Ok, so what happens if you cut 500 calories every day of the week consistently, (let's say taking in 2100 a day) with no cheating and you have one set cheat day a week, like Saturday. Then, on Saturday you eat 5,000 calories. Have you just destroyed your weeks worth of progress? Or does the body somehow work on "trends" and burn right through those extra cheat calories?
cheat day
- Thread starter philsaigon
- Start date
According to your description, you'd be at a deficit of 500 calories for 6 days...
6 * 500 = 3000 calorie deficit
assuming your maintenance is 2600 (2100 + 500), Sunday's calorie intake would be
5000 - 2600 = 2400 calorie surplus
3000-2400 = 600 calories (which is about 1/6th of a pound), so you'd be effectively be reducing 6 days of clean eating to 1.
6 * 500 = 3000 calorie deficit
assuming your maintenance is 2600 (2100 + 500), Sunday's calorie intake would be
5000 - 2600 = 2400 calorie surplus
3000-2400 = 600 calories (which is about 1/6th of a pound), so you'd be effectively be reducing 6 days of clean eating to 1.
Yep yep, don't shoot yourself in the foot and make it a whole day, you will hinder results tremendously.
Agreed...
A cheat should be one portionized meal that you would otherwise not normally eat on a day of dieting. I always make sure I get in my protein requirement in for a cheat meal as well.
Why "Cheat Day?" It should be cheat meal, instead.
If I got the "cheat meal" concept down correctly, it should be fitted around your daily calories intake. So your 2100 cals diet should be taken into account when eating your cheat meal. Exceeding it by a little might be good, but by going nearly 3000 over it, that's like the, "I want to be unfit again"-Meal.
If I got the "cheat meal" concept down correctly, it should be fitted around your daily calories intake. So your 2100 cals diet should be taken into account when eating your cheat meal. Exceeding it by a little might be good, but by going nearly 3000 over it, that's like the, "I want to be unfit again"-Meal.
you might be right
You might be right. But I'm not so sure that it's as simple as adding up the extra calories of one day and then spreading them back across the week.
You might be right. But I'm not so sure that it's as simple as adding up the extra calories of one day and then spreading them back across the week.
Maybe not, but you are still contradicting your hard work from other days. On other days, your body is turning to fat reserves to make up for the deficit of 500 calories. On the day you eat a large pizza, your body will have a carb and fat overload, and store a good portion of it as fat, completely wasting the small chunks you burned during the week. Thats the way I try to think of it.
B
BwayBaby
Guest
I know a friend who did something like this for a while
My friend cut calories during the week so she could binge drink on the weekend without gaining weight. Although she didn't gain wait, she didn't have much fun either. She was always lethargic, always getting over the weekend, making up up for it or getting ready for it. If you focus that much attention on one thing your life is sure to be miserable.
My friend cut calories during the week so she could binge drink on the weekend without gaining weight. Although she didn't gain wait, she didn't have much fun either. She was always lethargic, always getting over the weekend, making up up for it or getting ready for it. If you focus that much attention on one thing your life is sure to be miserable.
Yeah I'm sure you're all right. I try not to go crazy on a cheat day, but I do like to have one day where I can just relax a bit, eat a few things I don't normally eat, or extra of the healthy stuff, and not have to record everything. Maybe in the future I'll be strong enough to limit it to just a meal... Anyway, thanks for the input.
My parents did Body for Life a couple years back, I don't know how much my dad lost, but my mom lost 55 pounds. They ate well and worked out everyday except for one cheat day. They ate basically whatever they wanted the whole day. They just spent a lot of time in the loo afterwards... =P
Good question. I don't count it as a cheat if I end up staying within the right numbers and have at least a decent ratio. To me, it would still be a cheat if I made the right total calories, but my ratios were like 50% fat, 40% carb, and 10% protein.
Being in a caloric deficit does not "necessarily" mean the body is taping into its fat stores. The body can and will turn to muscle tissue when a deficit is present. This is modified and reduced when weight training when deficit dieting, but not completely eliminated.
For most healthy persons, one can eat JUNK (hypothetically), exercise, and as long as the law of energy balance tips to the negative side more often than not, one will lose-----tissue.
For most persons, and largely dependent on several factors, one can cheat on a meal or two, and IF it falls within the caloric limitations (on the deficit side), the body (when things are considered equal), will have no choice but to look for more energy (calorie) else where. The draw back in most cheat meals (not all of them, if a PLAN is in place for these times), is the nutrients can cause some negative effects on the goal being sought after (these nutrients can dependent on what was eaten), hamper recovery and things needed by the body for various other operations.
When deficit dieting, the body and the mind is going to crave certain things the person KNOWS they shouldnt have. What I dont understand, is why persons act on a whim instead of embracing this normal craving and have a carefully selected plan altered to the these individual impulses, instead of acting so suprised and unprepared mentally for them. If one changes eating habits different from the past, the body and mind is going to resist you---because, well, its different than what its used to (and its no different than when training, you try something different, sometimes you get sore, eh?). Therefore, given time you and the body will adapt together if you embrace these cravings the right way.
For most healthy persons, one can eat JUNK (hypothetically), exercise, and as long as the law of energy balance tips to the negative side more often than not, one will lose-----tissue.
For most persons, and largely dependent on several factors, one can cheat on a meal or two, and IF it falls within the caloric limitations (on the deficit side), the body (when things are considered equal), will have no choice but to look for more energy (calorie) else where. The draw back in most cheat meals (not all of them, if a PLAN is in place for these times), is the nutrients can cause some negative effects on the goal being sought after (these nutrients can dependent on what was eaten), hamper recovery and things needed by the body for various other operations.
When deficit dieting, the body and the mind is going to crave certain things the person KNOWS they shouldnt have. What I dont understand, is why persons act on a whim instead of embracing this normal craving and have a carefully selected plan altered to the these individual impulses, instead of acting so suprised and unprepared mentally for them. If one changes eating habits different from the past, the body and mind is going to resist you---because, well, its different than what its used to (and its no different than when training, you try something different, sometimes you get sore, eh?). Therefore, given time you and the body will adapt together if you embrace these cravings the right way.
Last edited: