Cheat Day

I have talked a bit before about the concept of a cheat day. There are many diets (or should we call them nutritional plans? weight loss methods?) out there which recommend a day per week during which you intentionally raise your calories above your normal level. And these plans are designed to help people LOSE weight!

So why would you ever want to raise your calories? The theory is that ongoing calorie restriction will lower your metabolic rate and therefore make your weight loss more and more difficult over time. By upping those calories one day per week, you are tricking your metabolism into staying at a higher rate, thereby burning more calories on a daily basis, increasing your chances of successfully losing weight despite your 6 days per week of calorie restriction.

Just to be clear, this concept is NOT part of the Zone diet. And normally I don't integrate a cheat day into my weekly eating plan. This is not because I don't think cheat days can work. I think they might work great for some people. But those people are not me. I tried the Slow Carb Diet from The Four Hour Body by Tim Ferriss which includes a weekly cheat day, and I did not lose any weight on his plan. For me, the cheat day erased any progress I had made during the previous 6 days, so my weight basically stayed the same.

So why am I writing again about cheat days?

Well, tomorrow I plan to cheat. As you know, I gained 4 pounds last weekend by substituting whole grains for meat at the yoga ashram. Since Monday morning, I have been following a completely grain-free diet in order to drop those stinking pounds. And as of today, I am down 3 pounds. Not bad. Weight always come off MUCH more slowly than it goes on. And we are talking water weight here. There is no way for a person to gain 4 pounds of fat in 3 days! And according to the Zone diet doctor, Barry Sears, there is no way for a person to lose more than about a pound of fat per week. If you are losing more than that, it is probably water and/or muscle.

So despite my success this week with my grain-free plan, I am going out to dinner tomorrow with my hubby. We are celebrating the holiday season with a 3-course meal which includes signature cocktails! That's right. Made out of alcohol! For those readers who know me well, jaws are dropping like flies right now. Because I am not a drinker. Not by a very long shot. A glass of wine has me tipsy. So Lord only knows what a signature cocktail will do. I plan to sip very slowly.

And I plan to eat anything I please.

So, in order to prepare for my cheat meal, I am going to continue to be absolutely scrupulous in my eating up until then. I am going to emphasize plenty of water, at least 3 liters per day, as well as liquid meals (like soup) in order to make sure I enter that restaurant well hydrated! When I have already eaten but do not feel satisfied, I am going to drink a large mug of hot decaf green tea. This trick fills up my belly and tends to take away my cravings. I will not skip any meals before the cheat meal as that will only make me tend to eat more than necessary at the restaurant.

Don't be shocked when you read the review I plan to write about the Mutiny Pirate Bar where we are dining tomorrow. You can be sure I will not be having a salad!!!