How often have you gone through a week of eating well and having one bad meal on the weekend? In fitness terms, people usually associate it with a cheat meal. A cheat meal is required to reboot the system, but there is a difference between a cheat meal and a bad meal. Cheat meals are always planned, but a bad meal can ruin your diet and, more importantly, stall your weight loss goal. Many people believe that having one bad meal is okay if you work out, but this is not always the case. So, if your weight loss has stalled or you're about to binge on some extra fries, let's start by defining what a bad meal is and how much harm it can cause.
What Are the Symptoms of a Bad Meal?
First and foremost, a bad meal is never planned; it is consumed hastily. Second, it should be high in calories and high in carbohydrates. Finally, it causes bloating and lethargy.
How Much Damage Can One Meal Cause?
A high-calorie meal can set you back 15 days because when it comes to weight loss, weekly calories are calculated, and even 100 calories can ruin your weekly calorie intake. Let's say you're on a keto diet. You're probably aware that it takes at least two weeks to enter a ketosis state, where your body burns fat, and having one bad meal can take you out of ketosis and force you to restart from scratch.
Also Read: What Happens Inside Your Body When You Lose 10 Kgs In A Month
Following Are Some Of The Damage Of Consuming Bad Meal
1) Slows Down Your Metabolism
People frequently believe that diet and exercise are what help them lose weight. In reality, diet and exercise are tools for incorporating good habits that boost metabolism. Metabolism is the key to losing weight, and it is affected by your lifestyle. A poor meal can have a negative impact on your metabolism. In severe cases, your metabolism can also crash, which means that drinking water can cause you to gain weight.
2) Increases Chance Of Future Binge
The bad foods you eat are high in salt and sugar. Both salt and sugar have the ability to trigger cravings and overeating. Because salt is known to cause bloating, if your body appears bloated, it is because you consumed a high-sodium meal. If you get the urge to eat again, try to distract yourself by going for a run or window shopping.
3) Break Your Diet
Dieting helps you lose weight because you are only allowed to eat certain foods at certain times. A bad meal at an inconvenient moment can disrupt the dieting cycle and cause your body to come out of fat loss mode. So, even if you've been eating healthy for a month, one meal can force you to restart.
Also Read: Ayurvedic to Keto: 5-Step Beginners Guide To Choosing The Right Diet
Pro-Tip
Bad meals at any time of day can halt your progress, but you can reduce the negative effects by practising portion control and consuming some form of protein with it.
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