Cheat Meals/Days & Refeed Days: Why And How To Use Them

Should I use Cheat Days or Cheat Meals? Or a Refeed Day?

Cheat meals have been a very popular trend in the past several years. It claims to be good for your metabolism, to provide a sort of ‘reset’ or ‘boost’. But is this actually true?

The answer depends on how you use the cheat meal. Being in a calorie restriction for long means that your muscle glycogen (how full your muscles look) will at some point be depleted. It will make you look a bit flatter and you’ll be wondering if you are losing a ton of muscle.

After a certain period of sticking to your calorie restriction (4-6 weeks after the start on average) you are also likely to feel a little less energy. Your lifts are perhaps decreasing a little, either in weight or the amount of sets you can do.

When you notice this depletion and decrease in energy, it would be wise to use the ‘cheat day’, or better; ‘the refeed day’. 

The refeed day is one day per week, usually on the weekend for social reasons, where you bump your calories up to maintenance. Or perhaps 100 calories above maintenance. Usually it is advised to add more carbs, for energy inside and outside the gym, that day. It makes the body less prone to metabolic adaptation. Perhaps schedule your heavy leg day on your refeed day, to allow yourself the right amount of energy to get through. Refeed days have a huge benefit and are almost unmissable, if used right, in a long term calorie deficit plan.

Watch out for this!

What is often not advised is to eat whatever you want without counting or tracking, without any limits. Often what happens when you choose foods that you desire and are easy to consume is that you end up going way over your maintenance. Those couple glasses of alcohol + that greasy burger you have been dreaming about could easily lift you way over your maintenance. And a 1500 calorie surplus on that one ‘cheat day’ will erase 3 days of hard work of being in a 500 calorie deficit.

Does this mean we still have to eat clean, the entire time?

The answer is no. How you arrange your refeed day is entirely up to you. However, keep in mind to eventually end up around maintenance that day. It is always better to cook and count, to know how much you are eating. 

But life happens and we go to social events. Sometimes we want to have a break from the mundane calorie counting. We just want to have fun! It is then strongly advised to look up what the foods you typically eat and take this into account. Knowing that a tequila flavored bear is an easy 200 kcal per bottle and knowing that your greasy restaurant burger could easily be 1500 kcal each.

Pick your version of the refeed day and add in your plan!

Knowing is half the battle!