Oh, to have a day where you eat nothing but foods you enjoy! What would you choose? Would it be ice cream, chocolate cake, a milkshake, pizza, French fries, or some other decadent, high calorie concoction? Many people who are on a weight loss plan, like to have a diet cheat day in place to get a break from health eating and allow themselves the opportunity to enjoy some of their old, high calorie favorites. If you're serious about changing your eating habits and losing those excess pounds should a diet cheat day be part of your overall weight loss plan?
There are some advantages to engaging in a cheat day when you allow yourself to throw calorie caution to the wind. This day can give you a psychological break from the deprivation mindset and reinforce the idea that eating healthy and lower calorie doesn't mean you'll have to abstain forever from your favorite comfort foods. The disadvantage is a day of uncontrolled eating can quickly add up to mega-calories that can stall even the best laid weight loss plan. It's not unusual for a person to take in 4,000 calories or more on a diet cheat diet which adds up to over a pound of weight gain. If you're losing weight at a slow, controlled pace, the extra pound you gain while cheating may compensate for any weight loss you had for the week.
If you want to employ a bit of “cheating†into your weight loss plan, here's how you can do it without completely derailing your weight loss plan:
How to have a diet cheat day: Exercise on the day you cheat
If you plan on throwing diet caution to the wind for a day, make sure you exercise on the day of the big cheat. Instead of doing your regular workout, add an extra fifteen minutes of cardiovascular or do some more intense interval training to really burn those calories and prime your metabolism. Overindulging in food and taking the day off from exercise will not only increase your risk of weight gain, it'll also make you feel sluggish and guilty. When you feel guilt is when you're most tempted to nix your weight loss plan entirely.
How to have a diet cheat day: Make it a meal instead of a day
There are some advantages to engaging in a cheat day when you allow yourself to throw calorie caution to the wind. This day can give you a psychological break from the deprivation mindset and reinforce the idea that eating healthy and lower calorie doesn't mean you'll have to abstain forever from your favorite comfort foods. The disadvantage is a day of uncontrolled eating can quickly add up to mega-calories that can stall even the best laid weight loss plan. It's not unusual for a person to take in 4,000 calories or more on a diet cheat diet which adds up to over a pound of weight gain. If you're losing weight at a slow, controlled pace, the extra pound you gain while cheating may compensate for any weight loss you had for the week.
If you want to employ a bit of “cheating†into your weight loss plan, here's how you can do it without completely derailing your weight loss plan:
How to have a diet cheat day: Exercise on the day you cheat
If you plan on throwing diet caution to the wind for a day, make sure you exercise on the day of the big cheat. Instead of doing your regular workout, add an extra fifteen minutes of cardiovascular or do some more intense interval training to really burn those calories and prime your metabolism. Overindulging in food and taking the day off from exercise will not only increase your risk of weight gain, it'll also make you feel sluggish and guilty. When you feel guilt is when you're most tempted to nix your weight loss plan entirely.
How to have a diet cheat day: Make it a meal instead of a day
Comments
Great advice! I think a cheat day in moderation keeps a dieter motivated to stick with the diet for the other 6 days.
This is really good advice when you're on a diet.
Good advice. I'd add that if you control your portion sizes, you can have some of your comfort foods on a more regular basis. Also, eating a little more than you must every once in a while is likely to send a message to your metabolism that you're not in starvation mode and that there's no need to conserve fat. Exercising the same day and the following day more than usual will also keep your metabolism running higher and you'll burn off more calories even when you're not actively working out.
As someone that had tried diet after diet, a cheat day may have been a good thing to look forward each week. I finally came around to just realizing I needed to make a change in my life style and lost 32 pounds.
first i don't believe in diets..i believe in balance eating..most people are just wanting to lose the weight off fast only to regain it..your article makes a lot of sense for the cheating ...i always was aware of that ..because it is all linked pyschologically..it's almost like when you are on a budget..you should pay yourself first...so you feel good..but really, if people just thought on how they eat..and don't overeat...feel it when you are full..they would be better off..i cant' eat too much all at once because i don't like that feeling..and i don't care about the numbers..it's about the way you feel in your clothes and of course your self esteem..most times people who are overweight find other problems that really relate to being overweight..like stress...excellent article Kristie...!!!
very reasonable advice here and i think a diet cheat day is wonderful. why give up all your favorites when you can still have them just not all the time. great job
This sounds like a reasonable approach.
Comments 1 - 7 (of 7)
|
|