Of the many difficult things that one has to do, losing weight is one of the most complicated tasks one can opt for. Exercising daily, restricting yourself from eating junk food while also managing your daily life and working one’s fingers to the bone, all of it becomes so monotonous, tedious and eventually frustrating. Sadly, it is not like we can give up in the middle. We have to go through it repeatedly no matter what the situation. In simple words, this hard work is inevitable. But, we still need to find the motivation that keeps us going. We need to figure out a way that generates the will to strive harder as we proceed on our journey to weight loss. This brings us to our topic of discussion – Cheat day diet. You surely must have heard of it. Considered to be a popular source of motivation, let’s find out if it is really helpful or just a dilemma.

WHAT IS A CHEAT DAY?

It is referred to as a scheduled break in a diet. From the moment we embark on our weight loss journey, we are supposed to and even forced to consume healthy food items only. Yes, that means no junk food at all. And let’s face it, unhealthy food is definitely the tastiest.
After all the struggle one goes through by refraining oneself from eating what is desired, there feels a need to have a break and do whatever we want, eat whatever we like, be it healthy or not. This particular day is referred to as Cheat day.

ADVANTAGES OF CHEAT DAY

This segment is all about why you have cheat days from time to time.
1. It provides you mental relief from strict diet plans.
2. It provides you motivation to stick to your weight loss plans.
3. It can replenish glycogen to produce energy in the body.
4. It can be helpful in resetting hormones responsible for metabolism.
5. It can end your craving for unhealthy food.
6. It can provide you energy for intense cheat day workouts.

DISADVANTAGES OF CHEAT DAY
This segment tells why you shouldn’t encourage cheat days or cheat meals.
1. It can promote unhealthy eating habits like late night snacking, binge eating.
2. It can trigger problems like eating disorders and so on.
3. It can develop food addiction.
4. It can be disempowering.
5. It might become the reason for intensified food cravings.
6. It can cause overeating.
7. It can cause problems like stomach ache, diarrhea, constipation.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. Is it possible to have a cheat day when following a keto diet plan for weight loss?
Cheat day in keto diet plans are forbidden. It is so because they can easily disrupt
the ketosis – metabolic state that's the hallmark of the diet. If you want to have a
cheat day, all you will be allowed is keto-friendly cheat meals, which by the way
aren’t any different from normal keto meals.

2. Cheat day or cheat meal – which is better?
It is mostly a matter of choice. However, certain researches have shown that cheat
meals are better than cheat days. This is so because when a person has a cheat meal,
it is natural that they may overeat. Having a day full of cheat meals can disrupt the
appropriate calorie intake.

3. How many cheat day calories are fine? How much cheating is not cheating?
Studies have shown that consuming no more than 1500 calories on a cheat day
cannot affect your weight.
4. How many cheat days a month are fine?
There isn’t any specified number for cheat days or cheat meals. However, if you are
striving to lose weight, limit yourself to having one cheat day in a week.
5. Is cheat day in diet plans suggested by diet coaches?
Nobody knows your hard work better than your guides or coaches. Therefore, even
they let you cheat on your strict diet plan, once or twice in a month. They
themselves suggest an appropriate cheat day diet plan for their pupils.

CONCLUSION

The concept of cheat day is way more popular than one can possibly imagine. For all thosewho are religiously devoted to healthy diets in order to lose weight, cheat days are a sigh of relief. It is definitely a source of motivation as long as you know exactly how much cheating
is not cheating. The moment you cross the threshold, it becomes more of a con than a pro. It can be a triggering factor for people with emotional, binge or disordered eatingtendencies. Which ultimately means that even a cheat day diet needs to be planned
appropriately. To cut a long story short, cheat days or cheat meals are fine as long as you can control the calorie intake. Plan your cheat diets smartly and you are good to go!