Cheat Meal/Meal that Shocks your Body and Helps you Lose weight
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DeguelloTex wrote: »
Which changes CO, right?
Right. I guess the question is how little to you want to eat to continue losing the weight (and when does it become unsustainable and even dangerous)? Why not hit the "reset button" once in a while???0 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »
Which changes CO, right?
Right. I guess the question is how little to you want to eat to continue losing the weight (and when does it become unsustainable and even dangerous)? Why not hit the "reset button" once in a while???
It just slows down as you lose weight. That's why the last couple pounds are always the hardest. The only way to get it to speed up again in that way is to gain weight. But then that's goofy.0 -
Here is one article on the subject (not the actual research I am looking for but good info anyways).
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/metabolism-and-calorie-adaptation.htm
And it is not as simple as CICO as many want to to believe. Your body does adapt (it slows down and becomes more efficient).
http://www.besthealthmag.ca/best-you/weight-loss/why-do-diets-stop-working
http://www.runnersworld.com/weight-loss/biggest-weight-loss-myth-revealed
Well technically it is. Even the articles you reference infer it, in my opinion, from what I glossed over. You just have to realize that just because you adjust one side of the equation, does not mean that adjustment didn't affect the other side of the equation. So regardless of the variables (i.e.. weight lost means less of you so less calories needed, less food so less NEAT and also less thermic effect of food, etc...), balancing the equation still is simple as CICO. Its just most people don't realize the other side of the equation is also part of that.0 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »
Which changes CO, right?
Right. I guess the question is how little to you want to eat to continue losing the weight (and when does it become unsustainable and even dangerous)? Why not hit the "reset button" once in a while???
*sigh*0 -
Here is one article on the subject (not the actual research I am looking for but good info anyways).
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/metabolism-and-calorie-adaptation.htm
And it is not as simple as CICO as many want to to believe. Your body does adapt (it slows down and becomes more efficient).
http://www.besthealthmag.ca/best-you/weight-loss/why-do-diets-stop-working
http://www.runnersworld.com/weight-loss/biggest-weight-loss-myth-revealed
Plenty of folks here will suggest taking a diet "break" after 6 months or so of eating at a deficit to avoid adaptation. Eating at maintenance for a short while, then returning to a deficit so your body doesn't adjust to eating a lot less.
But our bodies don't change how they do things on a dime. Metabolic adaptation happens over the long term, at least that's how I understand it. I don't think the articles you linked to prove that a cheat meal every week or so does anything other than make your weekly calorie total higher than it would have been otherwise. If you lose weight the day after a large meal, it's because you ate at a calorie deficit over the last couple of weeks and that happens to be the day the weight loss was noticeable.
Your body doesn't "decide" to hold onto weight just in case you are starving week to week, and then suddenly drop it because you ate one big meal and tricked it into thinking you'd be eating more from now on.
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shrinkingletters wrote: »DeguelloTex wrote: »
Which changes CO, right?
Right. I guess the question is how little to you want to eat to continue losing the weight (and when does it become unsustainable and even dangerous)? Why not hit the "reset button" once in a while???
*sigh*
he's not out and out wrong.
If you are pretty close to your goal weight- and your constantly pushing your body to be in a deficit- you can get in to trouble- you increase your risk of injury and you can tank your metabolism after an extended period of time.
I know after 3-4 months of heavy deficit- I need to eat at maintenance for a while. I do a pretty good job of including an unofficial refeed day- but sometimes- you just need to take a break.0 -
shrinkingletters wrote: »DeguelloTex wrote: »
Which changes CO, right?
Right. I guess the question is how little to you want to eat to continue losing the weight (and when does it become unsustainable and even dangerous)? Why not hit the "reset button" once in a while???
*sigh*
he's not out and out wrong.
If you are pretty close to your goal weight- and your constantly pushing your body to be in a deficit- you can get in to trouble- you increase your risk of injury and you can tank your metabolism after an extended period of time.
I know after 3-4 months of heavy deficit- I need to eat at maintenance for a while. I do a pretty good job of including an unofficial refeed day- but sometimes- you just need to take a break.
Does one meal have any effect though? Honest question! I have always assumed that cheat days are just a personal preference thing, and different from taking a break after a few months...0 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »
Which changes CO, right?
Right. I guess the question is how little to you want to eat to continue losing the weight (and when does it become unsustainable and even dangerous)? Why not hit the "reset button" once in a while???
The issue isn't metabolic adaptation (which is what you are talking about), but (1) would having a weekly cheat meal "trick" your body so that it does not happen? and (2) would you see that the next day on the scale?
(2) is obviously false, you wouldn't see a slight increase in metabolism the next day on the scale in any measurable way. The more likely explanation is just your body's pattern (for some reason I'm always down on Fridays and up a bit on Mondays, likely due to my exercise habits as I exercise a lot on Sundays) or maybe sleeping better and having a non-stressful, fun evening helping with the whoosh.
(1) is likely also false UNLESS you would have been at a significantly lower weekly deficit without the meal so you are in effect returning to a more reasonable deficit. But your body isn't going to be tricked so easily.
I personally find it helpful to be able to relax and eat a bit more on the weekends (although I tend to also work out more on the weekends), but this is about the mental effect, not the physical effect (which I doubt exists).0 -
You're conflating issues here. A cheat meal isn't what's going to stop metabolic adaptation.DeguelloTex wrote: »
Which changes CO, right?
Right. I guess the question is how little to you want to eat to continue losing the weight (and when does it become unsustainable and even dangerous)? Why not hit the "reset button" once in a while???0 -
1 meal won't pull you from a heavy long standing deficit- no. But it mentally and physically might help you more than you think. I go out to eat every week or two- and I usually will splurge big time once or twice a month- and it's the only way I keep my sanity- I am super busy- but unfortunately my calories are low for how busy I am- and it's torture. Just last week I got home and I really needed a break- I needed to not cook- I need to not eat eggs and bacon- even though we agreed we would stay in- I just had enough and practically begged the man to go to dinner with me.
Sometimes your brain needs a break as much as your body.0 -
1 meal won't pull you from a heavy long standing deficit- no. But it mentally and physically might help you more than you think. I go out to eat every week or two- and I usually will splurge big time once or twice a month- and it's the only way I keep my sanity- I am super busy- but unfortunately my calories are low for how busy I am- and it's torture. Just last week I got home and I really needed a break- I needed to not cook- I need to not eat eggs and bacon- even though we agreed we would stay in- I just had enough and practically begged the man to go to dinner with me.
Sometimes your brain needs a break as much as your body.
Yep, it's amazing how much the psychology of it can mitigate some stress in life.0 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »You're conflating issues here. A cheat meal isn't what's going to stop metabolic adaptation.
Please reread my first comment. I NEVER said one meal. Please stick to what I said, not what you heard.
It has to be more than a meal. I specifically said
"Its not one meal but more like one day (or more) or even a week. At some point your body adapts to the lower calories (slows down to conserve energy) and a good way to 'trick' it is to feed it more."
I am also not saying this is the case when you fist start dieting. This process takes time.
There's lots of research on this. Google it if you wish. I'm pretty sure the original reference I am looking for is in a book since I can't seem to find it on my computer. I will dig it up at some point.
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DeguelloTex wrote: »You're conflating issues here. A cheat meal isn't what's going to stop metabolic adaptation.
Please reread my first comment. I NEVER said one meal. Please stick to what I said, not what you heard.
It has to be more than a meal. I specifically said
"Its not one meal but more like one day (or more) or even a week. At some point your body adapts to the lower calories (slows down to conserve energy) and a good way to 'trick' it is to feed it more."
I am also not saying this is the case when you fist start dieting. This process takes time.
There's lots of research on this. Google it if you wish. I'm pretty sure the original reference I am looking for is in a book since I can't seem to find it on my computer. I will dig it up at some point.
But the OP's question was about one cheat meal a week. Which as previous poster's have said can be a plus psychologically, but not in regards to metabolic adaptation. I don't think anyone is arguing with you about the validity of guarding against adaptation, but since you posted it in a thread about dropping weight after a cheat meal, you are getting responses based on that.0 -
thorsmom01 wrote: »Nope . it always comes down to cico. But since weight loss isnt linear, we can't always predict that we will weigh in each week with an exact -2 lb loss.
^^this^^
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1 meal won't pull you from a heavy long standing deficit- no. But it mentally and physically might help you more than you think. I go out to eat every week or two- and I usually will splurge big time once or twice a month- and it's the only way I keep my sanity- I am super busy- but unfortunately my calories are low for how busy I am- and it's torture. Just last week I got home and I really needed a break- I needed to not cook- I need to not eat eggs and bacon- even though we agreed we would stay in- I just had enough and practically begged the man to go to dinner with me.
Sometimes your brain needs a break as much as your body.
^^ AnD tHiS^^
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So its just a coincidence then why I can eat a large bunch of food on the weekend and it does not have a weight gain? Sometimes I have sort of plateued, stayed the same for a few days, then I eat this large meal on the weekend, and then magically (it seems) the weight goes down again. I'm trying to see if theres a correlation. How can i test this?
Keep track of your calories every day (even days you eat a lot). Keep track of your weight every day. Plunk it all into Excel. Write a formula that calculates your change in weight from today to tomorrow, and puts it in the row for today. Then =CORREL([calories],[change in weight]). That number is the correlation between calories and weight gain.
For me, that number is 0.23. The more I eat on a given day, the more likely I am to see the scale go up the next morning, at least somewhat.
Makes for a nice scatterplot, too. I've seen a 2+ pound gain after eating ~700 calories below maintenance, and a 2+ pound loss after eating at maintenance.0 -
A diet break makes me feel more energetic and helps recover some glycogen. I think if you're feeling a bit slow and draggy, it can help you snap out of that and get back to more usual levels of NEAT. That often drops when you are at a deficit for a long while. Plus, there's potential psychological benefits.
There's no trickery involved.0 -
A diet break makes me feel more energetic and helps recover some glycogen. I think if you're feeling a bit slow and draggy, it can help you snap out of that and get back to more usual levels of NEAT. That often drops when you are at a deficit for a long while. Plus, there's potential psychological benefits.
There's no trickery involved.
Or it can stimulate your appetite so much that it's hard to get back on a deficit. That's what happened to me after my vacation last year. And it really sucks. But it wasn't just one cheat day, but a 7 day vacation during which I put on 2 pounds, and I was very close to my goal weight anyway.
Bottom line, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.0 -
You read the OP and thread title, right?DeguelloTex wrote: »You're conflating issues here. A cheat meal isn't what's going to stop metabolic adaptation.
Please reread my first comment. I NEVER said one meal. Please stick to what I said, not what you heard.
It has to be more than a meal. I specifically said
"Its not one meal but more like one day (or more) or even a week. At some point your body adapts to the lower calories (slows down to conserve energy) and a good way to 'trick' it is to feed it more."
I am also not saying this is the case when you fist start dieting. This process takes time.
There's lots of research on this. Google it if you wish. I'm pretty sure the original reference I am looking for is in a book since I can't seem to find it on my computer. I will dig it up at some point.
Regardless, one day isn't going to do it either. Probably not a week, but that's not even the thread topic.
A cheat meal can make a big difference psychologically, and that's important, too. It just isn't going to do much physiologically.
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@DeguelloTex At first I thought the OP was you, the profile picture threw me off at first glance... but I know better than to think you would ask that type of question! LOL0
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