What to do after a cheat day (2024)

FAQs

What to do after a cheat day? ›

Sixteen hours of fasting post your cheat meal is an effective way to break the craving cycle and achieve discipline again. The day after your cheat day, choose a high protein and veggie plan; it will help to keep your insulin from spiking. Try to choose a low-calorie, high-fibre food to balance your cheat meals.

Sixteen hours of fasting post your cheat meal is an effective way to break the craving cycle and achieve discipline again. The day after your cheat day, choose a high protein and veggie plan; it will help to keep your insulin from spiking. Try to choose a low-calorie, high-fibre food to balance your cheat meals.

In order to gain a pound of fat, you would need to add about 500 calories a day on top of your normal diet, every day, for about 7 days. This makes gaining any significant amount of fat from even the craziest all-out cheat days extremely unlikely.

Oftentimes after a cheat day or a binge, people think that they need a “reset” so they decide to restrict food the next day. However, fasting after a binge can backfire and perpetuate the binge-restrict cycle. It can lead to intense cravings and an obsession with food.

Consumption of lemon and honey water early in the morning stimulates the digestive system and boosts your metabolism. Honey helps soothe the digestive tract and also fights infections present in the stomach. You can also try detox teas like chamomile or ginger tea as they help in improving digestion.

While your metabolism may go up in the immediate aftermath of a splurge, it doesn't stay that way for long enough to make a significant difference. “Cheat day calories can add up fast and bring your weight loss progress to a screeching halt — or even reverse it,” Taylor warns.

If you need to recover from a cheat day, participate in some form of movement, but resist the urge to exercise to burn off the calories you consumed. This mentality feels punishing and won't motivate you to exercise most days. Instead, pick something you like to do and work out for the amount of time you have.

While many dieters think of cheat day as a well-deserved reward, nutritionists say there are downsides to it. Some disadvantages of having a cheat day on keto include getting knocked out of ketosis and hindering further weight loss.

At 16 hours post-"cheat" meal (or less if you find that you need to break your fast early), now it's time to eat a meal that will further emphasize blood glucose stabilization. These are meals that provide a good amount of protein and fat while minimizing insulin producing carbohydrates.

Increase Your Water Consumption

This step is one of the most important things to do after a cheat on your diet. Drinking water will help you lose the water weight you gained.

Does your metabolism increase after a cheat day? ›

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.

'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.

it takes at least 3–5 days before your weight gets back to normal, your body wont deal with a large amount of calorie surplus that easy. even if you eat 1000 calore above your maintenance calorie, you will gain, but thats most likely water retention.

Don't weigh yourself for at least 2-3 days after cheat day. As long as you do everything right, you should still make progress after this period. Remember, for every gram of carb your consume, your body holds nearly 3 grams of water. Plan for extra water the day after your cheat meal.

This stresses the body and often leads to fatigue, irritability, headache and decreased alertness. Depending on caloric intake and frequency, cheat days can slow, impede and even reverse your progress. When you think about it, a diet has two goals. One is to reach a healthful weight.