What is a cheat day? Understand what they mean, how often they happen, and how to make your diet more efficient!

Cheat days are important for efficient weight loss. Many people feel uneasy about this because they consume large amounts of calories, which goes against the purpose of dieting, but the effects cannot be underestimated. However, if you do cheat days with half knowledge, there is a possibility that you will rebound. In this article, we will discuss the theme of “cheat days,” explaining everything from their benefits to how to do them.

What is a cheat day?

The word “cheat” in “cheat day” comes from the English word “cheat,” which means “to deceive. In other words, a cheat day is a “day to cheat.” The purpose of a cheat day is to trick the body into accepting a low-calorie lifestyle and to keep it from becoming accustomed to a restricted diet. If a low-calorie diet is continued for a certain period of time, the body becomes accustomed to it and falls into a period of stagnation where weight loss stops. Therefore, it is essential for dieters to use cheat days in moderation to encourage the body to consume energy. Incidentally, it is also possible to be in a stagnant phase and not lose weight even after a month has passed, so do not be afraid to do cheat days.

About Stagnation Periods

Stagnation is caused by the human homeostatic effect. The homeostasis effect is a homeostatic function, a defense response to escape starvation by forcibly suppressing basal metabolism. It occurs after a certain period of low-calorie living, but the frequency of its occurrence varies from person to person, so it is necessary to judge for yourself whether you have entered a period of stagnation. An easy way to check is to measure your body temperature. When your body temperature drops about 1 degree below normal, you have entered a plateau period. Incidentally, the plateau phase tends to occur when calories are restricted on a low-carbohydrate diet or a low-fat diet. Ketogenic diets do not always reach a plateau because a certain amount of calories are ingested through fat, but there are also cheat days when a large amount of carbohydrates are ingested and fat energy is not accustomed to the diet.

What are the benefits of incorporating cheat days?

Here are some of the excellent points of cheat days, which are essential while dieting. It is common to feel guilty about consuming high calories when dieting. However, cheat days have many positive benefits, so please be proactive and adopt cheat days.

Advantages of Cheat Days (1) “Keeps you motivated to lose weight”

The most annoying thing when you are on a calorie-controlled diet is food restriction. Many people may feel a great deal of stress from not being able to eat the foods they like and from the hunger pangs caused by eating smaller portions of food. In addition, stress causes the secretion of cortisol, a stress hormone, which may further increase appetite and suppress growth hormone. This is where cheat days come in. This is a great way to relieve daily stress by eating a lot of food that you normally can’t eat without having to endure it. Furthermore, since there is no need to worry about going out to eat, you can go out to eat with friends without hesitation. If you set a cheat day in advance, you can look forward to that day, which will definitely help you get over your painful diet and exercise.

Advantage 2 of Cheat Day: “Keep your basal metabolism”

If you continue to live a low-calorie lifestyle, the homeostatic effect causes the body to try to cope with less energy on its own, resulting in a decrease in basal metabolic rate. The lower the basal metabolism, the lower the minimum amount of calories needed to live, and this leads to a vicious cycle in which you have to eat less than necessary to lose weight. This increases the likelihood of imbalanced nutrition and significant muscle loss, so it is in your best interest to reset your body with a cheat day to maintain your original basal metabolic rate. Keeping the basal metabolic rate is a major key to overcoming a period of stagnation.

Cheat Day Advantage 3: “Maintains the nutritional balance in your body.

While dieting generally suppresses carbohydrates and fats, reducing food intake tends to cause deficiencies in minerals and vitamins as well. Minerals and vitamins are essential for a healthy life and play a role in disease prevention. Therefore, it is important to consider the balance of nutrients and eat many foods when taking in many calories on a cheat day. Incidentally, during dieting, it is easy to lose sleep due to stress, and it is also easy to fall ill due to unbalanced nutrition. If this happens, your diet will be ruined, so it is important to take better care of your health during weight loss than usual.