Why You Should Cheat On Your Diet

We've all heard those peppy bromides for dieters. We all know that "Little snacks mean bigger slacks", and that - if we want to lose weight - our twin best-friends are self-denial, distraction techniques and water. One thing we're all certain of - whether we want to fit into a slinky black dress, a wedding dress, or our old favourite pair of jeans - we'll never get there without rigid determination.

But that's not actually true.

What's that now?

Research coming out of Portugal and the Netherlands suggests that, rather than helping weight loss, prolonged rejection of our own desires may actually make it harder to lose weight.

Planned cheating, rather than ruining our attempts at a diet, may boost our metabolism and satisfy our sweet tooth, making it easier to stick to diets long-term, and improve long-term weight loss.

No way!

It's true.

Zeelenberg and colleagues conducted (2016) conducted two studies. One simulated dieting, and one had the participants follow an actual diet plan.

First, 59 participants role-played the part of dieters. Half imagined they were on a traditional seven-day diet, while half imagined they dieted for six days but had a "cheat day" on the seventh and could eat anything they chose. Participants were then escorted though an imaginary supermarket, and had to list strategies for resisting sweet and naughty temptations. Those who had a "cheat day" were able to list far more strategies to resist temptation.

In the second study, 36 participants were monitored for their willpower, weight and motivation while they followed a diet. Half ate 1500 calories every day, while half ate 1300 calories a day for six days and 2700 calories a day on the seventh. Willpower and motivation weakened in the 1500 calories a day group, but was still strong in the "cheat" group. The "cheat day" group also lost more weight over the course of two weeks, and felt happier.

Well, is that it, or is there more?

Zeelenberg and colleagues (2016) also conducted another study. This study tested the ability to pursue any long-term goal, and discovered that planning cheats or deviations was helpful in pursuing any long-term goal, including saving money.

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But do these results matter?

These results are interesting to dieters. When we diet, we can feel like failures when we have a cheeky slice of chocolate cake at a party, or go out for a bag of fish and chips on Friday. However, this new research means that these "failures" don't have to be viewed as "failures", but as healthy deviations that can be enjoyed as part of a healthy, balanced diet-plan.

This new research is also good news for dieters because it means that no food is off-limits. You can be free to enjoy chocolate, cake, wine, and potato chips as part of planned cheats, without breaking your healthy eating plan.

That can't be a good idea...

Actually, a diet that's too rigid has been shown to cause cravings and increase the chance of failure. Any diet you don't enjoy (especially a diets that are particularly restrictive, or that have complex rules - "if it's a full moon, eat one guava, soaked in the milk of a cheery yak; if it's a waning moon, eat two papaya, soaked in the milk of a content yak") are linked to low-adherence.

So, Just How Much Should I Cheat On My Diet

Is It a "Cheat Day" or a "Cheat Meal"?

The researchers granted their participants a "cheat day", a whole day in which to gorge on anything and everything they desired. Before you get excited and start planning fried breakfasts, cake at lunch, and whole pizzas at dinner, be aware that most nutritionists are wary about promoting whole cheat days.

Some nutritionists now think that that spending a whole day indulging your naughtiest food desires may run the risk of undoing all your hard work throughout the week.

Professor Jillian Guinta, of the Health and Physical Education Department at Seton Hall University, said:

"If you allow all of your hard work to unravel for an entire day, you can quickly void the progress you have been making all week, especially if weight loss is a goal.”

So what do you do? How do you satisfy your sweet tooth and lose weight?

Try the 90/10 Rule

Rather than having a whole day of naughty indulgence, try confining your indulgence to single meals. While most of your meals should be healthy, the 90/10 rule means that you enjoy three to four cheat meals a week.

Anything I like?

Ah, you've got me. It's now generally recommended that you add only around 300 calories a day to your daily calorie allowance per "cheat meal". That's not a whole pizza.

However, you could still have pizza, by limiting yourself to two slices at your treat meal, along with a hefty helping of side-salad. This would satisfy your craving, without providing too heavy a calorific load. Ditto, while slipping into the tub with a whole pot of Ben & Jerry's is probably behind you, you could still enjoy a quarter pint with some fresh fruit (or on its own). You could also enjoy a slice of Victoria sponge cake, or some chardonnay and garlic bread with your lasagna.

The possibilities are endless.

But don't only weak people need to cheat on their diet?

According to David Grotto, Licensed Dietician and author of 101 Foods That Can Save Your Life, this "structured cheating" ought to be a compulsory part of dieting. Grotto says that strength comes, not from total self-denial, but from deciding how much of your desired indulgence you will have before:

"[eating] it with full consciousness ... [licking] your lips, and then [moving] on with your life."

Registered Dietician, Carolyn O'Neil, agrees:

"I think sensible splurging is really the key to being able to achieve a healthy lifestyle."

She adds that anyone can stick to a restrictive, rigid diet for a short period of time, but that many people will eventually lose control and ruin their diet, indulging on all the sweet and naughty treats they've denied themselves for weeks or months. O'Neil asks:

"Why not come up with a sensible diet, so your chances of success are much greater in the long run?"

Cheating isn't an excuse to splurge. It's a vital mechanism that helps you make it to the finish line of your diet.

Each little cheat gives you a mental boost, helping you know you can see your diet through to the end. Each scheduled treat also acts as a reward, helping inspire you to stick through the days in between when those healthy, healthy salads are starting to grate on you.

Prolonged dieting also makes our energy levels plummet. When that happens, you don't want to work, exercise, or do anything other than sit around waiting for your next meal. Packing in a few extra calories will give you a hit of energy and help give you the energy you need for a full life.

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Added to which, as soon as we call something "bad" or "off-limits", we want it even more. Like naughty children told "no, you may not", our brains seek out anything they're denied. Allowing ourselves a little of everything in moderation prevents fixating on one item, stopping those pesky cravings.

As Marcel Zeelenberg, of Tilburg University in the Netherlands, says:

“The findings...show it is important to plan hedonistic moments when it is ‘good to be bad’.”

So remember, there's nothing wrong with "cheating" on your diet, as long as you plan in advance. But make sure that you balance your cheeky splurging with healthy eating 90% of the time and portion control when you do "cheat". As Carolyn O'Neil says:

"The more you know, the more you can eat."