Cheat Days?

dstg

my co-worker who is a registered dietician says that cheat days are ok, especially when you first start out trying to restrict your diet. This enables you to reward yourself once a week instead of once a day. Then as your meals get better and your moods get better you can start weaning yourself off of your cheat day. But don't call it your "cheat day", call it something else. Most of us are on this site for guidance and support so...call it an embellishment day. What works for some won't always work for others but no one should put someone else down for trying.

fairygirl68

I read that recently also. I personally make mine Saturday, because I usually meet friends for lunch. And usually at places that have very few healthy options.
But I am beginning to see that I make fewer "bad" choices without really thinking about it. :happy:

lizziebeth1028

I'm a good girl Monday through Friday. Saturday's I have a cheat dinner meal (my boyfriend and I go out to dinner....italian food and chocolate martinis is my favorite!!). Sunday I allow myself to have about 1700-1800 calories, where as normally during the week I eat 1400-1700. Works for me...I'm somewhat in maintenance though....focusing more on body recomposition.

linnamor

I don't have a regular cheat day as it's more a lifestyle change but if I have something I shouldn't like tonight (chocy biscuits) then I just get back on track the following day. No point in beating yourself up about it.

jacksonpt

I need everyone's take on cheat days! Thanks

I've read that the occasional high calorie day helps keep your metabolism up.

Then, I should eat a ton of cals before I go to bed, so my metabolism stays high through the night, thus burning more cals, right?

read an article the other day interviewing the rock about getting in movie shape with his trainers ....said he likes to have 1 "cheat day" a week where he eats a large pizza because it revamps his metabolism.....those guys are prolly just idiots though they dont know what u know

The problem isn't the recommendation, the problem is the lack of context.

So, if having a big day "revamps my metabolism", what happens if I don't? Does it eventually shut down? Additionally, what are the Rock's training/diet routines like the rest of the time? What are his goals?

That's my problem. People say these things and compare themselves to elite athletes (or roided up ones) with no context. The idea that you can take snippets of what other people do, mash them together and come up with a good program is ludicrous. And the fact that people give advice like that irritates me to no end. At best it's irresponsible, at worse it's damaging.

gingerjen7

I need everyone's take on cheat days! Thanks

I've read that the occasional high calorie day helps keep your metabolism up.

Then, I should eat a ton of cals before I go to bed, so my metabolism stays high through the night, thus burning more cals, right?

read an article the other day interviewing the rock about getting in movie shape with his trainers ....said he likes to have 1 "cheat day" a week where he eats a large pizza because it revamps his metabolism.....those guys are prolly just idiots though they dont know what u know

http://www.fitwatch.com/weight-loss/5-tips-to-avoid-plateaus-and-metabolic-slowdown-647.html

Sounds reasonable to me.

"QUESTION: Tom, Is it possible to not lose body fat because you’re eating too little?
-Linda

ANSWER: Yes and no. This gets a little complicated so let me explain both sides.

Part one of my answer: I say NO, because if you are in a calorie deficit you WILL lose weight.

Most people have heard anecdotes of the dieter who claims to be eating 800 calories a day or some starvation diet level of intake that is clearly in a deficit and yet is not losing fat. Like the mythical unicorn, such an animal does not exist.

Every time you take a person like that and put them in a hospital research center or metabolic ward where their food can be counted, weighed, measured and almost literally “spoon fed” to them, a calorie deficit always produces weight loss.

There are no exceptions, except possibly in rare diseases or mutations. Even then metabolic or hormonal defects or diseases merely lead to energy imbalance via increases in appetite, decreases in energy expenditure or changes in energy partitioning. So at the end of the day it’s STILL calories in versus calories out.

In other words, NO – it’s NOT your thyroid (unless you’ve got a confirmed diagnosis as such…and then guess what… it’s STILL calories in vs calories out, you’re just not burning as many as someone should at your height and weight).

One famous study that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine years ago proved this point rather dramatically. After studying obese people – selected specifically because they swore they were eating less than 1200 calories but could not lose weight – Steven Lichtman and his colleages at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital in New York came to the following conclusion:

“The failure of some obese subjects to lose weight while eating a diet they report as low in calories is due to an energy intake substantially higher than reported and an overestimation of physical activity, not to an abnormality in thermogenesis.”

That’s right – the so-called “diet-resistant” subjects were eating more than they thought and moving less than they thought. This was probably the single best study ever published that debunks the “I’m in a calorie deficit but I can’t lose weight” myth:

Part two of my answer, YES, because:

1) Energy intake increases.

Eating too little causes major increases in appetite. With hunger raging out of control, you lose your deficit by overeating. This happens in many ways, such as giving in to cravings, binge eating, eating more on weekends or simply being inconsistent, so some days you’re on your prescribed 1600 calories a day or whatever is your target amount, but on others you’re taking in 2200, 2500, 3000 etc and you don’t realize it or remember it. The overeating days wipe out the deficit days.

2) Metabolism decreases due to smaller body mass.

Any time at all when you’re losing weight, your metabolism is slowly decreasing due to your reduced body mass. The smaller and lighter you get, especially if there’s a large drop in skeletal muscle mass, the fewer calories you need. So your calorie deficit slowly shrinks over time as your diet progresses. As a result, your progress slows down even though you haven’t changed how much you eat.

With starvation, you always lose weight, but eventually you lose so much weight/body mass that you can reach energy balance at the same caloric intake you used to lose weight on. You might translate that as “I went into starvation mode” which wouldn’t be incorrect, but it would be more accurate to say that your calorie needs decreased.

3) Metabolism decreases due to adaptive thermogenesis.

Eating too little also causes a starvation response (adaptive thermogenesis) where metabolic rate can decrease above and beyond what can be accounted for from the change in body mass (#2 above). This is “starvation response” in the truest sense. It does exist and it is well documented. However, the latest research says that the vast majority of the decrease in metabolism comes from reduced body mass. The adaptive component of the reduced metabolic rate is fairly small, perhaps 10% (ie, 220 calories for an average female with a 2200 TDEE). The result is when you don’t eat enough, your actual weight loss is less than predicted on paper, but weight loss doesn’t stop completely.

There is a BIG myth about starvation mode (adaptive thermogenesis) that implies that if you don’t eat enough, your metabolism will slow down so much that you stop losing weight. That can’t happen, it only appears that way because weight loss stops for other reasons. What happens is the math equation changes!

Energy balance is dynamic, so your weight loss slows down and eventually stops over time if you fail to adjust your calories and activity levels in real time each week.

...

So what can be done to stop this metabolic slowdown caused by low calorie dieting and the dreaded fat loss plateau that follows? I recommend the following 5 tips:

1) Lose the pounds slowly.

Slow and steady wins in long term fat loss and maintenance every time. Rapid weight loss correlates strongly with weight relapse and loss of lean body mass. Aim for one to two pounds per week, or no more than 1% of total body weight (ie, 3 lbs per week if you weigh 300 lbs).

2) Use a higher energy flux program.

If you are physically capable of exercise, then use weight training AND cardio to increase your calorie expenditure, so you can still have a calorie deficit, but at a higher food intake (also known as a “high energy flux” program, or as we like to say in Burn The Fat, “eat more, burn more.”)

3) Use a conservative calorie deficit.

You must have a calorie deficit to lose fat, but your best bet is to keep the deficit small. This helps you avoid triggering the starvation response, which includes the increased appetite and potential to binge that comes along with starvation diets. I recommend a 20% deficit below your maintenance calories (TDEE), a 30% deficit at most for those with high body fat.

4) Refeed.

Increase your calories (re-feed) for a full day periodically (once a week or so if you are heavy, twice a week if you are already lean), to restimulate metabolism. On the higher calorie day, take your calories to maintenance or even 10, 15, 20% above maintenance and add the extra calories in the form of carbs (carb cycling). The leaner you get, and the longer you’ve been on reduced calories, the more important the re-feeds will be. ...

5) Take periodic diet breaks.

Take 1 week off your calorie restricted diet approximately every 12 weeks or so. During this period, take your calories back up to maintenance, but continue to eat healthy, “clean” foods. Alternately, go into a muscle building phase if increasing lean mass is one of your goals. This will bring metabolism and regulatory hormones back up to normal and keep lean body mass stable"

anniebonnie

They're alright- but I can't do them anymore-.- a cheat day turns into a cheat week, and a cheat week into a month...I think I'll just stick with cheat meals at the END of the day for now haha;)

felblossom

I grabbed a cheeseburger today while out shopping. I'd call that cheating, but I still have almost 800 cals to go for the day at dinner time. I actually find it HARD to be over target since I cut out most of the darn pasta that I used to eat.

jeme3

So far, I have not needed to cheat to eat what I want, just needed to think it through and plan for the day.

I figure Thanksgiving and Christmas I'll not even think about calories and eat what I want, but by then, I'll be used to not stuffing myself, so I'll be able to not go too crazy.

jacksonpt

I need everyone's take on cheat days! Thanks

I've read that the occasional high calorie day helps keep your metabolism up.

Then, I should eat a ton of cals before I go to bed, so my metabolism stays high through the night, thus burning more cals, right?

read an article the other day interviewing the rock about getting in movie shape with his trainers ....said he likes to have 1 "cheat day" a week where he eats a large pizza because it revamps his metabolism.....those guys are prolly just idiots though they dont know what u know

http://www.fitwatch.com/weight-loss/5-tips-to-avoid-plateaus-and-metabolic-slowdown-647.html

Sounds reasonable to me.

"QUESTION: Tom, Is it possible to not lose body fat because you’re eating too little?
-Linda

ANSWER: Yes and no. This gets a little complicated so let me explain both sides.

Part one of my answer: I say NO, because if you are in a calorie deficit you WILL lose weight.

Most people have heard anecdotes of the dieter who claims to be eating 800 calories a day or some starvation diet level of intake that is clearly in a deficit and yet is not losing fat. Like the mythical unicorn, such an animal does not exist.

Every time you take a person like that and put them in a hospital research center or metabolic ward where their food can be counted, weighed, measured and almost literally “spoon fed” to them, a calorie deficit always produces weight loss.

There are no exceptions, except possibly in rare diseases or mutations. Even then metabolic or hormonal defects or diseases merely lead to energy imbalance via increases in appetite, decreases in energy expenditure or changes in energy partitioning. So at the end of the day it’s STILL calories in versus calories out.

In other words, NO – it’s NOT your thyroid (unless you’ve got a confirmed diagnosis as such…and then guess what… it’s STILL calories in vs calories out, you’re just not burning as many as someone should at your height and weight).

One famous study that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine years ago proved this point rather dramatically. After studying obese people – selected specifically because they swore they were eating less than 1200 calories but could not lose weight – Steven Lichtman and his colleages at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital in New York came to the following conclusion:

“The failure of some obese subjects to lose weight while eating a diet they report as low in calories is due to an energy intake substantially higher than reported and an overestimation of physical activity, not to an abnormality in thermogenesis.”

That’s right – the so-called “diet-resistant” subjects were eating more than they thought and moving less than they thought. This was probably the single best study ever published that debunks the “I’m in a calorie deficit but I can’t lose weight” myth:

Part two of my answer, YES, because:

1) Energy intake increases.

Eating too little causes major increases in appetite. With hunger raging out of control, you lose your deficit by overeating. This happens in many ways, such as giving in to cravings, binge eating, eating more on weekends or simply being inconsistent, so some days you’re on your prescribed 1600 calories a day or whatever is your target amount, but on others you’re taking in 2200, 2500, 3000 etc and you don’t realize it or remember it. The overeating days wipe out the deficit days.

2) Metabolism decreases due to smaller body mass.

Any time at all when you’re losing weight, your metabolism is slowly decreasing due to your reduced body mass. The smaller and lighter you get, especially if there’s a large drop in skeletal muscle mass, the fewer calories you need. So your calorie deficit slowly shrinks over time as your diet progresses. As a result, your progress slows down even though you haven’t changed how much you eat.

With starvation, you always lose weight, but eventually you lose so much weight/body mass that you can reach energy balance at the same caloric intake you used to lose weight on. You might translate that as “I went into starvation mode” which wouldn’t be incorrect, but it would be more accurate to say that your calorie needs decreased.

3) Metabolism decreases due to adaptive thermogenesis.

Eating too little also causes a starvation response (adaptive thermogenesis) where metabolic rate can decrease above and beyond what can be accounted for from the change in body mass (#2 above). This is “starvation response” in the truest sense. It does exist and it is well documented. However, the latest research says that the vast majority of the decrease in metabolism comes from reduced body mass. The adaptive component of the reduced metabolic rate is fairly small, perhaps 10% (ie, 220 calories for an average female with a 2200 TDEE). The result is when you don’t eat enough, your actual weight loss is less than predicted on paper, but weight loss doesn’t stop completely.

There is a BIG myth about starvation mode (adaptive thermogenesis) that implies that if you don’t eat enough, your metabolism will slow down so much that you stop losing weight. That can’t happen, it only appears that way because weight loss stops for other reasons. What happens is the math equation changes!

Energy balance is dynamic, so your weight loss slows down and eventually stops over time if you fail to adjust your calories and activity levels in real time each week.

...

So what can be done to stop this metabolic slowdown caused by low calorie dieting and the dreaded fat loss plateau that follows? I recommend the following 5 tips:

1) Lose the pounds slowly.

Slow and steady wins in long term fat loss and maintenance every time. Rapid weight loss correlates strongly with weight relapse and loss of lean body mass. Aim for one to two pounds per week, or no more than 1% of total body weight (ie, 3 lbs per week if you weigh 300 lbs).

2) Use a higher energy flux program.

If you are physically capable of exercise, then use weight training AND cardio to increase your calorie expenditure, so you can still have a calorie deficit, but at a higher food intake (also known as a “high energy flux” program, or as we like to say in Burn The Fat, “eat more, burn more.”)

3) Use a conservative calorie deficit.

You must have a calorie deficit to lose fat, but your best bet is to keep the deficit small. This helps you avoid triggering the starvation response, which includes the increased appetite and potential to binge that comes along with starvation diets. I recommend a 20% deficit below your maintenance calories (TDEE), a 30% deficit at most for those with high body fat.

4) Refeed.

Increase your calories (re-feed) for a full day periodically (once a week or so if you are heavy, twice a week if you are already lean), to restimulate metabolism. On the higher calorie day, take your calories to maintenance or even 10, 15, 20% above maintenance and add the extra calories in the form of carbs (carb cycling). The leaner you get, and the longer you’ve been on reduced calories, the more important the re-feeds will be. ...

5) Take periodic diet breaks.

Take 1 week off your calorie restricted diet approximately every 12 weeks or so. During this period, take your calories back up to maintenance, but continue to eat healthy, “clean” foods. Alternately, go into a muscle building phase if increasing lean mass is one of your goals. This will bring metabolism and regulatory hormones back up to normal and keep lean body mass stable"

I missed where he explained what "low cal" dieting was, but I assume that's lower than typical, which is generally considered unhealthy and rarely recommended on this site.

I don't see what that article has to do with anything in this post? The OP asked about cheat days with no context. She didn't say she was netting 800 cals long term and asking about the benefits of a cheat day. There's nothing in her question to suggest she even knows what refeed means.

You're taking a simple question asked by 100s of people and turning it into something it's not. If the OP is actually talking about a very specific plan and the benefits of refeeding with low net cals, then let her ask.

You and I have argued before. At this point, if I keep going, it will be arguing just on spite/principle. I'll back out of this thread now, at least until the conversation takes a different turn.

ILoveTheBrowns

I need everyone's take on cheat days! Thanks

I've read that the occasional high calorie day helps keep your metabolism up.

Then, I should eat a ton of cals before I go to bed, so my metabolism stays high through the night, thus burning more cals, right?

read an article the other day interviewing the rock about getting in movie shape with his trainers ....said he likes to have 1 "cheat day" a week where he eats a large pizza because it revamps his metabolism.....those guys are prolly just idiots though they dont know what u know

The problem isn't the recommendation, the problem is the lack of context.

So, if having a big day "revamps my metabolism", what happens if I don't? Does it eventually shut down? Additionally, what are the Rock's training/diet routines like the rest of the time? What are his goals?

That's my problem. People say these things and compare themselves to elite athletes (or roided up ones) with no context. The idea that you can take snippets of what other people do, mash them together and come up with a good program is ludicrous. And the fact that people give advice like that irritates me to no end. At best it's irresponsible, at worse it's damaging.

i think its irresponsible when people get on here and say with certainty theres only one way of doing things(there way) and any other way is wrong

snoopy7501

I've read quite a few times that indulging once in a while is good for your metabolism, as well as giving a psychological boost. One guy said that there's no significant difference between eating healthy 100% of the time versus 90% of the time, so if you're eating every few hours (6-7 meals/day), that's 4 "cheat meals" each week. Makes sense to me. I guess the only way to know for sure is to try it yourself and see.

gingerjen7

I missed where he explained what "low cal" dieting was, but I assume that's lower than typical, which is generally considered unhealthy and rarely recommended on this site.

I don't think you read the article at all. He goes through very specific points about how much of a deficit to create and it's not an unhealthy one.

I don't see what that article has to do with anything in this post?

This article has to do with the conversation which is quoted prior to the article, which is the discussion of a high calorie day and how it effects metabolism.

There's nothing in her question to suggest she even knows what refeed means.

Well, it's a good thing that it's defined in the article then.

You're taking a simple question asked by 100s of people and turning it into something it's not. If the OP is actually talking about a very specific plan and the benefits of refeeding with low net cals, then let her ask.

No, I responded to the OP saying that I've read that high calorie days can help keep your metabolism up and that generated conversation about the topic, so I supplied an article which supports the statement I made. The post was in response to ILoveTheBrowns not the OP, though if she wants to read the article, it's there for her.

Wabbit05

I've found through personal experience, I cannot have a cheat day. I give myself a cheat meal on the weekends, sometimes 2. But if I let myself just get away with anything for a full day, I tend to spread the one day into two and gain a bunch of water weight. So a cheat meal is how I do it!

babeinthemoon

Since June I've been following "Choose to Lose" which has Sunday as your "cheat day." Although the recommendation is that you call it your Funday. I don't always use up all my calories on SundayFunday, but it is nice to have a day that I can eat what I want in the combination that I want it. Besides, it is the one day I can have pizza. (you cycle between high carb low fat, or low carb w/ some heathy fats during the week so carbs & cheese is a no-no except sunday).

Usually on "funday" I eat regular sized, well balanced, nutritious meals until dinner. Dinner is often well balanced as well, but I don't worry about the extra calories of the rich food that I try to have. I'll also usually enjoy a glass of wine with dinner too. Now that our church small group has started back up, Sunday funday allows me enough calories to try what I want out of the potluck, and not worry about what I'm eating, because I can.

During the week, I usually hit 1200 or 1500 cal for the day, but on sunday, left to my own devices, I'll eat only about 1700 cal and feel totally satisfied... During the week I don't tend to get cravings.. but last week was my "slingshot week" so I did a high carb/lowfat week, which meant no cheese. Sigh. By friday all I could think about was pizza. LOL! Yesterday was not typical as I had two big slices of pizza, and ate 2400 cal, but today is a new day, and will be 1200 and I'm going to eat well.

mgreenham

I've done the Body for Life plan, and it worked for me... In that plan it gives you 1 day a week to DO WHAT YOU WANT! But as you see success your "desire" for cheating goes away, so I rarely took them....

My opinion of them now is, do it when you think you need to. The world won't end, you aren't a bad person. If cheating means enjoying a slice of pizza and a beer with friends and enjoying their company... Then I say it's worth it. I don't plan cheat days, but if the occasion presents itself that being a bit over indulgent is part of ENJOYING life then I would do it. This is where most of us fail I believe. Depriving yourself of the enjoyment of being with family and friends around the table or event makes you generally unhappy, and more prone to fail.

Wake yup the next morning, refocus, get back in the groove and hit the gym a few extra times that week.

Life is short, enjoy what you can of it..