Should I take a cheat meal or a cheat day?

I am familiar with these programs, but practical experience has shown me that these are more psychological than physical.

If you want to raise your metabolism, you don't do it by eating one splurge meal or even spending a day eating junk. You do it by raising calories for a week and still eating clean.

For example, when my clients find their metabolism is so slow they can barely eat anything or would have to do hours of cardio, we simply set them with a goal to *maintain* for a week. If they are on, say, 1500 calories, this may bump their calories to 2000 or 2500 etc. They don't gain fat, but they maintain and are eating much more. They find that their metabolism may go up a few hundred points during that week and that they can then ramp down again.

I've also meticulously tracked the success of clients who do cheat days. Most of the time, they gain 5 - 7 pounds from the excess carbs and sodium (water weight) then lose it and end up overeating and the net result is that they really don't begin their week until Wednesday when they've recovered from the effects of the weekend binge. So they have a few good days to burn fat and then the cycle starts all over again.

For a mental reason, I support cheat meals and cheat days as some people need this crutch to hang onto as they adjust their thinking to embrace healthier foods. What's dangerous is when people start to justify it to themselves because they know they are overdoing it but it's so good to have an excuse to make it sound practical (i.e. the metabolism raising idea) or when they don't look long term and really feel they'll live the rest of their life from one free meal to the next. Ultimately, you will want to take your lifestyle to the point where you don't need a free meal because you are in balance and enjoy the foods you eat, and can simply choose to be flexible at times when you desire it.

One way to track cheat meals is by using a simple goal tracking tool such as Joes Goals.

It takes time but is ultimately the way it becomes a lifestyle. Eating junk for a day is like quitting smoking and allowing yourself a day to smoke a carton in celebration. No, it's not an invalid comparison - the second leading preventable cause of death, second only to smoking, IS poor diet and lack of exercise. Add to that the research that shows most are 250% more likely to have a heart attack after overeating, and there are a few reasons not to go overboard.

A free meal where you don't overeat and don't miss your next scheduled meal is optimal - allows you to consume foods you crave without throwing everything out of whack.