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 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.
Will I look fatter after 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.
Will a cheat day ruin my calorie deficit? ›
Having a cheat weekend won't affect your journey as long as you have a calorie deficit at the end of the week. Calorie targets must be calculated based on weekly consumption rather than daily, to provide more flexibility.
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.
How many calories for a cheat day? ›
How many calories should I eat on 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.
How much weight will I gain if I eat 6000 calories a day? ›
A small study on 15 healthy young males eating 6,000 calories for one day revealed a total weight gain of 1.87 pounds. This calorie level is extremely difficult to do regularly. Remember, some of this weight gain would be water weight and some undigested food.
How many cheat days a month is okay? ›
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.
Is one cheat day a week ok? ›
An ideal diet is not about restriction but about making healthy choices. Studies have shown that as long as your are following your diet 90% of the time, you can enjoy a cheat meal every week.
What is the 80/20 rule diet? ›
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.
Don't turn a cheat day into a cheat week or month.
There is no best time of day, week, or month to return to healthy eating, so after a cheat day, take the next chance to re-establish your healthy routine. If you had an indulgent brunch, have a balanced dinner that evening.
How long to lose water weight after cheat day? ›
The length of time that it takes to lose water weight depends on how much water you're retaining, the cause of the water weight gain, and the action taken to lose it. If you have one high-sodium meal and then return to normal, healthy dietary habits, you'll likely return to your normal weight in 1-2 days.
Will one cheat day make me gain weight? ›
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.
How many cheat days are OK in a week? ›
Many people choose a weekend day to indulge in a cheat meal or cheat day because these days tend to be less structured. Dr. Sean Kandel, a board-certified internal medicine doctor, recommends one or two cheat meals per week for healthy individuals.
Will a cheat day ruin my week? ›
If your goal is to lose 15 pounds this year and you're taking a single summer vacation where you plan to indulge some, you likely don't need to stress about these things. A singular week in the context of a year will have little impact on your overall weight loss and health progress.
Is 3 cheat days too much? ›
3 day cheat is way too much if you are trying to reduce weight. Eating junk foods for 3 days in a week is going to put more calories into your body making it more difficult for you to achieve calorie deficiency. Experts recommend only 1 or 2 cheat meals in a week if you are want to maintain a good body shape.
