The Problem With The "Cheat Day" Mentality
The other day I posted on my Instagram my delicious and freshly baked croissant. I instantly received so many messages like “Nadine?? Cheat Day? Nadine! Aren’t croissants so high in fat and carbs? Nadine!!! How come you are eating croissant, aren’t you an athlete???”
Patience Nadine, be patient.
In a world where nutritionists are still giving pre-printed generic diet templates based on chicken, broccoli and some rice, I totally understand why the idea of cheat days would be tempting. I can’t blame people for thinking the way the do because diet culture is not getting any better. Juice detoxes, skinny teas, fad diets, snake diet (that is a real thing btw…). Anyways, let’s take a few minutes to discuss what cheat days are and how to break the mentality behind them!
So what exactly is a cheat day?
A phrase that’s been around the fitness and nutrition industry for years and years that refers to a day or meal where you can eat whatever you want, all you want. Cheat days usually happen on weekends, kind of like a reward for all the restriction and hard work that has been done earlier in the week. Sounds fair, but why are we not with the idea?
Cheat days encourage categorizing foods as good or bad, which sets up for moral highs and lows leading to feelings of guilt. Feelings of guilt, shame and hopelessness can birth a poor relationship with food.
You may hinder your fat loss progress by increasing overall calorie intake and decreasing overall caloric deficit. We have a great post about that, check it out over here to learn more!
Cheat days encourage the ALL OR NOTHING mentality instead of moderation and balance. When in the all or nothing mentality, most people no longer eat to satiety. Instead, “eat all you want just because you can”. Again, this could be problematic for someone who recovered or is currently recovering from an eating disorder.
Depending on the individual, it may be harder to re-commit to the nutrition plan after a day of all you can eat.
You may feel horrible, full, and lethargic at the end of the day. Dieting should help you FEEL GOOD, not just look good. Who wants to feel that way?
All the reasons mentioned above can eventually be damaging to an individual’s mentality around health and nutrition. Just because it is a trend, does not mean you should do it.
But why do people need cheat days?
First thing that needs to be done is identifying the root cause behind the need for cheat days. Is your nutrition plan extremely restrictive? If you believe that this is the best way for you to stay on track with your nutrition plan, then maybe your nutrition plan is not the most sustainable. Sustainability is everything.
Instead of cheat meals or cheat days, try:
Eating your favorite foods when it makes sense. AKA If It fits your macros (IIFYM). If you’re going out with your friends tonight and you know there’s going to be some good food, measure that out before hand. Plan your day of meals ahead of time so you can enjoy food without overthinking and feeling guilty.
Think HEALTH. Most of the time we are so focused on our physique, we are so focused on just calories that we tend to forget about our health. Think nourishment, think performance, think long term health.
Eat to satiety, not fullness. I remember during my old old days of cheat days I would eat THE WORLD because I could. I would feel absolutely terrible by the end of the night. Bloated, full, lazy, tired. It just was not worth it. Remember, be mindful and aware of your hunger cues and how you feel.
At AD, we’re all about flexible dieting. We do not want to promote food as bad or good. This is why we focus on educating our clients about nutrition, We are with the idea of teaching moderation, flexibility (IIFYM - If it fits your macros) and sustainability. We want our clients to make their own food choices with what they learned without feeling guilt or shame. It’s important to build a positive relationship with food, because that is a relationship that will last forever!
EDUCATION IS KEY!
Xx,
Nadine
“Education is liberation. Knowledge is power.”