Fasting after cheat day: The challenges and tips for success

In a nutshell

Cheat days are planned days (typically once a week) when you step back from your typical diet and enjoy eating with no or few restrictions. When it’s well planned, a cheat day can offer a number of benefits, including a metabolism boost, glycogen restoration, and emotional release. Yet, getting back on track after a cheat day can be hard.

The main tips to effectively get back to a fast after cheat day include:

• Plan your cheat days in advance;
• Keep your workout schedule in mind;
• Hydrate well;
• Consider starting with a smaller fasting window;
• Break your fast with the right foods;
• Leverage physical activity;
• Don’t be too hard on yourself.

Sustained intermittent fasting can help you achieve your body goals and get a wealth of health benefits. Yet, following the same eating patterns with restrictions for a long time can feel rather daunting. Luckily, a cheat day can become a simple and effective solution that offers an emotional release and brings extra benefits. Of course, if you get back on track after it, in this article, we’ll guide you through the concept of fasting after cheat day to help you do this.

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Understanding the Concept of a Cheat Day

In order to understand fasting after cheat day, it’s important to get clear on the concept of a cheat day in the first place. In a nutshell, this term is used to define a day, typically scheduled in advance, in a week during which you can step back from a typical diet and enjoy food with fewer limitations.

An alternative concept–cheat meal, means pretty much the same. However, instead of taking an entire day off your diet, you can have a single meal, eating whatever you want.

The Potential Benefits of Cheat Days

This approach is commonly used in weight loss and bodybuilding. It’s believed that well-planned cheat days can offer a variety of benefits, especially if you are following a specific diet or eating pattern, such as intermittent fasting, for a prolonged time.

The primary benefits include:

• Metabolism boost - When you follow a specific diet for a long time, your body gradually gets used to it and the initial boost in metabolism can slowly go down. A cheat day is meant to give your body an extra boost in metabolism. According to studies, eating a larger or more unusual meal can increase leptin production by as much as 30% for up to 24 hours. Leptin is a hormone that signals satiety and tells your brain that there is no shortage of food, thus, boosting your metabolic function.
• Increased glycogen production - Prolonged fasting has been shown to deplete the body’s stores of glycogen–a form of glucose that is the primary source of energy. When its stores deplete, you can notice overall lower energy levels and worse physical performance in workouts. A cheat day can help you restore this compound and perform better in your workouts.
• Improved emotional well-being and motivation - Lastly, it’s worth noting that any food restrictions or calorie deficits can have a massive impact on your emotional health. Restrictions can cause emotional hunger, sugar cravings, and overall poor mood. Occasional cheat days, on the contrary, can give you a break from these restrictions and thus, help you improve your well-being and even restore your motivation.

What to Do After a Cheat Day?

When you plan a cheat day, it’s also important to determine what exactly you’re planning to do after it.

The truth is that there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. What to do after a cheat day pretty much depends on your previous diet and your body goals. In the case of prolonged intermittent fasting, the best choice after a cheat day is to get back to your habitual fasting schedule the next day. This will help you receive all the benefits of indulging while continuing your weight loss path without binge periods.

Sometimes, when you overeat during your cheat day or simply eat something very unusual, you may feel less energetic, bloated, and even guilty of consuming excessive calories. In this case, your first instinct may be to follow on with an extreme fast the following day. If you feel this way and consider going on, for example, a 24 hour fast after cheat day, it’s generally not recommended to do this. When you’ve been on intermittent fasting and healthy foods for a long time, a cheat day can put certain stress on your body. An extreme fast, such as a 24-hour one, will double this stress, making the recovery harder.

Fast After Cheat Day: The Key Challenges

Given their diverse benefits, it makes pretty good sense to schedule regular cheat days while on intermittent fasting. Yet, the main problem always lies in getting back into your daily eating habits after letting yourself let go of control.

After indulging, getting back to restrictions can be challenging in a number of ways:

• More pronounced cravings - When you let yourself break your diet and enjoy your favorite food, it’s quite common to experience more intense hunger and cravings the next day. This is especially true if you eat something sugary and high-carb that causes insulin spikes.
• Mental challenges - Although fasting can give you a sort of emotional release, it can also backfire on you emotionally. For some people, it can be hard to put to terms with the fact that they need to restrict themselves again after having a day full of freedom.
• Bloating - The day after indulging, you can find yourself more bloated than usual and generally feel less energetic and well. This can make you doubt the need to continue fasting.
• Binge possibility - For some women, especially those who are dealing with a binge eating disorder, it can be hard not to let a planned cheat day turn into days or weeks of indulging. 

How to Get Back on Track After a Cheat Day: 7 Practical Tips

When it’s spontaneous and isn’t approached right, a cheat day can significantly throw you off your fasting routine. Here are a few practical tips on how to recover from a cheat day and get back to your eating schedule the next day while preserving the most benefits:

• Start with preparation. Spontaneous cheat meals and days can make you easily exceed your desired calorie count and experience unpleasant side effects on your gut. Planning your cheat days in advance, including planning the specific meals you want to have, can help you keep the process more controlled.
• Consider your workout plan. The best approach is to have a cheat day after a workout and at least a day before the next one. This will help you avoid putting additional stress on your body.
• Hydrate well. Eating unusual foods, such as sugary or high-carb ones, can make you retain liquid and feel bloated. To overcome this, start your fasting day with proper hydration. Consider adding electrolytes to aid your digestion.
• Take a smooth start. If you used to have a 16-18 fasting window, jumping right into it after a cheat day can feel incredibly stressful. To avoid this, consider starting with a smaller window, for example, 12 hours, and gradually extend it.
• Break your fast wisely. Breaking the fasting window after a cheat day can be tricky and cause gut discomfort. To avoid this, opt for smaller portions of nutrient-dense but light foods.
• Get on the move. Low-impact physical activity, such as yoga or a walk, can be very beneficial after a cheat day. It can help you stimulate digestion, reduce bloating, and boost your mood.‍
• Don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s not uncommon for women to feel guilty after indulging on a cheat day and strive to take their eating under stricter control afterward. Needless to say, such an approach will only enhance the stress and won’t do you any good for you. Thus, the last and most important tip is not to be too hard on yourself. Remember that a cheat day won’t ruin your progress. On the contrary, it can help you enhance the result. So instead of dwelling on guilt, you should allow yourself a bit of indulgence and get back on track the next day.

FAQ

Should I fast after a cheat day?

If you are adhering to intermittent fasting for a while, whether for weight loss or health reasons and decide to have a cheat day for emotional release, the best tactic is to indulge for a single day and go back to your intermittent fasting schedule the next day. This way, you can get the most benefits out of your cheat days while also supporting your weight loss progress.

Is a 24 hour fast after cheat day a good idea?

It’s generally not recommended to do so. A cheat day filled with excess calorie consumption and, possibly, unhealthy foods puts stress on your body. A 24-hour fast will add more stress and can make it harder for you to recover and retain the benefits of indulging and fasting.

What to do after a cheat day to get back on track?

When you get back on fast after cheat day, it’s important to do it wisely. Focus on proper hydration and supporting your digestion with small, nutrient-dense, and light meals. Most importantly, don’t be too hard on yourself and remember that cheat days don’t break the progress but help support it.

Conclusion

Although cheat days can be fun and beneficial, getting back to intermittent fasting after cheat day can be rather tough. After indulging for an entire day, you may experience mental challenges, digestive issues, and more pronounced cravings that can hold you back from getting back on track. The good news though is that you can easily overcome these challenges if you take the right approach to your cheat days and the days followed after them.

After reading this article, you should know what to prepare for after having a cheat day. Use the tips we shared with you here to recover after such an indulgence and maintain your progress.

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