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
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 one cheat day ruin my calorie deficit? ›
“Cheat day calories can add up fast and bring your weight loss progress to a screeching halt — or even reverse it,” Taylor warns. “What's the point of working hard all week to create a calorie deficit, just to undo it completely with a calorie splurge on the weekend?”
Why did I lose weight on my cheat day? ›
One way cheat meals can boost your metabolism is by increasing levels of leptins, the “anti-starvation” hormone responsible for sending hunger messages to the brain. Throwing a cheat meal into the mix tricks your system into thinking food is plentiful and that it's ok to burn through fat stores.
Will 2 cheat days ruin your diet? ›
A: An occasional cheat meal or cheat day probably won't have a detrimental impact on overall health in the long run, but when they become frequent or more "binge-like," there are undoubted consequences.
Will I look fatter after cheat day? ›
Fast-food meals generally contain lots of sodium, which brings lots of water into your cells and increases your total body water. This can give the appearance (and a result on the scales) that suggest you've "gained fat." But what you've really only done is gain (water) "weight."
Is one cheat day a month ok? ›
It's important to note that cheat meals should not be a regular occurrence. It's recommended to limit cheat meals to once a week or every two weeks. This will help you maintain your progress and prevent undoing your hard work.
How many calories is OK for a cheat day? ›
'There is not an exact number of calories that you can eat on a cheat day but a good guideline to follow is to not consume more than 150 per cent of your regular calorie intake/limit,' according to Bodies by Byrne, run by a nutritionist and fitness instructor.
Can a cheat day break a plateau? ›
A planned cheat day can sometimes shock your body into breaking through the plateau and going back to weight loss mode. It can also give you a mental break from being so careful with what you eat. Finally, a cheat meal gives you the chance to eat some of the high-calorie treats that may have been scarce recently.
Should I fast after a cheat day? ›
Oftentimes after a cheat day or a binge, people think that they need a “reset” so they decide to restrict food the next 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.
What is the whoosh effect? ›
The “whoosh effect” is a term for the noticeable weight loss that some people report while following low carb diets such as a keto diet. Some people believe that the whoosh effect happens when fat cells lose fat and fill with water. Researchers have not scientifically proven the whoosh effect, however.
The 80/20 rule is a guide for your everyday diet—eat nutritious foods 80 percent of the time and have a serving of your favorite treat with the other 20 percent. For the “80 percent” part of the plan, focus on drinking lots of water and eating nutritious foods that include: Whole grains. Fruits and vegetables.
How often should cheat days be? ›
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.
Do cheat days raise metabolism? ›
Cheat meals can boost your metabolism and ward off feelings of deprivation, allowing you to not only lose the weight you want but also stick to your diet plan and continue on your fitness journey.
Will I gain fat from a cheat day? ›
In order to gain a pound of fat, you would need to add about 500 calories a day on top of your normal diet, every day, for about 7 days. This makes gaining any significant amount of fat from even the craziest all-out cheat days extremely unlikely.
How to recover from a cheat day? ›
What to do after a cheat day
- Be kind to yourself. ...
- Remind yourself of other healthy behaviors your practicing. ...
- Don't turn a cheat day into a cheat week or month. ...
- Eat foods you crave most days. ...
- Stay consistent with exercise. ...
- Have a balanced meal. ...
- Practice tuning into your hunger and fullness.
That's mostly water. If you stick to one cheat day per week, you'll lose the added cheat pounds in about 3 days, and lose another pound or two over the following three days.
Do I eat less after a cheat day? ›
No. Eating less after a cheat day will likely just result in a binge restrict cycle. Fasting after a cheat day causes: Bigger more intense cheat days.
Why do I get leaner after a refeed? ›
The bottom line
The theory behind refeed days is to improve your hormone levels, namely leptin, to prevent weight loss plateaus caused by a process known as adaptive thermogenesis. They may also decrease your risk of binging and improve athletic performance.
Why am I eating more but getting skinnier? ›
Hyperthyroidism: An overactive thyroid develops when your thyroid gland makes too much thyroid hormone. These hormones control many functions in the body, including metabolism. If your thyroid is overactive, you'll quickly burn calories even if you have a good appetite.
