As an intuitive eating nutritionist, I help individuals foster a healthy relationship with food and their bodies. I frequently get asked, “What do you think about cheat days?” when working on intuitive eating.
The short answer is that cheat days will be counterproductive if you want to repair your relationship with food. Cheat days encourage the “all or nothing” mentality around food, which can perpetuate the cycle of overeating and restriction.
Here are some of the ways that cheat days interfere with intuitive eating:
It promotes the diet mentality.
One of the core principles of intuitive eating is breaking free from the diet mentality. Cheat days, on the other hand, reinforce the idea of restriction followed by indulgence. This can lead to a cycle of guilt, shame, and overindulgence, which is counter to the intuitive eating philosophy. Instead of focusing on eating in a way that honors your body’s hunger and fullness cues, cheat days perpetuate the idea that certain foods are “off-limits” until a designated day, which can be mentally and emotionally draining.
It undermines trust in your body.
Intuitive eating encourages individuals to trust their body’s innate wisdom when it comes to hunger and satiety signals. Cheat days encourage us to ignore these signals because there is already a predetermined eating plan. Many people plan to eat more than they usually would of a certain item during that time because it’s off-limits during the week. Over time, this erodes the trust we have in our bodies to guide us to make nourishing choices.
Reinforces food morality
Cheat days often are comprised of foods that are “bad foods.” This moralization of food can lead to feelings of guilt and shame associated with indulging in foods considered bad, especially if those foods are eaten outside of the planned cheat day. For example, if it’s your birthday and you have a slice of cake and ice cream, this may bring on feelings of failure, shame, guilt, etc. When making peace with food, it’s important to recognize that all foods can have a place in our diet, and there is no moral value attached to what we eat.
Can lead to overeating
Cheat days often involve consuming large amounts of food, which can lead to overeating and discomfort in the body. Overindulgence in these foods can leave you feeling unwell, both physically and emotionally. This can lead to irregular eating patterns the following days because you want to restrict based on what you ate on the cheat day.
Hinders mindful eating.
Intuitive eating promotes mindful eating, which involves being fully present in the moment and savoring your food. Cheat days, with their focus on quantity and indulgence, can divert attention away from the experience of eating itself and instead emphasize the need to consume as much as possible, which is a stark contrast to the principles of mindful eating. Often, when I ask clients if they genuinely enjoy their cheat meals, they say, “of course!” but when we start mindful eating, they realize that it may not be as enjoyable as they once thought.
It creates a significant blood sugar spike that you could avoid by sprinkling in the foods throughout the week
You will get a massive sugar spike when you have a large amount of sugar, carbs, etc., in one sitting without pairing it with other foods that contain fiber, nutrient-dense fats, or protein. When I mention this to clients, they often say they do not want to “waste” their cheat day by eating salad or protein because it makes them too full for the other foods. This is why getting away from the cheat days and incorporating the foods throughout the week can be more helpful. Plus, you can listen to your cravings so you can enjoy these foods when you WANT them and not when you’ve planned to have them.
I know many people believe that they are going to crave these foods non-stop if they don’t have a planned cheat day, but that’s not the truth. When you have balanced, nourishing meals and make peace with food, you will crave these foods way less than you usually do and drop the guilt and shame around eating them.
