Is it scientifically true that cheat meals benefit you?

[AchillesWrathfulLove]

Having a cheat meal once a week, I have read that whilst being in a caloric deficit your leptin levels drop and this other hormone ghrelin increases, the leptin is responsible, well at high levels, at boosting your metabolism. I don't know I just read it but didn't really understand it.. So what I am saying is, do cheat meals help boost your metabolism and how?

Also what is the ratio of weight loss being about metabolism vs caloric deficit?

Like is it 80% diet 20%metabolism? or something like that

 

[jim mcnamara]

From now on, and we know you are not a scientist:
Please tell us where you read the comment you want answered.
This came from somewhere?
I cannot find a reputable resource (using NIH Pubmed) that supports the 'cheat meal' assertion you found. So the best answer right now is 'no'.

Next question:

Also what is the ratio of weight loss being about metabolism vs caloric deficit?

Like is it 80% diet 20%metabolism? or something like that

Let's go back to basics. For this answer, let's define entropy as lost energy (disorder). Physicists may not like this definition but it will help you understand.

The second Law of Thermodynamics says that 
 [ Energy in ] =  [ Energy out ] + [ entropy ]

[ Energy in ] is food or body fat. Period. Nothing else.
[ Energy out ] is your base metabolism ( staying alive and warm-blooded) + movement. Base metabolism is pretty much fixed for a given human.
[ entropy ] cannot be avoided.

So: you tell us. What do you personally have to do to lose body fat? (hint: movement and caloric intake).

If you want good, correct information go here: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/bwp

Great little calculator there for you. Plus links. If you stop looking for shortcuts or fad diets, and follow what this calculator tells you to do, things will work out very well for you. Otherwise you are creating entropy with no positive result (science joke)

 

[Rive]

do cheat meals help boost your metabolism and how?

Depending on your mental disposition it might help you relieve the stress related to a stricth diet and might help to keep you at high spirit.

Regarding the diet itself, there is no way 'cheat meal' is any good.

 

[Evo]

Achilles, you might want to see a doctor or Registered Dietician Nutritionist. Sites like WebMD have a special section dedicated to weight loss that may help you. We are not experts in diet and nutrition, we know how to look things up, and may have some background knowledge, but you could look these things up yourself. So take the advice you've been given here, and try to get professional help where your specific nutritional needs are concerned. As always, general questions are welcome.

 

[AchillesWrathfulLove]

Thanks guys.

https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/sclark60.htm

This calls cheat meals a refeed and says its good for you if you are either in extreme deficit for most of the week or have single digit body fat. I eat around 700 calories to 1000 calories a day (I counted the calories in my tuna sandwhich and also in my coffee), but its filling. I think I am going to incorporate it once a week into my diet but my "refeed" will be exactly maintenance and high in carbs like other sources recommend. I also went on WebMD and searched for cheat meals and it said that it is a psychological benefit and it is 90%healthy eating 10%Cheatmeal, so I don't know... I could live without a cheat meal, but hey if it is beneficial then I'm up for it.

Also I know people are against it I don't know why but I am losing weight pretty fast, I think if you have the will power to keep it off then its algood. Thing is people say it has to be a lifestyle change forever with weight loss but really all you have to do is lose the weight and then eat at your maintenance calories and for me 2000 calories equals to 3 tuna sandwhiches or 2 large rump steaks and couple of cokes, so that feels good looking forward to that day.

 

[Rive]

All the previous posts here (and in your other topics) were based on the assumption that you do some kind of 'diet'.
A tuna sandwich and a coffee for a day, sum @1000 calorie does not counts as real 'diet'. Siding that lone tuna sandwich with some 'cheat meal' is not cheating: it is life saving.

This feels like one step worse than seeking for medical advice. This feels like seeking justification for health-damaging malpractice.
You should really go see your/a doctor with this.

 

[Evo]

The OP has been given the information he needs. I think we can close this thread now before it goes south.