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Anyone who has considered dieting in the last decade or so will have heard the term cheat day.
On social media, where influencers share their daily food intake or when it is talked about between friends, it has become synonymous with indulgent eating.
People on weight loss plans, athletes in training and advocates of healthy eating can often be very strict when it comes to what they put in their bodies – they have goals to achieve.
A cheat day is the opposite of that restraint, and for some, a temporary release from self-control. But do they actually work, and are they a healthy way to help you lose weight?
In the world of dieting, a cheat day is when you break from the discipline of a strict diet and eat whatever and however much you want for one day.
Sometimes suggested as a ratio, for example, six strict dieting days to each cheat day, it is a scheduled break from low-calorie eating. A cheat meal is a similar concept, but only for one meal rather than a whole day.
The idea behind a cheat day or cheat meal is that it could make it easier to stick with the diet plan, and there are several potential benefits.
A short holiday from the discipline of a low-calorie or restrictive diet, which can be used for social occasions.
Cheat days can be used as a reward or motivation for persevering with a diet plan; it can be something to look forward to.
A cheat day or meal can help to manage any cravings for foods high in fats, sugars and salts.
Cheating on your diet, even for a day, has potential downsides.
The risk of overeating is higher if you allow yourself a cheat day without any restrictions. It can lead to a calorie surplus and slower progress.
Going overboard on a cheat day can also potentially lead to feelings of guilt and failure if your relationship with food is not particularly healthy.
Using cheat days as a reward for dieting can backfire if you have a poor relationship with food or disordered eating. It can trigger old thoughts of good versus bad foods and eating behaviours.
The reintroduction of foods that are high in sugars and fats can be a shock to your system after a period of healthy eating. This can cause gastrointestinal issues and discomfort.
Research into the role of cheat meals in dieting has explored both physiological and psychological reactions to cheating on a strict diet plan.
The study examined existing research for links between cheat days and whether they help or hinder weight loss.
Researchers discovered that when cheat meals are used to keep a dieter on track, it can have a positive impact by reducing hunger and improving satisfaction.
However, research also indicated that using cheat meals as a reward or framing them as ‘bad’ was potentially dangerous psychologically. They found that it increased the risk of unhealthy eating patterns and disordered eating.
The physiological reaction to cheat days reviewed data on metabolic adaptation, muscle retention, exercise and overall weight loss. However, the results were mixed as to whether cheat days had an impact.
Leptin, known as the hunger hormone, suppresses appetite. It was thought that cheat days could keep leptin levels up; however, there is no scientific evidence to back up the claim. It is not confirmed whether leptin has an impact on weight loss at all.
Until more studies can be undertaken to investigate the impact of cheat days, experts recommend safer strategies for sustainable weight loss.
Although some recommend a cheat meal rather than a cheat day, it is best to reframe it less as a reward or a guilty pleasure but as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle. That way, there are fewer negative connotations associated with the meal.
Experts say that a good diet is one that you can stick to. In theory, this means the kind of diet that doesn’t need to use cheat days or food as a reward.
If you’re constantly craving food that isn’t part of the diet plan, then you’ll be less likely to stick with your diet and more likely to binge or yo-yo. If that is the case, it might be time to re-evaluate and see what is missing.
A diet plan that includes nutritious and tasty snacks, meals and meal replacement shakes will help you feel full and fuelled, ready for anything.
These nutritionally balanced alternatives can be incorporated into a very low-calorie (VLCD) or meal replacement diet plan.
Perhaps you need to include more high-protein snacks, wafers or biscuits to satisfy a sweet tooth? Or maybe using a KeeDiet social plan will better support your goals while letting you enjoy socialising?
However, you choose to lose weight, your diet plan should work for you and achieving your goals is the ultimate reward.
