Cheat Day: How the “diet break” even helps you lose weight

If you’re having trouble staying on track with your weight loss, it might be time to pause your diet – at least for a few days. That’s what one nutritionist recommends.

Taking a break from your diet, or cheat days, can help you avoid some of the side effects of calorie restriction, says Brittany Werner, a registered dietitian with the nutrition coaching company Working Against Gravity.

Read also

Lose weight on the stomach: This is the ideal diet to lose belly fat

The $70 billion diet industry makes it sound like you’re a failure if you make a mistake on what’s known as a “clean diet.” But research suggests it’s not a lack of willpower. Restricting yourself too much for too long can backfire, setting off a vicious cycle of yo-yo dieting and weight gain, studies show.

Instead, a few days or weeks of freer eating can help you mentally reset. “It can also increase your likelihood of losing weight in the long term,” Werner tells Business Insider.

“It’s not realistic to think that you’re going to be in a weight loss or fat loss phase all year long. That’s not mentally positive, and your body needs a break.”

Keep your metabolism healthy and your hunger under control without jeopardizing your hard-earned progress by having cheat days the right way.

What is a diet break?

A diet break means that you temporarily relax your normal eating routine and allow yourself more flexibility in eating, explains Werner.

This is important because losing weight can be an uncomfortable process, even if you do everything right. A calorie deficit – eating less than you burn – can leave you feeling hungry and tired, and you’ll probably have to be more mindful about your food choices.

“Even restricting your food a little bit can be difficult,” says Werner. She says taking a break from a diet can be helpful in two ways.

First, you get a psychological boost from enjoying more food and not having to think so much about what you’re eating, which can help you maintain motivation when you’re selling it.

Secondly, cheat days can also help maintain muscle mass and speed up the metabolism, reports Werner. “Our metabolism slows down when we eat less, after all, we don’t have to burn as many calories,” she says.

If you lose weight or muscle too quickly, it can be difficult to maintain your weight because your body no longer uses as much energy to fuel the body. “Simplistic calorie reduction does not work in the long term,” explains Werner.

Read also

You train, but your belly fat just doesn’t go away? It took that long until you saw the first results

When should you have cheat days?

The right time to take a break from your diet can vary from person to person, says Werner.

A general guideline is to have cheat days every few months, so about every 12 to 16 weeks. If you’re new to your diet and are already getting hungry or grumpy, taking a break from your diet may not be the right solution. Fatigue, bad moods and lack of sleep can be signs that you’re not consuming enough calories and need to eat more – even if you’re trying to lose weight, Werner points out.

You can also use cheat days to avoid derailing your routine when you have an upcoming event. A planned diet break on vacation, for example, can give you space to enjoy yourself without overdoing it.

How to have a cheat day without losing your progress

The key to a successful diet break, Werner says, is giving yourself the freedom to indulge without going to extremes. “Allow yourself to eat a few foods you haven’t eaten in a long time and increase your calorie intake by a few hundred a day.” “But that doesn’t mean you can indulge in anything,” she says.

A measured approach to a diet break can help avoid cycles of overindulgence followed by excessive restriction that often stall weight loss attempts.

Read also

With this workout you will get a flat stomach – you can easily do it at home

Werner also recommends not taking a break from a diet for more than two weeks, as a longer break can cause you to lose the habits and healthy routines you’ve built. “When you get away from systems and processes, it’s hard to get back,” she says.

Think of your diet break as a good vacation, an opportunity to sit back and relax so you can return to your normal routine with renewed energy and focus.

“They can really help you get started in the next few months,” said Werner.

This article was originally published on April 4, 2024 and has been updated.