Weight-Loss Cheat Days

Weight-Loss
allcdnboy said:
Hi All.
I've been asked a few times about cheat days, so I will try to explain it.

how to cheat
Once a week, you can go a little crazy with your "diet". For example, each Saturday, you can have a huge pasta dinner with your favorite desert.

how does this work
Our bodies love balance. The longer you are at a certain weight, the harder it is to move from it (up or down). This is why a lot of people go on crash diets ... they want fast results. As soon as they go back to their old diet, the weight comes firing back on because that's where the body is confortable (or even higher because it's preparing for another crash diet).
Your body needs time to adjust and become happy again. "Diet" is a lifestyle, not a 5 week plan to lose weight. The only one that is going to be successful is one that you can stay committed to.

Warning
The only real exception is if you aren't getting enough calories. What happens here, is your body will store any extra food over your recommended intake as fat because it is in starvation mode.
It shouldn't be how much you eat, but what you eat. I've heard this many times "eat more to lose weight". It's obviously not that cut-and-dry, but it does make sense for those people that are not eating with their goal to lose weight.
When I switched to my 6-7 meals / day, I started losing weight after about 6 weeks and it's been easy to keep off because that's where my body is happy now. My metabolism is going hard all day and melts any food I eat with ease.

summary
Eat healthy for 3-4 weeks and then start your "cheat days". The cheat days are quite important for your body too. It needs time to adjust and you will find that you will have some pretty huge cravings if you've made some drastic (but needed) changes to your diet. You need to satisfy them to a certain degree to keep yourself steady on that path. Over time, your body will lose those cravings and the food you eat on a regular basis will make you quite happy.

Cheers,
Sean
Click to expand...
allcdnboy said:
Hi All.
I've been asked a few times about cheat days, so I will try to explain it.

how to cheat
Once a week, you can go a little crazy with your "diet". For example, each Saturday, you can have a huge pasta dinner with your favorite desert.

how does this work
Our bodies love balance. The longer you are at a certain weight, the harder it is to move from it (up or down). This is why a lot of people go on crash diets ... they want fast results. As soon as they go back to their old diet, the weight comes firing back on because that's where the body is confortable (or even higher because it's preparing for another crash diet).
Your body needs time to adjust and become happy again. "Diet" is a lifestyle, not a 5 week plan to lose weight. The only one that is going to be successful is one that you can stay committed to.

Warning
The only real exception is if you aren't getting enough calories. What happens here, is your body will store any extra food over your recommended intake as fat because it is in starvation mode.
It shouldn't be how much you eat, but what you eat. I've heard this many times "eat more to lose weight". It's obviously not that cut-and-dry, but it does make sense for those people that are not eating with their goal to lose weight.
When I switched to my 6-7 meals / day, I started losing weight after about 6 weeks and it's been easy to keep off because that's where my body is happy now. My metabolism is going hard all day and melts any food I eat with ease.

summary
Eat healthy for 3-4 weeks and then start your "cheat days". The cheat days are quite important for your body too. It needs time to adjust and you will find that you will have some pretty huge cravings if you've made some drastic (but needed) changes to your diet. You need to satisfy them to a certain degree to keep yourself steady on that path. Over time, your body will lose those cravings and the food you eat on a regular basis will make you quite happy.

Cheers,
Sean
Click to expand...
I wonder if a healthy man can enjoy such enjoyment as unhealthy: -) ... I would like to believe that yes, I think it is about reprogramming in this sense ... what do you think? ... interesting tips I found here <link removed>
Martin
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Marty said:
I wonder if a healthy man can enjoy such enjoyment as unhealthy: -) ... I would like to believe that yes, I think it is about reprogramming in this sense ... what do you think? ... interesting tips I found here <link removed>
Martin
Click to expand...

I have removed the links from both your postings. We have strict rules about links here.
I am assuming that you are not here simply to advertise a site - which is why you remain a member.
 
I wouldn't be an advocate of cheat days, purely because there are a lot of people who will take it to the extremes.

I have known people to put on 10 lbs overnight...although some of that is water weight, people are still capable of consuming enough calories to undo a full week's worth of dieting.

I always try to encourage people to have a meal with family/friends as opposed to a cheat day...it takes the emphasis off food, and focuses more on the social aspect (i.e: actually enjoying quality time with family and a nice sit down meal of their choice)
 
Eh, personally I don't seem to do well with them. More because this whole weight loss and healthy eating is getting branded into my mind. I just feel too guilty after a cheat day for it to be enjoyable as it should be. I try to instead turn my head towards enjoying things I can eat with a clear conscience, like fruit and berries in limited amounts. But they are practical for when you go out with friends and stuff, then I try to put in a cheat day planned for that day, so I can eat with my friends and know that at least it's that one day and it's not gonna set me back all that much. Particularly if I don't go all overboard. Like, picking the french steak restaurant over that Italian pasta place :p

But I am a sworn over-thinker, lol
 
big brands aren't really any better. It's about eating healthy ... not dieting (which is what I assume you mean by big brands). Don't heap your food. Fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables and you will be well on your way to a healthy weight. Consume less than you burn
 
allcdnboy said:
big brands aren't really any better. It's about eating healthy ... not dieting (which is what I assume you mean by big brands). Don't heap your food. Fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables and you will be well on your way to a healthy weight. Consume less than you burn
Click to expand...
I agree but some of us need a little help especially during cheat days
 
don't have cheat days then. The idea is a bit old-school, since the idea of losing weight should be about changing eating habits and making it a lifestyle, not dieting. If you do it right, then you won't need a cheat day ... easier said than done, I know :)
 
allcdnboy said:
don't have cheat days then. The idea is a bit old-school, since the idea of losing weight should be about changing eating habits and making it a lifestyle, not dieting. If you do it right, then you won't need a cheat day ... easier said than done, I know :)
Click to expand...
That is true. I try to use cheat days to control cravings. I believe the body need some feel good foods sometimes.
 
Thanks Sean. I think you're saying what a lot of us already knew but didn't want to hear. It's definitely easier said than done! Thanks for the advice. :)
 
Ouch No I think cheating days will mess up your mind ,if you keep saying "Oh Ill eat that tonight" then you'll never loose anything and when you do eat,you will feel guilty and go back and eat a mcdonals and feel like a failure ..sorry but I don think you should cheat days
 
allcdnboy said:
Hi All.
I've been asked a few times about cheat days, so I will try to explain it.

how to cheat
Once a week, you can go a little crazy with your "diet". For example, each Saturday, you can have a huge pasta dinner with your favorite desert.

how does this work
Our bodies love balance. The longer you are at a certain weight, the harder it is to move from it (up or down). This is why a lot of people go on crash diets ... they want fast results. As soon as they go back to their old diet, the weight comes firing back on because that's where the body is confortable (or even higher because it's preparing for another crash diet).
Your body needs time to adjust and become happy again. "Diet" is a lifestyle, not a 5 week plan to lose weight. The only one that is going to be successful is one that you can stay committed to.

Warning
The only real exception is if you aren't getting enough calories. What happens here, is your body will store any extra food over your recommended intake as fat because it is in starvation mode.
It shouldn't be how much you eat, but what you eat. I've heard this many times "eat more to lose weight". It's obviously not that cut-and-dry, but it does make sense for those people that are not eating with their goal to lose weight.
When I switched to my 6-7 meals / day, I started losing weight after about 6 weeks and it's been easy to keep off because that's where my body is happy now. My metabolism is going hard all day and melts any food I eat with ease.

summary
Eat healthy for 3-4 weeks and then start your "cheat days". The cheat days are quite important for your body too. It needs time to adjust and you will find that you will have some pretty huge cravings if you've made some drastic (but needed) changes to your diet. You need to satisfy them to a certain degree to keep yourself steady on that path. Over time, your body will lose those cravings and the food you eat on a regular basis will make you quite happy.

Cheers,
Sean
Click to expand...
Great advice! Cheers!
 
I always find having 2 ot 3 cheat meals a week keeps me more accountable to my goals as long as I stick to only a couple. I truly find too, that it makes me stronger in the gym....likely due to glycogen levels.
Deprivation is not in my vocab either and I find once you tell someone they can't have a certain food, they will crave it like crazy until they indulge and go overboard.
 
Science backs having a re-feed (cheat day) periodically to restore leptin levels (leptin level plummet in calorie deficit but is important for fat loss) however, 2-3 per week is too often. Re-feeds need to be planned, not just when you feel like a bigger tasty meal.
 
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