Cheat Days - necessity or reward?

[Groundhog2109]

I read that while cutting, you should take one day out of the week to cheat (burgers, fries, watever). Is this so you dont go overload and start binge eating (psychological) or is it to confuse your metabolism so that your body (physical) still burns at a really high fast rate despite intaking less calories throughout the week?

Today is technically my cheat day but Im perfectly fine just eating pasta + chicken with veggies. Im not a bad cook

[wave_length]

Mostly psychological. As long as intended rate of weight change is met, no problem.

[CharliC]

Cheat days are really to make sticking to a calorie deficit diet more viable. They're good for you psychologically. In terms of shaking up your metabolism, they aren't really necessary. Providing your not overdoing the deficit, your body doesn't adjust to food in the same way it adjusts to exercise.

So if you feel like having one fine. Similarly, if you're not bothered, that's fine too.

[Gabriel01]

Mostly psychological. As long as intended rate of weight change is met, no problem.

exactly. well said.

[Vietgoboi]

depends on how indepth your goal is for cutting.

With diet of 40/40/20 you can go w/o a cheat.

If your on low carb diet. I say every few 7-14 days go for cheat. Its all about timing.

[libert]

Rather don't be afraid of implementing "dirty" food into your everyday diet while keeping the overall calorie intake the same and getting enough protein.

Cheat meals tend to fcuk up your mindset if you have them too often, uncontrolled.

[Sixpack]

They are not a must, have them if you want them , if not don't have them

[Revved]

I just go by feel. if i really need it then i would have them, otherwise i just carry on what i normally eat

[belairdfence99]

a reward

[thebasil]

cheat DAYS imo will do more damage than good for most people asking this question. meals are fine, but entire days can really screw with you psychologically

[IrishPilot]

What do you guys think about a cheat day (cutting) wherein you still eat "clean" and within macros, except you go back to maintenance for a day instead of staying at your deficit?

Many people often say that a single spike to your metabolism like that is good to keep the weight loss going (many cite chemical-physical reasons, psychological, etc.) Just curious...

[PTN_old]

i love them but i always go overboard.. so i try to cut them out except for every 2/3 weeks.. damn my lack of will power.

[Robby Coker]

I read that while cutting, you should take one day out of the week to cheat (burgers, fries, watever). Is this so you dont go overload and start binge eating (psychological) or is it to confuse your metabolism so that your body (physical) still burns at a really high fast rate despite intaking less calories throughout the week?

Both.

Today is technically my cheat day but Im perfectly fine just eating pasta + chicken with veggies. Im not a bad cook

Just stick with what you're doing for now and cheat only if you feel you need to.

As has always been said,

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[tuffnuts]

I believe its more psychological than anything else.To me if you are dieting/cutting, just manipulate your macros within reason to accomplish that goal. People get so caught up in the idea of "cheating". Dieting and "cheating" for me don't go together. If you get to a point where you feel like you have to eat fast foood or complete crap then you either went from one extreme to the other too quickly or you just aren't psychologically prepared enough to handle a real cut. There is some truth to keeping your metabolism guessing but that can mean simple carb cycling, not eating everything in sight.

[THE_TRUTH86]

necessary for the psychological point of view. staying clean everday is extremely easy for me but for the common person or "newbie" they cannot and find it hard to eat clean everyday. So the occasional cheat meal or cheat day as they call it, should be utilized. I eat clean on a normal basis because i dont really have a sweet tooth i love spicy foods just by adding some hot sauce, that makes me happy. I love the burn.
Look at is as a reward too because it is basically you rewarding yourself for staying motivated and fit

[AndrewWard123]

cheat DAYS imo will do more damage than good for most people asking this question. meals are fine, but entire days can really screw with you psychologically

Sif!

It's fine to eat 10,000 calories or more on a cheat day!

Just don't be a dick and make a post here about how guilty you feel