GREENSBORO, N.C. — This is probably a health question you have probably wondered about but never knew who to ask. And it's a good one!
Viewer Bernadette said, "I was out with a friend. We're both trying to lose weight. I order the salad and she says -- Oh it's my cheat day! I was like what is that? Have you heard of a cheat meal or cheat day? Is there such a thing?"
Great question! Can you have a cheat meal? Health expert Lynch Hunt has the answer.
"Diets get really old and boring really fast and that makes it easy to throw away all of your hard work after just a couple of weeks," said Hunt, who owns AWOL Fitness. "I always tell people it's okay to indulge every once in a while. Eating your favorite meal can help you stay motivated for the long run. The fact of the matter is your favorite food or cheat meal won't put pounds on you over the weekend. Just make sure that after you had your fun, you get back on your fitness journey and you keep working towards your goals."
But of course, this advice comes with a warning. Hunt says it doesn't mean that you can get carried away on your cheat days.
"It's easy for your cheat day to become your cheat weekend and your cheat weekend can suddenly become a cheat week and before you know it, you're back to your old eating habits. At the end of the day, your meal every once in a while will not erase the weeks and months of hard work and calorie counting that you've been putting in along the way. If you can make healthy choices most of the time, then you'll see the results you need. You need to stick to it and stay with it and eventually it will become a way of life.
Hunt answers your health, fitness, and motivation questions every Monday morning on the Good Morning Show. You can submit a question by emailing Tracey McCain at tmccain@wfmy.com or posting it here.