Don’t Cheat! Treat
Cheating is typically a nasty word, be it in school, in a relationship, or sporting match. But how about a diet? The term “cheat day” has been thrown about by trainers and nutritionists alike, with many debating whether these indulgent days are good or bad for your overall health goals. Some even debate the word “cheat” itself, opting instead to use the more positively associated “treat day” instead.
So, what does the research say? In a study published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, researchers looked at how well “hedonic deviations” — oh, such a naughty phrase! — helped when striving to accomplish an overall goal, be it financial or health related. The study, covered by a variety of publications including Elle, The Atlantic, and CBS (with the deceptive headline, Study Proves Eating Pizza Could Help You Lose Weight), showed that having a diet regimen with “planned goal deviations” could help you maintain your motivation and will to live (my words), contributing to long term success.
In the course of three experiments, researchers first had a group of 36 participants split into two, with one group imagining being on a 1500-calorie diet for seven days and another imagining a 1300-calorie diet for six days, with a 2700-calorie cheat day every week. With visions of pizza buffets dancing in their heads (this time I’m imagining), the group with the cheat day said they would most likely have more self-control and resist temptations, even though their diet was technically harder. Scientists then put the group on the diets for two weeks and found that those with the cheat day said they were able to have more self-control, compared to those on the diet that didn’t have a cheat day.
The study concluded that it might be good to “occasionally be bad, as long as it is planned.” Having something to look forward was shown to help the overall goal, according to the study, as well as avoid a “failure cascade” that leads you to polish off an entire bag of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups when you were just reaching for one.
So go bananas — or more accurately, go banana split or chocolate-dipped bananas — but, you know, within moderation. As Carissa Bealert, registered dietitian/nutritionist says in a recent GQ article, just because it’s a cheat (or treat!) day doesn’t mean it’s an “all-you-can-eat binge meal.” Have your cake and eat it too — just not the whole thing.
