Cheat days are a widely discussed topic in the world of health and weight loss, sparking debate among dieters and experts alike. A cheat day is a planned break from dieting, a day of indulgence where dieters can eat whatever they desire, disregarding all restrictions. The idea behind cheat days is that they help control cravings and keep you on track with diets in the long run. However, others believe that they are harmful and can skew your progress. This article explores the pros and cons of cheat days, offering insights into how they can impact your diet and overall health goals.
What is a Cheat Day?
A cheat day is a structured break from a diet, typically occurring once a week. People usually have one of these days per week to help them keep on track with their diet the other six days of the week. On this day, individuals intentionally deviate from their regular eating plan, consuming foods they typically avoid. Food consumed on cheat days tends to be high in calories, unhealthy fats, carbohydrates, and sugar. It can be any sort of addictive junk food. Depending on your preferences, this food can range from pizza, burgers, and fries to chocolate, sweets, chips, or ice cream.
Potential Benefits of Cheat Days
When done in moderation, cheat days can offer several potential benefits. However, it is important to remember that they work best when they are carefully planned.
- Control Over Cravings: Sticking to a strict diet can lead to intense cravings for certain foods. A cheat day allows you to satisfy these cravings in a controlled manner, potentially preventing a complete diet derailment.
- Psychological Break: Strict diets can be mentally draining. A cheat day provides a psychological break, offering a sense of freedom and enjoyment without guilt.
- Motivation: Knowing that a cheat day is coming up can be highly motivating. It gives you something to look forward to and helps you stay disciplined the rest of the week.
- Boost in Metabolism: Some people believe that cheat days can temporarily boost metabolism. The basic idea is that occasionally deviating from an eating plan helps temporarily raise your body’s levels of leptin. Leptin is a hormone that tells you when you’re full. When you’re on a restrictive diet, leptin levels go down to encourage you to eat. In theory, cheat days help override that survival mechanism and prevent you from feeling really hungry while dieting.
- Increase in Energy Levels: If you are feeling particularly fatigued and lacking energy, you may have low sugar levels. A cheat meal may actually be what your metabolism needs to kickstart your weight loss again.
Potential Concerns and Drawbacks
While cheat days can be beneficial, they also come with potential drawbacks that need to be considered.
- Impact on Weight Loss Results: The effects of a cheat day on weight loss results will vary from person to person. It depends on what diet you are on and what your calorie intake is. For example, if you are in a deficit of 200-300 calories every day. The uncontrolled calorie day comes around, and you eat an extra 1500 calories on top of your maintenance level. Then you have completely wiped your progress from the other 6 days of the week. A single cheat day won’t ruin your weight loss results, but multiple uncontrolled cheat days can have an impact.
- Risk of Overeating and Binge Eating: People aren’t exactly clear on what a “cheat day” is supposed to be. They actually make a whole day of it, consuming thousands upon thousands of calories worth of fast food, sweets, sugary drinks or other calorie-dense foods. Don’t see them as a chance to lose all self-control and binge eat.
- Unhealthy Relationship with Food: Cheat days can promote an unhealthy attitude toward food. Having a cheat day implies that a healthy diet is all-or-nothing - that you’re either ‘off the plan’ or ‘on the plan.
- Guilt and Anxiety: Referring to any foods as a ‘cheat’ may cause anxiety, because of its negative connotations. Experiencing constant cravings. Indulging in a small treat or cheat snack is not going to skew your progress.
The Science Behind Cheat Days and Metabolism
Some researchers theorize that the occasional cheat day improves your metabolic rate. The basic idea is that occasionally deviating from an eating plan helps temporarily raise your body’s levels of leptin. Leptin is a hormone that tells you when you’re full. When you’re on a restrictive diet, leptin levels go down to encourage you to eat. In theory, cheat days help override that survival mechanism and prevent you from feeling really hungry while dieting.
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There are some studies that suggest this theory’s valid … sort of. The thing is, most of studies that people point to as supporting the use of cheat days aren’t really studying cheat days at all. In some cases they’re focused on refeed days for athletes or intermittent energy balancing protocols - neither of which are really “cheat days.” In the case of the intermittent energy balancing study, the participants ate meals that were planned and prepared by a dietitian at all times. That’s hardly “cheating.”
How to Incorporate Cheat Days Effectively
If you choose to incorporate cheat days into your diet, here are some strategies to make them more effective:
- Plan Ahead: Don't make cheat days a spur-of-the-moment decision. Plan them in advance so you can mentally prepare and avoid impulsive eating.
- Moderation is Key: Don’t see them as a chance to lose all self-control and binge eat. These actions can lead to serious food guilt and weight loss setbacks.
- Choose Wisely: The word “cheat” doesn’t imply that you must eat super high-calorie, fatty fast food.
- Mindful Eating: Whether you’re following a restrictive diet or just trying to stay healthy, incorporating a mindful approach to food and eating is key. If you do choose to incorporate cheat days, it’s even more important.
- Balance Your Diet: A healthy diet is a balanced one. My mantra is 80/20 or 90/10. She explains that if you want to stay healthy, healthful foods should make up about 80% of your total calories. If you want to better your health, they should make up about 90% of your total calories.The remaining 20% or 10% represents wiggle room. Not everything you eat has to enhance your health, but you need to be mindful of portion size when enjoying those foods.
Addressing Common Concerns
- Will one cheat day lead to weight gain? No. One cheat day will not lead to weight gain. If you notice an increase in your weight on the scales after a cheat day, it is likely water retention.
- How many calories should I eat on a cheat day? There is no set number. The number of calories you eat every day depends on several factors.
- Should I fast after a cheat day? It is not necessary nor healthy to fast after a cheat day. This promotes an unhealthy relationship with food and can lead to a binge-restrict cycle. Instead, you should simply revert to your normal diet the next day.
- Should I exercise on a cheat day? Yes! There is no problem with exercising on one of these days. In fact, it can be beneficial for your workout. The extra calories provide you with more energy. It can boost your metabolism. There is a rise in the leptin hormone and an increase in calorie burn.
Alternatives to Cheat Days
If you're concerned about the potential drawbacks of cheat days, consider these alternatives:
- Flexible Dieting: Create a "flexible diet" and allow for foods you genuinely enjoy-in moderation, of course. Dietary restrictions (e.g.
- Mindful Eating: Rather than viewing your diet as a short-term fix or a means to an end, start looking at it from a more holistic, "mindful eating" point of view.
- The 90-10 Rule: "Eat a healthy diet 90% of the time and splurge 10% of the time," McManus says.
The Psychological Impact of Cheat Days
A cheat meal can be more of a psychological tool than a physical one. “Put simply, it’s something to look forward to”, says Laidler. Wanting a cheat day can also be a “reflection of a very restrictive and unenjoyable diet”, says Emma Randall, a mindful eating consultant. The more you restrict some foods, the more you’ll think about them.
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