Cheat meals

sultank101 · August 2022

hey guys male 175 cm 99.6 kg. I love junk food and am having it in portion sometimes . I would like to know if I could have a cheat meal a week or would that ruin progress

nossmf · August 2022

Some people believe having a cheat meal each week HELPS progress rather than ruin it, under the theory that somebody deprived of what they love for too long will face growing pressure to experience their favorite food "sin" they've denied themselves, until finally the pressure builds so great that they revert to their old ways and eat so much of the "good stuff" that they reverse any gains they'd accomplished to that point. In addition, sometimes overly restrictive diet plans are missing out on certain nutrients present in "cheat food" so by adding them in each week they can ensure a balanced nutritional profile for the week.

Some thoughts about actually implementing this cheat meal:

1. The rest of your meals should be largely/completely devoid of "cheat" stuff.
2. The size of your cheat meal shouldn't be so absurdly large that you overwhelm the accumulated deficit of your other meals combined (as in you're -500 for six days, but have a +3,000 cheat meal).
3. Cheat meals should not become cheat days or multiple days per week, or you risk breaking #2 above.

Some people are quite successful in eating "clean" most of the time, with 1-2 cheat meals per week just to feel they can indulge in what they love...pizza, burgers, ice cream, whatever.

Other people are like me and believe that all things are permitted daily in moderation. So rather than deny myself dessert for six days and splurge on day seven, I have a daily small dessert built into my total daily calories. Because it's accounted for, I have no feelings of guilt or shame while enjoying it. Would weight-loss progress be faster if I didn't devote 300 calories per day to dessert? Probably. But I'd rather lose weight slowly and enjoy each day than lose quickly but always feel I'm unable to enjoy meals as much as I used to do.

Retroguy2000 · August 2022

It's all about your total calories. I prefer to think of it as banking calories to spend in the days before and after I've slipped or plan to slip, so it averages out. Given how calorie intense junk food can be, moderation is key since it could take a lot of dieting days and working out to make up for it.

I'm not a fan of the term cheat meal. Cheating implies you are tricking another party to get ahead. Neither of those is true.

AnnPT77 · August 2022

In theory, you can eat all and only junk food, and lose weight . . . as long as you stick within a reasonable calorie total. The problem is that most people don't find the "all junk food diet" particularly filling, so it's too hard to stick with that calorie goal.

What matters for weight loss is your average daily calorie intake over reasonably short time periods (few days to a week). If the intake is below the number of calories you burn (breathing, heart beat, hair growth, etc. + daily life job and home activity + exercise), on average over the same time period, you'll lose weight.

Good overall nutrition is a healthful thing, but doesn't affect weight loss directly. Only calories affect weight loss directly. Sub par nutrition can have an indirect effect on weight loss, either by making you fatigued (so you move less) or by causing appetite spikes (so you can't stick to a sensible calorie goal).

If you prefer to structure your week with cheat meals, log them so you know where you stand on calories. Pay attention to how they affect your energy level, appetite afterward, overall sense of well-being, etc. Then you'll know whether it's a good strategy for you, or not.

sollyn23l2 · August 2022

One of the main problems with cheat meals is that many people are unable to just have a cheat *meal*. One meal turns into 2, which turns into a cheat week, which turns into a cheat month, which turns into a cheat year. Which is how most people who are overweight gain weight.

LemonMarmalade · August 2022

I generally eat low carb. Meat and salad. That’s just my preference. However, if my child chooses nachos for birthday dinner, I’m eating nachos and cake!!! I figure a few special days out of the year where I overshoot my carb and calorie limit won’t hurt. Not something I would do weekly or even monthly though.

Cheat meals

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