While out to lunch the other day, a friend asked me if I had a “Diet Cheat Day”. I said, “No, but I do cheat on my diet some days.” 😀 LOL
It reminded me of Angela asking me about that on Facebook recently:
“Do you think it’s okay just to have cheat days? I totally blew it last week and had three slices of xtra thin pizza (10 net carbs each)… then I forgave myself and called it a diet cheat day instead.
I figure once every 10 days or so shouldn’t hurt!”
Is a Diet Cheat Day Okay? Yes and No…
Angela said: “My bf is reading The 4 Hour Body and he says they recommend having cheat days too.”
On some low carb diet plans, particularly Tim Ferris’ “slow carb diet” mentioned in his 4HB book, a diet cheat day is scheduled in. Tim recommends totally binging on all your vices every Saturday, even.
I have done zero research and have no scientific evidence regarding diet cheat days OR the slow carb diet. That said, a friend and I both started dieting around the same time. She was doing slow carb (with a cheat day every week), I was of course doing the traditional low carb diet. I lost more weight in a shorter amount of time.
My personal opinion, and my advice (to myself, and to you) is to stick to a strict low carb diet until you lose your goal weight. I started the low carb diet with the intention of losing 20 pounds. Which I did, and fairly quick – in just over 2 months. I have continued to lose weight, and am aiming to lose at least 10 more pounds.
Once you have reached your ideal weight, you can increase your carb intake (eating good carbs, of course) until you find your ideal number. Meaning you don’t gain weight. I started my diet by eating less than 20 net carbs per day. For example, once I have achieved my ideal weight, I may find I can maintain it by consuming less than 40 net carbs a day – or 60, who knows.
What I’ve Learned About Cheating
The first 3 or 4 months on the low carb diet, I had no desire for bad carbs. I didn’t crave bread and potatoes, and couldn’t even imagine eating something like potato chips or brownies.
Having completely cut out “bad carbs”, the cravings for those foods simply disappeared.
As soon as I had my first “binge”, the cravings returned. I also found it to be a vicious cycle. Once you’ve blown your diet for the day, what’s the point in eating a low carb dinner – right? So you tell yourself I’ll just start back tomorrow.
Which is fine, and hey – it happens. But if you bought a bag of chips, or a dozen donuts, or something else that is still sitting there unfinished the next day… it can be hard to resist the temptation to just “finish it off.” 😛
It’s a slippery slope. And all too easy to fall back into old habits.
By the way, my weight loss has completely stalled since I started having occasional cheat days.
That is NOT the result I want. So I am back to counting carbs strictly, and pushing myself to exercise on a regular basis. I’m determined to get back on track.
A treat now and then is fine. 30 net carbs worth of thin crust pizza for example, like Angela had, I don’t consider that bad. If you eat clean the rest of the day, you’ve barely gone over your goal number. No big deal.
But binging out on a dozen donuts and a huge bowl of pasta, topped off with ridiculous ooey gooey hot fudge cake… that’s another story. 😉
Perhaps a scheduled Cheat Day would be a way to control binges, if binges are an issue for you. They are for me, and are the very reason I found myself overweight. I certainly think it would be better to limit it to one day per week (or better yet, every other Saturday, or once a month) than to let a binge totally knock you off your stool – spiraling you back into bad eating habits, and feeling hopeless about being able to stick to your diet.
Tim Ferris says a cheat day keeps your metabolism from “downregulating”. Like I said, I haven’t done any research on that. I’m more interested in figuring out WHY I binge, and working on solving that problem – than allowing it to be a regular part of my life.
And again, there’s a big difference between savoring a little sauce or enjoying a couple glasses of wine with friends… and an all out binge. I think it boils down to how we define “cheating”. A day where I eat as many as 50 net carbs is hardly a big deal in my book. It doesn’t throw me off course, or make me feel bad. I simply eat cleaner than usual over the next few days.
But a day where I BINGE is a different story – and it doesn’t just affect my weight, but my mood and my outlook too. It makes me upset with myself, it makes me wonder if I have any will power at all, and it makes me crave even more bad carbs… (slippery slope!)
I have to revert back to my vision of the Ideal Version Of Me. I know exactly how I want to look, how I want to feel, and what I want my life to be like. That version of me does not binge, enjoys beautiful healthy melt-in-your-mouth foods, feels and looks great, and has no negative associations with food OR with self image. Nowhere in there does the idea of eating 7 scoops of ice cream with a Snickers bar on the side fit in.
That doesn’t mean I’ll never eat another piece of birthday cake, or enjoy a beautiful slice of cheesecake with friends. It means I won’t covet “crap food”, or sit in the middle of my bed eating an entire Key Lime Pie straight out of the pan. There IS a difference…
I’ll let you “weigh in” on the topic. 😉 I would love to hear your thoughts!
Amy says
Even though I am relatively new to LC dieting, I don’t think a cheat day would be good for me. I’ve heard that it is best to reset your metabolism occasionally, but I am more concerned with resetting my frame of mind. As of now, I don’t have any cravings (I am even able to pass powdered donuts my husband left in the kitchen without diving in), and I want to keep it that way. In the past on other diets, I have allowed a cheat day or cheat weekend. After gorging on pizza and Taco Bell, I felt so ashamed and defeated that come Monday I didn’t have the willpower or energy to start over. I had worked so hard to lose a few lbs, and it was extremely discouraging how easily they could come back. Whenever the cravings do catch me, I may allow myself 1 meal where I have 1 restricted item, but I’m no longer willing to sacrifice days of health for days of indulgence.
Lynn Terry says
That sounds like a smart plan, Amy. And I love what you said about “resetting your frame of mind.” π
Jenna says
I have made a compromise with my cheats. Like you, once I finished induction, I wasn’t craving carb-rich naughty foods. I am happy and losing weight. Sometimes, though, I want to be naughty. I know that if I eat the wrong food, I will wind up craving more. It is a slippery slope and it tends to go very badly for me. I find that the best answer is to have a list of foods that make me feel naughty without really being naughty. For example, this morning I had my usual hot flax seed meal with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter but I added a tablespoon of Peach Pollaner Fruit and Fiber for an extra 1 net carb and some Walden Farms caramel sauce for no carbs at all. It tasted like dessert but it was breakfast. There is no harm in that at all. And who says you can’t have caramel (or chocolate or marshmallow, for that matter) for breakfast if you do it right? My husband was horrified at how much I spent when I first stocked up on Walden Farms but now he helps me make sure I’m in stock of all of my favorites. I think the part that makes it work is the planning and looking forward to my “treat” so I will start thinking about what I’m going to make for breakfast as I get ready for bed. I can do the same thing with desert–whether it’s blueberries or sugar-free jello in a really yummy flavor. If you think about how much you tell yourself you want your cheat food and find some other food that you find really yummy and then keep telling yourself “Ooh, I can’t wait until dessert. I’m going to have those yummy blueberries” or “I’m going to have chocolate marshmallow flax seed sundae for breakfast” then you fulfill your need to cheat without cheating.
Lynn Terry says
Good point, Jenna! There are SO many great replacements! When I’m craving bread, I make my low carb bread sticks. And I love my low carb cookie recipe too. And of course sugar free Hershey’s caramel filled chocolate bars. π
I think for me the binges are more a mental or emotional thing, which is the reason I don’t see them as being good as a regular part of my routine or life…
Howard says
I haven’t found that I need cheat days, but I do find that my appetite fluctuates for no readily identifiable reason.
I think the advice to use cheat days to avoid ‘downregulating’ the metabolism is nonsense. Much as I admire Ferris, I think he gets carried away with some things, and doesn’t always think rigorously. OK, nobody thinks rigorously all the time, including me, but I like to think I have a well-tuned BS detector.
There is some recent research that indicates that the cause of excess weight gain is a damaged metabolism that has trouble processing lipids. Low-carb works wonders because it forces the mitochondria into lipid-processing mode. But the permanent solution is to identify the cause of the damage, fix it, and try not to damage it again. Unfortunately, mitochondrial damage can take decades to repair. But you can avoid the currently known causes of that damage — fructose, alcohol, sugars, trans-fats, and grains.
The thing that seems to help most in the repair process is exercise, specifically resistance training. That works best if you are under 40, because you can still build new muscle, and if you aren’t currently damaging your metabolism with the items listed above, that new muscle mass comes with properly-functioning mitochondria. Over 40, you gradually lose your ability to gain muscle, but you can keep what you have, and gradually repair the mitochondria — but it’s a longer process.
I’ve wandered a bit off-topic, though. Back on-topic: If you feel a need to ‘cheat’, you need to figure out what is causing that need, and remove it.
Lynn Terry says
I’m not a huge Ferris fan myself, but that goes back before 4HB. He does have a huge following though. Anyway, you got my attention about the age 40 thing. I am just over 38 and better get my a** busy on that exercise!! LOL π
Howard says
Have you signed up for the Low Carb Cruise yet? If so, you can arrange to have a session with Fred Hahn to learn his slow-burn method. I like it because it’s effective, and doesn’t take a lot of time. I get paid to sling code and write stuff, not to pump iron, so I want to reduce the time I spend on the latter to the minimum.
Lynn Terry says
I haven’t signed up for the cruise yet, but I am looking into the dates to see if they’ll work for me with my daughters schedule. Thanks again for the link on that!
Angela Wills says
Yea I don’t think I’ll be binging but I think so far the occassional ‘slip’ isn’t really effecting me.
I did have a couple of weeks where I got lazy about tracking and being strict and I wasn’t really cheating but I gained back 5 lbs! I’m back down now again and almost at my lowest (1 lb away) so I intend to keep it strict until I do get to my goal weight too.
I went a little crazy on the weekend, though, at a wedding. I had dessert which was soo yummy, and then I had THREE deep fried mars bars, they were the mini halloween bars (will be blogging about those, lol) which I’m SURE was wayyy past the limit. I would say that’s been my worst so far though and I don’t intend to do that very often at all!
Lynn Terry says
Recognizing it as a one-off splurge and enjoying it is not so bad in my book. I’ve done the same – and enjoyed desserts recently at a wedding myself. And I know what you mean about it being so easy to gain the weight back. It’s just not worth it to go slack!
Called 2 Action says
hi Lynn,
Garry says.
I also don’t think we need to go into a cheat day as to me if you cheat, you are really Lying to yourself, thinking its ok for me like Howard said you need to find out where this cheat thing came from and get rid of it stay true to your self and your Diet, for better results.
Low carb are good if you can stay true to it, that’s why I mix low carb with Paleo diet, and where I used to have sweets I’d make sure I had sticks of Carrot, Celery, an Apple, some kind of fruits, and soon all my cravings vanished and it becomes a life style you live.
Christmas time is the only time that I let my cravings for Mum’s good old Fashion Goodies, to have sway, no other time, I have a very strong will Power, I Learnt from being in the Military, so keep trying Lynn you are a great Inspiration to us all.
L.M. says
Having a “cheat day” to me would be like for instance:
Lynn, you no longer put croutons in your salads. One day a week, month or whatever……throw in the croutons (if you still like them. I’m just using this as an example). I don’t think the intention of “cheating” is to throw in a whole bag of croutons. That would be binging.
5-10 croutons however is cheating.
I have not read that guy’s book, but common sense tells me that nowhere does the term “cheat day” refer to having a “binge day”
No one should “binge” on anything regardless of being on low carb or not.
It’s simply ridiculous for any man, woman or child to eat a whole pan of brownies instead of 1 or 2 small brownies.
Doing so could cause diabetic coma in some people if they shock their systems by binging on a whole pan of brownies. (I knew someone who would take chances like this after being warned by their doctor). A non-diabetic could cause themselves insulin resistance by binging.
Heart disease (my dad) – from years of eating “binging” on anything he chose to eat in whatever quantities he chose to eat them.
So a “cheat day” more than likely refers to having a “normal” portion of foods that you like but would normally restrict yourself from on a daily basis. Binging should never enter the equation….
10 burrito supremes from Taco Bell instead of 1.
A small order of fries instead of the SuperSize.
By definition “Binge” is an act of being unrestrained, uncontrolled, and excessive. Cheat days should be none of those things.
If a person has zero willpower to enjoy a small quantity of something yummy once a week/month without it turning haywire, then maybe there are deeper issues that need dealt with other than merely staying on a strict diet.
I have learned to only eat when my body is hungry and to stop when I’m no longer hungry (not full) just no longer hungry.
I had to change my habits because eating for the sake of eating (brought on by pleasure, boredom, stress or just simply loving food) was causing me issues with my pancreas. An inflamed pancreas will bring on the self-control really quick. I’m 38 and was becoming insulin resistant (hence the pancreas problem) and my body was screaming at me to do something about it.
So, I changed a lot about how I eat, how much I eat and when I eat. That and a good whole body detoxifer (Flora Flor-Essence AKA Essiac Tea) – that I used to use years back has calmed my pancreas way down and I no longer feel sick during or after eating (due to insulin resistance starting to rear its ugly head).
I love food, but the last few months has made me realize that I love my health more.
Lynn Terry says
I agree, but Ferris does literally say that he eats “his vices” to the point of making him sick of them on his one cheat day – and states that makes him not even want to go near them for the rest of the week (until next cheat day). That just doesn’t seem healthy to me at all. π
I love food as well, and fortunately there are tons of GREAT foods on the low carb diet that you can really indulge in and enjoy – a big juicy steak, for example. π
L.M. says
lol!
Error “10 burrito supremes from Taco Bell instead of 1.”
I meant that in reverse:
1 burrito supremes from Taco Bell instead of 10.
Lynn Terry says
LOL I caught that and knew what you meant, but it did make me grin. π
Laura says
Well, I obviously don’t do well with cheats as the last few days have shown !
I was sick with a stomach virus and when I felt better, I was CRAVING a chili cheese dog of all things ! So I had one with a few Fritos….. not the smartest thing after not eating for 2 days, but no ill effects.
Then yesterday we were away from home and I had a grilled chicken sandwich from Sonic and immediately had indigestion and felt lousy.
This morning I weighed and have gained 1.5 pounds ! Yikes !
On the bright side, I had a change of plans and will be home today, so I am trying your recipes for bread sticks and sausage balls out ! Wish me luck !
Lynn Terry says
How’d you like the bread sticks & sausage balls? Those are two of my favorites. π It’s so easy to slip off the diet with one “bad meal” (my experience). Fortunately every day is a new day to hop right back on! Glad you’re feeling better, too! π
Satu says
I like the distinction L.M. makes about treats and binges and think it’s an important one.
Treats shouldn’t be a problem but binges definitely are. I think that cheating/treats are inevitable (how likely is it that your never indulge?) and it’s more important to know how to put them into perspective so that they don’t lead down that slippery slope.
It came to my mind that one reason to your stalling weight is that you’re now closer to your goal weight. The closer your get to your goal weight the harder it will be to lose pounds. Probably both things contribute to the weight stall.
Lynn Terry says
I agree, Satu – and I’m sure that is playing it’s part. I am within 20 pounds of my ideal weight I imagine. I’d be happy with 10-15 though, as I don’t want to be stick skinny or anything. I do like my curves! π LOL…
Scott Tousignant says
I love your insights in this post Lynn. You sound like a seasoned expert. I’d say that it’s a result of paying attention to your feedback loop and how your body and mind respond to certain situations.
Your body has a way of telling you when and if you need more (healthy carbs). I prefer to schedule a refeed of healthy carbs every 4-5 days, which typically turns out to be around the time when my body sends my mind some signals. The extra carbs often come from extra fruit or a banana added to my shake or high protein crepes. Sometimes it comes from homemade sweet potato fries or some extra quinoa throughout the day.
I’m not a fan of all out cheat days. I have witnessed this practice causing some new unhealthy habits that can be difficult to control. The following day some of these people will restrict their food intake out of guilt and because they feel like crap from their binge.
My thoughts… if you’ve been doing fantastic on your low carb diet consistently and you are craving some cookies… have some cookies… just don’t have the entire box. From what I have witnessed, the stress of resisting the cookie for days on end can be more dangerous than eating a few cookies and then getting right back to your low carb ways. For myself, after having a few cookies, my mind is put at ease and I don’t crave them for a while. Of course we are all different, which is why we must pay attention to how we respond physically and emotionally to these situations.
Lynn Terry says
Great points, Scott – I agree 100%. Stress is definitely unhealthy too, in my book. A healthy outlook on food and a healthy self-image are important.
My 15yo daughter is currently more than 30 pounds heavier than me. Probably 50 pounds overweight. I have never fussed at her, or tried to make her diet. I do invite her to join me at workouts, and I hope that my weight loss inspires her. But she is such a spunky, confident, happy young woman – and I would never want to do anything to damage that. It’s what I love most about her!
I see so many parents give their children an unhealthy weight complex that leads to terrible lifelong habits. It makes me sad.
Anyway, yes, listening to your body is important… and forget stress. I don’t consider myself “on a diet” – I consider myself on a path to a healthier me! π
Dan Greene says
I am a healthy guy in my early 50’s and I low-carbed to lose about 70 pounds, or less than 10 pounds over ‘high school skinny.’ I got metabolism stuck at about 50 lbs after 6-7 months, then decided to introduce the ‘cheat day; on Saturdays. I then immediately began losing weight and lost the other 20 lbs.
I’ve cheat-dayed for about 6 months now, and there are pros and cons. The pros are the ability to enjoy unrestrained social eating and drinking. To me, it is just a hell of a lot of fun to eat guilt free, whatever I want. Going with wife and friends to that nice Italiano restaurant for an evening of indulgence is worth it to me. You no longer tell yourself you can’t have that bowl of ice cream, you just plan to try it a little later. The pros are social and psychological.
The cons are there as well. As mentioned above, cheat day EASILY becomes binge day, which I am struggling with right now. Also, there is indeed residual carb craving throughout the week, or at least more so than in a clean low carb diet. Weight wise, I found that when I do modest cheat days (now rare LOL) it is quite easy to maintain the goal. As you might imagine, heavy binging takes several days to clear thru my system.
I am just sharing my experience if it is of help to anyone. We should not kid ourselves. One needs to be psychologically strong to low carb. Many people fail at it. I don’t live to diet, so I find the cheat day worth the price. I think the price is greater temptation, the insulin yo-yo if you in fact do binge, and increased cravings. .
But in other ways, the cheat day satisfies social / psychological needs for me. Right now, I am aiming for that happy medium of moderation which I think will work.
DaveA says
I think cheat days are a cop-out that inevitably destroys the healthy eating path you have previously chosen particularly in low carb diets where alternate means of fueling the body other than glucose are in play. You are either eating good healthy food or you are not-cheat days are tempting to everyone but in my opinion are not worth the risk particularly in the early days of weight loss.