Is allowing 1 cheat day going to effect diet?

If you have 700 calories left, how exactly is this a cheat day?

For what it is worth, I'm in maintenance, and I don't do full cheat days, but 3-4 cheat meals spread throughout the week.

i like to call those ''rewards'' instead of cheats.
Basically, i allow myself a beer and pizza or any other carb induced meal if I complete my weekly workouts.
I like to set myself weelky goals and identify a reward for that week.
Works for me.

But then again, it is like you a said, it is all in moderation.
You can still have a slice of cake on your b-day, make it a little smaller and enjoy every bite

"Overfeeding can have profound effects on leptin concentrations in the body. However, not all macronutrients are created equal. Fat overfeeding does not elicit the same leptin response as carbohydrate does. In fact, fat has virtually no effect on leptin concentrations, and in some cases even reduces leptin levels.14,15,16

Carbohydrates, on the other hand, have a positive impact on leptin.15,17,18 In fact, high-glycemic carbs (e.g., sugar) may be the sole reason for increases in leptin after meals.19 It should be noted that leptin does not particularly increase immediately after a meal per se, but does so anywhere from 4-48 hours after carbohydrate refeeding.1,17,20 In the short term, leptin concentrations are not affected and should be taken into account during planned refeeds."

From http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/refeeds-for-fat-loss-the-science-behind-leptin.html

I practice moderation, even in moderation So yes sometimes feast days, or lots of drinking at a music festival, I haven't noticed it ever increasing my weight, I'm not sure the body can really gain a lot in one day.

OP, you seem to be describing a normal logging day, not some cheat day.

Every Friday night, I have a fun, celebrate the weekend binge. I make pizza and stromboli and have beer and/or mixed drinks. I may have some chips, idk. I usually finish off with a big bowl of ice cream, no topping spared. It is fun and probably easily runs over the 2k mark. Despite doing this every Friday night for probably well over a year now, I have not gained any weight from it. The only thing that matters in the end is your overall pattern of behavior over the long run. If you go straight back to logging and keep with it the majority of the time, these blips really won't make a difference.

I don't label my meals. There is a calorie surplus, deficit or maintenance. The word cheat implies something bad and causes people to create these threads.

You were still in a deficit and lost weight and this is odd?

I get the feeling that you are of the belief that certain foods are what cause you to gain weight or not lose weight, etc...that's not the case...calories are what matter, not whether or not you had desert.

gretchenzg wrote: »

If you cheat, you are only cheating yourself. After a few weeks of totally honest reporting of every bite you take, you will see a trend of when an indulgence makes a difference and when it does not. For example last weekend at my mother-in-law's I indulged in jelly beans for goodness sake. Walked nine miles each day but still, the results were not good. If you indulge, eat something that has some value. Hummus. Cheese. Bacon. The jelly beans wrecked it for me. Other cheat foods that at least contain some protein are never really that bad. In moderation. I did not moderate those damn jelly beans.

It sounds like it was the quantity that was the issue, not the food itself.

Failing to moderate with hummus, cheese, or bacon will be equally detrimental to meeting weight loss goals.

I personally find it a lot harder to eat moderate amounts of hummus than it is to moderate jelly beans. People are different. A food that you struggle to moderate may be one that is absolutely fine for others.