Do “Cheat Days” work?

Due to its popularity in memes and social media it is common to hear the question do cheat days actually work? We are going to explain what a cheat day, is, what the benefits are and also how cheat days can be bad if not correctly understood.

What is a cheat day?

Firstly, it is important to note that they are exclusively intended for people on weight loss diet plans. Cheat days refer to when you deviate away from your diet's rules, namely calorie restriction. In other words, you can take a break from your diet for one day.

This idea sounds a bit counter intuitive, doesn't it?

Why does a cheat day work?

The main benefit that most people can agree upon is that by having a day where you can take a break from your diet there can be positive psychological impacts. For many people this gives them an extra incentive to stick to their meal plan for the rest of the week and therefore make their diet more sustainable. It is a common occurrence to hear of people trying to follow very strict diets without breaks and then fail to sustain their plan for a sufficient amount of time to get results and hit their weight loss goals. The primary method for fat loss and losing weight in general is being on a calorie restricted diet, therefore it is important to find a way to feel comfortable consistently doing this for a sustained period of time. Since calories are the most important aspect of a weight loss programme it is therefore important to not go totally crazy when “deviating from your diet plan”...

When cheat days go bad

Going too crazy with the idea of eating whatever you want will impact the good work you have done before. You see some people posting pictures of their cheat day on instagram showing very large boxes of doughnuts that they are supposedly going to eat. We definitely do not recommend that you try doing this. And besides, unfortunately many people lie on their instagram posts in order to achieve more likes and comments but in reality are actually doing something different.

“So how many calories should I be eating then?!”

You should be eating no more calories than what is deemed your “maintenance level” of calories (the amount of calories where you neither lose nor gain weight- see our calorie calculator for more information). If you eat your maintenance level of calories then your cheat day won't eat into your hard work and progress made during the rest of the week. This will keep you on path to reaching your weight loss target.

A good tactic is to have one cheat meal that you truly enjoy (even if it's chocolate or other snacks) and then take care for the rest of day with what you eat. A good idea would be to reserve your cheat meal for a social occasion such as going out with your friends or family for dinner and not have to worry about your diet... If you think of having a cheat meal or two as opposed to a cheat day you are less likely to fall into these common pitfalls.

Are cheat days necessary?

Given that the most common purpose of having a cheat day is to help people adhere to their diets for long enough to see results then the answer is it depends. If you are someone that can perfectly manage without a cheat day then that's perfectly fine. Cheat days are only necessary if you need that extra incentive to consistently follow your weight loss diet plan.

Not only does your personality affect the answer to this question but also so does the type of diet that you are following. Rigid, super low calorie diets are not very sustainable therefore adding a cheat day could help you follow such a plan for longer. Alternatively, another option would be to kick off your plan with a rigid super low calorie diet such as PMSF or Atkins Phase 1 and then after a few weeks change to a more sustainable plan (such as Flexible Dieting and the 5:2 Diet).

In summary

  • Cheat days can keep you motivated and help you stick to your diet
  • Eat whatever you like but make sure your total calorie intake is not above your “maintenance” calorie level (find your maintenance limit here)
  • Cheat days can help if you sometimes feel like your diet is affecting your social life
  • You don't have to have a cheat day to lose weight