Cheat meal on reduction - is it worth using cheated meals?

Cheat meal - what is it?

Cheat meal is a term derived from English. This is a conscious deviation from the guidelines and restrictions observed in order to temporarily consume previously prohibited foods, and then return to previously used eating practises. Cheat meal is usually a high-calorie meal that does not fit into the rules of the diet - it is a temporary violation of the existing restrictions, which is to increase the consumer's motivation to continue using the assumed nutritional plan.

Cheat meal is a term that can also be interpreted in the context of building muscle mass - then it is an unhealthy cheated meal, which is to mobilize the human body to use fat for energy purposes, without undesirable effects on muscle development.

Clean cheat meal and cheat day - what it is?

In addition to cheat meal, among people using reduction diets, you can often also meet the concept of cheat day. It's a term analogous to cheat meal, which means "deceived day". It is a day when you can loosen the current guidelines and unscrupulously eat your favourite dishes, including fast-food dishes, salty snacks or sweets.

Many people wonder what the energy supply looks like during the loosening of daily food restrictions. Cheat day - how many calories? Some data suggest that during a cheated day, the daily energy supply should not exceed 4000 kcal, while other analyses inform, that when eating high-calorie meals, should be maintained the same energy content of the menu as during the daily slimming diet.

Increasingly is also used clean cheat meal, that is, consumption of dietary, healthy food in much larger quantities. It is a variety of cheated meal, consisting in increasing the volume and portion of the dish traditionally consumed during the reduction diet.

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Cheat meal - advantages and disadvantages. Is cheat day good?

Cheat meal, as well as cheat day are deviations from the reduction diet, which can have a positive effect on the human psyche, contributing to the secretion of endorphins, called hormones of happiness, and thus to improve well-being and reduce emotional tension.

Foods consumed by man affect, among others, the hormonal balance of the body, affecting the level of leptin, insulin, as well as ghrelin or thyroid hormones. The use of a reduction diet can cause, among others, a decrease in the level of leptin in the human body, and thus increase the feeling of hunger. However, there is a leptin theory suggesting that the occasional inclusion in a restrictive menu of a high-calorie meal, which is a cheat meal, may contribute to an increase in leptin concentration in the body, and thus to a reduction in hunger. Interestingly, scientific research reports that a similar phenomenon can only occur due to the consumption of carbohydrates, not fats. Therefore, in theory, it can be stated that a cheat meal in the form of a waffle with whipped cream can reduce hunger, but a hamburger with chips will not affect the level of leptin in the body.

Many people also wonder if cheat day speeds up metabolism. The available data suggest that the human body can get used to the low-energy diet, and this can result in a slowdown in metabolism. Eating a high-calorie meal can stimulate a slowed metabolism, mobilizing the human body and accelerating fat burning. It is worth remembering that a temporary increase in metabolism may be the result of not only the consumption of high-calorie food, but also its digestion, absorption and transport of nutrients to the body, and the rate of metabolism may depend on the type of food consumed.

Despite numerous benefits, there are also data suggesting that both cheat meal and cheat day may adversely affect the functioning of the human body, contributing to the disorder of glucose-insulin metabolism in blood serum. The results of some analyses state that short periods of overeating may increase the risk of developing insulin resistance and metabolic diseases, including diabetes. Moreover, uncontrolled overeating can lead to a slowdown in metabolism and the opposite effect from the intended, increasing the risk of excess energy being deposited in the form of adipose tissue. Regularly practising a cheated day or meal can also increase the risk of developing an eating disorder, contributing to compulsive overeating.

Cheat meal on weight reduction

Weight reduction is a long-term process that requires consistent compliance with the energy deficit and taking into account physical activity in the daily plan of the day. When using a restrictive diet, the desire for favourite, but unhealthy food may increase, and cheat meal, as well as cheat day on weight reduction may seem like a helpful solution, enabling the satisfaction of the desire for an unhealthy snack, and at the same time providing a sense of security to a person using a reduction diet.

During weight loss, it is easy to fall into a vicious circle - the consumer reaches for a cheat meal, explaining to himself that it is an element of the diet. However, the feeling of fulfillment and relief after eating your favourite dish is temporary and short-lived, and immediately after it there are remorse and guilt. A person on a diet then decides to strictly comply with the required dietary restrictions, but when the desire to consume unhealthy products again appears, the consumer again reaches for them.

Sometimes a conscious deviation from the observed dietary restrictions, which is a cheat meal, becomes an impulse to abandon the diet - after the first "cheated meal" there is a desire for the next loosening of the reduction diet and over time, unhealthy snacks become the norm and after a healthy, low-energy diet, remains only a memory.

As a cheat meal, fast-food dishes are most often used - pizza, hamburger, fries and sweets - donuts, cookies and salty snacks, such as chips.

How to correctly use cheat meal day?

Cheat meal and cheat day may have a positive effect on the human body during the reduction diet, but short-term periods of excessive supply of high-energy foods may also be associated with negative consequences. So is it worth using cheat day and include in the cheat meal menu?

One of the disadvantages of a cheated meal is the lack of planning - a spontaneous cheat meal can contribute to a sense of lack of control, and thus can be conducive to making further nutritional mistakes. Therefore, it may be crucial to carefully plan and include a high-calorie meal in the menu, which is a deviation from the daily slimming diet. Thus, a spontaneous cheat meal turns into a planned meal or snack, which was included in the restrictive menu. Then the consumer can eat his favorite dish and satisfy his appetite without cheating and guilt.

However, it is worth giving up all-day overeating, referred to as cheat day - drastic loosening of dietary restrictions may contribute to excessive energy supply and increase the risk of total abandonment of the slimming diet observed so far.

Rules of using cheat meal

Change the naming - instead of a "cheated meal" that evokes negative associations and contributes to guilt, call your cheat meal a planned, favourite meal, which will facilitate persistence in the observed nutritional restrictions and will have a positive effect on the well-being of the consumer;
Keep common sense - allowing yourself to consume a high-calorie dish, be moderate and do not overeat without restraint;
Do not start the diet with a cheat meal - it is commonly recommended to use the first cheat meal the fastest after two weeks of using a slimming diet, but the later, the better;
Do not eat a cheated meal in the morning and in the evening, at dinner time - a significant portion of calories is best delivered to the body during the day so that the body can use the excess energy;
After a rich meal, include intense training in the plan of the day - to use a significant amount of calories delivered to the body along with a cheat meal, it is worth including high-intensity physical activity in the training plan, e.g. HIIT training;
Use cheat meal occasionally - do not include a rich, high-calorie meal in the menu every day or week. Try to reach for high-energy dishes as rarely as possible, for example once a month or less often;
Do not overeat - end the consumption of a cheated meal when you feel full. Also, do not eat your next meal until you feel hungry.

Remember that with a cheat meal it is easy to make a cheat day, and to cheat year the road is not far away. Therefore, consciously plan "cheated meals" in your menu, enjoy a delicious and healthy diet and enjoy the expected results!

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Natalia Goździak

Copywriter - nutritionist. Bachelor's degree in sports dietetics She graduated from the Academy of Physical Education in Poznan, while her master's degree in dietoprophylaxis and dietotherapy - from the University of Physical Education in Poznan. at UP in Poznań. However, she treats the principles of healthy eating primarily as valuable guidelines, rather than strict rules that must be strictly followed. Knowledge in the field of copywriting, on the other hand, she draws from courses and industry literature, but since the best way to learn is to practice. learning is practice, she spends many hours each day playing with words and creating new, unique content. content. Privately, she is passionate about photography and can't imagine life without books.