You stick to a strict diet for the whole week except for one day when you let yourself eat whatever your heart desires. Burgers, pizza, ice cream, chocolate, soft drinks, alcohol…you’re allowed to eat anything on this one day. But are cheat days (or refeed days) really a good thing if you want to lose weight?

Cheat days increase the production of leptin which boost your metabolism. This, in turn, should then cause your body to burn more calories after overeating. Leptin is a peptide hormone (consisting of amino acid chains) that is secreted by the body’s fat cells and controls hunger and feelings of satiety.

If you have been following a strict diet for a long time, it might be that the glycogen stores in your muscles are rather limited. This can lead you to fatigue more quickly and hurt your workout performance. A cheat meal or a cheat day can help replenish your glycogen stores by increasing the number of calories and carbohydrates you are consuming.

However, it should be mentioned that people with diabetes, high cholesterol, or blood pressure need to be extra careful. Even small treats can have big, negative impacts on their health.

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