What Happens When You Cheat on Your Diet

In today's post, we're going to answer the question of what happens when you have a cheat meal and whether or not you should have one in your diet to lose weight. When you're in a calorie deficit, your muscle glycogen stores are lower, and your body uses glucose from glycogen for energy. As you continue to diet, your glycogen stores become diminished. On the other hand, if you're overeating calories, insulin is released to prevent too much glucose from entering the blood, resulting in excess calories being stored as body fat.

The Effects of Cheat Meals

If you have been dieting really hard and your glycogen stores are very low, having a cheat meal will replenish your muscle glycogen stores. The extra calories you consume will be converted to liver glycogen and then to muscle glycogen. However, not all of the extra calories will be stored as muscle glycogen, as some will be burned off through non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). So, just because you ate a thousand extra calories doesn't mean you're in a thousand calorie surplus. The amount of calories stored as muscle glycogen and burned off through NEAT varies.

The Importance of Energy Balance

At the end of the day, weight loss comes down to calories in and calories out. However, it's not just about the end of the day but also about the end of the week, month, and year. If you eat fewer calories than you burn over a full year, you will lose weight. The length of your diet, the deficit you've been in, and the level of your glycogen stores determine how much of a cheat you can have without storing body fat.

When to Have a Cheat Meal

If you're feeling low on energy, overly hungry, or your non-exercise activity thermogenesis is decreasing, it's a good idea to add in a cheat meal. It's important to have enough energy to train hard and not feel miserable. If you're in a great deficit, you might need to eat more every day to maintain energy levels and avoid binge meals. Eating a small deficit allows you to have energy, lose weight, and feel good. The slower you can lose weight, the better.

The Truth About Cheat Meals and Weight Loss

Having a cheat meal will not ruin your diet. However, if the cheat meal turns into a cheat day or continues for several days, the extra calories will turn into body fat and ruin your diet. It's important to find a balance and approach weight loss in a sustainable way.