Many diet plans out there frame cheat meals or cheat days as having important benefits.
They’re supposed to prevent you from feeling deprived, boost metabolism, increase chances of success with a diet, etc.
Well, I don’t agree.
I have nothing against occasional “refeeds” – as in eating more carbs or calories than usual one day.
You might call these refeeds healthy cheat meals – they’re absolutely fine and may even be good for you.
But claiming that it is somehow beneficial to pig out on extremely harmful foods with sugar, refined wheat or trans fats just doesn’t make sense to me.
Now you can do whatever you want with your own body, but I thought I’d give you a few reasons why having a cheat meal or cheat day may not be the best idea.
1. Your Body Won’t Fully Adapt to the Healthy Diet
When you drastically change the way you eat, a certain adaptation process needs to take place.
For example, if you’re doing a low-carb ketogenic diet (keto) then your body needs to change certain hormones and ramp up production of enzymes to make use of fat as the primary source of fuel.
If you keep cheating, you will prevent this metabolic adaptation from ever fully completing.
Also, when you abandon the standard western diet and start eating more real foods, it can take some time for the sense of taste to adapt.
If you have ever done the paleo diet for an extended period of time without cheating then you may have experienced this. With time, real foods start to taste much better.
If you cheat and eat junk foods frequently, your taste sensations won’t adapt completely and you won’t be able to experience the same satisfaction from real foods.
2. If You Pig Out on Junk Food, it Can Feed The Addiction
I personally believe junk foods to be downright addictive.
This problem appears to be common and people who have issues with cravings and binge eating should probably abstain from these foods as much as possible.
If you keep having something that you’re addicted to, it just keeps the addiction going. In this case, having “everything in moderation” isn’t a good idea as it will be almost impossible to maintain.
If you crave junk foods all the time and keep giving in to these cravings, that will just make the cravings even stronger. Avoid these foods completely and the cravings will diminish over time.
Abstinence is the only thing that works for addiction, period.
3. You Might Binge and Eat Way Too Much
Some people (myself included) can binge like there’s no tomorrow and ruin a week’s worth of dieting in one sitting.
I may be an unusual case, but after one particular binge I calculated the calories in it and it turned out I had eaten 5,000 calories in one sitting.
That’s two days worth of calories for a grown man and an entire week (or two) of dieting pretty much ruined.
4. You May Feel Guilty Afterwards
Ever feel bloated, guilty and miserable after eating junk food?
That’s pretty common, actually. I used to feel this way all the time.
The cheat meal may give you some pleasure while you are eating it, but it sure as hell won’t make you feel good afterwards.
5. Cheating Does Not Raise Metabolism or Prevent “Starvation Mode”
The concept of “starvation mode” is largely a myth with no real science behind it and doesn’t really happen until you get to an extremely low body fat percentage.
If you’re a bodybuilder on a long cut for a show, then refeeds are likely to help prevent adverse effects of dieting for too long. But even in this case, choosing healthy foods is still a better idea.
However, most people aren’t preparing for a bodybuilding or fitness competition and do not need to take drastic action to boost metabolism or prevent starvation mode, whatever that means.
For healthy people trying to stay healthy or lose a bit of weight, cheat meals are unnecessary at best and may be detrimental.
If you’re worried about your metabolic rate going down during a weight loss period, lift weights. This is actually proven to maintain both your metabolic rate and your muscle mass.
6. Junk Food is Bad For You
Junk food is bad for you (duh) and that is probably the reason you gave it up in the first place.
Having McDonalds or a pizza with some ice cream once a week may not seem like a big deal compared to people who eat this sort of crap every single day.
But eating these junk foods once a week is still clearly worse than having none at all.
7. These Nasty Ingredients Will Never Completely Leave Your Body
Trans fats, seed oils and gluten… these nasty ingredients linger in the body for a while and it takes a long time to fully recover from their effects.
If you keep eating them, they will never completely leave your body.
Good article Kris. I found out how true this was the hard way. I ate 1 slice of bread with some butter and jam, after being gluten/sugar free for one month. I had a swollen belly and stomach cramps for 2 days. I will definitely think twice before I do something like that again. Keep up the good work!
I agree! Even though some things are sugar free doesn’t mean they are healthy. I bought some low carb sweets from a site and wasn’t happy till they were all gone! So, I won’t be buying those anymore! (even though I really love licorice!)
I can’t have piggy days.. I consume too much and undo all the good work I’ve done. It’s easier to include acceptable and tasty treats as part of my regular routine.
Hi Kris, just now coming off my Christmas binge. It is Jan 22nd. Yes, I ate it all! Sugar, wine/champagne, cookies, chips, and chocolate in all forms. I have been trying now for weeks… “today is the day” but the withdrawals have been too strong for me to overcome.
Lesson: it’s not worth the cheat because even though my mind said “this one thing won’t hurt,” my body said “more, more, more,” until I became so uncomfortable with sleepless nights, acid reflux, snoring, tight jeans, and a fat face, that I can clearly see through this experiment in cheating that the setback can be truly overwhelming, and getting back to where I was a daunting challenge.
I am now truly a believer of that saying, “Nothing tastes as good as being skinny feels.” So… Here I go again! Thanks for your support.
I received a lovely little box of dark chocolate almond toffee for Christmas with all natural ingredients. They are about as big as a crouton. They have 30 cals and 3 carbs and I had one after dinner last night. I haven’t eaten any processed, gluten, trans fat, sugar or its products (except this toffee), white rice, or pasta since Dec. 1. It is one little bite of good quality bliss…. Because it is just 3 carbs, I can still be under 50 + carbs. Am I fooling myself.
If you can stop at just one then there probably isn’t much harm done.
Great article Kris!
No doubt carbs are a big addiction for me! A bread lover am I! How often can you incorporate gluten free bread/pretzels in your paleo plan?
I would do it as infrequently as possible. Those aren’t “real” food. But I suppose it depends on what they’re made with, many of the gluten-free foods are made with fast-acting starches that raise your blood sugar just as much as wheat.
Hi. I have cut out almost all carbs, except for veg and the odd piece of fruit. I have managed very well following this diet and seen some fast results. However I still take coffee with sugar in it daily and I do feel as if I can’t go without it. I am not sweet toothed, so this is my only sugar intake. Is this acceptable? Can I still lose weight? So far I have not, but I do feel healthier which is much more important.
Some people have a bit of sugar every day and do fine, for others it is a problem. You should just experiment with it, if you haven’t lost any weight then perhaps try removing the sugar for a week or two.
I’m with you R.j. and Kris.
If I cheat, it takes me a long time to get back on track.
One cheat meal is fine if I’m out with friends celebrating a special occasion. But a whole cheat day, just leads to trouble!
I’m still struggling with the effects of Christmas cheats!
Lisa
Thanks for this Kris, you solved my plateau problem. My cheat afternoon every week was throwing me out of keto. I am now in fully for three weeks and losing 3kgs a week
Last week had a flood and massive storm in Brisbane. I had to live out of the car a day without my wallet (with two big wet dogs). I only rarely got hungry because I am in full keto.
I was back home after two days and still without power but haven’t fallen out of keto at all. I have been eating fruit with double cream!!! poor me..
Not a thought of cheat foods crossed my mind even though it was very stressful.
Cheerio
Hi there,
there is nothing wrong with a cheat meal. I have reached my goal weight with hard work and determination. Diet and exercise are extrememly important. But I did indulge in cheat meals, when eating out socially. I did not binge. But I did try those cakes and other goodies which I normally avoid. I have managed to keep my weight off. I am on maintenance now.
I agree with all your points except for #1. Efficiency — that metabolic adaptation you’re talking about — is a great idea for athletes, but counterproductive for fat loss. That’s part of why carefully planned high-carb cheat meals interjected into a ketogenic diet (for example) seem to help a lot of people keep fat loss on track.
I agree, though, that it’s a good idea to let your tongue “forget” about all those hyperpalatable processed foods. Then you can have a piece of 90% cacao dark chocolate and think it’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever tasted. :)