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Pros & Cons of the Cheat to Lose Diet

The Cheat to Lose Diet by fitness expert Joel Marion touts that it is the solution to a common problem: diets don't work because people quit. The diet is set up so that for six days a week, you eat healthy, deliberately adding more carbs to each day as you approach your "cheat day." On the cheat day, you can eat the foods you love, including pizza, ice cream, cake or whatever whets your appetite without feeling guilty. The premise: Cheating on a diet is vital to success. However, the pros of the diet do not come without some cons.

  1. Pro: It's Not Too Restrictive

    • Dieters won't have to feel like they can't have their favorite foods. They only have to restrict their eating for just six days.Then, they are allowed to indulge. This kind of freedom should make following the diet easier.

    Con: It May Not Be For People Who Don't Have Much Self Control

    • The cheat day could be a stumbling block for people who have a habit of gorging on food when they've gone for days without having what they want. If dieters eat a large amount of fat and calories on the cheat day, they could undo all their efforts. However, the author does state just a few days after the diet, the initial water bloat from the caloric surplus will have faded and any extra pounds you saw when you stepped on the scale will have disappeared.

    Pro: The Diet Promotes Regular Exercise

    • The Cheat to Lose book has a section dedicated to exercise. Developing a habit of physical activity may help dieters keep the weight off once they've lost it.

    Con: Dieters May Not Be Ready For the Lifestyle Change

    • Although Cheat to Lose allows you to cheat, you can only cheat for one day out of the week. The rest of the week requires following the diet outlined in the book and exercising. There are other diets that sometimes allow you to do some cheating during the week. However, the stricter Cheat to Lose regime may trip dieters up. If dieters aren't already following a 6-day-a-week healthy lifestyle, they might have a difficult time adjusting to and sticking with Cheat to Lose.

    Pro: Inspiring Testimonials

    • Many of the book's pages are littered with people talking about how much success they have had with the system. They also mention how "cheating" was the thing that kept them on this diet after having failed with many other diets.

    Con: The Book Lacks Medical or Clinical Studies

    • Dr, John Berardi, the person who wrote the forward for "The Cheat to Lose Diet" book, went on the diet himself. The first few pages of the book detail his experience, but his story and the author's personal story seem to be where most of the evidence for the diet's effectiveness stems from, besides the testimonials. There isn't talk of any clinical or laboratory tests done that might make this diet more scientifically sound.

    Pro: You Won't Feel Guilty When You Cheat

    • Because you know cheating is a part of the diet, you won't feel any shame about eating your favorite foods on cheat day. On other, more restrictive diets, if you cheat, you often have to fend off feelings of failure and try to continue on with the diet in spite of the negative feelings.

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