What Happens If You Have a Cheat Day On Optavia? – Overview
Contrary to popular belief having a cheat day in the middle of your diet isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Why is this the case?
It’s because a cheat day allows your body to take a rest from the diet you’ve been following all week and eases limitations temporarily.
Many dietary experts concur that you should integrate cheat days into your diet because depriving yourself of snacks and treats too much will cause you to have more cravings.
This can be detrimental because it can cause you to break from your diet.
Moreover, veering off your diet once in a while excites the thyroid gland, thereby boosting metabolism. Cheating in a sensible way can help steer you toward success.
When it comes Optavia, it’s a low-calorie, reduced-carb regimen that combines home-cooked meals, pre-packaged foods, and personalized coaching to promote weight loss.
People often ask how much cheating is allowed on the Optavia diet or if you will still lose weight if you cheat. Well, that depends on what you call cheating.
Because technically, a lot of people on this diet have cheated. So keep in mind there is a safe way to do it, which we’ll discuss in this article.
How This Diet Works
What Happens If You Have a Cheat Day On Optavia?
The reason why the Optavia diet is so effective is due to three main reasons:
1. For starters, you’re simply consuming fewer calories than you usually would since the foods in this diet are low in calories and carbs (see also: Optavia Diet Foods List Video).
2. Secondly, you’re having up to six small meals in the course of the day, which helps boost your metabolism and alleviate hunger pangs.
3. Finally, since you’re consuming fewer carbs and more proteins, your body will go to a metabolic state known as Ketosis, which prompts it to burn its own fat for energy.
Ketosis is the promised land of the Optavia diet and where you ultimately want your body to be.
You can confirm this using ketone strips, which are a definitive answer to whether your body has reached this state (ketone strips are available in virtually all drug stores).
How to Go About Your Cheat Day on The Optavia Diet
What Happens If You Have a Cheat Day On Optavia?
Choose Your Cheat Day
Decide at the start of your week which day you want to turn into a cheat day, so you have something to look forward to.
You’re less likely to cheat on the other days of the week by doing this. Also, ensure they’re at least five days between your cheat days.
Eliminate the Binge Eating Temptation
While on the Optavia diet, don’t turn your cheat day into a binge day. The first thing to should do is avoid cheating in locations that encourage mindless behavior, such as
1. Eating right outside your fridge
2. Inside your car
3. While binge-watching a movie
4. While standing up in the kitchen
5. While walking around the house
Something else to keep in mind, avoid eating cheat meals right out of the packaging because if you had planned on eating a set portion, you’ll exceed it.
So to avoid binge eating, always place your cheat meals on a small plate and eat while sitting down. This will enable you to be aware of how much food you’re taking.
Have a Schedule
Even if you’re taking a day off your Optavia regimen, you should still structure your meals. For instance, you can have three meals and two treats that each target a different craving.
Does Cheating On the Optavia Diet Take You Out of Ketosis?
What Happens If You Have a Cheat Day On Optavia?
As we mentioned above, one of the goals of this diet is going into Ketosis. When you cheat, you’ll stop losing weight as you were previously doing, making you fall out of Ketosis.
But the good news is it only takes a couple of days to get your body back to this state.
So no need to panic if you use ketone strips and realize that you’re out. Note that you’re much more likely to exit Ketosis if you cheat on your diet by eating carbs.
You’ll be in a much better state if you cheat with proteins. So technically, it’s better to cheat with a nice juicy burger than with a donut or a slice of marble cake.
Is There a Cheat Meal That Can Help You Lose Weight on The Optavia Diet?
What Happens If You Have a Cheat Day On Optavia?
Start by appreciating that you won’t always stick to your schedules as you planned them. But you can be smart about it and add things to your pre-packaged foods.
What do we mean by this? You can add fat and sugar-free syrups to coffee, milkshakes, and pudding. You can go as far as adding fat-free whip cream.
You can also add fat-free cheese or sour cream to chili, scrambled eggs, and stews.
So you can be flexible with how you cheat to keep weight at a minimum. Try and use fat-free and sugar-free cheat meals.
Even after cheating, you’ll notice that your weight might stay the same or even drop further.
Which Liberties on Lean and Green Meals Can You Give Yourself On This Diet?
What Happens If You Have a Cheat Day On Optavia?
The Optavia diet requires you to take five pre-packaged meals and one home-cooked meal every day.
Some people skip the home-cooked meal, but we would not recommend doing that because it can slow down your metabolism.
For the most part, you’re supposed to take lean proteins and low glycaemic veggies.
However, if your significant other has prepared some steak, you can decide not to have lean chicken breast and enjoy some slices of the sumptuous steak.
Also, if your family is having sweet green peas, you don’t have to deny yourself just because they are high on the glycaemic index; just watch your portions.
So if you’re sticking to the ‘lean and mostly green meal’ philosophy, you’re doing okay. Even with the minor slip-ups, you’re still taking way fewer calories and carbs than normal.
Final Thought
While your aim should be to quench your junk food cravings fully, cheat meals still need some compromise. Think of your cheat food as a time to enjoy ‘bad’ carbs, fat, and proteins.
Also, try and have your cheat post-workout when your body is ready to expend any macro, whether good or bad. By doing this, you won’t undo the effects of the Optavia regimen.
See Also