The day after your cheat day you should choose a high protein and veggie day. Cheat meals count tons of (bad) calories, so combine it with a low-calorie day after and it will help you to balance your calorie intake.
The day after your cheat day, make sure you drink more water than usual. This can help flush out the sugar, salt, and any other toxins you've ingested. Not only that, but drinking water can fill your stomach and stave off hunger so you won't overeat once again.
How many calories should I eat on a cheat day? 'There is not an exact number of calories that you can eat on a cheat day but a good guideline to follow is to not consume more than 150 per cent of your regular calorie intake/limit,' according to Bodies by Byrne, run by a nutritionist and fitness instructor.
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.
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. While some choose to go all out, some choose a less extreme version and increase their daily calorie intake with healthy, high-calorie foods.
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.
Many people scoff at the notion that having just one cheat day per week will ruin their fat-loss efforts, but it absolutely can.
The bottom line is that a 1000-1500 surplus of calories for a day means you'll only gain about 0.70-112 grams of fat. The scales might say you've gained more, but that's because of the water weight excess sodium and carbohydrates bring along with it.
The Benefits of Cheating
Research shows that after a cheat meal, the body increases its metabolism, causing you to burn calories faster. This is caused by increased levels of leptin, a hormone secreted by fat cells and responsible for maintaining energy balance in the body.
If you are indulging in cheat day treats too often, you're body will not have the deficit in calories it needs to lose fat stores. Cheat days should be done in moderation, and noting what foods you are intaking those days can help you avoid losing your fitness progress.
A cheat day is when you allow yourself an entire day of eating anything you want without counting calories or watching what you eat. It's something to look forward to, like a reward for being healthy and staying on track with your diet. Also, it helps to keep you from constantly feeling deprived.
Cheat meals can help the body get over the “famine” reaction by making it believe that “food” is available and it's okay to burn fat. Summing up, an ideal cheat meal should neither ruin your weight loss efforts, nor leave you with feelings of guilt afterwards.
With high amounts of carbohydrates, your body will release higher levels of insulin. This high level of insulin will typically result in low blood glucose levels after the meal. It's this low blood glucose that is causing your body to feel extra hungry.
Theoretically, eating 10,000 calories in a single day can make you gain up to 3 pounds (1.5 kilograms) of weight. That's quite a lot, and depending on your age, height, weight, etc., you'd need around 10 hours of intense exercise to burn it off.
The bottom line is if you eat 1,000 to 1,500 calories more than you need to maintain your weight in a single day, you'll probably only gain ⅕ to ¼ of a pound of fat, even if your scale weight tells a different story.
Some people can have cheat days once a week, others can do so once a month, while others should limit them even further. Lowe suggests once a year is good, because each day, people don't realize how many calories they are consuming.
To create a meal plan for a 5000 calorie diet, you need to follow this macros distribution: 15-20% protein, 20-25% fats, and 60-65% carbohydrates. Always opt for fresh and whole food when it is available. Stay away from processed food with little nutritious value as it will not help you reach your muscle gain goal.
For example, if your goal is to lose weight, you can have one cheat meal every 10 days to avoid boredom or a weight loss plateau, but if you believe your weight has plateaued, having a cheat day, in that case, is necessary to shock your metabolism.
Healthy weight gain of 1-2 pounds per week can be expected when reasonably increasing energy intake. It takes an excess of about 2,000 to 2,500 calories per week to support the gain of a pound of lean muscle and about 3,500 calories per week to gain a pound of fat.
If you're trying to lose weight, even with the cheat meal, the total calorie intake for the day should be between 1500-1600, not exceeding 1800 calories. A cheat meal should have its own rules that would help you achieve your target goal weight.
How Often Should Be Your Cheat Day? Since every weight loss program is unique, there is no conclusive response to this issue. However, most people recommend having a cheat day once a week. This will allow you to indulge without jeopardizing your diet or weight reduction objectives.
The concept emerged around the same time as 'clean eating', and is based on the idea that a dieter can 'cheat' for one day a week as long as they eat to their diet plan for the remaining six days. Social media has increased awareness of these days off, notably among those dieting to gain muscle.
Generally speaking, it takes about 3 days to go back down to pre-cheat day and then you lose another pound or so on the 4th and 5th day.