Ask the expert: will a cheat meal affect my diet plan?

I’ve started a new diet but I want to add one blow-out meal a week to satisfy my cravings. It that OK?

I’m not a fan of cheat meals. Ideally, you should be on a meal plan that is so well balanced that you do not feel the need to ‘cheat’.

Besides, you can’t go through life planning cheat meals. You’ve got to follow a sustainable healthier strategy that can become a lifestyle.

I recommend you have a closer look at your meal options and add foods that you love in the right portions so you have a better relationship with food and don’t feel the need to cheat.

That said, there are some of us who respond better to one or two cheat meals per week and some who like to eat a little bit of something that we shouldn’t every day. Both of these strategies could work well in the long run if 80 per cent of the time you eat clean.

If you’re on a strict low-carb diet I’d recommend you do one ‘all out’ meal every 15 days. I believe this really helps stir things up for your metabolism.

So, if you must cheat, be wise with your cheat meal.