8 Sneaky Ways to Cheat on your Diet and Stay on Track …

8 Sneaky Ways to Cheat on your Diet and Stay on Track …

Yes, yes, yes…I am well aware of the penalties of straying away from a diet. All those extra inches around my waist remind me often enough without you having to chirp about it like a cuckoo clock. But – hear me out here – what if you could get to cheat on your diet and still not put on any weight? I am not kidding here, this is the real deal. Here are 8 sneaky, surreptitious, underhand ways by which you can cheat on your diet and still stay on track. I don’t know about you, but that’s the best news I’ve heard in a long time.

1. Its okay to dine out

Once every few days, treat yourself to the kind of meals you’ve been craving for all this while, even the fattening ones. However, there are strings attached, which is you need to limit your portions. If you feel like having pizzas, eat only two small slices; or if it’s a fillet you are hankering after, have only small cuts of meats.

2. Give yourself a Treat

Once every week, go after that sinful indulgent you’ve been holding denying yourself, be it an ice-cream, a double chocolate chip cookie or a mug of rich hot chocolate. However, do not exceed your budget of 200-300 calories for each treat.

3. Don’t say no to Chocolates

Here’s the good news – you can have a little bit of chocolate every single day without upsetting the cart even the tiniest bit. However, the only caveat here is instead of going through an entire bar of chocolate in a day, have only two or three squares, which amounts to only 75 calories.

4. There’s no harm in Drinking

If you are finding it hard to cut back on your drinks – here’s a way out. Figure out how much your weekly quota is and slash that by one-fourth. That’s as many drinks as you can have in one week and no more if you want to lose at least a couple of pounds every week.

5. Don’t hold back in Parties

Those on a diet usually tend to look no further than the salad bar or crudités at a party. By all means, take your pick from the appetizers, but restrict yourself to two or three selections. For the rest of the meal you can gorge yourself on veggies and fresh fruit and save enough space for one dessert.

6. Love your Salad Dressings

While it is true that all those extra toppings in your salad pile in plenty of unkind calories, having a bowl of nothing but greens is not a very appetizing thought. So, what you do instead is this. Fill your plate with greens, veggies, fruits, and proteins. Add two or three 1-tbsp servings of high calorie toppings, such as dried fruit, croutons, nuts, bacon crumbles, cheese or avocado. For dressing, choose a tbsp of real vinaigrette or a tbsp of vinegar and oil. Now, relish your salad.

7. Munch on Breads

Most dieters tend to approach the bread basket wearily or skip it altogether. However, you can take a small slice of your favorite bread, gild with a little butter or a tsp of olive oil and munch away contentedly.

8. Soda is Acceptable – in Moderation

You don’t want to drink water with your meal, you aren’t allowed to drink soda, and it’s a pain having your food dry. That’s an understandable predicament, one that can be solved if you are ready to make a compromise. Switch your regular soda for a can of diet soda, and have no more than one every day.

Now, doesn’t dieting seem like less of a chore for you after I’ve showed you 8 different ways in which you can cheat it, have what you like, and still stay on track with your weight loss program? What are you going to treat yourself to first?