A Nutritionist’s Guide to Incorporating Cheat Days into Your Diet
When it comes to healthy eating, the key to following the rules may be in breaking them. The notion of “cheat days” has recently garnered popularity for those dieting or wishing to sustain a healthy lifestyle. While incorporating a periodic cheat day has proven to help dieters stay on track, if you don’t indulge the right way, you could find yourself back at square one.
The first rule of integrating cheat days into your diet? Don’t think of them as cheating, more so a meal that you earned and should enjoy – without the guilt. By following this advice on how to incorporate cheat days into your diet, you’ll come to think of them less as cheating, and more as part of a healthy and balanced lifestyle.
The Benefits of Cheating
Research shows that after a cheat meal, the body increases its metabolism, causing you to burn calories faster. This is caused by increased levels of leptin, a hormone secreted by fat cells and responsible for maintaining energy balance in the body. After eating a larger meal than usual, your body increases leptin production by as much as 30 percent for up to 24 hours.
For those on a highly restrictive, low-calorie diet, psychologists and nutritionists often believe that cheat meals allow individuals to eat better throughout the week. This planned splurge in calories often allows people to forgo other unplanned and often binge-inducing meals – meals that take much longer to bounce back from and could throw you off the wagon altogether.
Cheating Too Frequently
While cheat days can prove a helpful tool to keep binge-eating at bay, if you cheat too often, you can find yourself back to where you started. As an easier way to plan out cheat meals, nutritionists often recommend the 80/20 Rule. When following this rule, 80 percent of the meals you eat should be healthy and adhere to your eating plan, while the other 20 percent give you the flexibility to satisfy your cravings.
Instead of devoting an entire day giving in to indulgences, nutritionists recommend satisfying a single craving. Also, remember that the frequency of which you cheat should depend on how close you are to your health goals. Someone trying to maintain their weight may be able to splurge more often than someone just starting a diet.
Cheat on a Training Day
If you plan to consume a larger amount of calories, try to do it on a day you can burn them off. Nutritionists agree that you should indulge in your cravings, but if you do, do it on the day of an intense workout. Even better, choose a meal that’s high in protein to rebuild muscle mass and satiate hunger.
Plan, Plan, Plan
It can be especially difficult to stick to a diet at a special event where cake and alcohol prevail as major food groups. Instead of torturing yourself, plan ahead to count it as your cheat meal. When an imminent binging event like Thanksgiving rolls around, even though you might be tempted to reach for a second or third plate, limit yourself to one. Having the dishes laid out in front of you doesn’t give you license to adopt an all-you-can-eat mindset. Tell yourself you’ll savor one helping and be done.
Forgive Yourself
Lastly, don’t give in to guilt. It can be easy get discouraged, but one bad meal or one bad day is not indicative of failure. Accept what you ate, and move on.
FAQs
The Benefits of Cheating
Research shows that after a cheat meal, the body increases its metabolism, causing you to burn calories faster. This is caused by increased levels of leptin, a hormone secreted by fat cells and responsible for maintaining energy balance in the body.
Will two cheat days ruin progress? ›
While your metabolism may go up in the immediate aftermath of a splurge, it doesn't stay that way for long enough to make a significant difference. “Cheat day calories can add up fast and bring your weight loss progress to a screeching halt — or even reverse it,” Taylor warns.
Will one cheat day ruin my physique? ›
A cheat day causes some large weight increases, but weight because of water, not fat. Depending on what kind of diet you were on, loading up on carbs on a cheat day can increase your weight noticeably. If you were trying to lose fat, you likely were trying to cut carbohydrates out of your diet.
How bad does a cheat day set you back? ›
If you're healthy, your body knows how to regulate itself after a cheat meal. Aside from feeling bloated, less active, and a temporary increase in water weight (excess sodium in many processed foods means you'll hold on to more water) a cheat here or there won't do much harm.
Will I gain fat from a cheat day? ›
This can cause some large increases in weight, but weight due to water, not fat. Depending on what kind of diet you were on, loading up on carbs on a cheat day can increase your weight noticeably. If you were trying to lose fat, you likely were trying to cut carbohydrates out of your diet.
Can I have two cheat days a week and still lose weight? ›
When following the 80/20 Rule, cheat meals can be an effective tool for weight loss if you have a healthy relationship with food. Planned weekly, biweekly, or monthly, cheat meals can prevent excessive binge eating and urges to abandon the diet entirely.
Is a 5000 calorie cheat day bad? ›
The Truth About Cheat Days: 5000 Calories and a Pound of Fat Gained 🍔 Don't fall for the trap of believing that cheat days are okay - they can add up to serious weight gain over time! Your body counts everything, so make sure to stay consistent with your diet and exercise for the best results.
How many cheat days are OK in a month? ›
This depends on the individual and what a regimen is, but it can vary. Some people can have cheat days once a week, others can do so once a month, while others should limit them even further. Lowe suggests once a year is good, because each day, people don't realize how many calories they are consuming.
How many cheat days can you have to lose weight? ›
How Often Should Be Your Cheat Day? Since every weight loss program is unique, there is no conclusive response to this issue. However, most people recommend having a cheat day once a week. This will allow you to indulge without jeopardizing your diet or weight reduction objectives.
Is pizza a bad cheat meal? ›
Also, cheat meals tend to be high fat foods (fried goods, pizza, desserts, etc.), resulting in the potential increase of body fat. Macrostax has a solution for both of these. First of all, the Macrostax program incorporates what we call a refeed day.
However, fasting after a binge can backfire and perpetuate the binge-restrict cycle. It can lead to intense cravings and an obsession with food. To make peace with food, eating enough is key, even if you just binged.
Do fit people have cheat days? ›
This depends on the individual and what a regimen is, but it can vary. Some people can have cheat days once a week, others can do so once a month, while others should limit them even further.
Can I have 2000 calories on cheat day? ›
Yes, IF your body needs to burn around 2000 per day, then on your “cheat day” you will simply break even, which means you would lose slightly less than you would if you ate 1250 calories every day, is all. That's not a bad thing, really. Gradual fat loss is healthier than rapid fat loss.
How many cheat days is too many? ›
Research shows just three cheat days a week is as bad for your gut health as a consistently unhealthy diet. Gaining a small amount of weight, like a pound or two, is not a big deal.
Can you overdo a cheat day? ›
You might overdo a cheat meal.
We know for sure that a regular diet that's unhealthy can, over time, increase your long-term risk of developing heart disease. But it may also be true that a big, unhealthy meal can cause immediate risks.
How often should you have a cheat day when trying to lose weight? ›
How Often Should Be Your Cheat Day? Since every weight loss program is unique, there is no conclusive response to this issue. However, most people recommend having a cheat day once a week. This will allow you to indulge without jeopardizing your diet or weight reduction objectives.
Will I gain weight on a cheat day a week? ›
It is possible to have a "cheat day" once weekly and not gain weight. As long as you maintain energy balance throughout the week, you can structure your calories so that you allot for a disproportionate amount on a particular day.
Can I lose weight if I cheat once a week? ›
Cheating once in a week is the healthiest approach. That does not lead to weight gain and is even proven to be good for your metabolism. Studies even suggest that weekly cheat meals ward off feelings of deprivation and improve your ability to stick to your diet.
How many calories for a cheat day? ›
However, it's recommended that you shouldn't exceed 150% of your usual calorie intake for the day. It's suggested that you would have to overeat by 500 calories a day to gain one pound of fat a week, meaning your occasional cheat day really shouldn't make too much of a difference to your goals overall.
