Spike/Treat/cheat/reward or whatever you want to call it day

BrienJD

This one is for the diet gurus (but of course if anyone else has an aswer or opinion please by all means chime in)

Probably been asked in a zillion different ways already but......

If I indulge in a Spike/Treat/cheat/reward or whatever you want to call it day (and not necessarily a whole day, maybe just a meal or two), wouldn't my body try and keep all the extra calories and turn them straight into fat if I have been on a calorie deficit and exercising? I'd love to fit in a few extra cupcakes every now and then but if it's really going to have a major adverse effect I'm not to keen with that.

Opinions please

Keiras_Mom

I do an alternate day diet where I eat really restricted one day, then whatever I want the next (within reason) and the weight's melting off. I think there really is something to "confusing" your body with mixing up the calories.

lukeout007

In my experience so far...probably.

I was doing cheat days once a week every week and then I hit a plateau for a couple weeks. It may or may not have anything to do with it. But I believe I've overcome the plateau since. I haven't really been doing cheat days. I've had one day where I was way over but it wasn't really planned.

KaleidoscopeEyes1056

I keep trying to do a spike day, but I suck at it :ohwell:

ValRAAAAY

LOOOOOOOOOVE my cheat days! If I hit a plateau, I have a cheat day. Weight seems to come right off! It's AWESOME trickery!!! :-)

AmberJslimsAWAY

I do spike days, And it is supposed to confuse your body, and not let it fall into a routine, thus preventing a plateau.

jaxxie

I do a 'whatever you want to call it day'....I personally prefer CHEAT day because that's all I do! I don't feel guilty in the least and I still log absolutely everything, inlcuding my alcohol intake. I also follow Chris Powell's 'Choose to Lose' Plan which allows for it. I find that it works...but you just never know until you try it. Best of luck!

Sidesteal

If I indulge in a Spike/Treat/cheat/reward or whatever you want to call it day (and not necessarily a whole day, maybe just a meal or two), wouldn't my body try and keep all the extra calories and turn them straight into fat if I have been on a calorie deficit and exercising?

I have a few comments:

Lets just suppose that your "spike day" consists of you eating in a small surplus of calories.

For purposes of discussion, lets then assume that the excess calories (the surplus amount) go to fat per your example above. The rest of the time (your other 6 days in the week that are non-spike days) you are burning fat because you are eating in a deficit.

As long as you are eating in a deficit over the course of time, fat oxidation will exceed fat storage. This is why focusing on acute or day to day processes can be silly.

You can certainly utilize a spike day or maintenance day and still make great progress. Whether or not it's "necessary" or even beneficial is up for debate, but as far as your concern over fat storage, the minimal amount you'd gain during your one spike day will be more than offset by the remaining deficit days.

SpectacuLaura

I'm no diet guru but here's my 2 cents on the matter- do whatever it is you need to in order to make this a true lifestyle change. For me personally, I'm not going to abstain from fattening food I really love for FOREVER, so why would I do that just to get to a goal weight and then start eating how I want again and ruin all of my hard work? Everything in moderation.

I'm going to eat and live how I'd like to eat and live for the foreseeable future. Of course that has to be healthy and moderately to get the result I want, but I'm not giving up cupcakes and nights out with friends permanently so I'm going to indulge in them now and then on my weight loss journey so that when I get to my goal weight (and maybe it will take me longer to reach because of my "cheat" days) at least I will know that I can maintain my weight loss without a doubt and still be a happy, well-balanced person.

Like I said, I'm no guru but this just makes sense to me. :drinker:

BrienJD

Wow, great and thought out replies in just a few minutes and a few very good ideas on how to plan and proceed. I am not giving up my sweets or tasty foods, that much of a lifestyle change is not for me, but I wanted to know if I DO have a treat or a very good meal that puts me over it's not back to the drawing board. Silly as it may sound.

24Gummies

I have a cheat day once a week. I really enjoy my cheat days! I get my favorite milkshake and order of fries and feel totally ok

mandimommy

I am all for them! It helps me stay strict about my diet the rest of the week and there is simply no way I will eat enough that one day to undo the other 6 days' work.