Why you should take a cheat day from your diet, and how many calories to eat (2024)

FAQs

How many calories should I consume on a cheat day? ›

However, it's recommended that you shouldn't exceed 150% of your usual calorie intake for the day. It's suggested that you would have to overeat by 500 calories a day to gain one pound of fat a week, meaning your occasional cheat day really shouldn't make too much of a difference to your goals overall.

A so-called cheat day can also add multiple thousands of calories to your weekly total. Yes, you consumed 1200 Calories on many days—but your daily caloric average may be north of 1800. Depending on your body size and activity level, that may mean no—or just very slow—fat loss.

As an easier way to plan out cheat meals, nutritionists often recommend the 80/20 Rule. When following this rule, 80 percent of the meals you eat should be healthy and adhere to your eating plan, while the other 20 percent give you the flexibility to satisfy your cravings.

Single cheat day can stack up to 5,000 calories. And if you do the math, that's a pound of fat gained every single cheat day.

If you eat 1500 calories daily and 3000 calories on Saturdays (or another cheat day of choice), your metabolism will experience a small boost and your will burn more calories on “normal” days. Just do your best to lower the glycemic index of the cheat meals so you burn them more slowly and absorb less as fat.

However, just one cheat day won't completely throw your diet off track and it doesn't necessarily mean you'll gain weight. 3,500 calories equal 1 pound, so you'd have to overeat by 3,500 calories in one night to gain that pound.

After 1 year, those eating 1,200–1,500 calories per day experienced an average weight loss of 15 pounds (6.8 kilograms). However, 23% of the 4,588 people following the 1,200-calorie diet dropped out of the study ( 7 ).

“Cheat day calories can add up fast and bring your weight loss progress to a screeching halt — or even reverse it,” Taylor warns. “What's the point of working hard all week to create a calorie deficit, just to undo it completely with a calorie splurge on the weekend?”

In order to lose at least a pound a week, try to do at least 30 minutes of physical activity on most days, and reduce your daily calorie intake by at least 500 calories. However, calorie intake should not fall below 1,200 a day in women or 1,500 a day in men, except under the supervision of a health professional.

Can I eat pizza on cheat day? ›

Cheat days mean you can have pizza for breakfast, ice cream for lunch and burgers and fries for dinner! On a cheat day, you are allowed to eat whatever you want. It is possible that you may not count the calories as on a normal day.

A cheat day causes some large weight increases, but weight because of water, not fat. Depending on what kind of diet you were on, loading up on carbs on a cheat day can increase your weight noticeably. If you were trying to lose fat, you likely were trying to cut carbohydrates out of your diet.

You'd gain more initially (salt, water weight and that volume equals 7–12 lbs on the scale) but not all calories will be absorbed and the thermic effect of food will be going haywire. You'll be full as hell the next few days and naturally eat less. A week later, you'll be up a half pound or so.

For example, if your daily caloric intake is 2000 calories and your intake on cheat days increases to 4000 or 5000 calories, then, despite the increased leptin levels and metabolism, you are bound to put on weight.

It will make you fat if you choose not to burn out your extra calories through exercise. But, going on a cheat day just a once won't actually make you fat as fat accumulation is along process. If you want to observe a cheat day, you can. But make sure you burn the calories.

Sure, you should try to maintain a normal intake on your cheat days, but that doesn't mean you should go overboard. You can enjoy some foods you might not incorporate on most days. However, if 2,500 is not your usual calorie intake, this larger amount of calories may leave you feeling sick with a stomach upset.