‘Cheat meals’ allow dieters to take a break from rigid eating. The idea behind these cheats is to eat clean for the majority of the week, stay active, and then treat yourself to something you want to eat. Giving yourself calculated and premeditated permission to temporarily break tight diet regulations is cheat meals. Most dieters struggle with cravings and believe that cheat days are a mental trick devised to weaken their willpower. We have all struggled to stick to our restrictive diets and felt terrible for even considering treats, but there are some compelling reasons to consider ‘cheating’ to improve physical and mental health. A weekly cheat meal has been shown to improve your ability to lose weight and stick to your diet plan by boosting your metabolism and warding off any emotions of deprivation.

Yash Birla, the famous fitness enthusiast, has his share of cheat meals. He explains the importance of cheat meals and says that it is important to shock your body once in a while. The additional calories keep your body guessing and happy because you are not left craving anything.

Yash Birla also advises you to binge eat whatever you want, but in moderation.

When dieting for fat loss, the average carbohydrate and calorie consumption is often minimal. Your body will try to balance calories-in versus calories-out by becoming more efficient over time as it realises it is consuming fewer calories than it is burning, resulting in a drop in your metabolism. This is not ideal if you are trying to lose weight. Cheat days will deceive the body into believing it is getting enough calories (if not too many), causing the body’s fat-burning metabolism to fire up. This also works when combined with a rigorous workout targeted at achieving a leaner physique, as the extra calories consumed on the cheat day aid in maintaining a good calorie balance.

According to research, cheating on your meals energises you from within and helps in weight loss. Here are several reasons explaining the benefits and importance of cheat meals: 

  • Boosts metabolism

According to research, cheat meals elevate metabolism, causing you to burn more calories. Increased levels of leptin, a hormone secreted by fat cells and responsible for energy balance in the body, cause this. Your body increases leptin production by up to 30% for up to 24 hours after consuming a larger meal than normal.

  • Releases insulin

Normally, your body would reject fatty foods and saturated fats that are easier to digest. That does not happen, however, on your cheat meal. Because of the rise in insulin levels, digestion is better these days.

  • Enhances muscle formation

Muscle synthesis is aided by cheat meals. When your body collects and utilises the energy from the cheat meal, it does not use the energy stored in your body’s fat stores. Muscle formation improves as a result.

  • The feel-good factor

Yash Birla believes that food makes everybody happy, especially sweets which are his weakness. Every once in a while he likes to treat himself to some sweets like rasgulla and jalebi. Whereas most individuals would be savouring their favourite unhealthy meals right in front of you, the taste you will get at the end of the week on your cheat day will be far superior. So, take a seat and wait; your cheat day will arrive soon.