What's the deal with the "Cheat Meal"?

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If you’ve ever looked into dieting or losing weight, you’ve probably heard of cheat meals or diet breaks - a particular meal or day where you “let loose” and eat what you want, guilt-free.

Table of Contents

• 2023 Study on Diet Breaks

• The Problem with Diet Breaks

• The Problem with Cheat Meals & Cheat Days

• If you want to do diet breaks or cheat meals…

Next week, I’m going to share a different (better) strategy for “fun foods” in your diet.

First, here’s a bit of background. The theory behind these “non-linear” strategies sounds promising:

• THE BODY: Physiologically, the idea is that cheat meals “reset” or “boost” your metabolism and increase your calorie burn when you drop back into a deficit.

• THE MIND: Psychologically, they help you stick to the diet over the long haul by helping it feel less restrictive.

That said, the research indicates the benefits are more mental than physical.

2023 Study on Diet Breaks

One interesting study tested two groups on dieting strategy:

• Group A: Continuous deficit for 6 weeks.

• Group B: Same deficit, but alternating 2 weeks at a deficit, then a 1-week “diet break” (maintenance calories). The diet breaks extended their timeline by 2 extra weeks. (8 weeks total.)

The results:

Both groups lost the same amount of weight, with no discernible difference in metabolic changes, but interesting differences in eating behavior.

• No significant differences in:

  • Body composition changes (fat loss, muscle retention).

  • Resting metabolic rate (RMR) between the two groups.

• Eating behaviors:

  • The continuous group (A) showed an increase in disinhibition (lack of self-control — ie, a tendency to overeat) at the end of the diet.

  • The intermittent group (B) experienced a decrease in disinhibition, suggesting better control over eating habits.

➡️ Takeaway? The more RESTRICTIVE your diet feels, the more likely you are to BINGE EAT once you end the diet.

Refernce: PMID: 37181269

Good food shouldn’t feel restrictive anyway!

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The Problem with Diet Breaks

The key to success with any plan is CONSISTENCY, and the keys to consistency are SYSTEMS and HABITS.

One of the challenges that intermittent dieting can create is that you’re constantly changing the target for your calories and macros. This makes it difficult to settle into routines of eating that allow you to hit your targets consistently.

I see this over and over with the men I coach:

✅ The more consistent your eating habits are, the more likely you are to hit your goals.

❌ The more sporadic your eating habits are, the less likely you are to hit your goals.

My advice? Pick a sustainable goal, build sustainable habits that allow you to hit it consistently… then stick with it!

The Problem with Cheat Meals & Cheat Days

So the main benefit of adding some breaks into your diet is that it helps you enjoy the process more. That’s the idea behind cheat meals/days as well.

But I don’t personally think the answer is a day of completely unrestricted (especially untracked) eating.

Too often, cheat meals become binge fests. They’re unplanned. Excessive. Emotionally charged.

It’s simply too easy to eat way more calories than you think and completely undo an entire week of disciplined eating on a calorie deficit, ultimately causing slow progress, frustration, and discouragement.

If you want to do diet breaks or cheat meals…

Next week, I’m going to share my alternative strategy for making weight loss more fun and less restrictive.

But if you want to try mixing in some bonus calories as “cheat” meals, days, or weeks into your weight loss plan as a strategic break, here’s my advice:

• PLAN IT: Be intentional about what you’re doing and why, not just “eating more when you feel like it because you feel like you’ve “earned a break”.

• TRACK IT: Know how many extra calories you’re allowing yourself, then measure the cheat meals to ensure you stay within range. Don’t just wing it and wonder why you’re not making progress.

I hope this helps you as you continue to #BUILDLIFTGROW!

As always, I’m cheering you on!

-Coach Cody 💪🏼🖤

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Do you know someone who would love this? Maybe it would really help them. Would you mind sharing the online version with them or forwarding them this email?

It would mean the world to me, and it could change theirs. 🖤👊🏼