Cheat meals serve to boost dieter morale; it’s easier to eat well for the rest of the week if you know you can have pizza and soda on Saturday. Plus, cheat meals actually boost the metabolism. After a week of dieting, the body’s metabolism starts to slow down as it senses that it might be losing nutrients. To stave off what is called ‘starvation mode,’ cheat meals remind the body that it is getting all the calories it needs to function. Metabolism kicks back up and dieters continue to lose weight.