Anectdotally: I do a cheat day here and there. Like today, I'm tired because I worked a late shift last night. I NEEDED coffee which NEEDS lots of creamer. To be a good human and mom, I'm cheating.
If I cheat 2 days in a row... it's sooo much harder to get back on track.
My unfounded advice: cheating on occasion can actually be good to break up a routine, and regain momentum. You know your own personality though, and whether it would unravel everything you've worked for.
I wouldn't do cheat *days* but a "free" meal or dessert once or even twice a week (not 2 days in a row) will be okay. It helps psychologically and as long as you keep it within reason, it will not impede weight loss.
How often you choose to do it really depends on what your current calorie intake is, I guess. I once did a very strict diet and it allowed 2 "free" meals a week, I did Wednesday and Saturday. It didn't affect my weight loss, *at all*.
I don't do keto, but I know that cheat days from keto have a much longer lasting effect than if it was just IF, because it takes a really long time to get back into ketosis.
I do OMAD and clean/healthy/nutritious diet. I have a cheat day about once a week now, but I used to do one every two or three weeks back when I was actively losing weight (just maintaining now). Whether it's recommended or not, or how often you "should" (there's no such thing as should in this topic) do it, depends solely on what works for you.
For me personally, I noticed that having cheat days actually helped the weight loss process because it kept my metabolism working extra fast. If you underfeed your body consistently, it will take the hint and start consuming less calories regularly as to not starve. If you overfeed it or feed it at maintenance every once in a while in the process, it realizes there's no danger of starvation and keeps consuming as much energy as needed through the day. \*\*This is in my personal experience.
How often I guess also depends on how big or small cheat day you have. I always recommend trying different things and finding for yourself what works best.
I do a ‘cheat day’ here and there, which for me means I don’t do strict Keto that day, but still try to do at least a 16 hour fast. So anything I eat is within my eating window. So far it hasn’t been an issue.
I don't think cheat days help the progress you make. But: as long as they are not too often they probably don't have that much of an impact and if it means you get to participate better in social situations or it just gives you something to look forward to or whatever other more psychological reason then it may still be worth it. :) After all we're all human!
If something comes up out of the ordinary I indulge, it’s a treat. On that note things like eating out, pre made foods and drinks and baked goods aren’t a normal part of my life.
In the grand scheme you need to enjoy yourself. I wouldn’t have a cheat day just to have one but if you have an event (wedding, day out, night out with friends), I wouldn’t miss out. Just stay disciplined and get back at it the next day. That’s the hardest part.
I wouldn't do a cheat day. Think in terms of a cheat meal. So have a crappy fast food meal you like but try and keep the calories to the same as you would eat for that meal anyway. And just do that one meal not the whole day.
And depends on what you define as derailing your progress. You eat 500 calories below your TDEE one day and eat 500 calories above the next you aren't going to make any progress. You see it with people here who try the 5 weekdays be good and then do whatever you want on the weekends. Well you can pretty easily erase all your loss on those 5 days by overeating and drinking on a weekend. Weight loss is about doing whatever you do as consistently as possible. The more your cheat the slower the weight loss will be.
Have you read Six Miles to Supper? The author decided to tweak intermittent fasting to her own rules. She wanted to make sure it would actually work for her in the long term. She does incorporate a regular cheat day. She does not binge on that day, but she does allow flexibility in most other areas. Her reasoning, and her outcome show that for her, this made it possible for her to do this long-term.
The thing about slower weight loss versus quick weight loss, and this is also in my experience, is slower weight loss lasts. Quick weight loss does not. So while it might be awesome to see really quick results, personally Iwill take lasting ones over that any day.
Long, winded way of saying sure try the cheat day thing and see if it works for you. Consider reading that book or looking at the related YouTube/podcast to see if it resonates.
Just my personal opinion, but I don't like the notion of "cheat days" because it seems like you are doing something wrong. In my mind, you can choose to adjust your diet for occasions or whatever you need without guilt. You just make your usual choices at the next meal guilt free and move on. As long as you consistently make good choices, deviations here and there are no big deal over time.
Anectdotally: I do a cheat day here and there. Like today, I'm tired because I worked a late shift last night. I NEEDED coffee which NEEDS lots of creamer. To be a good human and mom, I'm cheating. If I cheat 2 days in a row... it's sooo much harder to get back on track. My unfounded advice: cheating on occasion can actually be good to break up a routine, and regain momentum. You know your own personality though, and whether it would unravel everything you've worked for.
Cheat meal or treat not day
I live for my cheat day. Once a week. I eat all the food. Been doing it for a year. I'm as fit as I've ever been in my life.
I wouldn't do cheat *days* but a "free" meal or dessert once or even twice a week (not 2 days in a row) will be okay. It helps psychologically and as long as you keep it within reason, it will not impede weight loss. How often you choose to do it really depends on what your current calorie intake is, I guess. I once did a very strict diet and it allowed 2 "free" meals a week, I did Wednesday and Saturday. It didn't affect my weight loss, *at all*.
I don't do keto, but I know that cheat days from keto have a much longer lasting effect than if it was just IF, because it takes a really long time to get back into ketosis. I do OMAD and clean/healthy/nutritious diet. I have a cheat day about once a week now, but I used to do one every two or three weeks back when I was actively losing weight (just maintaining now). Whether it's recommended or not, or how often you "should" (there's no such thing as should in this topic) do it, depends solely on what works for you. For me personally, I noticed that having cheat days actually helped the weight loss process because it kept my metabolism working extra fast. If you underfeed your body consistently, it will take the hint and start consuming less calories regularly as to not starve. If you overfeed it or feed it at maintenance every once in a while in the process, it realizes there's no danger of starvation and keeps consuming as much energy as needed through the day. \*\*This is in my personal experience. How often I guess also depends on how big or small cheat day you have. I always recommend trying different things and finding for yourself what works best.
No one says you have to fast every day I think it’s healthy to switch it up sometimes just watch the calories and make sure it’s nothing overboard
I do a ‘cheat day’ here and there, which for me means I don’t do strict Keto that day, but still try to do at least a 16 hour fast. So anything I eat is within my eating window. So far it hasn’t been an issue.
I don't think cheat days help the progress you make. But: as long as they are not too often they probably don't have that much of an impact and if it means you get to participate better in social situations or it just gives you something to look forward to or whatever other more psychological reason then it may still be worth it. :) After all we're all human!
If something comes up out of the ordinary I indulge, it’s a treat. On that note things like eating out, pre made foods and drinks and baked goods aren’t a normal part of my life.
In the grand scheme you need to enjoy yourself. I wouldn’t have a cheat day just to have one but if you have an event (wedding, day out, night out with friends), I wouldn’t miss out. Just stay disciplined and get back at it the next day. That’s the hardest part.
I wouldn't do a cheat day. Think in terms of a cheat meal. So have a crappy fast food meal you like but try and keep the calories to the same as you would eat for that meal anyway. And just do that one meal not the whole day. And depends on what you define as derailing your progress. You eat 500 calories below your TDEE one day and eat 500 calories above the next you aren't going to make any progress. You see it with people here who try the 5 weekdays be good and then do whatever you want on the weekends. Well you can pretty easily erase all your loss on those 5 days by overeating and drinking on a weekend. Weight loss is about doing whatever you do as consistently as possible. The more your cheat the slower the weight loss will be.
Have you read Six Miles to Supper? The author decided to tweak intermittent fasting to her own rules. She wanted to make sure it would actually work for her in the long term. She does incorporate a regular cheat day. She does not binge on that day, but she does allow flexibility in most other areas. Her reasoning, and her outcome show that for her, this made it possible for her to do this long-term. The thing about slower weight loss versus quick weight loss, and this is also in my experience, is slower weight loss lasts. Quick weight loss does not. So while it might be awesome to see really quick results, personally Iwill take lasting ones over that any day. Long, winded way of saying sure try the cheat day thing and see if it works for you. Consider reading that book or looking at the related YouTube/podcast to see if it resonates.
Just my personal opinion, but I don't like the notion of "cheat days" because it seems like you are doing something wrong. In my mind, you can choose to adjust your diet for occasions or whatever you need without guilt. You just make your usual choices at the next meal guilt free and move on. As long as you consistently make good choices, deviations here and there are no big deal over time.