{"id":479,"date":"2025-10-14T09:20:51","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T14:20:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/personaltrainerfoodblog.com\/?p=479"},"modified":"2026-02-03T00:21:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T06:21:10","slug":"cheat-day-meal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\/blog\/cheat-day-meal\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Have a Cheat Day and Still Lose Weight?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Can I have a cheat day?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s a great question!&nbsp;But what are you really asking?<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13406\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/iStock-516402958.jpg?resize=1255%2C836&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Get the facts about having a cheat day- will it set you back or help?\" width=\"1255\" height=\"836\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/iStock-516402958.jpg?w=1255&amp;ssl=1 1255w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/iStock-516402958.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/iStock-516402958.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/iStock-516402958.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&amp;ssl=1 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>You are asking if you can still have beer, pizza, and ice cream.<br \/>\nOr you might be asking if you still party like a rock star on the weekends.<br \/>\nYeah, I get it, you want your slice of birthday cake and a glass of wine with it too.<\/p>\n<p>&#8230;and want to still lose weight.<\/p>\n<h2>Well, unfortunately, things just don&#8217;t work that way.<\/h2>\n<p>OK, fine. Have a cheat day if you want to.<br \/>\nYes, you can have beer, pizza, and ice cream.<br \/>\nSure, go on and party like a rock star.<br \/>\nBut it will come at a price.<br \/>\nAnd that price would be a diminished return on your investment of time, money, and effort.<br \/>\nIn other words, you will not get the results you want.<\/p>\n<p>You see, your results are in direct proportion to your efforts.<br \/>\nThis is true in anything you do in life, and weight loss is no exception.<br \/>\nIf you put in 90% effort, you&#8217;ll get 90% of the results you set out to get.<br \/>\nIf you put in 75% effort, you&#8217;ll get 75% of the results.<br \/>\nPut in 50% and get 50%.<\/p>\n<h2>It&#8217;s a law of nature that can not be avoided.<\/h2>\n<p>Ok yes, you can have a cheat day.<br \/>\nHey, you can even have a cheat week.<br \/>\nAnd you can even have a cheat month or a cheat year.<br \/>\nThat&#8217;s your choice.<\/p>\n<p>Just remember, every time you cheat, you&#8217;re setting yourself back.<br \/>\nEvery cheat is a step away from your goal instead of towards it.<\/p>\n<p>And the amount you set yourself back&#8211; the number of steps you take AWAY from your goal instead of TOWARDS it will be directly proportionate to the magnitude to which you cheat (how much, how often, and with what food, drink, dessert, etc).<\/p>\n<p>Are you planning to cheat a lot and cheat often? Then you&#8217;re never going to reach your goal.<br \/>\nCheat a little bit every once in a while? Then you may still reach your goal, but your progress will be excruciatingly slow and you may even quit out of frustration before you ever do.<\/p>\n<p>Don&#8217;t cheat at all? You WILL achieve your goal&#8211; and <strong>it will happen sooner than you think<\/strong>!<\/p>\n<p>So can you have a piece of cake at your kid&#8217;s birthday party?<br \/>\nOf course you can.<br \/>\nBut it comes at a price.<\/p>\n<h2>If you can afford to pay that price then go for it.<\/h2>\n<p>What I mean by that is if you have already reached your goal, this one piece of cake may not be that big of a deal.&nbsp;But be careful if it turns into 5 pieces of cake.<\/p>\n<p>And watch out for next weekend at your kid&#8217;s friend&#8217;s birthday party, and then again the next weekend at your nephew&#8217;s birthday party, and then again the next week at a company party. That&#8217;s not cheating. That&#8217;s a lifestyle choice to eat the wrong foods and you&#8217;re going to end up back where you started&#8211; or worse.<\/p>\n<p>If you have NOT reached your goal yet, it would be best to avoid the cake altogether.<\/p>\n<h2>Cheat Day Rules<\/h2>\n<p>So in summary&#8230; There are really just two rules to live by regarding cheating:<br \/>\n1. Don&#8217;t cheat.<br \/>\n2. If you do cheat, understand and accept the consequences.<\/p>\n<p>Think about it as a simple equation:&nbsp;the amount you cheat = the amount you will be set back.<\/p>\n<p>If you are having problems staying on track, it&#8217;s time to try a weight loss program that works to kill cravings for cheat days.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Personal Trainer Food<\/a> serves up tasty weight loss meals comprised of real foods. Real meats, eggs, cheese, nuts, and vegetables work to tame blood sugar levels so cravings disappear.<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s no guess work, it&#8217;s so simple. Everything you need is delivered to your door (shipping is free!).<\/p>\n<h2>Don&#8217;t Cheat. Just heat and eat.<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Personal Trainer Food<\/a> gives you delicious, already-cooked meals that contain no hidden sugars \u2014 and little to no grains. Our meal plans are designed to help you lose weight naturally&#8211; just heat and eat. Done!<\/p>\n<p>Everything tastes so good that you will forget about wanting a cheat day. The cravings will disappear and you WILL lose weight!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-9462\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Food-quad.jpg?resize=292%2C173&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"food-quad\" width=\"292\" height=\"173\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-9463\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/other-half-food.jpg?resize=292%2C173&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"other-half-food\" width=\"292\" height=\"173\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>All you get are good-for-you, \u201cready in 3 minutes\u201d meals that chase away hunger\u2026 crank up your metabolism\u2026 and help you burn away those excess pounds for good. You&#8217;ll never say you can&#8217;t lose weight again!<\/p>\n<h2>Save now on low-carb meal deliveries<\/h2>\n<p>Right now, you can save 30% on any of our weight loss meal plans. Personal Trainer Food delivers everything you need to lose weight&#8211; including a Weight loss Coach who will help you get your very best results.<\/p>\n<p>Enter SAVE30 in the promo code box when you check out. You&#8217;ll also enjoy fast, complimentary shipping right to your door.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Get started now<\/a> \u2014 and get the RIGHT foods you need to lose those stubborn pounds.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-18466 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/save30off-mp.png?resize=945%2C92&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"945\" height=\"92\"><\/p>\n<h3>More Popular Resources for You<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\/blog\/category\/healthy-living\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Everything you need to know to lose weight quickly is here.<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\/blog\/category\/truth-in-weight-loss\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Get the straight facts about weight loss here.<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\/blog\/category\/fitness\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Browse all our fitness articles.<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\/blog\/category\/creative-food-ideas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">All our low-carb recipes can be found here.<\/a><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\/your-plan.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-1964 size-full\" style=\"margin-right: 18px;\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/jan.png?resize=125%2C125&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"125\" height=\"125\"><\/a><br \/>\n<strong>About the Writer:<\/strong> <em>100 pounds ago, Jan knew what it is like to be obese, unhappy, and stuck. She has spent the last 17 years as a fitness writer, trainer, yoga teacher, and Weight Loss Coach. Today, she&#8217;s proud to be a part of the Personal Trainer Food team so she can continue her goal to help others live their fullest lives possible. Email Jan@PersonalTrainerFood.com if you have any questions!<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Offer applicable for 30% off any of our meal plans. Use code SAVE30 at checkout to receive offer. May not be combined with other offers.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Weight loss results not guaranteed and are based on various factors. Copyright \u00a9 2018 Personal Trainer Food, All rights reserved.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Can I have a cheat day?&#8221; That&#8217;s a great question!&nbsp;But what are you really asking? You are asking if you can still have beer, pizza, and ice cream. Or you might be asking if you still party like a rock star on the weekends. Yeah, I get it, you want your slice of birthday cake [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13406,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2,721],"tags":[167,313,724],"class_list":{"0":"post-479","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"category-featured-article","9":"tag-diet","10":"tag-inspiration","11":"tag-real-results","12":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/iStock-516402958.jpg?fit=1255%2C836&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7cwqv-7J","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=479"}],"version-history":[{"count":44,"href":"https:\/\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/479\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20751,"href":"https:\/\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/479\/revisions\/20751"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.personaltrainerfood.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}