It's Cheat Day! That's right, when I am dieting for a competition, I have one day off every week from eating a strict, clean diet. One day a week I have pancakes for breakfast, pizza for dinner and popcorn for dessert. One day a week I don't count my calories, macros, micros, or anything else! I have one day a week to look forward to and meditate on as I down my eggs, oatmeal, tuna, chicken and vegetables early in the week.

However, I do still pay attention to the ingrediets in my food on my cheat day. I still aim for whole foods and no artificial anything. Pizza is homemade, popcorn is from kernels popped on my stove-top in coconut oil and pancakes are made from scratch (actually tried out a new recipe today and it was delicious! I will share it in an upcoming post.)

The greatest part about my cheat day is that my mind and body love me for it! My body stops thinking I'm starving it and so allows more fat to be burned in subsequent days. Likewise, my mind stops thinking so much about what I am missing and concentrates on what I can have again in just one week.

I advise all of my clients to include a cheat day in their weightloss programs. Without it, your metabolism will likely slow down, you will be moody and depressed and feel deprived.

It's cheat day! Now, I must go sit on the couch with my husband, watch a movie and eat popcorn, for tomorrow will be filled with heavy weights, eggs, oatmeal, tuna, chicken, vegetables and progress toward my goals. Goodnight!