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
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.
Are cheat days OK for losing weight? ›
Cheat meals that are higher in carbohydrates versus fats are preferable. 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.
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.
Will two cheat days make me gain weight? ›
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.
Can I eat out once a week and still lose weight? ›
You can still go out (once a week preferably) and eat the foods that you generally should not be eating on a weight loss diet, without worrying about regaining your lost weight.
How many calories can I eat on 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.
Does a cheat day reset your metabolism? ›
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.
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 80/20 rule diet? ›
The 80/20 rule is simple. Eat nutritious, healthy foods 80% of the time and enjoy foods considered less healthy 20% of the time. It's a more flexible approach to eating, which encourages a balanced diet and indulging in moderation rather than restrictive dieting.
Can a cheat day break a plateau? ›
Cheat Often
A planned cheat day can sometimes shock your body into breaking through the plateau and going back to weight loss mode.
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.
Hello protein and veggies!
The day after your cheat day you should choose a high protein and veggie day. Cheat meals count tons of (bad) calories, so combine it with a low-calorie day after and it will help you to balance your calorie intake.
What is the skinny diet? ›
The Skinny Diet Basics
The focus is on eating a low fat, reduced calorie diet based on wholesome nourishing foods that are low on the glycemic index and high in fiber. Dieters are advised to start each meal with salads and vegetables, followed by lean proteins because this will help you to feel full.
Should you eat less after a cheat day? ›
After a cheat day, you may want to reconnect with your hunger and fullness cues. These cues help you avoid overeating, whether you're eating French fries or salad. Either way, the goal is to eat until you're lightly full, not stuffed.
How to detox after cheat day? ›
Full Day Diet to Detox After Partying
- Avoid meat completely for a day.
- Keep protein consumption low for the day as it puts stress on your digestive system.
- Keep salt consumption low as it may increase sodium levels in your body.
- Eat foods that are rich in fiber content.
- Keep dairy products consumption to minimum.
Suddenly, you've had a whole weekend of cheat meals...and potentially some bloating to show for it. Hey, it happens. But giving yourself just three cheat days a week is enough to impact your gut health as badly as a consistent diet of junk food, according to a study in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research.
How many cheat days are bad? ›
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.
What to do after 3 cheat days? ›
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.
Cheating Too Frequently
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.
