People who follow a strict diet are often tempted with cheat meals and always look at food longingly before giving into their craving. A new study has found that over the course of a year, more than half of men, women and transgender or gender non-conforming participants actually engaged in at least one cheat meal, only to return to their dietary practices later. 

The findings of the study were published in the journal Eating Disorders.

Among women, engagement in cheat meals in the previous 12 months was associated with all seven types of eating disorder behaviours. Among men it was associated with binge-eating, compulsive exercise, and fasting behaviours. Finally, among transgender or gender non-conforming participants, it was associated with overeating and binge-eating behaviours.