I’ve been cutting out processed snacks, gluten, sugar and dairy. But 4 days a month which is once a week I have a cheat day where I eat these things. Is 4 cheat days a lot? Should I cut down?
Some people really like cheat days but I think they are terrible. I think its better to just fit those foods in or if they feel like cheating get rid of them as there is guilt and other emotion stuck with them. You dont have cheat days with your partner, might as well stop with yourself (at least I hope!). Just my two cents. Good luck
You have all the tools to answer this for yourself. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this type of question.
What are your goals and are you able to achieve them with your cheat days? Are you staying on track? If so, then, no, you don’t need to cut down. If you’re missing your goals, you probably need to re-evaluate.
I don’t ever do cheat days. I cannot. I have to cut out all the high sugar / simple carb from my diet and keep it that way. The penalties for eating this stuff are high. I’ve also worked hard to break the “food = comfort” cycle as much as I can. I try to keep the pleasure of food limited to enjoying the taste and texture of good dishes and not related to eating a lot of something.
On the other hand, I run into people on here who can do IF and eat at their calorie targets but can include fast food and sugar and lose weight just fine.
I all depends on what you want and how you’re doing on getting there.
Sounds like you’ve moved a lot of levers at once. It will be hard to tell which of those changes makes the most impact for you and your body, but I’d recommend not cheating on that specific one.
In my case it was pop/soda. I’ve made other changes but notice that when I cheat and have a sugary drink, I’ve torpedoed at least one days worth of losses if not more. I have to be strong about not having cheat days with that.
Hopefully you find your main triggers that inhibit you from reaching your goals, and can then be more discerning about what really has to be strict with your body.
What are your goals? How fast do you want to achieve them? Could it be a cheat meal instead of a whole day? And ultimately what’s sustainable for you - what’s going to keep you on track instead of crashing out? There’s no right or wrong answers here.
If you have a gluten intolerance or allergy or celiac along with a dairy allergy or intolerance then what you are doing is harmful. If you are cutting out gluten and dairy to reduce calories or help you not eat junk food then what you’re doing isn’t bad just probably not helpful.