"Cheat-days" and body-fat weight-gain

DvoycY

Hey! :-)

Saw an interesting video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdaM3f_odqI

Basically, this guy says that only a third of the surplus on a "cheat-day" goes towards body-fat storage. For example, if I eat 5000 calories at a TDEE of 2500 then only a third of 2500 surplus will go into fat - (2500/3500/3 pounds) 108 grams

This lines up nicely with the idea that 2/3 to 3/4 of the weight-lost on a cut is fat, meaning that if I cut for the next week at 500 calories per day I will have a deficit of 3500 calories - (3500/3500*3/4 pounds) 340 grams of fast lost

Thoughts? Seems too good to be true that you can cheat quite frequently and still diet

Frankly this is what I have been doing for the last month, although I went from losing a kg per week to just 0.25kg, but I cheat every 5 days at about 5000 calories

Something special or just the results of basic CICO and thermodynamics?

seska422

IMO, some of the calories from those huge cheat days don't count simply because they don't get fully digested so they don't end up as "calories in". If all the food does is go in one end and out the other, it doesn't impact fat storage.

cwolfman13

I've researched this some time ago and from what I've read and understand, you're not really going to gain fat with one over the top meal because the human body is very good at maintaining homeostasis and excess energy in the short run can be used by the body for other things. Basically that it takes consistently over or under eating to override the body's ability to maintain homeostasis.

lynn_glenmont

If you've in a calorie deficit for a while and then have a surplus day, some of those extra calories are going to go toward topping off glycogen reserves.

DvoycY

Good points. Therefore, 1/3 of the surplus going into fat and burning 3/4 of the weight in fat on deficit sounds correct?

Example:

TDEE: 2500

Cheat-day: 7500 (5000 surplus - 1/3 (~1700) goes into fat = ~0.5 pounds)

Cut for 6 days at 2000 (500 deficit * 6 days = 3000 deficit; 75% (2250) is fat burned = ~0.6 pounds)

Lose 0.1 pounds (OF FAT) that week

Works out?