Okay gang...cheat day...advice

[wombraider93]

Going on my second week of dieting and last week was more of a slope into dieting I started to eat healthy cut out most of the sweet tea but had a glass or two along with some sugary foods. Stepped on the scale last night and I'm down 4 pounds. This weeks diet was very strict I followed my 2500 calorie a day deficit perfectly leaving 20-50 calories to spare. However I can tell that I am tiring much faster than usual I had to motivate myself to get to the gym yesterday and today. My question is this weekend is tax free and I want to destroy some Cheesecake Factory should I have a whole cheat day? Or just a cheat meal. Will this help me regain my energy?

 

[3clipseGT]

Going on my second week of dieting and last week was more of a slope into dieting I started to eat healthy cut out most of the sweet tea but had a glass or two along with some sugary foods. Stepped on the scale last night and I'm down 4 pounds. This weeks diet was very strict I followed my 2500 calorie a day deficit perfectly leaving 20-50 calories to spare. However I can tell that I am tiring much faster than usual I had to motivate myself to get to the gym yesterday and today. My question is this weekend is tax free and I want to destroy some Cheesecake Factory should I have a whole cheat day? Or just a cheat meal. Will this help me regain my energy?

If your going to cheat, limit it to a cheat meal. There is no reason for a cheat day IMO. I wouldnt expect it to do a whole lot but thats just my opinion. Cheat days never did much for me outside of a better pump the next day and relieve some stress.

 

[gokix811]

If your going to cheat, limit it to a cheat meal. There is no reason for a cheat day IMO. I wouldnt expect it to do a whole lot but thats just my opinion. Cheat days never did much for me outside of a better pump the next day and relieve some stress.

2nd this. Cheat days can end up as an all out binge. No bueno if you're looking to keep losing weight. My suggestion is to keep breakfast and lunch normal, then have a cheat dinner. You'll be full, happy, and sleepy. Then resume with your diet the following day.

 

[wombraider93]

So one cheat meal a week is good? And can I have some sweet tea?

 

[RecompMan]

Look into doing refeeds with low fat moderate protein and high carb. Do it at +500-750 of current caloric intake and hit the gym hard the next day with compound movements and some hiit. Then be back on track

 

[3clipseGT]

So one cheat meal a week is good? And can I have some sweet tea?

You can do one cheat meal a week or refeed like EBF has said above me.

I typicaly tell people to limit the cheat meal to 45 minutes and then shut it down. Yes sweet tea is ok.

Now if your going refeed meal then you can do this a number of ways but its typicaly cleaner.

 

[Iron Warrior]

I would limit it to a meal if you gorge on that meal

 

[rhoadx]

agree with everyone else. best to make it your last meal of the day or else your gonna be craving the "cheat" food all day

 

[veaderko]

I know popularity is to do it as a last meal. But have you seen what effects a single cheat meal will have on you based on when you have it. I know a few people that do it firat thing in the morning mostly because they prefer going to a big breakfast, but they have said it helps them with energy throughout the day and push harder that night in the gym. Not saying to do it that way, but there are ways to make a cheat meal work beat for you.
If your able to a refeed meal is always best, and in the way I'm talking its keeping with your diet but one of those meals increase the carbs by double.
I do agree that limiting to one meal is best so as to not feel like complete crap. That was my experience with a whole day of cheating.

 

[RecompMan]

I know popularity is to do it as a last meal. But have you seen what effects a single cheat meal will have on you based on when you have it. I know a few people that do it firat thing in the morning mostly because they prefer going to a big breakfast, but they have said it helps them with energy throughout the day and push harder that night in the gym. Not saying to do it that way, but there are ways to make a cheat meal work beat for you.
If your able to a refeed meal is always best, and in the way I'm talking its keeping with your diet but one of those meals increase the carbs by double.
I do agree that limiting to one meal is best so as to not feel like complete crap. That was my experience with a whole day of cheating.

I do my cheat meal after a hard workout on a lagging body part

 

[3clipseGT]

I know popularity is to do it as a last meal. But have you seen what effects a single cheat meal will have on you based on when you have it. I know a few people that do it firat thing in the morning mostly because they prefer going to a big breakfast, but they have said it helps them with energy throughout the day and push harder that night in the gym. Not saying to do it that way, but there are ways to make a cheat meal work beat for you.
If your able to a refeed meal is always best, and in the way I'm talking its keeping with your diet but one of those meals increase the carbs by double.
I do agree that limiting to one meal is best so as to not feel like complete crap. That was my experience with a whole day of cheating.

This is another way to do it as well. Eat the cheat or refeed meal AM and train a lacking body part in the PM.

 

[Tomahawk88]

I prefer to spread it out over 6 to 8 hours. Then again during the week I am doing under 30 usable grams of carbs a day if I am doing that kind of refeed.

 

[AdonisBelt]

Bane wouldn't do a cheat day. He'd keep his priorities focused, not reward himself with food, and have a refeed day of +300 calories from carbs.

 

[braxbrah]

Surely cheat days just depend on glycogen sores? If you are eating say under 100g of carbs a day your muscles a likely to be depleted, a cheat day would be " high carb" and that would fill you up before you start burning + depleting those levels again, depending on the levels of carbs you put in. I can see a benefit in that it would boost the metabolism and make you fuller/stronger for the next few days though and as long as you are under maintenance for the week you'll be losing weight and giving yourself a nice treat. Carb cycling would be better and more controlled though rather than a cheat day though and I would take this approach.

 

[AdonisBelt]

Surely cheat days just depend on glycogen sores? If you are eating say under 100g of carbs a day your muscles a likely to be depleted, a cheat day would be " high carb" and that would fill you up before you start burning + depleting those levels again, depending on the levels of carbs you put in. I can see a benefit in that it would boost the metabolism and make you fuller/stronger for the next few days though and as long as you are under maintenance for the week you'll be losing weight and giving yourself a nice treat. Carb cycling would be better and more controlled though rather than a cheat day though and I would take this approach.

I see it as more important to assess your personal capacity to store glycogen rather than how much has been depleted.