What about a cheat meal?

[Malachi Constant]

First of all, hello!

(First post, etc. I'm a month into a low-carb diet and found this forum when I'd google random low-carb questions. So I'm not strictly Atkins but close enough.)

Anyway, I've heard this a few times from friends or articles about dieting and exercise and I wanted to ask it here:


Is there any benefit or huge drawback to having a cheat meal once a week?

The explanation is that the body will get used to your new intake (even if eventually), so completely spiking the carbs for a meal will reset your metabolism and keep the rest of the diet working.

That makes sense to me; and I would love some OJ and french toast on a sunday morning, especially if it would not harm or even help the diet.

Does anyone have any experience with this? Again, I'm not worried about rules so much as weight loss results.

Thanks!

[thefemalegreenday]

Re: What about a cheat meal?

Haha, you only want a cheat meal.
I wouldn't to be honest, you've only just begun the journey, doing something like this could lead you into a wrong direction.
It might help you (if you stay true to that one meal and have nothing else) or it might just make you gain and give to back all the cravings you've worked hard to erase.

[Empyre]

Re: What about a cheat meal?

My answer to the cheat meal was to eat every few hours regardless of whether I was hungry or not.

I ate regularly before my stomach had a chance to be empty. Imagine the feeling you have after eating a very large dinner, the feeling where your stomach is full and sends the signal to stop eating. The way I ate meant that the full signal was constantly on during my diet.

The result was I literally forgot what it felt like to be hungry or crave food in general.For many months I had completely forgotten what it was like to feel hunger. This technique completely removed any interest in off-plan food. My stomach was happy 24/7 and the pounds flew off me.

[mizski]

Re: What about a cheat meal?

Is there any benefit or huge drawback to having a cheat meal once a week?

The explanation is that the body will get used to your new intake (even if eventually), so completely spiking the carbs for a meal will reset your metabolism and keep the rest of the diet working.

That makes sense to me; and I would love some OJ and french toast on a sunday morning, especially if it would not harm or even help the diet.

While I do believe in some carb cycling, having a mega sugar dose from OJ and French toast is NOT the way to go. A cheat meal like you have in mind only encourages unhealthy eating habits and the resulting blood sugar and insulin spikes do NOT reset your metabolism. Successful carb cycling involves consuming more fibrous carbs such as veggies, not starches or sugars.

The concept of a cheat meal that you are considering has disastrous results for most and does nothing to promote good health and weight loss. It is definitely not Atkins. If you are bent on the cheat meal method of dieting, you might want to check out CAD. The Heller's have some books to sell you.

[CalicoPrairie]

Re: What about a cheat meal?

Ok this is my opinion only, and how it works for me. YMMV.

Your cheat meal, because it's full of sugar, will probably kick you out of fat burning mode (ketosis) and however long it took you to get their when you first started your diet, will be how long it takes to get back on. Meaning, if it takes you 3-4 days to get back on, then every week, half of the week you won't be in fat burning mode, then the other half, you will be trying to get back down from the pounds that you gained after all that sugar. You may end up cycling up and down on the same 3-4 lbs if you have your cheat meal every Sunday.

Now, having said that, I have done that with pizza (by accident, not on purpose), way back when I was on Atkins years ago. I don't do that now, because I just don't want to, but I have seen that work before. I think it's a bad idea though, because along with any loss you might see, there are also cravings (because of the white flour and perhaps any sugars in the sausage on the pizza, if you have it that way) to contend with for a few days afterward. If you have worked hard on eliminating your cravings, you will have a rough time re-eliminating them.

[bizzlekitty]

Re: What about a cheat meal?

Have you read the book all the way through? Even in maintenance, you might not be able to eat things like french toast and orange juice. There are reasons folks here call this Way of Eating a "Way of Life". This isn't a short term diet where you can go back to eating the old foods (that got you fat to begin with) when or as you're losing the weight. It's not like other "diets" that counts calories. Carb counting is really about keeping your carb levels as a stable level to keep blood glucose levels so that your body is steadily burning fat. Eating a big carby meal like that will flip the switch back to glucosis mostly likely

If you want to see the impact of those foods on your body, look up the carb and sugar counts of them. It will be very confusing to your body to have all those carbs hit your system then go back to restricting them again.

I used to think I could have a cheat meal or food every now and then. I made mistakes on not learning what was okay to eat and not. What happened is these cheats increased as I kept missing all the foods I used to eat, it also convinced me that Atkins wasn't working anymore, but the reality, I wasn't following the program. It let to me falling off the wagon hard and regain alot of the lost weight back.

Now, I can't have "just one" small cheat very often and I try to not at all. If I do a little treat, I try and make it legal. Ex. I had melon instead of ice cream, since it was allowed on OWL Rung 4. I accept the consequences for what I'm eating and pay close attention to the impact it has on how I'm feeling, the cravings I get, and the impact it has on the scale. And avoiding any cheats, it makes it so much easier to stick to the program, lose weight faster and feeling better. Over time, I've also realized I don't miss those old foods anymore, and the tastes I've had of them, they no longer taste as good or the same. When I can have so many wonderful foods that help me lose weight and are nutritious for my body, why mess it up with a cheat?

Additionally, there's lots of recipes here and on Linda's low carb site and on the web that can mimic, sometimes even make better, certain foods if you'd really like them. I've made pancakes from flaxmeal before, which I bet you can also make french toast. Personally, I avoid trying to mimic too many foods as it leads to craving and making me more tempted to cheat.

In the end, you are control of your destiny and what you eat. If you decide you have to have that OJ and French toast, understand the risks on your weight loss journey and realize that you are not following Atkins when you do.

[cleochatra]

Re: What about a cheat meal?

My dad used to have a cheat meal a week and it seemed to work for him. He would follow with a 0-carb weekend. Mind you, he was following Atkins '72, which was fairly low carb anyway!

For Atkins 2002, Dr. A says cheating is the kiss of death. I'd say if there's something you miss eating, let us know and let's see if we can't share some kick butt recipes with you that are actually 'legal'.

[mizski]

Re: What about a cheat meal?

The OP stated that she is not on Atkins but rather a low carb diet. I doubt that DANDR has been read. Atkins-specific constraints are probably not applicable to the OP. Regardless, carb-loading on sugar is not a good idea on any diet plan.

[sandislim]

Re: What about a cheat meal?

Perhaps carb loading if you're running a marathon the next day... but even then research has suggested that low-carb, high fat diet actually helps with endurance moreso than carb loading.

That being said I did BFL for 6 weeks and was doing a cheat day/meal once a week. I can tell you, the food was nice but it was really bad for me. I found myself slowly becoming obsessed with food even though I was allowed to have it. I would plan my cheat days and wanted everything I could - I couldn't stop myself, by week 8 I was putting on weight, not losing. I felt terrible, and completely controlled by food. Even though I sometimes miss the taste of certain foods (mainly chocolate) I don't miss the constant cravings for the same. It made me feel out of control, I guess a bit like an addict - I would sneak food and feel guilty, and afterwards I would want more - nothing was ever enough until it made me physically sick.

For me low carb is a way of life. As soon as I eat foods I shouldn't I end up struggling for control for days sometimes weeks, sometimes months (and years!) before I go low carb again. I've learnt my lesson pretty hard - so I'm sticking with atkins for a way of life, not a diet. I'm not hungry between meals any more that is a BIG deal for me.

So I would say, if you want a cheat meal - go for it, but make sure its for the right reasons. If you find yourself craving sweet food for days afterwards it might not be a good idea and there might be better ways to treat yourself. I still treat myself with food - but I choose low carb options: something different is always something special, so if I'm bored I use my imagination, dress it up a bit and I'm happy.

[bizzlekitty]

Re: What about a cheat meal?

The OP stated that she is not on Atkins but rather a low carb diet. I doubt that DANDR has been read. Atkins-specific constraints are probably not applicable to the OP. Regardless, carb-loading on sugar is not a good idea on any diet plan.

Yes, sorry about that. Caught that on the re-read. We mostly advise on Atkins here.

What she said.

There are still better low carb alternatives that you could aim for if you feel you must have those items. Whole grain breads or bread from flax, a smaller glass of OJ, etc. The key of low carb is to understand what am impact certain foods have on your body. You can still make better choices in what you eat and still eat lower carb. Less sugars, more complex and whole grain carbs, etc.

[cleochatra]

Re: What about a cheat meal?

Oh! Well if you're not Atkins, then you should look to the Dr. Thompson's Low Glycemic Load diet plan. There's never cheating because no food is verboten. You just stick to certain parameters and you're golden. It's a wonderful plan and I recommend it to many friends who feel Atkins is simply too stringent.

[Malachi Constant]

Re: What about a cheat meal?

Thanks everyone for the response!

I should clarify something that I ought've put in the original post: Cheat meals aren't a problem, psychologically speaking. I'm intellectually curious as to their benefits in a diet.

I definitely appreciate the advice, but my focus isn't on whether or not I would relapse; that's not an issue or concern. It wasn't a way to weasel a delicious Sunday breakfast, I just used that as an example of what I would eat if there was sufficient compelling evidence to use a cheat meal.


Anyway, I appreciate it all the same. That's why I registered here, even though I'm not Atkins - because any time I looked through the forums there was supportive, positive help.

[jake1970]

Re: What about a cheat meal?

id agree with everyone else a cheat meal would not be a good idea ,i think it will set you back both mentally and physically and its a rocky road to failiure

[AndrewH]

Re: What about a cheat meal?

I'll be honest, I have a cheat day or two (back to back days) every 2 or 3 weeks. I've been on Atkins (well, some people will claim what I am doing is not Atkins but whatever) since January 9th and I have lost 60lbs so far, that includes where I went off plan for about 8 days due to being ill. Not saying it is typical, but I have had no harm come of it. Could I be losing slightly faster if I haven't had any cheats? Quite possibly, but we will never know.

[meow]

Re: What about a cheat meal?

I think you can bank your carbs a little bit, in planning for times when there seems to be no options, like when you are travelling, or spending holidays at other people's houses.
I had a cheat meal once a month and lost 50 pounds. That covered Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day--but what I did surrounding that cheat meal was up my exercise before and after, and be very strict several days after. Usually it was just one food that I wanted, anyway, like stuffing at Thanksgiving--- not a whole plate full of crap.
What happens is you will lose less weight that week, or maybe none. So be aware, it needs to be worth it!
I don't believe that you have to change things up to keep your body from getting used to it. You need to vary your foods and activities, is what.