physically begin craving carbs or something like a cheat meal. Say you eat a strict diet for a month...most people end up binging and cleaning out their pantry when they finally snap...and this is an unhealthy habit that can cause you to indulge for more than one night, and go back to square one. Say you allow yourself a slice of pizza once every weekend, and you stay sane, balanced and happy. No binging, no problem!

HOLD UP. I'm not giving you the green light to run out this friday night and buy the entire aisle of chips and cookies in the local grocery store and inhale them all night. Sometimes when you haven't had a cheat meal in awhile, you end up prowling around the kitchen like a lion on the hunt and start eating things like you're pouncing from the bush. Calories are calories, and they still matter. It's ok to indulge in a treat or a meal, and maybe even a cheat day. And if you overdo it...if you eat the entire cake instead of a slice, and the entire pint of ice cream instead of a scoop...YOLO. It happened. Learn to control yourself next time, but don't sweat it. Enjoy it. As the famous motto goes, "Don't worry, be happy."

This is a little too much for one day. Go read tip #3.

But here are my 5 tips to having a YOLO cheat meal to keep in mind:

1. Have no shame: If you're feeling guilty the entire time you're eating it, you have two options. Stop eating it, or stop feeling guilty.

2. Plan ahead: Plan to have your cheat meal every sunday, or on a specific day. When it's last minute, you'll eat more than you probably want to.

3. Limit them: YOLO is true....you only live once. So you should live every day considering this. You should NOT live every day eating YOLO meals. Ya?

4. Control: Your portions. You aren't going on a vacuum food spree that spirals out of control. You are not eating two of everything on the Diner menu.

5. Do it and Finish it: Once you eat it, it's done. Bye. Be friendly to clean eating again.

BUT REMEMBER LADIES: YOUR STOMACH SHOULD NOT BE A WASTEBASKET. To put it kindly. You are not tossing every bag of chips away into that thing like it's a Glad kitchen expandable bag.

And lastly....no. Ma'am. Limit, plan, and enjoy. Don't do it
in front of the TV. Enjoy every bite.

BECAUSE YOU CAN...YOU SHOULD...AND.....YOLO!!!!!!

- Lil Miss Strong