A cheat day in a diet is a scheduled day of the week for a person to eat all food in any quantity you want, regardless of the type of food and calories in it. After a cheat day, many people are inspired to start a diet or stay on track while dieting during the rest of the week.

However, adding a cheat day in your diet is not recommended, as it can lead to consuming large amounts of high-calorie foods, or obsessively eating (also known as binge eating). This can impact your weight loss progress and actually make it harder to return to your regular diet.

Ideally, you should maintain a balanced and varied diet that is not restrictive. You can consult a registered dietitian to formulate meal plan that includes all your favorite foods and addresses any health conditions you may have as well as your activity levels.

Do cheat days work?

Having a cheat day in your diet doesn't work because it can cause:

Weight gain
Fluid retention
Indigestion
Difficulty getting back to your diet
Loss of achieved results
Difficulty losing weight
Feeling of guilt after overeating

Veering from your diet completely on a cheat day may be one of the main reasons you are unable to lose weight, and can lead to changes of 1 to 3 kg (2 to 10 lb).

Cheat days can also trigger or increase your risk for developing an eating disorder, like binge eating.

If you feel the need for a cheat days, you are advised to consult a registered dietitian to discuss and develop a more healthy approach to eating.

What to do instead

Eating just 1 free meal a week instead of dedicating a whole day to overeating can help you to manage your calorie intake and prevent impacting your entire diet. One free meal will not hinder weight loss, as the body can quickly adapt and go back to its fat-burning mode.

Your free meal can be eaten on any day of the week at any time. It can be planned around social events, like birthdays, weddings and work parties.

While your free meal can be made of any food, you should not consume excessive amounts any food. This will help you to still be in control of your diet, while preventing an eating disorder and encouraging healthier eating habits.

Can cheat days lead to more muscle?

Cheat days can negatively impact your weight loss journey, and can also interfere with muscle gains, as overeating often can lead to fat gains instead of muscle.

Ideally, to achieve your fitness goal, you should maintain a balanced and healthy diet that incorporates your favorite treats in moderation.

Can cheat days boost your metabolism?

It is believed that cheat days can help to speed-up metabolism or get out of a period of weight loss plateauing. Cheat days may increase leptin levels. Leptin is a hormone that naturally produced naturally in the body and is responsible for inhibiting hunger. With significant levels, leptin levels tend to be lower.

However, there are not enough studies that prove that increased leptin levels from cheat days can boost metabolism and help with cheat days.

Therefore, it is recommended to avoid cheat days and instead opt for a balanced and non-restrictive diet, so that weight loss is sustainable, healthy and gradual. Read more about a weight loss diet and how to get started.