Cheat Meals Make You Fatter (Unless You Do This)

Is it that time of the week when you can eat other things besides what your diet tells you to? Well, be careful. Cheat meals make you fatter unless you do some appropriate things.

Cheat meals are considered great for people who are on a diet. They allow the brain and body to get a break from being in a deprived state. But can cheat meals make you fatter? According Posternak, yes.

Max Posternak is the founder of Gravity Transformation, a website focused on giving tips and training guidance for people looking to improve their fitness and lose weight. His YouTube channel has over 5 million subscribers.

Should you stop having cheat meals altogether? Not at all, Posternak is not here to tell you only that cheat meals make you fatter, but rather inform you how to continue having cheat meals and not sabotage your weight loss efforts.

Cheat Meals Make You Fatter?

First, what a cheat day means can vary from person to person. The issue is exactly the wording and how you perceive it. Change the idea of a cheat day to a cheat meal. You should not have many cheat meals cramped into one single day as this will likely get you sidetracked from your fat loss progress.

The damage you can do to your weight loss journey is lessened if you cheat only in one meal compared to cheating in one entire day.

How often can you cheat? Posternak advises having only one meal a week for cheating and only for the duration of a one-hour window.

What you have on your cheat meal is also important. If your diet is very restrictive and you are not allowed to eat any source of carbs, for example, such as white rice or potatoes, you are likely going to fail at your diet. Posternak says that any “real food” should be allowed into your diet without being called cheating, meaning foods that are naturally sourced from the Earth rather than ingredients manmade.

Cheat meals make you fatter unless you can do these 3 things, according to Posternak.

Fast – either on the day you are cheating or the following day to make up for the surplus calories
Fill up with high protein and vegetables about 2-3 hours before your cheat meal
Relax and enjoy yourself for that one-hour cheat meal window

Each strategy above will help you keep track of your calories even if subconsciously and will not hinder the weight loss progress you made so far.

The purpose of the cheat meal is to help your mind and to give into your cravings rather than boost your metabolism or overcome a plateau in the gym.

And that is why cheat meals make you fatter, but only if you don’t control them correctly and it can be as simple as Posternak explains further in the video below.