Cheat Day

The long awaited day of the week - Cheat day 

To have a cheat day or to not have a cheat day, that is the question. Overall, it’s your own, individual decision. Cheat Day is NOT short for Eat-Everything-And-Anything Day. I think of it more so as a day off from your normal dietary intake. Anything is excess can’t be good for you!

Here is a list of reasons why a cheat day could benefit you:

Greater Dietary Adherence

A cheat day gives a sense of freedom to a diet. Food is energy for the body, but your choices don’t have to feel like restrictions. Balance is essential for a healthy diet! 

I look forward to having a day to eat what I normally wouldn’t. In turn, that helps me stick to my regular diet because I have something to look forward to at the end of the week.

Maintain A Healthy Metabolism

Our body is a digestive machine and food is the fuel.  A ridiculous amount of calories and processed fat will undo a weeks worth of hard work, but an increase in calories will shake up your metabolism!

Cheat days keep your body guessing.

Leptin is a hormone that influences hunger, metabolism and body fat. Dieting causes leptin levels to drop, which causes hunger feelings. Implementing a cheat day lets the body know it isn’t hungry (or starving). The leptin levels spike and, in turn, increase your metabolic rate.

Satisfy Cravings

Choosing a day (or 2) to indulge a little more than usual can prevent you from falling off the wagon! When you actually satisfy your cravings, you stop yourself from going overboard. Face it, we’re human – we crave certain foods! Completely restricting yourself is, in my opinion, a self-destructive behavior and will literally drive you crazy!!

Today was my cheat day. Not only was I a little hungover from a night of drinking, but I was also really craving carbs! What I had today was:

• Breakfast burrito (scrambled eggs, peppers, onions, jack cheese)
• Mimosa #notsorryboutit
• Starbucks venti iced coffee (non-fat milk, unsweetened)
• Pasta (only 5-6 rigatonis) with a meatball
• Slither of pineapple cheesecake
• Popcorn (100-calorie bag)

I’m in no way, shape or form a certified nutritionist or dietitian. I’m just sharing research and what works for me! So if you think you have the self-restraint, by all means – ENJOY YOUR CHEAT DAY :)

References

Walker, Cydney (2011). Do Cheat Days Work For A Diet?  Livestrong.com Retrieved on 9/23/12 from http://www.livestrong.com/article/282152-do-cheat-days-work-for-a-diet/

Clark, Shannon (2006). The Power Of A Re-Feed & Leptin. Bodybuilding.com Retrieved on 9/23/12 from http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/sclark60.htm

Doucet, E., St Pierre, S., Almeras, N., Mauriege, P., Richard, D., Tremblay, A. (2000). Changes in energy expenditure and substrate oxidation resulting from weight loss in obese men and women: is there an important contribution of leptin? Journal of Clinical Endocrinol Metab. 85(4), 1550-6

Marion, Joel (2011). Cheat To Lose Diet. Everydiet.org Retrieved on 9/23/12 from http://www.everydiet.org/diet/cheat-to-lose-diet