The Pros and Cons of Diet 'Cheat Days'

April Daniels Hussar,SELF magazine

Beyonce recently said she didn't allow herself a "cheat day" while working off her baby weight, but for many of us mere mortals, it's the promise of a weekend treat that helps us stick to our healthy eating plan all week. So can a cheat day actually help you stay slim? Or will it do more harm than good?

"Cheat day' is not a technical term," says Marjorie Nolan, registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. "For one person, a cheat day is two chocolate squares; for someone else, it could be a cheesesteak and double fudge brownie sundae."

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In other words -- whether a cheat day can help or harm your diet depends, in part, on how you define it. "Indulging on occasion is not going to set you back if your idea of 'cheating' is an occasional small ice cream cone or big piece of lasagna," says Nolan. "However, if your idea of a cheat day is a full-on, eat-all-you-want binge, then yes, it may really set you back." (That doesn't mean if you do totally fall off your healthy diet wagon one day that you should give up all together -- don't feel guilty, just move on!)

Nolan says that overeating too much in one day can affect your body's level of ghrelin, the primary hunger hormone that works with leptin (the hormone that tells your brain you're full) to keep your hunger and fullness in check. "This could actually make you hungrier," she says.

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Of course, a successful diet is about more than just hormones and burning calories -- it's a mental game as well. "For many people, a cheat day can help you stick with a plan the rest of the week, and that is a good thing," says Nolan.

However, she adds, it's important to plan your cheat. "A cheat day only works with dieting when it's enough to feel indulgent, but not so much that you set yourself back or end up wanting to eating more," she says. Plus, having a specific treat to look forward to can help you avoid temptation and stay on track the rest of the week. For example, you say to yourself, "I'll pass on these mediocre-looking brownies because I know I'm going out to brunch on Sunday!"

For treats that will satisfy your cheat-tooth without taking you too far off the path of your healthy eating goals, check out the 9 delicious desserts that won SELF's 2012 Healthy Food Awards. Prefer a savory "cheat," like mac and cheese? Here are your favorite comfort foods made healthy and 12 snacks that will beat your munchies (including chips!).

An alternative to a cheat day is to find a diet that allows for a small indulgence every day. For example, SELF's Drop 10 plan allows you 200 calories every day that can be "spent" on anything, from wine to fries to ice cream.

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According to Nolan, some people do better with no treats at all, some do better with a daily treat and still others might do well with one cheat day every week. "The most important thing to do is determine what will work for you," she says.

If you are going to "cheat," ease up on some other part of the meal or the day, Nolan says. "Think of it as 'balancing out,'" she explains. "For example, if you want dessert, then make sure your protein is lean."

And even Beyonce plans to get back to treating herself from time to time. She's back in pre-baby shape, and she recently told the crowd at her Atlantic City concert how she's going to celebrate losing those 60 pounds: "Now tonight I'm gonna get chocolate wasted!"


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