The Problem with Cheat Days According to Dietitians
This post was written by Jessica Manginelli, dietetic intern and reviewed by Hannah Thompson, RDN, LD, CPT and Emily Krause, MS, RDN, LD
The idea of cheat and non-cheat days seems, in of itself, a logical choice. It allows you to have flexibility, not have to be perfect everyday, and allows for a little bit of life to happen. But in reality, it is not that simple and cheat days may not have all the benefits they appear to have
What are cheat days?
Cheat days are normally referred to days that someone is “allowed” to eat whatever foods they would. This is generally because someone is following a strict diet or restricting in some way and then on cheat days can “let go” of those rules. Oftentimes this falls on a weekend, a special event, or even just a specific day of the week where it is decided there is “no guilt” in any food choices. Oftentimes this is a day that is preplanned and looked forward to in the days prior and can be thought of as a source of motivation. For example, “I have to be good for the next few days because then I can finally let go on Friday.” Cheat days often are used as a “reward” for close adherence to the diet and oftentimes need to be earned. (“I have been so good lately, I definitely deserve a cheat day tomorrow.”)
What’s the problem with cheat days?
Although it may sound like cheat days are a nice way to have balance instead of strictly following a restrictive diet every single day, the fluctuation can be just as damaging. When someone is dieting or restricting their food in any way that person’s body goes into survival mode. The body is so afraid that it will never get food again and will obsessively think and crave more food. The increase in hunger hormones will make every time that they do eat more frantic and rushed because the body thinks this is the only chance they might have to eat again. Now when the person has a cheat day, those hunger hormones are at a maximum because they have been restricting for so long now and finally have access to the amount, or types of food they have been wanting the whole time. This very often leads to overeating and can even make someone feel sick.
This binge type behavior can also lead to intense feelings of guilt and shame if the person feels like they have fallen “so far off track” and then pushes them to heavily diet and restrict again, only continuing the cycle. Also, the idea of having to “earn” a cheat day because of perfect behavior on non cheat days can make following the diet very discouraging. It may lead to thoughts of “well I had a doughnut earlier today when my co-worker offered it to me so now today might as well be a cheat day.” Striving for perfection with food almost always leads to unneeded stress and anxiety and isn’t beneficial for overall health.
So what should I do instead?
Instead of having perfect and imperfect days, try instead to have fair to good days everyday. Having a balance of foods that you enjoy and make you feel good will not only improve your physical health but also improve your mental health. Taking the stress of perfection away from eating means that you can enjoy other aspects of your life and not have to constantly focus on food. If weight gain is a concern go ahead and check out the blog on Non Scale Victories to learn more.
Summary
Overall cheat days and restrictive eating are not healthy patterns to follow and can cause worsened stress, overeating/ binging, and a poor relationship with food. Cheat days make people think about food in an all or nothing mindset which can decrease the quality of their diet, and overall are not recommended. A balance of all foods and consistency day to day is the best method for having a healthy relationship with food and overall a healthy lifestyle.
Be sure to check out our blog post on non-scale victories.
Want to work with a registered dietitian to find a more sustainable approach to your health? Work with Emily or Hannah.
