Cheat Day

KatherineJuneAid
KatherineJuneAid Posts: 6
in Food and Nutrition
I know your body can only retain so much fat in a day. That's why we do the cheat day. Is this good or bad idea- and how can you do it?

Replies

  • megsi474
    megsi474 Posts: 370 Member
    I don't know about the science of it but a refeed makes me feel less likely to fall off the wagon into a pile of donuts. I've found that a meal is more beneficial to me than a full day- I'd rather do a lot of things in moderation and keep them within my macros but I won't kick myself for going balls out for a meal every so often. I've even found that my cheat food doesn't even taste that great anymore- it's mostly restaurant food and it doesn't hold the same interest it used to.
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    Basing a "cheat day" on the idea that your body will be unable to process the amount of calories you're eating is probably not the best idea.
  • skylark94
    skylark94 Posts: 2,036 Member
    I don't have official "cheat days", but I do indulge from time to time. I think if you are restricting so heavily that you feel like you have to cheat, you're setting yourself up for failure in the long run.

    Why not just eat at maintenance from time to time? I've had days were I go 1,000+ over budget and I've still managed to lose a lot of fat. I drink beer, eat pizza, and order dessert. I just don't do it all the time. If I'm good 80% of the time, the other 20% doesn't matter.
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  • angeeishere
    angeeishere Posts: 89 Member
    I don't have a cheat day but I do have a meal a week that I don't really worry about and have what ever I wish. This keeps me in line so I don't binge. I can only speak for myself but if I had a whole cheat day I know it would lead to overeating in a big way. I tell people that it's totally up to themselves and to do what works for them.
  • JisatsuHoshi
    JisatsuHoshi Posts: 421 Member
    I know your body can only retain so much fat in a day. That's why we do the cheat day. Is this good or bad idea- and how can you do it?

    Never heard of this "Body can only retain so much fat in a day. That's why we do the cheat day" ...

    Cheat meal / day is more for sanity breaks and dependent on your goals / diet. If you're in for weight loss then a cheat day would be counter productive. A cheat meal would be suffice as long as you're within your macros or if your lucky like a few others who can handle going over macros...

    I have a cheat day weekly/bi-weekly eating over 8k+ cals and hitting over 1000g+ carbs. I do a cyclical ketogenic diet, so I need the refeed to maintain strength in gym.
  • LunaGreen
    LunaGreen Posts: 118 Member
    Jillian Michaels (who is a good friend of mine that I've never actually met) told me the other day (okay, she said it on her podcast) that she doesn't care for cheat days. Instead, for 20% of your day eat what you want as long as it fits into your calorie goal. She adds to continue to make healthier choices when doing this: ex. if you want to eat chips, go for it but choose pop chips vs. lays (you can find lots of substitutes like this online!)

    I love this so so much, keeps me sane EVERYDAY (so i think people around me like it too!)

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