Can A Cheat Meal Affect Your Weight? Know From Expert

Being on a diet is very healthy, but what if you really have the desire to eat something fancy. Most of the celebrities, sports person and eminent personalities try to follow a particular diet which helps them to stay in shape. However, we have often seen some of them taking a day off from the diet and enjoying their favorite meals once in a while. On the same hand some people also feel that breaking their diet would mean majority of their efforts are lost. So now the question rises, is having a cheat meal healthy, if not can it ruin a person’s weight loss journey or not. Read to know answers to all such queries below. 

What are Cheat Days? 

You must have seen famous movie starts, sports enthusiasts and influencers vlogging about their cheat day or cheat meal. For those who do not know, cheat day is typically that day where you can take a break from your regular diet schedule and have something which you always long to eat. Majority of times, it is your favorite meal that otherwise is not allowed because of strict diet routine.   

If it is for the whole day, containing multiple meals, then it is cheat day, otherwise just a cheat meal. Cheat days or meals could be highly variable depending on the individual. Some people have it once in a week, whereas some sports personalities like Virat Kohli also have cheat days in once a year or few months. Cheat meals and days is more of a personal preference and permissions. Also Cheat meals does not fit with every diet style, hence you might want to check with your dietician before having a cheat day. 

Is Cheat Meal Healthy? 

We spoke to a dietician to know if having a cheat meal can influence weight loss journey or not. Ms. Ishika Tiwari, Consultant and Dietician at Bright Hope Hospital, Lucknow said that cheat meals are very tricky and may or may not be healthy for your diet. Even though many people and experts suggest that eating a cheat meal can aid in weight loss, because it supplies some extra nutrients and prevents body from deficiencies. But if you intake too many calories, especially in form of unhealthy fats or carbohydrates, then it could actually impact your weight loss.  this is because body fat layer increases due to excess of these calories from cheat meal. 

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Sticking to a particular diet and healthy food habits is the best choice. Even if you choose to take some day of and have a cheat meal, then choose food that does not adversely affect your body. Also, you need to have limited quantity of that favorite dish, so that your calories do not jump up the sky. Other than that incorporation of cheat meal or days is more popular among enthusiasts as well.  

Do Cheat Meals Work? 

Every individual has a different type of body composition and functional process. Some people are able to digest it very quickly, whereas some people have an effect on their body even if they have little extra of what is allowed to them. Best diet plan is always what you can stick to. Cheat meals can only work when on other days you can follow strict diet plan. The fewer calories you burn, the less weight loss is likely to occur. 

Can Cheat Meals Affect Weight Loss? 

There have been a number of studies that have claimed that using cheat meals can actually improve your metabolism process or give a boost to it. Therefore, having cheat meal once in a month could actually aid weight loss. This happens because of metabolic fluctuations that are carried out by hunger hormone leptin.  

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Leptin controls the feeling of hunger; it also indicates when a person is going through a significant weight loss journey. However, this can be very inconsistent and thus weight management must be done through regular methods at most times. This means choosing cheat meals should happen once in a while only to affect weight loss.

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