Cheat day... Good or bad?

alexstenman

I've read things advocating both sides. 1 day per week where you are allowed to eat whatever you want. I am interested to hear what the MyFitnessPal community thinks.

Please cite any sources you may have!

janejellyroll

For people who can eat a lot in a day (or people who don't have much of a deficit to begin with), eating whatever you want for one day can easily wipe out the progress made on the other six days.

A cheat day would never work for me because I can eat an awful lot.

NorthCascades

Good and bad is what you make of it. But if you indulge in cheat days:

You're undoing some of your hard-won gains from the rest of the week.

You're spiking your blood sugar.

You're probably encouraging your cravings to stick around.

Ruatine

I think it all depends on how it's implemented. A "cheat" day where you eat everything you want could wipe out an entire week's deficit (or more). A "cheat" day where you still log and aim to eat at maintenance or perhaps just a smaller than normal deficit seems reasonable, and I suppose it could be good for someone's mental health.

I don't know that I've ever seen a scientific discussion/article/study of having a cheat day. There are plenty of non-scholarly articles/blogs about it though.

ndj1979

it does not matter...

what matters is that you hit your calorie goal and meet your micro and macro nutrient requirements...

I think cheat days are dumb because they enforce a notion that certain foods are "bad" aka "cheats" while others are good . Food is neither bad or good, it just provides energy and in the context of an overall diet there are no bad foods, just bad diets.

DorkothyParker

I have a sister who advocates a cheat window of 6 hours (I believe). I don't know much in terms of the legitimacy of refeeding from a weight loss standpoint, but I think it is valuable for her just to know that this window is available for goodies. I think it's every 10 days? Again, I'm not 100% on the details. A benefit of the window is that you will physically be unable to fit in as many calories compared to an entire day. Also, I think she tends to fast or eat very little before her feast.

I also don't like the moral implications of "cheat." Maybe there is a situation where consumption of a donut has moral implications, but certainly that is not the norm. (Licking a donut and putting it back on the plate? Stealing it?)

Ruatine

DorkothyParker wrote: »

(Licking a donut and putting it back on the plate? Stealing it?)

I'm not a fan of the term "cheat day" either, but as a concept of setting aside a day or a few hours to eat treats that you normally wouldn't, I understand it. Personally, I don't do it - I have a hard enough time lately sticking to my goals without purposefully adding a day where I eat at maintenance. I don't think it has to go hand-in-hand with viewing foods as "good" or "bad" necessarily. I always saw it as a day where I don't stick to macro/micro goals like I would on a normal day of eating.

HungryasFuark

im a big fan of free days not cheat days .. they just work i know it is sometimes against the math of ur weekly target but if u really work hard enough during the week and diet correctly a free day wont do anything and will help u stay on ur diet and give u more energy for your workouts alot of time i plateu and free days help me lose more .. i take one every 8 or 10 days but it is also important to not eat till being sick or something jut enjoy it without killing ur self lol

DearestWinter

I dislike the term cheat day because it implies there are "bad" or forbidden foods. During my TOM I may eat to maintenance a few days. That's the closest I get to a cheat day.

Sawjer

All depends on your diet/cheat day. If you're counting macro's you can treat yourself all the time as long as it fits, if you're on a bodybuilding diet, chicken/rice constantly etc.. then after the first two weeks I would recommend a cheat meal every week, but a meal... once you are full or leave the table chuck it away don't eat anymore. For example

BoulderScott

Based on number of podcasts and other information I have read, I believe that a cheat or free day is good for a number of reason but with limitations.
- your body is smart and if you stay in a calorie deficit for too many days/weeks in a row, it will learn and adapt to burn fewer calories each day.
- calorie cycling (cheat day) keeps your body guessing and helps you continue on your path to weight loss.
- Instead of only watching your daily calorie deficit of say 500 calories, watch your weekly numbers and as long as you are at -3500 calories at the end of the week you should still lose weight, even if you had one day in a small surplus(cheat day) and another day or two in a larger deficit.
- If you believe in the concept of periodizing your weight training then you will understand why a cheat day works. It should help you avoid plateaus, the same way you should switch up your lifting routine with various weight x rep x set rest to keep your body guessing.

I am currently experimenting with a general slow-carb diet with approximately 500 calorie deficit daily with 1 cheat day in a calorie surplus and one day of 18/6 intermittent fasting per week with a goal of 3500 total calorie deficit for each week.
I weigh myself daily to track the trend weekly and I learn from the trend line not the weight number.

aleking618

Cheat meals on the weekend is what i do. Only 2 though and not complete rubbish. I make sure if im going to stuff myself silly its going to have at least some benefit so no eating 10 donuts or fried chips smotherd in mayo or tom sauce. Instead ill eat somthing like 3 bowls of chilli con carne or a tonne of tuna pasta mayo

ndj1979

Sawjer wrote: »

All depends on your diet/cheat day. If you're counting macro's you can treat yourself all the time as long as it fits, if you're on a bodybuilding diet, chicken/rice constantly etc.. then after the first two weeks I would recommend a cheat meal every week, but a meal... once you are full or leave the table chuck it away don't eat anymore. For example

why is a bodybuilding diet "constant chicken and rice" ?

aloranger7708

Personally I don't do cheat days anymore because I ate way too much to the point I would keep gaining/losing the same 1-2 lbs every week. Now I just incorporate what I want into my days.

Christine_72

You might find this interesting:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/refeeds-for-fat-loss-the-science-behind-leptin.html

monicaale38

I have a cheat meal on the weekends, but rest of the day I try to eat clean

MrWufpack

I eat about 500 above maintenance 1 day every couple of weeks. Basically, when I haven't seen the scale drop for a few days in a row. My weight usually goes up for 1-2 days, probably water weight from the greater amount of food, and then I have a "whoosh" where I drop 1-2 lbs under where I was before the "cheat day." I usually try to coincide it with a day where I'm running, so I have even more calories to eat, and will go often go out someplace that has calories listed and still has whole foods, like Chipotle.

MichelleLea122

I really think it depends on your goals and current progress. If you're extremely overweight and need to lose weight for medical reasons, then you probably shouldn't be implementing cheat days. Or if you're in contest prep, you might want to do refeed days, but definitely not cheat days.

Honestly I don't believe in cheat meals and certainly not cheat days (do you really need a whole day?). If I want to eat something, I'm going to eat it, but I'm also going to make sure it fits into my macros for the day. In fact I fit a whole pint ben & jerry's into today (granted I'm not trying to lose weight, but 1,200 calories is still a lot for me). I don't do it on the regular, but once in awhile I do. The word 'cheat' implies you're doing something wrong. In my opinion eating food shouldn't be something you ever feel guilty about. Yesterday I had a pound of brussels sprouts and today I had a pint of ice cream. As long as you hit your calorie/macronutrient/micronutrient goal, you can eat whatever food you want.

rileysowner

A once a week "cheat" day or even a meal would be more than enough to eat through not just my deficit for the day, but for several days. I do have days where I eat freely, usually for special events like birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, holidays and the like. However, none of the come to the equivalent of one day a weeks. Probably 12 - 15 days in the year. I take these free days because it is a way to keep me level mentally, and I figure the time together with friends, family is far more important than counting calories. I always try to get right back to my calorie goal the next day.

tequila5000

ndj1979 wrote: »

I think cheat days are dumb because they enforce a notion that certain foods are "bad" aka "cheats" while others are good . Food is neither bad or good, it just provides energy and in the context of an overall diet there are no bad foods, just bad diets.

Amen!

lithezebra

I find it easier to stick to my way of eating if I do not take breaks. That doesn't mean there will never be a day when I go over on calories, or eat something that I usually would not, but it won't be for a whole day. Routines and habits work better for me than motivation.

easyabz

Whatever works for your lifestyle, for me i have a cheat day once a week or every 10days if im in a really focused mood. Every other day i excercise and eat below maintance strict. My goals have always oriented towards being shredded so im a obsessive cutter as i gain weight really easily. But when i cheat i count every calorie so i know ive lost weight the week.

TheCrawlingChaos

I used to schedule cheat days, but it would often cancel out a lot of my work. I've decided to take a new approach to things now and I don't have "cheat days" at all. If I need to have something less than ideal healthwise I will do it, but I don't make it a habit.

I stole the idea of viewing those meals a "rare and appropriate " meal rather than a cheat from Penn Jillette. Same amount of bad for me, but psychologically it feels less like I'm doing something bad. But interestingly enough, those cravings that I was filling weekly on my cheat days before have now pretty much vanished and I can't really even think of a time in the past 3 months where I had a "rare and appropriate " not-so-healthy meal.

Ketzalitzli2

Every now and then I'll do a cheat day. That doesn't mean every single week. I do want to continue to progress! But say for example there is a bbq or birthday I will go ahead and choose foods I might not normally choose regularly. Still keep track of portions and try to stay within my calorie range and if I go over I try to make sure I'm not over too much. I feel sometimes its good because then I don't obsess over what I might be missing out on. I have found though that the more I am eating healthy and cutting out junk that when I do go "cheat" and eat junk, its just not the same. I got so used to eating real food that I think I've lost that lovin feelin for junk food.. haha!

Chieflrg

I eat whatever I want every day. No reason not to.

Yisrael1981

The only benefit to a cheat day is psychological. So if it works for you than do it. Obviously if you eat in a surplus those calories will count. They don't get excused because it's only once a week...
There is no hard scientific evidence to any metabolic advantage to cheat days , all those articles that right about it usually are bro science and don't have studied at all to back it up and if they do they are very weak from a statistical significance perspective

Therealobi1

If you overindulge so much that you go over your weekly target you will gain weight so what's the point
If you plan your treat to fit into your weekly target it's not cheating

Acacia_Evers

It depends on the person. Back when I was first starting, I would have a cheat day. That cheat day turned into a week, then a month, and the next thing you knew, I was putting on more weight. So to me, a cheat day is a no. I was also really limiting my foods. Now, I eat whatever I want as long as it continues to fit in with my calorie goal for the day. No restrictions? No need to cheat.

lithezebra

Acacia_Evers wrote: »

It depends on the person. Back when I was first starting, I would have a cheat day. That cheat day turned into a week, then a month, and the next thing you knew, I was putting on more weight. So to me, a cheat day is a no. I was also really limiting my foods. Now, I eat whatever I want as long as it continues to fit in with my calorie goal for the day. No restrictions? No need to cheat.

That's what happened to my cheat days too.

rhtexasgal

I just build in at least 100 calories for a treat of some sort each day. That could equate to one or two pieces of chocolate, a small pudding, or 1 scoop of ice cream. Giving myself permission to do that, I have never needed a "cheat" day. I know it is psychological but knowing that I have that cushion for a treat each day? I often end up not eating it. Now, these days, I cannot be spontaneous and go out to eat at the drop of a hat but I can plan ahead so if I want those fried pickles with the fried shrimp, etc. I will, knowing that the rest of that day is salad or extra veggies. So in essence, I don't have cheat days ... I will eat what I want and make sure that I am still within my calories. "Cheat" just has too many negative connotations for me.

rwhyte12

I have done a lot of reading and the common thought is that eating too far below calorie requirements puts you into starvation mode which means you store fat instead of losing or you exercise too much and don't eat enough. I still tried this approach by just staying at the calories required because it is good to be open to everything. But in the end, I think that they might be right. Then, I started to remind myself usually once a week or every two weeks that I can't lose any weight if I just keep eating below the calories required. So a cheat day is a fabulous thing because it tells the body 'hey, I'm not starving!' and it seems to get weightloss going again. This is my theory based on what I've seen. The above information about the starvation mode is all over this website and in fact comes up and