Once-a-week "Bad Meal." Anyone else do this?

Azdak

Oh, here's a blurb I just found offline that is really good:

"Weight Loss Stalled

It is common for weight loss to slow down after you have been restricting your calories for a period of time, this is because your body is so good at adapting to things. When you cut your calories your body adapts by slowing your metabolism and since your metabolism is what allows you to burn fat your weight loss grinds to a halt.

The only way to reverse this is to confuse your body so it cannot adapt and to do that you have to eat more. When you overeat for a day your metabolism springs up to peak performance to manage all of the extra calories coming in, then you return to your low calorie diet the next day but your metabolism stays high and you have a week of strong fat burning.

Sound crazy? I will admit this goes against traditional dieting but this is not a new concept in fact it has been researched and tested in real-life people for more than 15 years with a fantastic track record.

Are you worried about weight gain? The common fear is that you will gain weight from this day but what research has found is that your metabolism bounces back faster than your body can lay down fat and each week you get leaner and leaner.

If your weight loss stalled don't get frustrated, the solution is to add a cheat day. I encourage you to try this in your life or follow the links below for more detailed instructions on how to make this work for you." end quote.

I have not seen any research that supports this idea. It sounds like one of those "folklore" tales that is passed around.

I read a lot of research on this topic and most suggest that, for the average person following a normal restricted-calorie eating plan, there is no difference over time in the amount of food energy absorbed (i.e. the body doesn't try to "hold on" to the food energy any more than before) and reductions in metabolism are modest, although varied.

While it is true that weight loss tends to plateau over time, "adaptation" to the calorie restriction plays only a small role.

That doesn't mean that it is not a good idea to occasionally vary your intake. But I doubt if one meal is going to make any difference. You are better off eating at a maintenance level for a week or so (not a "cheat" meal).

I personally don't like the nomenclature of a "bad" meal or "cheat" meal, but that' s more a matter of personal philosophy and syntax. To me, "cheat" sounds like you are following some external plan, a "diet prison sentence", so to speak, and one meal is "breaking the rules".

I have always looked at this as a long-term lifestyle change. In that perspective, you are following some basic principles, but the details are going to vary from time to time. Part of normal life involves having food in celebratory and social situations and enjoying food/wine, etc, just for the sensory pleasure. Rather than being a "cheat" meal, it's just a normal variation of your healthy lifestyle.

To me, and I don't mean to sound too preachy since it is just a personal opinion, I think someone who is caught up in the idea that they have to have a "cheat" meal on a scheduled basis, might to think about their overall approach. Maybe the eating plan needs to be more "normal" and not such a structured "diet". Again, just a slightly different perspective, not meant to be judgmental.

pinksocks73

I see EVERY choice I make on the scale. I see someone eat cake and I swear it ends up on my *kitten*. If I have a craving I will wait it out, and I mean at least a few weeks. If it hasn't gone away I may allow myself a small portion but I will expect to have to work it off for the better part of 1/2 a week. Any bad choice results in a non-loss week for me so Im really aware that is my tradeoff.

I have this very same problem! I have to be soooo careful of what I eat...one slip up and I could gain 5 pounds from it! I have always battled with my weight, and get very frustrated that the 15 minutes it takes to consume a hamburger and a small mocha frappe can undo an entire week of "being good".

downtome

My approach is a little different. I do well all week then on Saturday I allow myself a meal with more calories then I would normally eat such as a burrito from Baja's Fresh, but I will becareful with my other two meals for the day such as eating low calories. I don't go out on a binge thinking what the hell, it's just one meal that I feel I have to have. If I want a couple of cookies during the week then I fit it into my calorie budget and that's that! This seems to work for me and I enjoy having that one meal a week that I am craving but I do not go all out. You can't totally deprive yourself all the time. If you are losing weight and staying in control then good for you, it's about not letting it get you down and totaling blowing it for days on end. Like others have said, it's a lifestyle change, Work it into your food plan in a normal way and don't feel quilty. Your in control, not the food! Good luck!