cheat day method; fact or fiction?

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  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I simply don't deprive myself. I eat things that I enjoy every day. I think people should do what works for them, but it doesn't "ramp up" your metabolism. That's just silly.
  • SyStEmPhReAk
    SyStEmPhReAk Posts: 330 Member
    I cheat every saturday. With the exception of my pre/post workout routine and breakfast, i eat what i want and don't keep track. I am not, however, going crazy and eating all kinds of crap, but i do splurge. Psychologically, its something for me to look forward to and reward myself for eating correctly during the week.

    Also, it depends on "how" you cheat. Some lean people i know cheat by going well over their carb macros for the day - or a couple of days - and actually lose weight and get more cut by doing so.

    I really don't care about the "science" behind it, i just like to do it because its a reward and I'm still able to look good while doing it.
  • momRN2B
    momRN2B Posts: 247 Member
    The last time I got in shape, I faithfully took a cheat day once a week, and still lost an average of two pounds a week. If you are eating right and exercising for 6.5 of the 7 days a week, you will still lose. In my opinion, it isn't a factor in "resetting" metabolism. But what it DOES do is add an element of confusion to your body and helps keep it from going into a starvation cycle, which really does hamper weight loss efforts. There are a lot of additional benefits. If you are working out hard, you really need to supercharge your energy levels at least once a week. Your workouts will benefit and you will notice the difference in intensity. My very best days in the gym are ALWAYS the day after a cheat day. And there is the psychological benefit of never feeling deprived or hemmed in by a strict diet. If there is something I crave during the week, I just tell myself that I'll save it for my cheat day. Plus, it's awesome for days when I know I'll be going out with friends, which is usually at least once every weekend. I typically limit my cheating to just one evening, rather than an entire day, though. The reason for this is I found that if I went crazy and ate anything I wanted ALL day long, the next day I would wake up and feel like I had been run over by a bus.

    Hope this helps ... :smile:

    You explained it pretty well. From my own experience I find a cheat day helps me stay on the diet and has never hindered my weight loss if anything it sometimes helped. On WW old plan they had that you could have an extra 35 calories once a week. Also this concept is explained well by the diet that works around this concept, its called the "Cheat to lose Diet"
    here is a link to the book if u want to see the basic concept.
    http://www.amazon.com/Cheat-Lose-Diet-Faster-Keeping/dp/B0085SJG6S/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1345219054&sr=1-1&keywords=cheat+to+lose

    So yes I definitely believe in treating myself to a 'cheat day' once a week as long as i am good on my diet the other 6 days.
  • KeepItSimpleSally
    KeepItSimpleSally Posts: 6
    I find a cheat meal is easier to work into my calorie total for the week, if i gave myself a whole day i'd just undo my whole weeks work!

    totally agree with you. I just like to have one cheat meal. It's usually every other friday night. I like it before the weekend kicks into gear because it gives me more time to burn it off or add extra activites into my saturday/sunday.
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    I hate this conversation because people have opinions, but they are based on nothing except what they think makes sense to them or whatever. There is a lot of information written on this topic. It's been studied a lot. I suggest you go read the data and make up your mind. They can be beneficial if they are done right. But, most people just want to have a pig fest. That's not what a cheat day is.
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    My personal experience -

    I was at a six month plateau. Upped my calories to around 1500-1600 by lowering my weekly goal, didn't work. Through reading on the forums I found the Spike 84 group. Took a look. Decided to read the book rather than just go off of the information in the group. Started spiking, started losing. Down 20 pounds after that six month plateau.

    One day a week I eat 3000 calories (BMR or RMR x 2). My weekly calories *average* out to the same as eating between 1500-1600 a day, yet when I ate that much daily I was still stuck in a plateau. So, worked for me. It also helps control my binging urges, don't know if that's a psychological or physiological effect. If what you're doing is working and you are getting *appropriate nutrition* then I see no reason to change things. But if it doesn't work, then don;t be afraid to try new things until you find what does.

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