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
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.
Why do I feel skinnier after a 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.
Are cheat days ok for losing weight? ›
Uncontrolled cheat meals or cheat days, especially after a long period of calorie restriction, could wipe out a calorie deficit, increase cravings, and make sticking to the diet more difficult.
Will 2 cheat days ruin your diet? ›
However, you can indulge in a treat meal more often than you might think, and still maintain general health while continuing to see progress towards your fitness goals. James recommends reserving 80% of your meals for healthy, nutritious foods, and setting aside 20% of your meals for cheat days each week.
Can I eat 5000 calories on cheat day? ›
For example, if your daily caloric intake is 2000 calories and your intake on cheat days increases to 4000 or 5000 calories, then, despite the increased leptin levels and metabolism, you are bound to put on weight.
Why do I gain 5 pounds on a cheat day? ›
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.
Is one cheat day a week ok? ›
He says letting off steam through a cheat day can work, as long as your cheat diet is sensible and doesn't include lots of high-calorie or unhealthy foods, such as those high in saturated fat, salt or sugar.
How many calories are in 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.
Will one cheat day ruin my 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.
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.
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.
Will a cheat day break my 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.
What is the best cheat meal? ›
10 Ideas for Your Next Treat or Cheat Meal
- Coffee. As long as you're avoiding extra sugar, coffee can be a soothing and flavorful option for a daily treat. ...
- Smoothies or Acai Bowls. ...
- Pancakes. ...
- Peanut Butter with Bananas. ...
- Nut Butters. ...
- Turkey Burgers. ...
- Sweet Potato Fries. ...
- Chicken Wings.
Most people think that ice cream makes you gain weight. It certainly can if not eaten in moderation. However, a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that women who ate at least one serving of full-fat ice cream daily gained less weight than those who didn't.
How many cheat days can you have without gaining 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.
Can you have a cheat day without gaining weight? ›
This makes gaining any significant amount of fat from even the craziest all-out cheat days extremely unlikely. To gain 5 pounds of fat in a day, you'd have to eat about 17,500 calories on top of your daily caloric limit. Not even Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson can consume that many calories!
How often is it OK to have a cheat day? ›
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.
How much is OK 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.
Are cheat days bad on a bulk? ›
DO add in cheat meals (1-2 times per week depending on your goals) to increase metabolism and help break through plateaus. While following a bulking meal plan, your body will become accustomed to eating the same foods and the same number of calories.
