Cheat Meal/Meal that Shocks your Body and Helps you Lose weight
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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.
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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I know, right? I need to change my avatar.DoreenaV1975 wrote: »@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! LOL
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DeguelloTex wrote: »
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.
Last frickin' comment (not sure why I care what the hell you think or say but whatever)....
Read my first comment and everyone but you will see I corrected the notion that one meal would do it. That was the whole point of my comment.
Now please carry on with your superior self as I no longer give a rats *kitten*. Good day.-4 -
That is what I was trying to think of the word but could not - adaptation. I was thinking that perhaps my body was adapting to the amount of calories i was eating and it would hold onto weight,especially if one hits that dreaded plateau every once in a while, and then the one surprise meal (cheat meal or whatever i would call it) would shock the body into coming out of adaptation. As for me, i will not ever starve, that would be an unattractive route to take, and i could not handle hunger pangs, i basically eat when i feel those hunger cravings. and yes, i do feel that eating one meal per week to celebrate life or whatever is the thing that will keep this sustainable, and yet even with that i can choose the best food choices that will not screw up all my hard work of the week.0
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That's not how metabolic adaptation works. The body doesn't "hold onto fat." Instead, you get a slight and gradual decrease in metabolic rate, so that your maintenance calories might go from, say, 2000 one week to 1995 the next and so on. It's also going to be going down because you are losing weight (smaller bodies require less to maintain) and fat specifically (my understanding is that there are some hormonal effects from fat loss). But you can't reverse it with one meal and it wouldn't explain a short term stall or the whoosh. Those are just normal ways the body works sometimes.0
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Very interesting read, Thankyou!http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html/
I've had it with an increased carb day (unintentional) and alcohol.
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That is what I was trying to think of the word but could not - adaptation. I was thinking that perhaps my body was adapting to the amount of calories i was eating and it would hold onto weight,especially if one hits that dreaded plateau every once in a while, and then the one surprise meal (cheat meal or whatever i would call it) would shock the body into coming out of adaptation. As for me, i will not ever starve, that would be an unattractive route to take, and i could not handle hunger pangs, i basically eat when i feel those hunger cravings. and yes, i do feel that eating one meal per week to celebrate life or whatever is the thing that will keep this sustainable, and yet even with that i can choose the best food choices that will not screw up all my hard work of the week.
If you are eating at a deficit....your body will NOT hold onto calories. That's not how this works. That's not how any of this works.
I see what you did there... LOL! 0 -
I say 7 days of vacation eating is different than taking a break for a day or two- or going into maintenance for a few months.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.
Esp considering how rich that food often is.
I'd also hazard a guess that you didn't put on 2 pounds in 7 days- that's like an extra 7000 calories at least- but 2 pounds is easily water weight. or some weight gain- and mostly water/glycogen.0 -
I say 7 days of vacation eating is different than taking a break for a day or two- or going into maintenance for a few months.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.
Esp considering how rich that food often is.
I'd also hazard a guess that you didn't put on 2 pounds in 7 days- that's like an extra 7000 calories at least- but 2 pounds is easily water weight. or some weight gain- and mostly water/glycogen.
No it was really 2 pounds, I dropped the water weight and kept two pounds. But we ate out all the time and I didn't get to exercise as much as I usually do. I'm unfortunately not one of those people who can go on vacations and eat what they want and not gain anything (and I restrict myself and usually only have one 'I don't care' meal or two, so it could be way worse).
Honestly I was 131.9 pounds before going on vacations in July last year... Haven't gone under 132.6 since (and now I'm at 134 after gaining 2 pounds during my other vacation last month, but I lost one already). Just too hungry overall and my PMS cravings and hunger have just been crazy since then.
So yeah, the 'diet break' thing didn't exactly work out for me. But I've been maintaining 3-4 pounds from my goal for a year so it could be worse (and I've actually lost a couple inches since).
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Hi - Have you heard of eating a cheat meal that has the effect of shocking your body into losing weight
Yes. I have heard of this theory. It was popular within the bodybuilding community a number of years ago (perhaps not all of them, but a group). One of the more well-known women bodybuilders was a big advocate and believed the cheat day, under specific guidelines, was (her theory not mine) beneficial for increasing metabolism and curbing cravings. The specific guidelines encompassed the entire competitive bodybuilding training regime: nutrition, exercise, supplements (and supplement stacking and timing), manipulating hormones, cycling, bulking/cutting, cheat days--with restrictions, etc.
It's a theory that worked well for her (she has a bunch of titles to her name). Just like CICO is a theory. A theory can be thought of as a generalized explanation of how nature/biology works. As with any theory, "CICO" "Cheat Day" "Starvation Mode" "Low Carb" "High Fat" "Low Fat" etc., we'll see changes, additions, and improvements over time with additional research and understanding. We often see some go in favor, out of favor, and back in again (for example: how we as a society have viewed carbohydrates over time). There may be bits of truth to any of them, even if not fully understood or fleshed out.0 -
Ok then, I am understanding this more. Can you tell me about plateaus? Can you be on a pleateau and how do you best break one? I also think a plateau "might" be calories sneaking in where I am not recording it possibly, or unknown calories that we try our best to record, but we might really be underestimating portions or something to that affect.. but if we are literally calculating our calories 100% correctly, can a person plateau, and what is the best way to kill that plateau? Just wait it out and continue eating within macros? that's all the questions I have
thank you. 0
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