The Traditional Cheat Day Only Hurts You
A lot of fitness gurus and books recommend that if you are on a diet, you need a cheat day every week to keep you sane. What could be so bad about that? You’ve worked hard all week and you need to reward yourself! You did those extra sprints on Friday and have lost 4 lbs this week because of your hard work! You can’t take dieting anymore and that cheat day will let you devour the foods you have been avoiding all week! What a great idea!
The Problems with Cheat Day
So what’s the problem? There are two. First off, you shouldn’t be on a diet unless you are a professional athlete or bodybuilder trying to make weight, gain mass, etc. If you are a regular guy or girl like me, then your diet needs to change. You are not “on a diet” because you’re trying to lose weight for your summer swimsuit. Your diet has changed permanently. No ifs, ands, or buts. You should be eating healthy all the time and for the rest of your life. Most people over-diet when they are “on a diet,” meaning they go to incredible extremes like calorie restriction and avoiding carbs. This leads to utter resentment because being on such a diet is hard work. You’re eating crap you don’t like to eat and forcing it down your gullet hole because you want to drop as many pounds as possible this week. You avoid food because you don’t want those calories inside you so you’re hungry all the time.
This has been discussed over and over here on Better Body Journal. Don’t “go on a diet.” Eating healthy all the time is not a rocket science. I have changed my diet these past two weeks to be permanent. I am rarely hungry, and enjoy what I eat. The bonus? It’s all good for me. As hard as supermarkets and fast food restaurants try to stuff the wrong kinds of food into your body, you can find good food out there with the benefits of being tasty and healthy. It’s not difficult, you just have to look. You should be at the point where you don’t need a cheat day. Yes I said it! Some weeks you don’t want a cheat day because what you’re eating is perfectly fine. The fact that you have to force some Burger King into your mouth to satisfy your cheat day should sicken you. Easier said than done, but possible.
The first problem with a cheat day is that it implies that you are “on a diet.” Your hard work and effort needs to be rewarded. Rewarding yourself with bad calories, trans fat, and sugar is a bad mental game to play with yourself. It’s wrong and not the key to getting a better body.
The second problem with cheat day is based on the first. Assuming you paid no attention to anything in the first few paragraphs and are “on a diet,” you’re the person that thinks they are eating right during the week, but in actuality may be eating wrong, but just because you’re seeing results you continue to do what you do. (If you don’t eat anything for 2 days and lose weight, it means that diet is working but is it good for you? Of course not.)
So after all this hard work, your cheat day turns into exercise within itself. You build a forest of soft drinks, French fries, cookies, mozzarella sticks and chomp through it like an angry beaver. You sweat because eating all this food is hard work. But it feels great. This is your reward.
People take the cheat day way too far. They eat and eat not knowing that all of these calories add up fast. Sure it’s a cheat day, but you can spend the next 2 to 3 days working off the damage from your cheat day. What’s the point of all this hard work if you’re setting yourself back at least one day. Almost 30-40% of your week is lost due to your cheat day and recovery. It’s like a self-imposed tax on your progress and we all know how much taxes take away from us.
What a Cheat Day Should Be
A cheat day shouldn’t even be a day. It should be a meal or two on that day where you eat a lax version of your regular diet. These meals should not include fast food and 2 pints of ice cream because those are foods you need to avoid forever. (There’s nothing bad about having a little ice cream, but a pint of it? C’mon.). Examples could be adding a buttered potato to your steak, croutons and cheese on your salad, or a soda with your regular meal. A small treat as opposed to devouring everything on the table makes a lot more sense if you’re trying to build a better body.
It’s simple. Don’t let these diet gurus tell you that you can have whatever you want on the day of your choosing. It is detrimental to your goals and leads you to believe you are allowed to reward yourself with something bad for doing something good. Change your cheat day into a temporary lax version of your regular diet. If you must eat out at a restaurant, chose something that’s relatively good for you and don’t pig out. Reward yourself with something good for doing something good and you’ll feel better about yourself. You’ll hit the gym harder on Monday because you didn’t screw up all your progress by eating crap. You’ll be less disappointed when you remained at weight rather than seeing the scale jump 3 pounds. You’ll reach your goals quicker than you thought possible.
October 8th, 2007 at 9:50 am
you are an idiot…
December 1st, 2007 at 7:32 pm
A cheat day unfortunately sows the seeds of failure as you are tempted to have another, and then another.
Much better to realise you are going to slip occasionally, and when you are tempted, you won’t feel so bad and will probably only take a bite or two before your resolve kicks in gain.
If you have a cheat day, you might as well just quit.
May 19th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
I don’t agree, I allow myself one a week and am in the best shape of my life! If your focused you can do this…its people with the lack of self control that should not allow themselves to have a cheat day. ..maybe thats the real issue here…self control
June 25th, 2008 at 8:57 am
I mostly have a cheat day when I hit a plateau. On that day, I eat whatever I want when I’m hungry. Granted, I gain one to 2 pounds but once I g back to my usual routine, I lose those pounds plus more. Believe it or not, cheating on your diet for 1 to 3 days can be the best thing you can do when you hit a plateau.
June 28th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
I couldnt disagree more. I maintain a healthy diet because it enhances the quality of my life, but at times i just need a f**king giant greasy burrito to pig out on because it TASTES REALLY GOOD. Maybe that meal turns into a day of sloppy eating, but i enjoy it and I don’t let myself feel guilty for that because I understand the value of a healthy diet and always return to it. Sure splurging can set you back a few pounds the next day but most of the weight isn’t even fat and it will melt off within a day or two taking even more weight with it. Living life like a p**sy bitch whose afraid of gaining a pound or two is REALLY lame because, let’s be honest, some of the best times in life are had around good food and good people. That’s my reasoning, and It’s gotten me to 7% body fat.
July 13th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
I’d find the idea of a cheat day very difficult. I’m the kind of gal who can’t eat just one cookie … if I eat one, then I’ve fallen off the wagon and darn it, I may as well finish the packet.
I know it’s not a very healthy outlook, but I seem to be stuck with it … I may as well know my weaknesses, and work within them.
July 24th, 2008 at 1:41 am
Good article. I have a cheat day, but it is one meal and it is a healthy food. See I really enjoy peanut butter on bread, that satisfies my craving for something unhealthy. Peanut butter tastes sugary and seems very full. Just have something healthy that has a lot of calories.
August 14th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
I also disagree. Maybe this was how I felt at the beginning of starting my new lifestyle change (“A cheat day is like ‘falling off the wagon’… I’ll never get back on!”) But I would then just daily treat myselg to chocolate of whatever I fancied, in moderation.
Now that I do cheat days, I only eat junk on ONE day a week, and spend 6 days eating really CLEAN healthy food… I have already lost 21 pounds and there is definitely MORE to come!
Cheat days work VERY WELL, if you have a PLAN to your diet and are consistent with that plan!
August 26th, 2008 at 4:58 am
I think a cheat day really depends on the person. Not too many things in life are one way or the other when it comes to human nature and behavior. For one person a cheat day will turn into two cheat days, and then three, and then the program has vanished.
For others one cheat day will keep them sane, and they can stick to the plan. While for others no cheat day at all means a clean hard break from the problem they have been having. So I say.. it depends on the person. Here is a link to
an article about motivation.
August 26th, 2008 at 7:49 am
i have been eating healthy and dieting for years… suddenly i felt as if i couldnt do it anymore…i wanted to enjoy life and eat junk like my naturally thin friends. i went on a kick for months put on 20 pounds and got right back on my diet. second time around i was having a hard time losing the weight. when i finally did, i had bad cravings for crap food all the time and would hold back and binge out. that one binge would cause me to gain 10 pounds here and there going up and down. what ive learned now…? i started doing a cheat day here and there. sometimes drinking alcohol like crazy and eating what i really crave but keeping it to a portion size. personally from experience i think it is great to have a day here and there to eat what you really crave or else it will cause a binge. not only that when you diet down and restrict sooo many calories….your body can go into starvation mode which will cause a plateau in your weight loss goals. youll stop losing weight because your body adjusts to the lowered calorie restriction. i think one day of eating over the amount of calories of what you are taking in speeds up your metabolism and keeps you satisfied to not pick at food or binge eat. for one day or two you will gain water retention leaving you 5 pounds heavier but drink tons of water and get back on track to eating healthy again and be suprised that the 5 pounds will come right off in 1- 2 days, just keep exercising and drink water! not only will your body feel satisfied not to eat crap food again but sometimes you will feel leaner and healthier and put more into your weight training. the other night i drank alot of alcohol, had a great time with friends and ate crappy before i went to bed…i slept it off woke up with 5 pounds added to me….i drank a gallon of water the next 2 days. to my suprise i lost the 5 pounds and 1 extra pound and i looked more leaner and fuller with muscle… your body is a tricky thing, you need to play around with it and manipulate it to speed your metabolism up.
August 26th, 2008 at 7:54 am
oh yeah did i mention i am 117 pounds/5’2/ female with only 11.5% bodyfat!! so i think my idea on dieting has to be correct.
December 17th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
I think we first have to look at our use of the word diet. When we talk about the diet of a polar bear we aren’t discussing what the bear doesn’t eat or restricts, we are talking about what the bear consumes. So too, if we are talking about our diet we should be discussing our normal food intake.
In regards to a cheat day, I agree with you that it would be more like a cheat meal. In my 20+ years as a trainer and weight loss pro, next to food journals, a free meal has been the best tool for keeping most people on track. I have my clients follow a 90/10 rule. Frankly, it’s a lot easier to pass on those cookies today if I know I can have them or even pizza on the weekend. If I have a craving I know I can satisfy them without losing control or feeling guilty. For me this is my diet.
Lastly, it’s important to reset your metabolism by varying caloric intake. If you consume exactly 2000 calories a day your body will adapt to this, it is better to vary intake by a couple hundred calories up or down each day with an average calorie goal for the week that includes your free meal. We have had excellent results at my training center using this system.
Thanks again for promoting an excellent discussion.
January 16th, 2009 at 3:27 am
Ohhhh wow, croutons on my salad! What a treat! Seriosuly, if croutons are the only luxury I get, why even eat at all? I’ll just eat a can of green beans for every meal. I understand that you can’t have a huge Denny’s, Mexican food, Dairy Queen Blizzard cheat day every week but God Bless! I think you can still lose weight with a cheat meal that consists of more than a non-diet Coke. The author of this story proposes a diet that would help you to loose weight, but is not very realistic. People eat chocolate! People drink beer! People eat CARBS! Just make sure you burn a ton of calories exercising and watch your other meals and you should be able to have one cheat meal a week other than a “buttered potato”. If your binges include croutons, a non-diet soda, and a buttered potato, you might have control issues.
January 22nd, 2009 at 4:28 pm
i love cheat day n i regret it bt not to the point wher i wana make myself puke..i lost 4 lbs this week then i reachd 110 lbs but i tuk a cheat day n in that day no matter hw much i tried exercising twice a day even i gain half of it bak but one lb is water n il lose the other one in 2 or 1 days and more aftr that..aftr all i did sweat when i ate so basicaly i shockd my diet
October 13th, 2009 at 10:22 am
I have a cheat day once a week on a sunday and it really works for me I keep strict all week around 1900 cals a day low calories foods with low gi carbs around 170 carbs and my protein high around 130 grams!! Why not have one day when I eat high calorie foods, it makes life worth living and food is the spice of life!
As long as u dont eat bad foods everyday I see nothing wrong with eating junk foods for one day eating whatever u fancy however much u want” as long as u listen to ur body this is the main thing!! If I`ve learned anything over the past 10 years of being into Health and Fitness is,
“Please people listen to ur bodys if ur body wants these high cal foods u need to set aside a day to eat these types of foods”
It works for me and I know it does for many more people2!
December 11th, 2009 at 12:45 am
“Eating healthy all the time is not a rocket science.”
“a rocket science.”
Stopped reading there. I don’t put much faith in lifestyle tips from people who can’t write at the fifth grade level.
But from what I gather, you think that on a ‘cheat day’ the average person will eat blocks of cheese and stuff as much fast food down their throat as they can. That’s called a ‘binge.’ And no, you don’t have to do that in order to enjoy the foods you limit yourself from having.
And psk6565… really? Your ‘cheat’ food is… peanut butter? One of the healthiest things you can eat? I have that after every gym session. Maybe spend some time learning about different types of fats and which ones are good or bad.
February 6th, 2010 at 9:15 pm
I agree w/ lolwhat. Peanut butter is an EXCELLENT source of protein. Yeah it may be high in calories but thats why you stick to a serving size (about two tablespoons) I also eat it after a workout, I like in on celery sticks or an apple. I also agree that eating healthy should be a lifestyle and you should stay away from fast food (for the most part) But I also agree that having a cheat day is a GOOD IDEA! I struggled with weight for years and started working out and making being healthy a lifestyle about two years ago. I work out about 4-6 times a week, eating 1400-1800 calories a day which includes fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, fish, chicken, dairy. After I reached my goal weight (115 lbs) -which took 6 months, I decided to add one cheat day to my diet. I don’t go ape shit and eat everything in sight.. but if I want fried chicken or loaded baked potato, I’m gonna have one. I still incorporate fruits & veggies into my cheat day to level it out and get my nutrients in. I’ve noticed yeah after my cheat day I weigh a couple pounds heavier but that is quickly gone after my first good work out of the week. I usually take sundays as a cheat day and then work out extra hard the following day. I also like to drink on Friday & Saturday nights. So I still eat my usual meal during the day, and save about 500 calories for beer/wine. I believe taking one cheat day a week helps me stay focused during the week and having something to look forward to. GOOD LUCK!
March 8th, 2010 at 2:23 pm
@Mark, so having a cheat meal/day sows the seeds of failure, but never allowing yourself to eat anything with sugar, fat, or generally anything that tastes good DOESN’T?
It reminds me of this joke :
After two visits and exhaustive lab test, he said I was doing “fairly well” for my age.. (I just turned 60)
A little concerned about that comment, I couldn’t resist asking him, “Do you think I’ll live to be 80?”
He asked, “Do you smoke tobacco or drink beer or wine?”
“Oh no,” I replied…”I’m not doing drugs, either!”
Then he asked, “Do you eat rib-eye steaks and barbecued ribs?”
I said, “Not much…my former doctor said that all red meat is very unhealthy!”
“Do you spend a lot of time in the sun, like playing golf, sailing, hiking, or bicycling?”
“No I don’t” I said
He asked, “Do you gamble, drive fast cars, or have a lot of sex?”
“No,” I said.
He looked at me and said,…”Then, why do you even give a s**t?”
May 1st, 2010 at 8:09 pm
I totally disagree with this article. I have a cheat day. I watch what I eat Sunday – Friday. Count calories, fat and exercise at least 90 minutes a day (breaking it up through out the day). On Saturday all bets are off, I get up and have a great breakfast, if I feel like eating snacks, chocolate, chips, ice cream, I do. I eat for dinner something tasty and also have a dessert and a few drinks. I have been doing this for 6 months and have lost 40 pounds. During the week I don’t feel hungry or deprived because I know that on my day off I can enjoy myself and let my hair down. It’s great and I love it…would never give it up….this is something I can maintain for a lifetime.
May 3rd, 2010 at 11:21 am
I couldn’t agree more with those who took issue with this sorry excuse for an article. I’m 5′ 3.5″ and 108 pounds at 37 years of age, and have lifted weights and done cardio for 20 years; and as someone who has never been overweight a day in my life, I say bring on the cheat meal! It’s one of the things that makes life so fun.
Oh, yes, and I agree with the poster who mentioned the “a rocket scientist” moment, too. Do you really expect people to take you seriously when you can’t even craft a grammatically correct sentence?
July 19th, 2010 at 1:21 am
I actually enjoyed this article! There are so many conflicting viewpoints on the web about this topic, this is just another perspective. For all of you who have successfully used cheat days and lost weight successfully, good for you! I’m not sure it is a good idea for everyone though….it is certainly not a “one size fits all” thing! I’ve spent a lot of money over the past few years buying into certain so-called guru’s eating plans and philosphies, and have had mixed results. There are some who advocate eating whatever you want, as much as you want on a cheat day….tried that, and it made me sick! I’ve even watched a video of one dude scarfing down a huge tub of ice cream, this guy was asking people if they’re eating enough on their cheat days!
I think a sane approach probably works best here………don’t absolutely pig out, just makes you feel ill anyhow
maybe saving extra calories during the week for your planned cheat day, and still managing to work that into your allowed calories for the week (your cheat day could utilise calories to your maintenance level on that day) makes sense to me. Sabotaging all your efforts for the week on one day, not even a specialo occasion, does not make too much sense. I think the writer is correct in saying that your normal eating plan should not be so much a diet, but a lifestyle, and something that you can live with, otherwise it’s hard to stick to long term. You need to eat clean foods that you enjoy every day, just not junk and empty calories….those you save for your cheat day if you wish.
I’m now taking all the hodge podge of info I’ve researched (extensively), and putting it into a customised eating plan which I very much hope will work for me, and I’m incorporating a cheat day as well as intermittent fasting, and working it into my calorie needs for the week for weight loss. Wish me luck, I’m just so disappointed with all the expensive eating plans from so-called guru’s that I have….I need something that works for me!
July 26th, 2010 at 7:32 pm
I also disagree with the article. The more practice you have in recovering from a slip in your diet the more confidence you will have going forward. As long as you can learn to always rebound from that cheat day, you should be fine. If you don’t get the practice and you do slip, you might fall down completely.
My cheat day is a meal too though. I always have a healthy breakfast and lunch…but for dinner on Saturday I usually enjoy a big steak with buttered potatoes and a diet pepsi. And for dessert I have a little candy. I love nibs or jujubes or wine gums.
August 20th, 2010 at 7:39 pm
While I see your point on the fact that dieting should be a lifestyle rather than a temporary fix, like many of the other commenters I have issue with your statement that having a cheat “day” is a poor decision. As long as you don’t go overboard with it, I think a cheat day is a nice little reward for all your hard work. Plus, I’ve read quite a few articles that suggest that having a cheat meal once in a while could actually INCREASE your metabolism and be good for you in the long run.
November 11th, 2010 at 7:08 pm
I just started a workout/diet im 45 doing herbal life 2 shakes and i meal a day i started three days ago and lost 7lbs already and an inch off my waist havent touched any junk food but i am considering a cheat day and after reading these responses i agree that one day will not kill you so saturday here i come !!!!!!!!!!
November 28th, 2010 at 3:40 am
In my opinion and experience (15) years as bodybuilder. If you do not have a cheat day in which you exceed the average intake of calories per day that you have had for an entire week drastically for at least one day, your body will get used to the low carb low calorie and will be stuck with no results AT ALL!!! and you will not lose those extra pounds you are looking for to get lean. You gotta hit you metabolism in a way that it will “feel” the difference and react to something that is not use to do or have.. And by “do” I mean it in a twofold way. 1 diet… and 2 excercise.. Never do the same routine all the time.. change it always. Always change the way you started on the next chess, biceps, or whatever you are working out.
I’m sorry for my english but It’s not my native language.
LMAO lolwhat I loved your comment.. BTW don’t laugh at my english :S
And please for those about the potatoe and peanut butter comments… You couldn’t eat a more healthy source and mix of good fat (peanut butter) and carbs rich with fibre (potatoe). So don’t feel guilty for it
Good luck to you all and have a healthy life having and enjoying your cheat day. TOTALLY disagree with this article.. sry who every came up with it.
December 13th, 2010 at 2:35 pm
Oh, wow, I disagree wholeheartedly with this article. Is it just me or does anyone else FEEL healthier after having a cheat day? Literally, I feel like my body is much, much tighter when I wake up the next day. My muscles look more defined, etc. I think it depends on what you do leading up to the cheat day that really makes the difference.
January 10th, 2011 at 6:09 pm
But I love my cheat day! I don’t want to give it away:(
January 22nd, 2011 at 3:08 pm
I will NEVER give up my cheat day! It is my favorite day of the week, and since discovering that cheat days can break a plateau by boosting leptin (a.k.a. the FAT BURNING HORMONE) I have been able to shed the last few pounds that I could never get off before! I love food, and I am not giving up one of the best aspects of life so because someone told me that I should give up after enjoying my favorite foods. I eat clean during the week, and I enjoy one planned cheat day a week. It makes the days of clean eating so much easier because I know that I am going to be able to cut loose on Saturday! I would rather die than be told that I could never eat pizza, ice cream, Mexican food, and bread pudding. That sounds like a life of ZERO FUN. Yes, Stephen, I feel so healthy after a cheat day, and I also feel satisfied until the next one.
January 24th, 2011 at 11:22 am
I disagree with this article also, lets look at it from a different point of view. For the past few years I have eaten and drank “whatever” I want “whenever” I wanted to. This is what lead me to gain 70 pounds over the past 10 years. Having 1 cheat day per week is like saying…..Hey! Eat whatever you want from January 1st to February 22nd, and then go on a strict diet for the remainder of the year.If you did that you would definitely lose weight, because the 52 days you cheated at the beginning of the year, would be erased by the 313 days that you maintained a clean diet. That is all you are doing with a cheat day, the only difference is that the cheat days are every 7 days and not all at once. This is why I think it works! I am currently blogging all my meals (including cheats) for anyone who wants to see how its working for me.