I try my best to eat healthy during the week but I'm not perfect. There are those folks who can eat healthy 7 days a week and not think twice. Then there are those of us who like our treats and sneak them in a little more often during the week than we should. Diets in general can be frustrating. This is why many people can't stick to them and also why you may hear the advice of make it a lifestyle change.
Honestly, I'm all about treats. I like my pizza, burgers, cookies, and ice cream. I'm not crazy enough to eat them on a regular basis but I don't want to give them up either. Many people allow themselves a cheat day and I have read pros and cons about having one full cheat day.
Pro - Having a Cheat Day Boosts Metabolism
I have read this more than once that taking one full cheat day per week can actually boost metabolism. The reason being that when we eat healthy the other 6 days of the week, our leptin levels lower and cause our metabolism to slow as well as increasing our appetites. However, if we plan for a cheat day, the high-carbs and high-fat will cause our leptin to spike which in turn boosts the metabolism.
The other benefit to having such a cheat day each week is so you don't drive yourself nuts from not being able to indulge in your favorite foods. The idea being that after you've eaten all of your favorite junk at the end of the week, you won't be tempted to eat it for the rest of the week when you're eating healthy.
Con - Having a Cheat Day Ruins All of Your Progress
I've also read that having a cheat day at the end of the week will NOT boost metabolism and in fact ruin all of your progress. Think about all of your hard work eating right to lose one pound (about 3,500 calories) and then you take a full day to eat anything and everything you can get your hands on which can add up to 4,000 calories or more!
The other downside is that you end up depending more and more on that one day each week to gorge yourself on junk. It becomes less about living a healthy lifestyle and more about doing what is necessary to eat junk food one day a week. You're never really learning how to enjoy healthy food.
A Better Option?
I have yet to try a full cheat day. I am more of the type to eat healthy as much as I can and have a treat here and there. Another option is to consider having a cheat meal as opposed to a cheat day. The cheat meal can also be saved for the end of the week. It still gives you the satisfaction of indulging in your favorite food without having scarfed down an insane amount of calories.
What do you think about having an entire cheat day?
On a side note, I do recommend my favorite shake that helps me control all of those pesky junk food cravings during the week (particularly for chocolate!)
Resources:
www.topfatlosstrainer.com
www.naturalphysiques.com
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Eat This Not That! 2010: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I used to live on fast food, so I’d honestly have a pretty hard time “eating healthy 7 days a week and not think twice” as you put it. Frankly, I LIKE pizza VERY MUCH.
And a full cheat day really can slow down progress if you’re working to get shredded (which is what I’m currently doing). So what I do is I allow myself three cheat meals per week, none of which are too big, and two of which MUST come within an hour or so of a heavy weight training session. If I’m eating pizza and having a coke with it, it’s not going to be nearly as destructive after a weights session than it would be, say, right before going to bed after a long lazy sunday. The third allowed cheat meal is if I’m out with friends or something.
This works for me, quite well in fact. I have no need for more crap food than that, and most of the food I eat is raw plant foods anyway – which has proven to be REALLY good for me. Since I started doing that I’ve gotten faster and better results than I used to get in my late teens, which says a LOT. My three cheat meals a week don’t seem to have much of a negative impact on that, so I’m probably going to keep on doing things this way.
That sounds very reasonable as far as cheat meals go. I have yet to figure out a good routine for myself and I like your idea of eating the junk meal before a hard workout.
This works for a lot of people, as far as I’ve read. I’ve also tried this myself with no ill effects. The secret is to find a diet that fits you perfectly so that you’re totally comfortable with it. This way, you won’t be mentally depending on the cheat days / breaks / meals / whatever to help you make it through the week.
Right, I don’t think it’s a good situation if you become dependent on the cheat day or meal.
I have been tring my best to eat healthy but i tell you what. Its never easy to do so. A few factors, temptation, its not easy to go through that. Sometime is our craving, thats the worst. temptation and craving come together because once oyur craving come and you see what other people eat its become temptation. Sometimes is not easy to control but tell you what i have tried very hard.
You are right about that. Temptation and cravings can be tough. It takes discipline to maintain a healthy diet. I think a cheat meal per week can help a lot.
thanks for sharing, It was a nice post! Actually I already read a diet which they have also one cheat meal a week.
I like to combine a cheat day once a week with intermittent fasting twice a week. I am still able to eat at a weekly caloric deficit and indulge in the foods I enjoy. No real lifestyle sacrifices either as my cheat day is either Saturday or Sunday while fasting (skipping breakfast and lunch) is Monday and Friday.
That is an interesting diet plan. I have heard of intermittent fasting. I need to read more about it.