As the obesity epidemic rises, the search for effective weight loss strategies becomes increasingly fervent.
While choosing the right regimen can be tough, often the biggest weight loss challenge is making and sticking to new habits that support your health or weight loss goals without missing out on the foods you love.
Incorporating cheat meals or cheat days into a diet plan has been popular among fitness enthusiasts for some time, but it’s now making its way into mainstream diet culture through social media.
This article discusses cheat days and meals, their effectiveness, and whether to incorporate them into your health and fitness journey.
In this article
What are cheat days and meals?
Cheating within a diet plan involves temporarily giving yourself calculated, planned permission to break strict diet rules.
The theory behind this reward-based diet strategy is that by allowing yourself brief periods of indulgence, you’ll be more likely to stick to your prescribed diet the majority of the time.
People will typically employ a cheat meal or a cheat day approach when using the cheat strategy. As the names imply, a cheat meal is a single meal that veers from your planned diet pattern, while a cheat day allows for free food choices for an entire day.
Cheat diet methods are highly variable. How they’re implemented may look very different for different people, depending on an individual’s diet preferences and goals.
The foods you eat as cheat meals will also vary from person to person due to individual tastes, but they often consist of high-calorie foods that wouldn’t otherwise be permitted on a typical diet plan.
There is no specific guideline for when or how frequently your cheat meal or day should occur. Often people will include one cheat per week, but this can change depending on the person’s health or weight loss goals.
In this way, the cheat strategy is adaptable and can be implemented alongside many different diet patterns.
Note that the cheat meal approach is not appropriate for all diet styles. Some diets, such as the ketogenic diet, require rigorous adherence with no room for cheating. Therefore, the cheat strategy is best utilized in diets that allow flexibility.
Summary: Cheat meals are scheduled meals that include indulgent foods that wouldn’t ordinarily be permitted on your diet. A cheat day is consuming any foods you want over an entire day.
Does cheating work?
Weight management and body composition changes are complex processes. Not everyone will respond the same way to the same strategies — the best diet plan is the one you can stick to.
It’s well known that weight loss is likely to occur if you eat fewer calories than you burn. In this way, the reward-based cheat meal or cheat day strategy may be effective if you can execute a well-planned diet and maintain an overall reduced calorie intake.
Weight loss and metabolic changes
It’s frequently claimed that using cheat meals will lead to measurable changes in body composition and improved metabolic function due to fluctuations in the hunger hormone leptin.
Leptin is a hormone responsible for suppressing feelings of hunger. Some research indicates that leptin levels may decrease when someone experiences significant weight loss. However, this result is inconsistent with other studies.
A common weight management theory is that with lower levels of circulating leptin, you’re more likely to overeat because you don’t have enough of the hormone sending you signals that you’re satisfied and full. This may lead to rebound weight gain.
Proponents of the cheat meal strategy for weight loss further theorize that intermittent periods of higher-calorie foods will temporarily trick your hormone cycle into producing more leptin and prevent the desire to rebound overeating.
Suggested read: The 20 best ways to lose weight after 50
Unfortunately, there is little rigorous scientific research to support this theory.
It’s still unclear how fluctuations in leptin levels associated with weight changes affect someone’s ability to control their eating behaviors and maintain weight loss. As a result, more research is needed.
At this stage, it’s more likely that weight loss occurs for some people with the cheat method because of a reduction in overall calorie intake achieved by sticking to a well-planned diet most of the time and limiting high-calorie junk foods.
Using planned indulgence as a motivator
Another component of the cheating diet strategy is the theory that by occasionally allowing yourself to indulge in foods not permitted on your diet, you’ll have the motivation to stick to your diet most of the time.
This is where the cheat meal strategy is tied to the psychology of weight loss.
Some people can effectively resist temptation knowing that their cheat day is coming up, but not everyone can regulate their own eating behaviors in the same way. Thus, the same results cannot be guaranteed for every person.
Furthermore, if you cannot maintain some degree of self-control within your cheat meals or days, you risk undoing your prior weight loss efforts if you end up eating more calories than you should.
Even cheat meals or days should be appropriately planned. They shouldn’t be framed as a free ticket to excessive overeating.
To reiterate an important point: the most effective weight loss strategy is the one that you can stick to.
For some people, cheat days or meals may be a great way to maintain healthier dietary habits — for others, a different approach may be more appropriate.
Summary: The causes of obesity and the best methods for losing weight can be complex and will look different for everyone. Cheat meals can be effective for some to reduce overall caloric intake, as long as you’re careful not to overdo it on cheat days.
May encourage unhealthy behaviors
Incorporating cheat meals into your diet plan has become increasingly popular in the Western diet and fitness culture, especially across social media platforms.
Suggested read: 20 common reasons why you're not losing weight
It’s common to see photos of highly indulgent foods alongside people with fit, muscular physiques giving the impression that the cheat meal dieting strategy is the key to acquiring their culturally praised physical appearance.
While the cheat meal approach may work for some people, it could also have potentially detrimental effects.
Cheat or treat?
Successful and sustained weight loss is about more than eating fewer calories than you burn in a day. Your attitude toward food can also significantly impact your ability to resist temptation and regulate eating behaviors.
The word “cheat” has a culturally negative connotation and is associated with feelings of guilt. Using that term to describe a food or meal could impair your ability to maintain self-control even within the cheat meal framework.
One three-month study noticed that people who associated chocolate cake with celebration had more success with their weight loss goals than those who linked this food to feelings of guilt.
Because the cheat meal or day strategy focuses on a reward-based system, it may be ineffective for those struggling to self-regulate emotional eating. Some people may even experience feelings of hopelessness and guilt.
Reframing a cheat meal with a more positive message, such as a treat meal, could help better support self-regulation and healthy eating behaviors with this diet pattern.
Binge eating
A major concern with the cheat meal or day strategy is its potential to encourage binge eating.
Causes of obesity can widely vary — it isn’t always as simple as calories in and calories out.
The cheat meal method could exacerbate eating-related issues for people with food addiction tendencies, disordered eating, or an inability to self-regulate eating habits.
Research shows that people who use food as a coping mechanism may be more susceptible to binge eating.
Understanding your motives for eating desired cheat foods ensures that you choose the healthiest weight loss approach for your individual needs.
Even a cheat meal or day should be approached healthfully and with a plan. Cheating should not mean you ignore hunger and satiety cues under the assumption that you can eat as much as you want of any food on your cheat day.
Focus on physical appearance
The social media culture associated with cheat meal or cheat day diet patterns strongly emphasizes physical appearance.
Suggested read: How to stick to a diet: 11 tips to adopt a healthy diet
Because the cheat meal strategy is viral among athletes and fitness enthusiasts on social media, an unrealistic portrayal of body image can be propagated, which may harm vulnerable populations.
Excessive focus on the superficial aspects of weight loss could be mentally damaging, as it can enhance feelings of anxiety and encourage disordered eating tendencies, especially among younger women.
As with any weight loss or diet plan, it’s important that the cheat meal strategy is approached with a healthy mindset alongside realistic goals and expectations that will support both mental and physical health.
Summary: The cheat meal or day strategy could trigger unhealthy eating behaviors, especially in those who struggle with emotional eating, food addiction, or eating disorders.
Other strategies to consider
Whether or not implementing a cheat meal diet strategy is the right choice depends on the individual. Remember that the best, most effective diet plan is one that you can stick to over time.
Incorporating cheat meals into your diet may effectively support your health goals, but it shouldn’t stand alone. There are other strategies you may want to consider in conjunction with cheat meals to support your unique personal needs better.
Being mindful
One thing that can determine the success of your cheat dieting strategy is being mindful of what you’re eating — even when you’re having a cheat day.
Mindful, or intuitive, eating is paying attention to your body’s hunger cues and eating when you’re hungry but stopping when you’re full or satisfied. It also involves slowing down while eating to enjoy and savor your dining experience.
Early research indicates that mindful and intuitive eating approaches may help reduce emotional and binge eating tendencies. They may also reduce weight gain, but further research is needed.
Combining these eating approaches with your diet may support your ability to stick to your diet plan more easily and successfully. Furthermore, it may help prevent you from going overboard during more indulgent cheat meals.
Focus on one cheat treat
Another strategy that may benefit your diet efforts is to focus on just one or two cheat foods, instead of trying to fit them all in at once.
For example, if you’re planning a cheat meal, pick only one or two of these indulgent options instead of eating the cheeseburger, sugary cocktail, and dessert.
Focusing your attention on just one treat will make you less likely to tip the scales in an unhealthy direction by overconsuming during your cheat period.
Additionally, you can continue eating healthy and avoiding foods you know you have difficulty controlling yourself around while still bending your diet rules.
This may look like a day of not tracking calories or macronutrients or enjoying a meal out without worrying about what you choose from the menu.
These strategies may be most useful for those with self-control difficulties during eating scenarios.
Plan for success
The key to success with any major lifestyle change is being prepared. If you have a solid plan, you’re less likely to succumb to temptation because your plan is set up to support you.
With cheat days or meals, it can be difficult for some people to know when to put on the brakes. This lack of self-control could make your diet goals less successful in the long run.
Implementing a plan for cheat days — just as you do on regular dieting days — is a good way to stay on track. This means that even though you’re allowing yourself to consume foods you normally wouldn’t, you can still control the situation.
For example, planning when and where your cheat meals will occur is a good first step. If you know you’ve got a birthday party or other social event coming up at the end of the week, it may be wise to plan your cheat meal or day around this event.
From there, you can also plan to maintain portion control, even with more indulgent foods. For example, plan to have one or two slices of pizza instead of sitting down with the whole pie.
Suggested read: 16 ways to motivate yourself to lose weight
Another option worth exploring is framing the cheat day as a time to continue with a balanced, healthy meal approach without tracking calories and macronutrients. This gives you a mental break from tracking without increasing temptation from certain foods.
Make your everyday diet enjoyable
A contributing factor to why diets are difficult to maintain is because you don’t like the food you’re eating. Portion control and planned diet regimens can be difficult to follow on their own, and they can add fuel to the fire if you’re filling it with foods you don’t enjoy.
Just because a food is deemed healthy doesn’t mean you must eat it. Not to mention, eating foods you hate isn’t a requirement for reaching your health and weight loss goals.
Incorporating foods you enjoy even when you’re not having a cheat day can be a great tool for making your diet feel less of a chore. It can also help you maintain self-control during diet and cheat days.
At the end of the day, working toward a healthier diet or lifestyle should be about making sustainable changes that meet your unique needs and tastes — there is no one-size-fits-all approach.
If you cannot make this work independently, consider consulting with a dietitian or other qualified health professional, who can help you build an effective and enjoyable diet plan to reach your health goals.
Summary: Incorporating other dieting strategies into cheat meals or days can help support your ability to stick to your goals. Some examples include having a plan for cheat days, incorporating mindful eating practices, and including foods you enjoy on diet days.
Summary
Cheat days or meals, which allow room to indulge, can motivate some people to stick to their diet but may be unhealthy for people with emotional, binge, or disordered eating tendencies.
This strategy may be more successful alongside other tools, such as mindful eating and self-control practices.
Suggested read: How to stop overeating: 23 simple tips
