This is one of those places where the answer for your head is different than the answer for you body.
And from a body/energy balance/results standpoint it really makes sense to ask that question. From a headspace standpoint, I'd actually urge you to avoid that kind of question.
So, from a pure results standpoint, it's true that the people who have the tightest food most of the time "earn" their free meals. And, people who are sloppy all of the time have a hard time getting results with free meals in there.
Don't Fall Into The Trap
So skipping free meals you haven't yet "earned" makes sense… But it's a trap.
The trap is medium: Medium on-plan nutrition 90% of the time, and then medium free meals 10% of the time. It's all medium, it all blends together.
Dan John wrote an amazing article on this that had a big impact on everything about how I train people, from diet to exercise: "I Hate Medium"
I'd rather we edge our way towards tighter 90% of the time. And feeling freer 10% of the time. Clearly on-plan most of the time. Clearly a free meals some of the time.
Either way, I should be able to look at that meal in your food journal and be able to tell which one it is.
Said another way: Put your energy into getting your on-plan meals right. That's more effective than skipping free meals. If your week was sloppy food wise, don't skip your free meal. Have your free meal… but then go shopping for next weeks on plan meals. Plan your next week's meals. Cook your next week's meals. Do something that will actually make a difference.
Your On-Plan Meals Don't Need to Be Perfect
Also – in that same vein, on-plan is a moving target. Just make small changes. If the small changes get us results, then that is on-plan. Even if it isn't "perfect". It's still on-plan.
Then, if we aren't seeing results, we will make bigger/stricter changes.
But it's always in a state of flux – we'll change what "on-plan" is depending in the results we see. It could be more or less strict depending. So your "on plan" meals just mean what ever we're currently doing. Most people can even do on-plan even at Panera Bread or Chipotle.
Take Free Meals
Take free meals. We get results from the other 90% of meals, the on-plan meals. When we take free meals, we tend to want to "earn" them in future meals.
Skipping free meals tends to have the opposite effect, we feel like we can be a little sloppier the rest of the week.
by Josh Hillis
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