Doing Cheat Meals the Right Way: 5 Things to Keep in Mind (2024)

FAQs

Doing Cheat Meals the Right Way: 5 Things to Keep in Mind? ›

As an easier way to plan out cheat meals, nutritionists often recommend the 80/20 Rule. When following this rule, 80 percent of the meals you eat should be healthy and adhere to your eating plan, while the other 20 percent give you the flexibility to satisfy your cravings.

As an easier way to plan out cheat meals, nutritionists often recommend the 80/20 Rule. When following this rule, 80 percent of the meals you eat should be healthy and adhere to your eating plan, while the other 20 percent give you the flexibility to satisfy your cravings.

While a good diet is crucial for health, bending the rules on occasion probably won't hurt. A tip you can try is the 90-10 rule. "Eat a healthy diet 90% of the time and splurge 10% of the time," McManus says. "Eating three meals a day for a week means 21 total meals: avoid splurging for more than two of those meals."

While your metabolism may go up in the immediate aftermath of a splurge, it doesn't stay that way for long enough to make a significant difference. “Cheat day calories can add up fast and bring your weight loss progress to a screeching halt — or even reverse it,” Taylor warns.

Use the 80:20 rule. A great rule of thumb when working to maintain a healthy diet for the long term is the 80:20 rule. Eat healthy and nutritious food 80% of the time and then let yourself indulge on some less healthy options 20% of the time.

Also, cheat meals tend to be high fat foods (fried goods, pizza, desserts, etc.), resulting in the potential increase of body fat. Macrostax has a solution for both of these. First of all, the Macrostax program incorporates what we call a refeed day.

Most people would consider this high-carb day a cheat day. However, if you do it properly and stick to low-fat, high-carb foods (like pasta, rice or even jelly beans), it's really not a cheat day. But even if you want to call it one, it's at least a cheat day with a specific purpose that will help you in the long run.

Throwing a cheat meal into the mix tricks your system into thinking food is plentiful and that it's ok to burn through fat stores. Cheat meals can help to reset hormones responsible for metabolism and insulin regulation, replenish glycogen for increased energy and keep calories brining and fat torching mechanisms high.

The 80/20 rule is a guide for your everyday diet—eat nutritious foods 80 percent of the time and have a serving of your favorite treat with the other 20 percent. For the “80 percent” part of the plan, focus on drinking lots of water and eating nutritious foods that include: Whole grains.

For example, if your daily caloric intake is 2000 calories and your intake on cheat days increases to 4000 or 5000 calories, then, despite the increased leptin levels and metabolism, you are bound to put on weight.

How long into a diet can you have a cheat meal? ›

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 what the person's health or weight loss goals are.

It's well known that if you eat fewer calories than you burn, weight loss is likely to occur. In this way, the reward-based cheat meal or cheat day strategy may be effective if you're able to execute a well-planned diet and maintain overall reduced calorie intake.

Plan for extra water the day after your cheat meal. An ideal diet is not about restriction but about making healthy choices. Studies have shown that as long as your are following your diet 90% of the time, you can enjoy a cheat meal every week.

However, it's recommended that you shouldn't exceed 150% of your usual calorie intake for the day. It's suggested that you would have to overeat by 500 calories a day to gain one pound of fat a week, meaning your occasional cheat day really shouldn't make too much of a difference to your goals overall.

Cheat just once or twice per week.

Cheating doesn't have to spike your calorie intake for the day, but it often will. If you do that several times per week, you can easily erase your calorie deficit when cutting and halt fat loss, or swell your calorie surplus when lean gaining and gain too much fat.