You may have heard that you need a “cheat day” each week in order to keep your resolve to eat healthy foods the rest of the week. But is there real value in this? Let's discuss the value of cheat days and why they may not be as helpful as you might think.
Listening to your body instead of your brain
Our bodies can signal that it might need certain nutrients like salt, water, magnesium, or iron. Don’t leave it up to your brain to decide which foods are "okay" to have. For example, if your body needs salt, is it because you are dehydrated or is it because your blood sodium levels are low? Drinking plenty of water will eliminate dehydration and if you still need salt, salt your food rather than diving into a bag of potato chips. In most cases, your brain tells you to eat something because it looks good, smells good or is a comfort food. Remember that food is for fueling our bodies.
Changing your diet can make you feel worse.
If you have been diligent about eating only “real” foods (i.e. foods you can find outside in nature), the foods you would eat on a cheat day can disrupt your body's function and blood sugar regulation as well as electrolyte balance. This can leave you feeling sluggish, bloated, nauseated and it can constipate a person for days.
You might think "Well, I need a day off to recover from an intense workout, surely I need a day off now and then from an intense eating plan." Your body does need rest to rebuild and repair cells and muscles damaged by exercise. And you need to have the proper building blocks on board for it to do so. If you overload your body with salt, sugar, and fat on a cheat day, it spends most of the day trying to process those items and store or excrete them, leaving no time and energy to actually repair cells which is why you took the day off from exercising.
Feeling good should be your top priority.
Eating real foods helps your body to more effectively function and perform your daily activities.
Possible benefits of cheat days
- Psychological relief and motivation by allowing indulgence can help some people stay committed to the long-term plan by lessening the feelings of deprivation. Thus, social events or celebrations become easier to navigate without guilt.
- For some people, cheat days allow for an increased diet adherence. For example, if you know you can have pizza or dessert on Saturday, it may be easier to say no on Monday.
- There is some research that shows there could be a potential and temporary metabolic boost. A higher-calorie day may slightly raise leptin levels (a hormone that helps regulate hunger and metabolism), though this effect is modest and temporary.
Potential drawbacks of cheat days
- Some people can lose control on cheat days, leading to excessive overeating or emotional guilt, which can set off a binging behavior or guilt cycles.
- It can reinforce an unhealthy "good food versus bad food" mindset.
- Even one day with a high-calorie intake can cancel out a week's calorie deficit if not monitored.
- Overeating can make you feel sluggish or increase cravings the following days and disrupt your body's hunger signals.
If your stomach feels terrible and you are nauseated and sluggish due to what you have eaten, you will spend two or three days recovering from your cheat day. Then you’ll only have two or three “good days” of high function.
The bottom line is that cheat days can work if you stay on track overall, you don't fall into binge or guilt patterns, and you remain mindful of portion size and still feel you are in control.
Cheat days are probably not worth it if they cause shame, spirals, or throw off your goals, or you feel like you're constantly waiting for your next "fix." If you're unsure, it's often better to build in regular, moderate indulgences instead of going all-out once a week. You can work with a registered dietitian for ideas on how to build a meal plan that works for you and your goals.
For more tips on eating well, visit the Nourish section of the Be Well blog.
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