How Does A Cheat Day Impact Your Fitness Regime?

Hi all, hope everyone is going well. Now, if you have been following health and fitness for a while, you might realise that many people have many opinions about cheat days. Well, today’s guest post talks precisely about this topic. Here goes:

Many fitness enthusiasts and super-fit celebs rave about their cheat days or cheat meals. It appears that a weekly cheat day helps people remain motivated to achieve their fitness goals. The break from a restricted diet plan raises their spirit, as it allows them to indulge for a bit.

There are no rules, standards, or limitations for a cheat day, which is why its impact on different people varies. It all depends upon what a cheat day is for you, i.e. what you will eat and how much of it on this specific day?

Restrictive diets are rather dull and hard to keep up with; some of them are the embodiment of bad faith insurance. Many of them subtract major food groups from your meals, which in fact deteriorates health in the long run. The best diets are those that encourage subjects to eat everything in moderation and exercise on a daily basis. You wouldn’t even need a cheat day if you know how to maintain a balanced diet, control your portions, and burn off surplus calories.

The cheat day usually works better for people who are trying to maintain their current weight and shape. It could be disastrous for someone obese, striving day and night to get rid of the excess fat. It may or may not make a difference for someone who is trying to gain weight or build muscle. At the end of the day, impact of a cheat day syncs with your particular fitness goals.

Health and fitness experts have mixed opinions about the impact of a cheat day. Some consider it a good idea because it’s oddly satisfying and discourages an individual from disobeying a diet plan on other days of the week. A person looks forward to the day he/she can eat stuff that is otherwise off the table.

On the contrary, this habit is going to have adverse health effects if the cheat day becomes an excuse to eat hefty volumes of unhealthy food that contains an amount of calories you would normally consume in a week.

If your cheat day is about eating one regular bar of chocolate, a few scoops of ice cream, or two slices of pizza, you’re good. However, if you plan to devour a dozen hamburgers, an unlimited supply of French Fries, and a giant cheesecake on the so-called cheat day, I feel sorry for your poor stomach.

Imagine a law that allows people to commit all sorts of violent crimes once a week without consequences! The junk food marathon is likely to cause bloating, stomachache, and an inability to leave the couch. The humungous dose of calories will become a waste of the hard work you put in for the last six days.

Our body is adaptable to changes, i.e. it can handle a change of diet every now and then. Several fitness experts claim that the food one eats on a cheat day is a useful means of challenging our body. The body gets used to a diet we eat on a daily basis, which is the reason it might not remain as effective as before. The cheat day indulgence somehow interrupts the stupor of our metabolism; for example, the body may have to suddenly produce more insulin or release more digestive enzymes.

While a cheat meal may awaken your stagnant metabolism, there is no evidence demonstrating that it can actually improve it. Eating something that does not fit your usual diet won’t hurt, as long as you are not violating your daily calorie intake limit. If you are simply trying to retain fitness, a hundred extra calories are not a criminal offense. You can eat your favorite cheat foods more than once a week if you work out on a regular basis and keep count of calories.

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