Can you believe it’s the end of week 3 already? This has been my best Souper Diet results so far! 6kg down, -1.3% fat, +1.2% total body water, +1% muscle mass and -2 BMI! I’m really feeling cleansed and light!
Many friends and colleagues have been asking me, “Just soups only? Aren’t you tired of them? How to survive on soups for 28 days?” Here’s my response, and buckle up – it may not be what you are expecting! 🙂
Cheat (or Treat) Meals
The Souper Diet is meant to be sustainable, given the many flavours of soups on our menu and the chockfull of ingredients that swim around in each Take-Home Soup Pack. Some people have shared their thoughts that 28 days seem to be a fairly long time to go on a diet, but remember that this isn’t a fad diet, but one that allows you to lose weight while pacing yourself for the long run with clean eating habits. However, admittedly in week 3, some of us might be feeling the desire of having more variety in our diet. I do, too!
And here’s my solution – cheat meals!
A cheat meal is a temporary departure from a diet you are trying to stay track on, and I like a call it a treat meal! Remember, moderation is key. So long as you keep to the soup meals for the bulk of the 28 days, and eat your best even during the cheat meals, there shouldn’t be much straying from your weight loss goals. One of my friends went on a dinner date every Friday evening with her husband (so sweet!), and still managed to knock off 8 kg after 28 days! Another friend had food tasting every other day as part of her work commitments, and had two inches off at the end of the programme too.
Personally, I find that cheat meals, when taken sparingly (2-3 in the course of 28 days is ok) and with care, has helped to refresh my body with a renewed motivation to stick to the diet and eat right! So, how do you plan your cheat meals with care?
Cheat Clean
One thing I really love about the Souper Diet is how it has made me more attuned to the needs of my body, and more aware of what I feed it with. After two weeks of soup meals, I feel so much more cleansed and light, and I certainly won’t sabotage it by overloading with empty calories!
If you want to cheat, cheat clean, I’d say! Avoid processed foods, artificial preservatives and colourings, trans-fat, foods with high sugar or sodium content, and foods with mysterious chemicals that you will have trouble pronouncing! Go for the real foods and make the cheat meal count for something!
I love my homemade gula melaka granola! Even with the addition of chocolate chips, such a meal is still clean and yet indulgent!
I was on my feet serving since our newest outlets at NTU and Punggol Waterway Point opened their doors, and the scent of the grills and fries was oh-so-alluring! I decided that a cheat meal of grilled no-hormones chicken breast and a small side of fries would perk up my day, and it so did! As long as you make sure that cheat meals are infrequent (2-3 in 28 days is ok!) and are chosen with care for nutritional value, don’t take yourself on a guilt trip for these cheat meals!
There are many food options that are satisfying, indulgent, yet won’t make you fall into a diet slump! Ask for smaller portions, less oil! Chances are, if you have kept rather strictly to the Souper Diet, you won’t need many cheat meals or high calorie cheat meals to feel good!
Don’ts of Cheat Meals
Don’t make any food forbidden | Just like what I always tell my kids, there is no forbidden food. When you make a food ‘forbidden’, you risk making it more attractive and desirable and are more likely to over-indulge in it when you have the chance to. Indulge in your cheat meal by all means, but never over-indulge.
Don’t Weigh Yourself After A Cheat Meal | Your weight is only a small aspect of your overall well-being. Don’t agonize over every gram of weight, especially not after a cheat meal. Just like what I have shared in my earlier post, weighing yourself once every morning will suffice as an indicator of your progress, but never lose sleep over it!
Don’t Starve to Cheat | Ever walked into a buffet or gone grocery shopping when your belly is growling? You are most certainly going to make less wise nutrition choices when you are hungry! So even though you are looking forward to your cheat meal, never starve so you can eat!
Just like one meal isn’t going to make you slim down, a couple of cheat meals isn’t going to make you gain weight. What matters more is to use the Souper Diet to cultivate clean eating habits that will help you gain control of your health, body and weight in the long run.
Always happy to jump back to my soup diet after a cheat meal!
See, a diet doesn’t have to be hard! Week 4, let’s go!