It’s tough to stick to a healthy diet when you’re constantly surrounded by unhealthy foods.
That’s why cheat days are so important – they allow you to indulge in your favorite unhealthy foods without feeling guilty.
However, it’s important to follow up a cheat day with some good habits to make sure you don’t undo all your hard work.
This blog post will discuss the best habits to get back on track after a cheat day!
Cheat days are a great way to stay on track with your diet, but they can also lead you astray.
The best habit to get back on track after a cheat day is morning fast, say waiting until 12 pm before having your first meal of the day.
If fasting isn’t something that sounds good right now, then try increasing physical activity instead – exercise burns off excess energy from food before starting fasted state.
In addition, it can help to increase insulin sensitivity and reduce fat storage so you’re less likely to store any extra calories from cheat day foods.
Just 30-60 minutes of exercise per day is enough to achieve these benefits!
Will You Gain Weight After Cheat Day?
It’s important to remember that fasting and exercise are not enough on their own.
You also need a healthy diet if you want results!
The best way for me is fasting after cheat day then slowly going back into keto or fasting state before having the first meal of the day (after 12 pm).
Fasting should help your body process all those extra calories from the day before – but only if it has time to do so.
So make sure there’s enough interval between meals during the fasting period like skipping breakfast at least until noon because that’s when insulin levels start rising again (and re-feeding starts happening) which could mess up with fat-burning efforts for weight loss goals.
Don’t go too hard on cheat days if I can give any advice.
Have a plan for how you’re going to get back on track the next day and be prepared to work a little bit harder to make up for any weight gain.
Remember that fasting and exercise are still the best way to reduce fat-storage after a cheat day!
Fasting after a cheat day is a great way to help your body process all those extra calories.
Just make sure there’s enough time between meals during the fasting period, and increase physical activity if fasting isn’t right for you.
A healthy diet is still important – so try not to go too hard on cheat days!
Should I Eat Less After A Cheat Day?
No, you should not eat less after a cheat day.
In fact, you should probably eat more!
A cheat day is a great opportunity to indulge in your favorite unhealthy foods without feeling guilty, and it’s important to follow up with some good habits to make sure you don’t undo all your hard work.
Cheat days are a great way to stay on track with your diet, but they can also lead you astray.
The best habit to get back on track after a cheat day is morning fasting – waiting until 12 pm before having your first meal of the day.
If fasting isn’t something that sounds good right now, then try increasing physical activity instead – exercise burns off excess energy from food before starting a fasting state.
Just 30-60 minutes of exercise per day is enough to achieve these benefits!
Remember that fasting and exercise are not enough on their own. You also need a healthy diet if you want results!
Also Read: How To Eat What You Want On The Weekend And Still Lose Weight
Should I Feel Guilty After A Cheat Meal?
No, you should not feel guilty after a cheat meal.
A cheat meal is there to help you stay on track with a diet.
To give you a little break, just like a rest day from the gym.
But a few things I would recommend doing to help this process go a little smoother are.
Don’t Have A Your Cheat Meals On A Rest Day From Exercise
If you’re trying to lose weight, then it’s not a great idea to have your cheat meal on a day when you’re not going to the gym.
If you’re trying to maintain your current weight, then it’s okay to indulge once in a while!
Don’t Eat All Your Calories In One Meal
It’s important to space out your calories throughout the day so your body can properly digest them.
And don’t forget about fasting after a cheat day!
Fasting helps reduce fat storage and gives your body time to process all those extra calories.
Just because you had a cheat meal doesn’t mean you should undo all of your hard work.
Try Starting A Cheat Day With A Fast First
Starting your cheat day in a fasted start is a good way to enough you don’t go too crazy.
I find when I start a day with a longer fast I tend to struggle to get through big meals.
It also helps by giving yourself this little buffer going into it.
I use a similar approach with a night out.
On nights I know I’m going to have a few beers I try to limit my carbs that day.
Beer and most alcoholic drinks are high in carbs, so I tend to eat foods high in fats and protein those days so I can enjoy a few liquid carbs and not feel too bad about it.
Now I’ll admit this is necessarily ‘healthy’ but it’s a lot better than the alternative.
I enjoy having a few beers as much as most of you do so I’m not going to tell you not to. Just be mindful of them, allow for them.
Also Read: Can You Build Muscles While You Fast?
Fast The Morning After A Cheat Day
If you can stand fasting after a cheat day, then fasting the morning after one is a good way to help your body recover from all those extra calories.
It gives you time for digestion and helps lower insulin levels in your bloodstream so that fat storage doesn’t happen as much.
Enjoy Your Cheat Meals, You Worked Hard For Them
Lastly, just enjoy your cheat meal!
You worked hard for it so don’t feel guilty and enjoy every bite.
Balance is key and overindulging once in a while isn’t going to kill you.
Just make sure you get back on track the next day!
How Long Does It Take To Recover From Cheat Day?
The recovery time depends on how much food you ate and the type of foods that were consumed.
If you had a healthy cheat day with mostly whole foods, then your body should recover within 24 hours.
However, if you ate processed foods and fast food, then it will take longer for your body to recover – up to 72 hours.
How To Get Rid Of Bloating After A Cheat Day?
Bloating is a big issue people can come across with a cheat day.
Here are the best ways I recommend eliminating or at least minimizing this problem.
Drink Lots Of Water
Drink plenty of water throughout the day as this helps with digestion and prevents bloating.
It also helps flush out toxins that may have been ingested during overeating or drinking alcohol.
Drinking a glass before bedtime is recommended too so there’s no need for midnight trips to the bathroom when sleep might be disturbed by thirstiness later in the night…
It doesn’t matter how much you work out, how healthy your diet is, or how long you fast if you’re not drinking enough water!
Take A Probiotic Supplement
Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that help promote a healthy gut.
They can be helpful after eating foods that cause bloating and discomfort as they help to restore balance in the gut.
Look for a probiotic supplement with at least five billion colony forming units (CFUs) per dose.
Use Activated Charcoal
Activated charcoal is known for its ability to trap toxins and gas in the stomach, which helps reduce the amount of bloat one experiences after eating.
It can be taken before or after meals, but I find it’s most effective when taken before.
Eat Smaller Portions
When eating large meals, it’s easy to eat too much and feel bloated afterward.
Instead of eating three large meals per day (breakfast lunch dinner), try eating smaller portions throughout the day so that you don’t overindulge in one sitting.
Eat Slowly
Eating too fast can cause gas buildup which leads to bloating.
Try taking your time while chewing food more thoroughly before swallowing it down!
This will improve digestion as well as reduce bloat after meals.
Don’t Drink Carbonated Beverages
Carbonation is what causes bubbles in carbonated drinks like soda water or beer.
The gases trapped inside these liquids lead them to expand when they come into contact with stomach acid causing uncomfortable bloating symptoms for some people who have sensitive digestive systems.
Understanding Weight Gain
One important understanding people have when it comes to understanding weight gain is understanding their metabolism.
There are many different ways in which your body weight can go up or down, but understanding your metabolism just might be the key factor that pushes you in the right direction.
I know what you’re thinking –
“How can understanding my weight change help me?”
Well, understanding your metabolism will let you understand how to adjust it so that it’s at a healthy level for you.
Let’s say someone who has an unhealthy metabolism wants to lose weight; they should eat less food every day than they normally would to try and change their weight – this is called calorie reduction.
But if someone who has already normal digestion wants to gain weight, they should eat more food than normal to help it – this is called calorie addition.
Now that we’ve gotten understanding metabolism out of the way, let’s look at the most common causes of weight gain and how you can combat them.
Sodium Intake
People tend to believe that if they consume a lot of water, they’ll lose weight.
But what our body doesn’t understand is that sodium in high levels will hold onto water and pull it into your cells, causing your cells to swell and in turn, making you feel bloated throughout the day (and sometimes swelling your stomach).
If this is happening to you, cut down on the sodium intake or completely stop eating fast food or salty snacks.
Carbs
People believe that if they cut down on carbs, they’ll lose weight.
But what many don’t realize is that cutting down on carbs alone will make them tired throughout the day, making it harder to workout or function in everyday life.
If this is happening to you, try slowly adding in more carbohydrates (whole-wheat bread, brown rice) while still making sure you’re eating some protein and vegetables with every meal/snack.
Also Read: Can You Eat Carbs After 3pm?
Sugar
Going along with understanding your metabolism, understanding how sugar works will help you understand why some people get cravings for sugary foods even when they’ve had enough sweets already.
What happens when you eat sugar?
Well, sugar gets turned into glucose once it’s absorbed through your liver.
Glucose gets turned into energy which you’ll need for your daily life.
But since sugar doesn’t have a lot of nutrients, eating too much sugar can actually cause you to feel more tired throughout the day – not being able to function as well.
If this is happening to you, try cutting down on how much sugar you eat and making sure you’re eating some protein with every snack or meal.
What Should You Do The Day After A Cheat Day?
It can seem like a cruel joke, but the day after ‘cheat day’ should actually be spent eating healthy and clean foods to get back on track.
What should you do the day after a cheat day?
The answer: eat healthy and clean.
Some people might read that and think,
“What good is one day of deprivation going to do?”
They don’t realize that cheating does not make your diet healthier – it makes it worse.
After all, if you’ve been working hard at following your diet plan or calorie allowance for months without results, then having that one big splurge isn’t going to help move the needle much in either direction.
What’s more, stuffing your face with calorie foods like pasta will actually increase your cravings for those types of foods the next day, making it even more difficult to resist.
And that’s just one way cheat days can go wrong.
Another common mistake is not planning ahead.
What should you do the day after a cheat day?
Unfortunately, many people see something like doughnuts and automatically think they’re OK to eat.
What they don’t realize is that eating one of those sugary treats can set your body up for a crash the next morning (a sugar high followed by a plummet of energy and bad mood).
It’s better to plan ahead and grab something like cheese and vegetables or an apple with peanut butter which will give you more sustained energy over time.
A lot of people who try cheat days aren’t actually prepared mentally either.
What should you do the day after a cheat day if it leads to guilt and regret?
You can almost guarantee that type of reaction from yourself if you’re not prepared for it.
What’s more, feeling guilty about what you did will only make whatever workouts you do that day more difficult.
What should you do the day after a cheat day?
A good rule of thumb is to identify one or two splurges beforehand – don’t try to think about all the things you want to eat.
If you are having trouble picturing your food preferences, consider making a list on paper!
It’ll help minimize wasted time and effort, especially if you have specific ideas in mind that aren’t immediately popping into your head.
Remember: staying healthy doesn’t have to be hard work – just incorporate these simple tips into your personal routine before starting up with any kind of diet plan.
Understanding food is one part of the equation.
And fitness is one more.
But the most important part is building the habits that make it all last.
If this sounds like something you need, click here and book a FREE evaluation call.