Cheat Meal or Cheat Day?

Cheat days are popular among fitness enthusiasts. You stick to a strict diet for the whole week except for one day when you let yourself eat whatever your heart desires. Biryani, burgers, pizza, chips, ice cream, chocolate, soft drinks, alcohol…you’re allowed to eat anything on this one day. But are cheat days (or refeed days) really a good thing if you want to lose weight?

Cheat days: Pooris  for breakfast, biryani for lunch, and burger and fries for dinner? On a cheat day, you are allowed to eat whatever you want. What this day looks like depends entirely on you: some devour everything they can get their hands on. It’s possible that you might consume twice as many calories as on a normal day. Others choose a less extreme version and increase their daily calorie intake with healthy, high-calorie foods.

Cheat meals: Another option is to use cheat meals. The idea here is that you eat healthy the whole day except for one meal when you eat things that are not part of your prescribed diet (usually things like junk food).

The theory is, that since cheat days increase the production of leptin, they boost your metabolism. This, in turn, should then cause your body to burn more calories after overeating. Leptin is a peptide hormone that is secreted by the body’s fat cells and controls hunger and feelings of satiety. 

 A cheat meal or a cheat day can help replenish your glycogen stores by increasing the number of calories and carbohydrates you are consuming. This can provide you with the energy you need for a strenuous workout; but going overboard on your cheat day can, of course, also set you back a bit with your weight loss goals.  

Cheat days or refeed days can have both positive and negative effects on the human mind. For some, it eases the pressure and helps maintain diet for the rest of the week. However, for others, over eating may undo a week’s efforts. They could focus more on cheat days than healthy eating. This is definitely unhealthy behaviour and can ultimately lead to an eating disorder.

Restrictive diets can be counter productive. But eating all you can a whole day is also binge eating. What happens at the end of the day? You have consumed several thousand calories, are filled with guilt, feel bloated, and maybe even a little sick to your stomach.  Cheat meals are probably better and healthier.

 People with diabetes, high cholesterol, or blood pressure need to be extra careful. Even small treats can have big, negative impacts on their health.

Are you craving Biryani ? Then treat yourself! Every healthy nutrition plan should leave some room for your favourite foods. With food tracking, you can simply plan your small indulgences. The secret is everything in moderation.

–Deepa Kamath
–Senior Nutritionist, Navitae