26 Comments

  1. Jonathan
    February 10, 2012 @ 11:39 pm

    Very good post on an interseting subject. Nice that you made an entire post out of my question on FB, talk about quick service 🙂 Have you taken a look at Joel Marions fatloss 24/7? A major part of that program is cycling in fast days directly efter cheat days. Keep up the good work!

    Reply

    • Kevin
      February 13, 2012 @ 8:31 am

      Thanks Jonathan! No, I haven’t checked out the book yet. So it’s a pretty similar approach to this then, huh? Cool!

      Reply

  2. Jonathan
    February 10, 2012 @ 11:46 pm

    Oh one more question: Do you do any type of workout to after the day after the cheat day or is the fasting enough?

    Reply

    • Kevin
      February 13, 2012 @ 8:32 am

      On my schedule, I don’t do a workout. I usually fast on Sunday and that just so happens to be my rest day as well.

      Reply

  3. Aditya
    February 11, 2012 @ 5:18 am

    can you have cheat meals after skipping breakfast like everyday

    i fast 2 times a week for 24 hours and 5 days i do only skip breakfast and eat first meal at 2pm

    so can i take cheat meals every day first thing?

    Reply

    • Kevin
      February 13, 2012 @ 8:33 am

      I wouldn’t. The main goal of a cheat day is to replenish your body after a somewhat prolonged period of strict eating. Everyday would be too much.

      Reply

  4. Darren - Lertno's Training
    February 11, 2012 @ 10:07 am

    I can’t trust myself with a cheat day. I have used the eat stop eat program combined with calorie counting and got great results. As soon as I cheat with some thing I just want more of it. Some cheat days happen but I don’t schedule them on purpose. I do find that a fast after them gets me back to where I was.

    Reply

    • Kevin
      February 13, 2012 @ 8:35 am

      It can be tricky, that’s for sure. Whenever I’m shooting for a goal I am pretty determined. The cheat day STILL makes me feel guilty and second guess myself … even though I know it’s a good thing. After a cheat day I’m looking forward to getting back on track. Yes, fasting days really help get you going again.

      Reply

  5. Niko - noeXcusefitness
    February 11, 2012 @ 2:43 pm

    Kevin,
    Great summary of another option for stripping fat. Was just wondering what sort of body fat percentage have you achieved using this method?
    Niko

    Reply

    • Kevin
      February 13, 2012 @ 8:36 am

      Hey Niko, so far I’m only down to 9% with this method but I’m still cutting. I’ll be posting some progress in a few weeks or so.

      Reply

  6. Sue
    February 15, 2012 @ 5:00 pm

    Hi Kevin
    this sounds like an interesting diet strategy and I think a cheat day gives one something to look forward to.

    Reply

    • Kevin
      February 16, 2012 @ 8:53 am

      Absolutely! I know I look forward to my diet cheat day every week. Funny thing is that I usually look forward to it being over with as well. After eating “good” for any length of time you can notice your body doesn’t really like “bad” food as much. I like it, just not my body 😉

      Reply

  7. sharon mohan
    May 1, 2012 @ 3:22 pm

    can your cheat day be any day of the week! I am stuck not loosing. Took me like three months to loose ten pounds. I want to loose another 20lbs but I just stop loosing weight and I am eating healthy. My diet consists of protein shakes, vegetables, chicken, fish and eggs. no carbs.

    Reply

    • Kevin
      May 4, 2012 @ 8:14 am

      Sharon,
      Your food choices sound great so, yeah … you can cheat any day of the week. My only advice would be to not cheat more than once every 7 days. I have known some guys who get away with as many cheat days as once every 5 days but I recommend every 7.

      Reply

  8. Tez
    June 17, 2012 @ 1:42 am

    Random question for you, I exercise at least 5/6 (sometimes twise a day) a week so not sure fasting is a good idea! But this week I have been injuried and have eaten 2 cheat days (approx 10 biscuits, with about 70/80 kcal each one)! Does this mean I should leave a ‘cheat day at all next week’? Does those cheat days effect my weight a lot? as it keeps playing on my mind! I would appreciate it if you could please give me a few tips, Many thanks Tez

    Reply

  9. Jay
    July 8, 2012 @ 2:29 pm

    I had a question regarding carb intake on your training days/low cal days. How much carbs did you consume on those days?

    Thanks.

    Reply

  10. Renee
    August 15, 2012 @ 5:49 pm

    Is two cheat days a week bad? I eat clean 5 days, small meals and exercise 5 days a week. Would love to hear your thoughts on two cheats a week?

    Reply

  11. Abbie
    August 20, 2012 @ 5:37 am

    Hi, i usually eat between 500-700 calories in the week sometimes less sometimes more but never more than 1200 in the week and once a week i sort of binge on a load of crap, i dont count the calories but its probably somewhere around 3000? Will this make me gain weight or get fat or whatever? Thanks xx

    Reply

  12. Ron
    January 6, 2013 @ 9:08 pm

    Hi I eat 3 times a day of healthy meals (I don’t know the calories) and exercise 3 times a week. Can I have a cheat meal once a week and if so how should I have it without starving the next day bc thts not for me.

    Reply

  13. Sabina
    January 23, 2013 @ 3:33 am

    Hi,
    I was wondering if it would be better to have a cheat day once a month and not once a week. Thanks (:
    And great post…exactly what I wanted to find out!

    Reply

  14. Mai
    August 11, 2013 @ 9:30 am

    Hey,
    I wanted to know if I should have my cheat day on my rest day or on a day when I work out?
    Great post by the way ! Helped me a lot ! I used to feel guilty about having cheat days so I used to diet for months and then I binge eat and ruin everything. You really helped me 🙂

    Reply

  15. Kourtney
    June 16, 2014 @ 4:16 am

    I have a question! I am using a nutritionist to cut weight for a powerlifting meet. I haven’t had a cheat in 7 weeks so he finally gave me one! My weight was 120 the day of my cheat and the day after I was 125! Day 2 is here and I am still 125! I have 6 weeks to make the 114 weight class so I amfreaking out now. He keeps telling me I will be fine but what do you think? I am extremely bloated and sweat constantly now so I think my body is confused with this bad food. For my cheat I had a nice steak dinner with potatoes and a brownie sundae. I appreciate your help!!! I am so worried now . Although I deserved it I feel I made a huge mistake!

    Reply

  16. Kim
    January 24, 2015 @ 8:55 pm

    Heh, I’ve already been doing this.
    I know what the commenter means about the body not liking “bad” food so much any more. I was surprised because I looked forward to my cheat day, only to find it didn’t last too long before I was stuffed and lost interest in eating anything else. That’s a good weird!!!
    .. I fast for 1 – 2 days after my Sunday cheat, then weigh in on Wednesday, as well as resuming normal feed (up to 1500 calories a day). The result (as well as daily 5 minutes of low-impact, easy cardio) after 2 months is a 20 lb-loss.

    Reply

  17. Jan
    November 12, 2015 @ 5:33 pm

    Yes, this posted info in this article truly works as I am a living evidence/example of it.

    I weighed 315.6lbs and now i weigh 197lbs and i never read about any of this but i was documenting my weight loss on things i did or did not do just to know what is taboo for my body. I at first worked out 6-7 days a week with lots of treadmill and tons of weights and big portions of weight just slid off within 6 months. Then in my 7month I started off doing 1 cheat day a month (womanly cycle reasons,grin) and fast the next day and not workout that day also and noticed i dropped 4lbs. I am in my 11th month and in these last 3-4 months i have been dealing with moving so i couldn’t exercise much if any as my treadmill and machines was stuck in storage but i did 1-2 cheat days per week and did a rest/fasting day and boom!! weight was still shedding off. I thought i was doing something bad but I didn’t care as i figured it was tricking my body and metabolism in not becoming comatose with the same old calories/ food and exercise regime. I am glad to know that it is just a calorie counting factor..:-).
    I must admit that for my body I am finding i lose more weight NOT exercising now.
    But I still do exercise as i refuse to become a lazy butt again or go back to the life i was leading. It is best to watch and see what works for your body as everyone is not the same but this method of ESE does work for me. thnx, jan

    Reply

  18. Jen
    February 24, 2016 @ 6:16 pm

    This post was really helpful for me. Yesterday I cheated on my low carb diet for the first time and today I weighted myself in the morning and I hadn’t gained weight! Then I researched about cheat days and found this post so today I fasted based on your tips and I don’t feel guilty or negative anymore so thanks!! 🙂

    Reply

  19. Ashley
    February 21, 2017 @ 6:06 am

    Do you not eat at all on your fast day? But if you do, what do you eat?

    Reply

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