I believe there is benefits to a cheat day.

portexploit

Thanks for the responses everyone. You guys made some good points. Some people call it a refeed day. Health and nutrition is about a life style. Some of us are all at different levels. A cheat day may not be appropriate for advanced people. A cheat meal would be, but they already know that that' why they're advanced.

Yes a cheat day can turn in to a cheat week so be careful. Some people might benefit from 2 cheat days a week, then when they stop getting results move to 1 time a week, then maybe once every other week. Or one cheat meal a week. Many ways to tweak this.

lodro

this is very true. i remember one day i ate sooo bad when i went out to eat... (i had just gotten my eye exam) was trying my best to eat as healthy as i could... who knew some of the healthy food you thought would be that high of calories....

i had gained 5 lbs from it... i workout harder than i ever had. burn about 1500 calories for the next 4 days. and ate around 1500 to 1800 and down my water like crazy.

in that next four days i lost 8 lbs just like that.

i was like wow. im so proud of myself. and it is great feeling that i get for doing that hard work and that healthy eatin.

so yeah cheat day are very good to reboot your metabolism and playing with your calories is very good to do

which is exactly why a routine of low calories and moderate bingeing doesn't work. if you want your weight to be sustainable, better to settle for less initial weightloss at slightly higher calories, with no cheat days. also: a diet that remains high in simple carbohydrates will make you hungry more, because of the frequent insulin responses, especially if you eat "6 small meals a day".

Myself, i don't believe in cheat meals/days as a psychological safety valve: it is a clear sign that your way of eating won't be sustainable long term. Better to find a style of eating that will keep you within your calorie limits all the time, without having to "cheat"

sesefeeney

what the hell! i have nothing to lose!! will give this idea a go!!! a cheat day every 6 days!!! will call it the leptin deit!!!
thanks for the info and the permission to have a treat once every week!!

portexploit

this is very true. i remember one day i ate sooo bad when i went out to eat... (i had just gotten my eye exam) was trying my best to eat as healthy as i could... who knew some of the healthy food you thought would be that high of calories....

i had gained 5 lbs from it... i workout harder than i ever had. burn about 1500 calories for the next 4 days. and ate around 1500 to 1800 and down my water like crazy.

in that next four days i lost 8 lbs just like that.

i was like wow. im so proud of myself. and it is great feeling that i get for doing that hard work and that healthy eatin.

so yeah cheat day are very good to reboot your metabolism and playing with your calories is very good to do

which is exactly why a routine of low calories and moderate bingeing doesn't work. if you want your weight to be sustainable, better to settle for less initial weightloss at slightly higher calories, with no cheat days. also: a diet that remains high in simple carbohydrates will make you hungry more, because of the frequent insulin responses, especially if you eat "6 small meals a day".

Myself, i don't believe in cheat meals/days as a psychological safety valve: it is a clear sign that your way of eating won't be sustainable long term. Better to find a style of eating that will keep you within your calorie limits all the time, without having to "cheat"

Bill Phillips uses a similar approach, the CKD diet (cycled ketosis diet) used by bodybuilders, they swear by it to get lean, Lyle Mcdonald, Bill and Shawn Phillips, David Palumbo, all use a similar method. If you look like them I give you mad props.

chevy88grl

I don't need to "cheat". I eat what I want, when I want. I simply eat it in moderation. If I want a candy bar, I have it. I simply work it into my calories for the day. For me, I'd much rather indulge in the foods I enjoy on a daily basis than have to wait for a certain day or certain meal to enjoy them.

I eat 2200-2500 calories a day (this is net calories). I am happily maintaining 143-145lbs. I don't suffer without foods I love - I simply work them into my calories for the day.

It may not work for others - but it works for me.

Rikki444

Well, I was about to add my two cents; but it looks like you've articulated everything.

I love this quote, "All things are permissible to me but not all are beneficial." I never feel like I am 'cheating' because there is nothing that I can't have. However, when I consider my goal and my vision, a cheeseburger is not going to get me there. But I will have anything I crave at some point and I.NEVER.FEEL.BAD.ABOUT.IT!

mowu

I agree with the OP (including the correction of the naming to a refeed day instead of a cheat day).

I'm trying to lose weight eating about 1700kcal a day (500-1000 kcal a day below maintenance). But on weekends i will typically eat at or up to 500kcal above my maintenance level, and I'm still losing 1-2 pounds a week.

I do believe that this keeps your body from adjusting to the lower caloric intake too soon - psychologically it's easier to me to put off doing eating that cake or drinking that beer until the weekend....and come weekend I might not even be craving for it anymore.

veronicastelo

I'm not convinced. It starts as a cheat meal which then turns into a day, then an extra sugar hit mid-afternoon on your good day then you're over-ridden with guilt and you go low calorie. Sounds like the beginnings of a yoyo diet.

Everything should be done in moderation. I understand that most of us on this site have difficulty with eating in moderation but by "cheating" we add more emotion to food as it becomes something forbidden making it even more alluring.

taso42_DELETED

which is exactly why a routine of low calories and moderate bingeing doesn't work. if you want your weight to be sustainable, better to settle for less initial weightloss at slightly higher calories, with no cheat days. also: a diet that remains high in simple carbohydrates will make you hungry more, because of the frequent insulin responses, especially if you eat "6 small meals a day".

Myself, i don't believe in cheat meals/days as a psychological safety valve: it is a clear sign that your way of eating won't be sustainable long term. Better to find a style of eating that will keep you within your calorie limits all the time, without having to "cheat"

Free day doesn't necessarily mean "binge day". And non-free-day doesn't necessarily mean some extreme under-eating day.

Six days out of the week, one should strive to eat flawlessly. I guess flawless is a relative term depending on the person and the goals, but I think we all know the difference between good food and bad food. One day a week, one can eat whatever they desire.

This isn't some very-low-calorie-then-binge-once-a-week routine. It is a sustainable way of life. It means eating right 95% of the time, but allowing oneself a treat once in a while. Because we're humans, not robots. If we were robots we could just eat right 100% of the time.

What's the issue, that you're adamantly against this? I'm not even sure what you're getting at? Are you suggesting that one should go ahead and eat french fries and pizza EVERY DAY instead of reserving it for a "free day"? Or are you suggesting that one should NEVER EVER eat certain foods?

taso42_DELETED

And man, how I despise the phrase "cheat day"....

Umeboshi

I honestly believe my 'cheat day' is going to help me continue my efforts and make a true lifestyle change, as opposed to just giving up a few weeks/couple months in. I have started down this road before with calorie restriction and no allowed free/cheat days. What happened was I got fed up with never or rarely having naughty foods like cookies or pizza or other 'bad' stuff. At that point I looked at those foods as forbidden, and basically in my mind i was never going to have them again unless they were tiny portions or some sugar-free junk... I ended up realizing I couldn't live my life without eating the fun stuff, and I gave up and went back to eating however much of whatever, whenever I wanted.
We're meant to enjoy food, it's pleasurable and tastes great.. One can't live on a restricted calorie diet (1200-1500 cals) for an extended period of time without feeling deprived (unless you really don't like food). It's impossible. It's also hard to be happy and healthy when your weight and body are out of control and you are eating too much of the wrong things all the time. In my opinion having a weekly or bi-weekly cheat day is a perfect compromise. You get to enjoy the 'bad' stuff for one day while the majority of the time you are eating healthier stuff and reasonable portions, and not feeling deprived because you know that your day to have all the naughty foods isn't far off

chrisdavey

I tend to find that with the amount of healthy ways you can cook various "cheat foods", my refeed days are normally just mass quantities of healthier alternatives. Calories are calories though in the context of leptin, insulin etc. I would think though. Don't think it really matters if it comes from junk type food or healthier alternatives. Difference to me I guess is that my healthy alternative refeed day could be 3500cals but if I did it with the generic versions it could be 5000cals being similar volume.

Psychologically, I'm not missing out on anything. Last week I made pizza, ice cream, cheesecake, japanese curry to name a few of my fav meals and they were all done with healthy alternatives.

MichelleF81

I love how so many people think THEY know better than anyone lol and any other view/opinion therefore must be utter nonsense. Live and let live, each to their own. I keep within my calories, be it good choices or bad choices, for 6 days per week and one day per week I simply don't worry or stress about what I'm eating....sometimes I go over, sometimes I don't, sometimes I eat crap and sometimes I don't but once a week if i want to goddamn eat my body weight in chocolate (don't take this literally) then I will do it and no-one shaking their head in disapproval, standing on their pedestal and acting like the diet police is gonna stop me so HAAA lol. It may not be everyone's cup of tea but having one day a week where 'I can if i want to' works for me, it hasn't hindered my weight loss and i'm still alive to tell the tale.

TavistockToad

Great post!

This last week i had a treat of pudding on thursday, and a treat meal on saturday with a few drinks as well. along with only working out 3 times instead of my usual 5, i lost a pound!

lodro

I don't know though. If "cheating" is necessary to make your way of eating sustainable, then something might need to be changed about how one eats.

lodro

which is exactly why a routine of low calories and moderate bingeing doesn't work. if you want your weight to be sustainable, better to settle for less initial weightloss at slightly higher calories, with no cheat days. also: a diet that remains high in simple carbohydrates will make you hungry more, because of the frequent insulin responses, especially if you eat "6 small meals a day".

Myself, i don't believe in cheat meals/days as a psychological safety valve: it is a clear sign that your way of eating won't be sustainable long term. Better to find a style of eating that will keep you within your calorie limits all the time, without having to "cheat"

Free day doesn't necessarily mean "binge day". And non-free-day doesn't necessarily mean some extreme under-eating day.

Six days out of the week, one should strive to eat flawlessly. I guess flawless is a relative term depending on the person and the goals, but I think we all know the difference between good food and bad food. One day a week, one can eat whatever they desire.

This isn't some very-low-calorie-then-binge-once-a-week routine. It is a sustainable way of life. It means eating right 95% of the time, but allowing oneself a treat once in a while. Because we're humans, not robots. If we were robots we could just eat right 100% of the time.

What's the issue, that you're adamantly against this? I'm not even sure what you're getting at? Are you suggesting that one should go ahead and eat french fries and pizza EVERY DAY instead of reserving it for a "free day"? Or are you suggesting that one should NEVER EVER eat certain foods?

I think you should eat every healthy food you want to eat. The point is, of course, if you want a different way of eating to be sustainable, and "cheating" is necessary to make that so, then you're setting yourself up for failure. Better look at the totality of what you're doing, over the course of your entire lifespan (hopefully long) and then evaluate how, what and especially why you eat. Because what is exactly the psychological mechanism at work here? I guess the point I want to make is that skinny people really do eat less than fat people. If you want to maintain a low weight, you will have to get accustomed to eating (far) less. Calling days when you eat more than you would normally do "cheat" days (or "free" days, or whatever) is imo counterproductive to what you want to achieve long term. Which is - i think - teaching yourself a different way of handling food. Having cheat days leaves the underlying pattern intact.

FunSize2009

" Eat to live, don't live to eat. " -- I like to say this to my husband (who LOVES to eat, even more than I do, and is quite an obstacle I have to work around if I want to lose weight and be healthy). Now if only I can TRULY eat to live and not live to eat, I'd do good! :-) Thanks for the encouraging posts!

portexploit

which is exactly why a routine of low calories and moderate bingeing doesn't work. if you want your weight to be sustainable, better to settle for less initial weightloss at slightly higher calories, with no cheat days. also: a diet that remains high in simple carbohydrates will make you hungry more, because of the frequent insulin responses, especially if you eat "6 small meals a day".

Myself, i don't believe in cheat meals/days as a psychological safety valve: it is a clear sign that your way of eating won't be sustainable long term. Better to find a style of eating that will keep you within your calorie limits all the time, without having to "cheat"

Free day doesn't necessarily mean "binge day". And non-free-day doesn't necessarily mean some extreme under-eating day.

Six days out of the week, one should strive to eat flawlessly. I guess flawless is a relative term depending on the person and the goals, but I think we all know the difference between good food and bad food. One day a week, one can eat whatever they desire.

This isn't some very-low-calorie-then-binge-once-a-week routine. It is a sustainable way of life. It means eating right 95% of the time, but allowing oneself a treat once in a while. Because we're humans, not robots. If we were robots we could just eat right 100% of the time.

What's the issue, that you're adamantly against this? I'm not even sure what you're getting at? Are you suggesting that one should go ahead and eat french fries and pizza EVERY DAY instead of reserving it for a "free day"? Or are you suggesting that one should NEVER EVER eat certain foods?

I think you should eat every healthy food you want to eat. The point is, of course, if you want a different way of eating to be sustainable, and "cheating" is necessary to make that so, then you're setting yourself up for failure. Better look at the totality of what you're doing, over the course of your entire lifespan (hopefully long) and then evaluate how, what and especially why you eat. Because what is exactly the psychological mechanism at work here? I guess the point I want to make is that skinny people really do eat less than fat people. If you want to maintain a low weight, you will have to get accustomed to eating (far) less. Calling days when you eat more than you would normally do "cheat" days (or "free" days, or whatever) is imo counterproductive to what you want to achieve long term. Which is - i think - teaching yourself a different way of handling food. Having cheat days leaves the underlying pattern intact.

I understand what you’re saying. I talked about the positive hormonal responses which are beneficial. WE all should focus on eating better for us like you said. IF you have been eating fast food for a while and radically change your diet. More than likely it won’t stick. These cheat days are like when you lift weights, they are the “rest” period in between sets, the make you stronger. You can’t constantly do resps with no nest, you’ll burn out and quit. If someone can do 30 reps to failure. I am sure if they did 3 sets of 12 they will get in more reps. Over time if the rest gets shorter, they will be able to do more reps per set. Same thing for nutrition. I don’t know, don’t know your situation. Maybe you’re healthy and lean, you have built up good eating habits from day one. Most of us who are here haven’t. It’s something we need to work towards.

halzuzu

I agree! I allow myself 1-2 days per week where I'm a little more flexible with my calories, carbs, etc but still try to not go too far over my maintenance calories. And Ive steadily been losing about 1 pound a week. If this is going to be a sustainable lifestyle change we have to allow ourselves our favorite foods from time to time without beating ourselves up.

treehugginpam

This definitely seems to work for me. Saturday is my "day off" from counting calories and is the day I allow myself to have something that might not fit into my normally restricted calorie intake without me severely cutting back on the other meals that day (hello, pizza). I still try to log all of my food in on those days, I just don't stress about it.

I've actually found since I've started eating better that my "day off" still isn't horribly crazy -- maybe about 500 - 700 more than I'd eat on a day I'm restricting calories. Basically, I wind up right around my maintenance calories. Those extra calories always seems to jump start my metabolism though. I weigh in on Saturday mornings and then Saturdays are my "day off." This week and when I peeked at the scale on Sunday it said I had actually lost another 1/2 pound from my weigh-in the day before.

For me it's a win-win -- not only do I get to have a day free from worrying about every little calorie, but it actually helps me lose more weight than on weeks when I restrict the calories every day. Can't beat that!