Cheat days

GGppll · 2019-07-18T15:13:02+00:00

Calories in vs calories out, cheat days are the reason why some people make no progress, they eat back all the calories they ‘burnt’ over the week.

victimization · 2019-07-18T15:08:04+00:00

No nigga. Have some discipline, if you end up eating a snack or two a few days that’s fine but don’t have a day dedicated to cheating your diet.

X--Man · 2019-07-18T15:15:12+00:00

I used to enjoy cheat days but they really do set you back. If you are bulking its one thing, but if you are cutting or shooting for lean and mean then they are just a big fucking waste.

Rifleshoot · 2019-07-18T15:22:35+00:00

Depends on your diet and how fast you want to lose weight. Also, if you actually can do it without sacrificing progress. If you can eat what you want one day a week and not lose progress, go for it. If not, don’t. I myself know that I need to be strict, otherwise I will go overboard.

mdl76 · 2019-07-19T14:25:38+00:00

I eat whatever I want EVERY sunday. If your on a restricted calorie diet and a consistent workout plan, this overfeeding can be a good thing for muscle growth and keeping the body from thinking its starving. Been doing it ever since I read about cheat meal in Body for Life (~1997 or so). If you can not have a cheat day, your either training for a competition, or not eating/training seriously enough the other 6 days IMO. experience; 25+ years competitive body building/personal training

hiem3w · 2019-07-18T15:14:27+00:00

Cheat day referring to eating everything you can one day a week to increase leptin production to boost metabolism and ultimately lose weight faster long term than not having a cheat day.

Not sure there’s been enough evidence to prove/disprove that it works/doesn’t work in losing weight.

Personally my metabolisms still good so I haven’t had a need to try it. If I had to lose weight I would try it though. If you make progress good, if not you can always go back to no cheat days. Make sure you give yourself enough time to see if it works or not though.

AdeHMar · 2019-07-18T15:52:51+00:00

You should be enjoying what you eat.

[deleted] · 2019-07-18T16:02:01+00:00

This is about establishing habits. Breaking them on the regular makes no sense.

Rkingpin · 2019-07-18T16:06:28+00:00

Discipline.

SirKolbath · 2019-07-18T16:41:16+00:00

Most people fail in their fitness plan due to poor diet. If you were going to do a cheat day, I would only have one once every 60 to 90 days.

Do the math. If you are on a restricted calorie diet and are allowed to eat 2000 cal a day for a week down from 2500 cal that you normally eat when you are not on a diet, and then on Saturday you eat 4000 cal, you have just wiped out more than half of the calorie deficit you ran for the first six days.

It’s not worth it. Use a cheat day as a reward for meeting a solid period of eating goals. For me to have a cheat day where I don’t count calories, I must remain on diet for 90 straight days and hit every one of my workouts. (I do two-a-days. I run every morning and lift three times a week.)

comu_nacho · 2019-07-18T16:46:59+00:00

The caloric concentration of some foods is hard to visualize. A big mac with medium fries and soda is about 1100 kcal. You burn about 100 kcal by walking 1 mile, so that's an 11 mile walk (18 km) to go back to zero, or about 3-4 hours walking. And that meal isn't that caloric, either. I've eaten 3000 kcal meals, easily. That's a 12 hour hike.

A letuce head is about 50 kcal, and that would satiate you way more that a big mac. So do what you want, but be aware that that cheat day may be 2-4 days eating low cal or working out harder, just to return to zero.

NightTripInsights · 2019-07-18T16:47:00+00:00

Fuck having dedicated cheat days, if you must tho once a month is my personal limit

mchief101 · 2019-07-18T17:54:44+00:00

had me a cheat day yesterday and now i'm suffering the consequences today by reducing the extra calories from yesterday and eating 600 calories :(

Jabbermouth · 2019-07-18T19:02:10+00:00

When you’re dirty bulking, every day is a cheat day. Being an ectomorph is great.

lifeisweirdasfuck · 2019-07-18T20:21:03+00:00

I usually find I don't need them.

I always have my end goal in mind, which is a top 1% physique, and resisting the temptations is "fun" and easily trains your most important muscle: discipline.

But if you find you want to eat some sweet food, do it. Just remember what you value most, short term gratification or long term gratification.

I am not saying having a cheat day will ruin your gains. Of course not. But personally I feel guilty when I eat garbage.

If you feel the need to have a cheat day, you are craving dopamine. Nothing more.

I often find I want to have cheat meals when I have no sleep and feel generally depressed. That's when your brain wants you to get cheap dopamine the most. That's when you should be careful.

zeekt12 · 2019-07-19T03:07:02+00:00

My cheat day is usually eating at maintenance calories for 1-2 days a week, but on those days ill usually fast all day and pig out in 1-2 meals while keeping my activity high for the day. So it still feels like im cheating while still being at a slight calorie deficit.

Just dont over do it

ThrowawayYAYAY2002 · 2019-07-19T10:51:32+00:00

This is what I do when I know I'm going to fall off the wagon...

1) I'll make sure I train that day.

2) I'll either eat clean from 9am-5pm and then splurge, or I will eat during a "window" (say 8pm-10pm).

Just try and train, or walk for 10-20 mins after your biggest part of the cheat day (e.g.: pizza and ice cream).

Just smaller but satisfying portions is what you need.

Title	Cheat days
Author	Siccunt99
Upvotes	5
Comments	22
Date	July 18, 2019 3:01 PM UTC (7 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/askTRP
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/asktrp/comments/cetl7e/cheat_days/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/askTRP/cheat-days.245871 https://theredarchive.com/post/245871

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