Massive cheat meal impact?

resiIient

My good friend diets all week in a daily calorie deficit.

For example on Friday nights he eats:

4-5 slices of pizza
1 calzone (large size)
8-10 wings
1 B&J ice cream pint

With a regular breakfast and lunch prior.

He thinks this will help him reset his metabolism. I don’t know his results yet, but wouldn’t this simply wash away any 3-4K weekly calorie deficit? He was saying the body doesn’t absorb it all at once but I’m confident he’s just slowing his progress to snail speed.

ALZ14

It depends on his calorie deficit, but doing this weekly really would defeat the purpose of being in a deficit all week.

But don’t argue with him about it, he will eventually figure it out if it isn’t working for him.

resiIient

All good. I just told him to squeeze it in via calories.

Is there any benefit of going over calories one day a week via healthy food or non?

JRB_91

If he's consuming enough calories on the weekend to "make up" for the deficit he was in throughout the week, he is certainly slowing his progress. It's easier than one may think to be in a deficit all week and then eat so much on the weekend that he goes into a calorie surplus.

sardelsa

It depends on his intake goals and how much he wants to lose per week. He could be wiping out his deficit unless he is saving up calories. I typically save a few calories during the week then eat at maintenance/surplus on weekends. For example yesterday was my son's birthday I had 6 slices of pizza, 8 spicy chicken wing bites, salad, lots of wine, slice of cake and half a cupcake. I ate light during the day so it all balances out (for me) I have a very high intake and am still losing at a slow rate despite having days like this.

And yes there is some benefit to having higher carb/calorie days (called a refeed). In some cases it can have a positive effect on hunger hormones, workout performance and adherence. Although the benefit will come more from high carb food vs. high fat and two consecutive days is better than one.

dragon_girl26

JRB_91 wrote: »

If he's consuming enough calories on the weekend to "make up" for the deficit he was in throughout the week, he is certainly slowing his progress. It's easier than one may think to be in a deficit all week and then eat so much on the weekend that he goes into a calorie surplus.

That is no joke! Sometimes, if I try hard and believe in myself, I can wipe out my deficit in a day! Lol

cgvet37

I'm very strict during the week. On the weekends I enjoy myself within reason. Last weekend I had Korean barbecue, pizza, and Cheesecake Factory. I still lost 2.2 lbs. and my caloric intake is 2,050 during the week. However, I strength train 3 days a week, and do conditioning 3 days a week, so I'm burning a lot of calories. This allows me to enjoy myself, lose weight, and I love the exercise.

Strudders67

I use the section on the app that allows me to look at my weekly net average. Some days I eat more, some days I eat less, some days I deliberately eat less in anticipation of a big event later in the week. The key thing is that I aim for my average net calories to be roughly in line with my goal on a week-by-week basis. Today, I had a big pub lunch and a lot of snacks, but I also did a 10 mile walk followed by a walk around the shopping centre near where we finished. Before I had more snacks and a beer this evening, I entered it all to my diary than looked at the impact on the app. Despite being over goal on Tuesday and a little over my goal on Thursday, my Net Average for the week is only 23 cals over my goal - so I happily had my beer.

If your friend's net figure is considerably above his week's 'allowance' of calories, he's wiping out his deficit. If his net figure is in line with his goal then it's fine.