As a registered dietitian , I dont believe in diet "cheat" days or meals. Well, I dont really believe in diets either, but since many people are on some diet or other, they're still worth discussing. If you are on a dietor just trying your hand at healthy eating in generaland youre indulging in cheat days or cheat meals, let me explain why I cant get on board.
Eating seems to have devolved into the territory of the morality police: good versus bad . Dirty versus clean. Cheating versus staying loyal to your eating plan. But food is just thatfoodand making it into a moral issue is unfortunately becoming the new standard.
Before we dive in, it's worth noting that as with any diet or plan, cheat days may work for some people. A piece of 2016 research in Journal of Consumer Psychology found that "cheating" on a diet can actually help you lose weight because it wards off feelings of deprivation.
But for many people, it's not that simple. Here's why.
My primary concern with cheat days is the emotional implications of morally categorizing your eating habits. Sure, you can go overboard on a cheat day and eat a ton of crap and feel physically sick from it, but I think the emotional consequences can almost be more damaging.
Meaning, if you cheat, then overcompensate out of guilt by restricting your diet for the days following the indulgence, then overeat because youre restricting, it can become a soul-sucking binge cycle. The rapid influx of sugar , fat, and refined carbohydrates that make up many cheat meals often exacerbate this, leading to an extended binge either due to guilt, that "last chance" feeling, or through the actual composition of those foods. Obviously this defeats the purpose of the cheating concept, but it can also lead to feelings of failure.
This diet merry-go-round is a common reason why diets (or cheat days/meals on diets) dont work for most people.
Restricting food for a particular day can create tension around eating and cause you to crave, then overeat, the very foods that youre trying to avoid. As anyone who has ever been on a diet knows, that forbidden-fruit feeling can be very real. Obsessing about the "bad" foods youre going to take a swan dive into once your cheat day arrives is distracting and unhealthy, not to mention often a precursor to going overboard.
If you feel like you're eating "good" foods out of obligation so you can get to the cheat days, eating becomes merely a means to an end, which is pretty much the opposite of what it should be. Finding pleasure in food and nourishing your body and soul is a healthier, more satisfying way to view food. Instead of choking down a salad and then dreaming about the many cupcakes youre going to eat on your cheat day, wouldnt it be better to eat healthy food you actually enjoy ( it doesn't have to be salad !), have a cupcake whenever you want it, and move past the whole good/bad thing?
I work from a perspective of normalizing all foods. That means that even though some foods are healthier than others, its not a big deal to have an indulgent amount of a less-healthy food every day, then just get over it. Treating yourself often enough can defuse the attractiveness of those "forbidden" foods.
My clients find that eating this way is not only easier and more enjoyable, it also has no bad repercussions on their weight. On the contrary, it makes eating an overall healthy diet simpler because theyre stepping away from the obsessive "can't have this" mindset. No foods are off-limits and only allowed when you're cheating, aka being "bad." Think of it as the 80/20 or 90/10 rule. Im all for it.
If cheat days work for you and are helping you get closer to your health and fitness goals, thats great, and by all means you should continue with them! But if you feel that method isn't working for you, try a different approach. The best diet is one that you can live with for the long term.
Keep in touch with me on Twitter , Instagram , and Facebook . For diet reviews, blog posts, and recipes, check out Abby Langer Nutrition .
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The rest is here:
Why 'Cheat' Meals Can Actually Sabotage Your Healthy-Eating Goals - SELF
