Are cravings starting to creep up? If you’ve been eating healthily for quite some time now, it will only be a matter of time before you begin to have thoughts about less-than-healthy foods. It happens to even the best of dieters – cravings creep in, and if you aren’t careful, it can lead you to fall off your diet completely.

The best way around this is to plan for your cheat meal. When you have one incorporated into your diet, you know it’s not a matter of if you will get to eat the food you’re craving but rather, when.

This said you do need to plan for this cheat meal. Here’s how…

1. Set The Date. First things first, set the time for your cheat meal. You want this to be defined and planned out, so you aren’t as tempted to just “add one in” whenever you feel like it. Do that and you’ll soon find yourself having a cheat meal every other weekend.

2. Accommodate Your Food Choices Earlier In The Day. Next, figure out what you are going to cheat on and then work the rest of your meals around your choice. How many extra calories do you need as wiggle room? If you plan on eating around 200 to 300 calories more, for instance, make two or three of your meals earlier in the day slightly smaller.

This way, you can eat your cheat meal and won’t have to worry about potential weight gain. Don’t get too hung up on being exact here – just estimate and cut back slightly to make room for the meal.

3. Plan How You’ll Rebound From The Meal. Third, think about how you’ll rebound away from the food. How will you make sure you get back on track right after?

Most people will do best having the cheat meal as the last meal of the day so they can just go to bed and wake up the next day fresh and ready to start back on track.

Having the cheat meal at lunch, on the other hand, could make it harder to get back on the track as the day moves forward.

If you are going to go this route, make sure you have a firm plan in place for every other meal to finish up the day. This way, you won’t be as tempted to continue with the cheat meal.

4. Balance Your Macros. Finally, last but not least, balance out your macros…

• is your cheat meal going to be very high in carbs? If so, add protein to the meal to help balance it out.
• high in fat? Again, add protein along with fiber.

You still want to have a relatively balanced meal, macronutrient wise, when you do cheat, so have a look at what you are planning to eat and do your best to make this happen.

If you plan out your cheat meal, you can eat the foods you crave without completely derailing your diet. Do it wisely and you’ll be able to get right back on track, bodyweight in check.