Is it good/bad to have a once per week "cheat meal" while on weight loss diet?
I am on a low carb, calorie restrictive diet to drop a quick 10lbs before a wedding. I follow my diet to the T. I exercise one hour per day, and after 4 days I am already seeing results (I am thin to begin with). But, I've been reading up on different diets. Some say it is important to have one cheat meal per week to trick the metabolism and rev it up again, others say dont cheat at all ever bc it will slow weight loss down.
I would only be cheating for strategy, I really am not craving bad things. On the other hand, one cheat meal will not throw me off track I am pretty disciplined. I just want to know which is the best way to go
hear two different school's of thought. One says its important to have a 1/7 cheat meal to keep motivation up (something to work toward), and to "trick" metabolism before it gets used to restricted calories.
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December 11th, 2010 - 09:04
A cheat meal is very effective for breaking through plateaus. If you are consistently losing weight with your current diet and you are not craving cheat foods, then it is not necessary to help speed up your weight loss.
If you are following your diet perfectly and it seems the weight loss has stalled, then a cheat meal would likely benefit you. As you are eating fewer Calories than your body burns, your body tends to naturally adjust its metabolism. So as you eat less, your body will need less metabolism. A cheat meal will make your body think it needs to boost the metabolism so when you return to your perfect diet, that boost in metabolism will maximize the fat loss.
So if your metabolism is at a level that you are consistently losing weight, a cheat meal is not necessary.
December 11th, 2010 - 09:04
Don’t cheat. Low carb diet is all about keeping insulin levels down – insulin produces fat from excess blood sugar. Having a cheat meal will tell your body it’s time to store up fat. There is no "tricking" of your metabolism, it’s the way it is always. If you eat sugar your pancrease makes insulin to utilize the sugar energy. If you don’t eat carbs, your body breaks down fat for energy. It’s that simple.
Taking an extra day’s meal (of carbs) is just going to hinder your ability to lose weight in a timely manor. After your wedding – chow down.
December 11th, 2010 - 09:04
Low carb should never be calorie restricted – then you relegate it to a low calorie diet with none of low carb benefits. High calorie is NOT a cheat on low carb. You need the calories to keep your body in fat burning mode. If you don’t keep the calories high, then like any low calorie diet, you will lose mostly lean tissues.
Some people will try to convince you to "carb cycle" but that will just shut your metabolism down & the body will wait for a return to carbs. This will not allow your body to fully convert to being fueled by fat (which takes 6 weeks).
December 11th, 2010 - 09:04
I believe that weight loss always starts from mindset. This is the reason why i am able to lose 15kg in 2 months and maintain for 3 years straight, all the way till my pregnancy.
1) What is my goal? I want to lose __kg in __ time.
2) Why do I want to achieve this goal? (if possible, come up with 50 reasons)
3) If I do not achieve it, what pains will I have? (come up with as many reasons as possible)
4) If I achieve it, what happiness will I have? (come up with as many reasons as possible)
5) What will happen to me if I continue my current situation for the next 10 years?
6) Then when do I want to take action?
Some solutions I can offer you for diet:
Breakfast: eat fruits/drink fruit juice
Lunch: Less carbo, more veg and fruits, less seafood, meat and eggs
Dinner: Same as lunch but no solid food after 8pm. Soups are great dinners
If you want to exercise to enhance the speed of weight loss. Go for some light jogging or do something you enjoy like an aerobic class or kick boxing class…