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Is it time to cheat on your cheat days? I think so! LOL
If you’re following any kind of diet plan or lifestyle these days, you are likely familiar with the idea of a cheat day. It’s one day out of a week or two weeks that you eat whatever you want, as much as you want.
I like the IDEA behind a cheat day. Here’s why… Your body doesn’t know you’re on a diet.
Your body only knows FEAST or FAMINE.
And when you’re watching what you eat, especially if you’re aiming to lose weight, your body thinks it is in famine, or starvation mode. And what does that mean? It means it will do anything to HOLD ON to all of the calories and fat that it can.
So weight loss slows down, you get frustrated, and you decide what you’re doing isn’t working. It’s understandable.
This is especially the case with intermittent fasting, so if you’re a fan of fasting, keep reading to find out how to optimize your results.
That’s why cheat days are a great idea, in theory. They tell your body there’s no starvation going on. So the rest of the days of the week when you’re eating right, you can lose weight and get all of the great benefits from the food you’re putting into your body.
But here’s the problem with cheat days…
If you think you can eat anything and everything with zero impact 1 out of 7 days each week, I hate to break it to you, but you can’t!
If your goal is weight loss, eating a bunch of junk food will slow down your progress. I know that seems contradictory with what I just explained, but your body doesn’t understand contradiction. It just knows that you’ve blown all of the progress you’ve made the other 6 days of the week.
Further, if you’re eating pasta and pizza and ice cream and French fries and bacon cheeseburgers one day a week… How does that arugula salad sound the next day? Or sautéed spinach the day after that?
Your taste buds adjust to all of that acidic junk food and what happens? They want MORE! These foods are literally made to be addictive. And they succeed at making you crave junk and dislike real food.
And that’s not to even speak of the very real health risks to eating the way you do on a cheat day. Cheat foods put you at greater risk for diabetes, heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and more.
So, you might be wondering… If cheat days are a good idea in theory, but in practice they are bad for you, what are you supposed to do?
I want to share a better alternative to a cheat day. Remember how your body only knows 2 modes, feast or famine? Well let me introduce you to:
FEAST DAYS!
Feast days are like cheat days in that you can eat as much as you want, as many hours of the day as you want.
But instead of loading up on junk, you’re going to stick to real foods. This is the day to go for the foods you don’t touch or limit the rest of the week, in addition to all of the other healthy, alkaline foods you continue to eat. Think:
- Grass-fed butter (Kerrygold)
- Sweet potatoes, squashes, or new potatoes
- Fruit
- Salmon, other fish, and any other animal protein you eat (stick with organic, grass-fed, and free range) – this is the day to eat it!
- As much quinoa, beans, and lentils as you want
- Coconut or almond milk yogurt (low or no sugar)
- Ezekiel bread
- Gluten-free oats
- Manuka honey (in moderation)
- Dates
- Fat bombs and other low sugar desserts
Are you drooling yet? And yes, this can actually help you LOSE weight!
As long as you’re sticking with an alkaline, clean keto, and/or intermittent fasting the rest of the week, your body will continue making progress because you’re clearly not in famine mode.
This works super well if you are intermittent fasting. Make your feast day the one day each week you don’t restrict your eating hours and it will IMPROVE your fasting results, believe it or not.
[Read: How Not to Break an Intermittent Fast]
Remember, it’s about progress, not perfection. So try incorporating a feast day once a week or once every other week into your routine and see how it goes for you. Lots of my clients swear by feast days as the way they are able to stick to the 80/20 alkaline lifestyle. They eat mostly alkaline the rest of the week and take one day to eat the more acidic foods on the list above.
Did you know coffee doesn’t have to be an acidic “cheat” food?
You can actually turn your acidic coffee into an alkaline treat!
Watch this video to see the difference on a pH strip!
If you want the energy coffee gives you – without the eventual crash, headaches, jitters, or acid reflux, you’ve got to try Acid-Kicking Coffee Alkalizer, a powder supplement that turns creamy and slightly sweet when you add it to your coffee, but it does so much more than that.
It delivers plant-based, clean keto fats, acid-fighting minerals, pure Himalayan pink mineral salts, and enzymes to optimize brain-boosting energy, suppress hunger, and burn body fat throughout your day.
Plus it tastes delicious in 3 yummy flavors – Salted Caramel, Mocha, and Vanilla! Try it today or Subscribe & Save 15%!
GET OFF YOUR ACID!
Dr. Daryl
