I'll be honest, a planned cheat has not done anything to improve my rate of weight loss. Probably the opposite. I did try it to try to jumpstart my metabolism once, but it really didn't seem to do anything. I did lose a pound that week, but on average I've been losing a pound a week, so that was probably a coincidence.

Other types of planned cheats I've had have been more like when I went away on business to Paris. I knew there would be some amazing food so I gave myself permission to indulge once in a while that week. One day I had the most amazing dessert at lunch, but the rest of the lunch I had was low-carb. Same thing with dinner another night, no starches or bread, but I had the dessert. Those types of cheats aren't to jumpstart metabolism, but just to enjoy. They are the ones I worry about the most, never knowing if you've awoken the carb monster who will overtake your life again. If you plan to do that kind of a cheat, know your limits, when you plan to stop and then stop then, no matter what. Don't let a cheat turn into a slide.

Valerie