Cheat days

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kerriamber81
kerriamber81 Posts: 1 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
What is everyone's general opinion on cheat days? I haven't really done this and all my non diet friends think I'm crazy


Replies

  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
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    I don't believe in them. I don't do anything extreme for my diet (I practice moderation) and I never feel the need to "cheat" - I work the foods I crave into my normal calorie goals.

    I do take certain holidays and celebrations "off" - where I have no calorie goal that day, but even then, my goal is to eat no more than those around me, so these aren't days when I binge, but I may enjoy a few too many gingerbread cookies or a turkey dinner or something.
  • M30834134
    M30834134 Posts: 411 Member
    edited October 2015
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    I have read quite a few articles for "cheat" days and the same number of articles against it.

    I, personally, did not need them and do not think it's an effective strategy. Taking a break from losing for a few weeks, is another matter, but "cheat" days will accomplish nothing. I think cheat days appeal to those who go balls to the wall on the weight loss and set a way to restrictive deficit; or those who restrict themselves from eating certain foods that they still want to eat, but refrain because they are on the diet.

    In my opinion, setting up a moderate healthy deficit and not excluding your favorite foods is a way better option. With a healthy deficit, you will not feel starved; and by not excluding your favorite foods but incorporating and planning them into your days, you reduce chances for craving them.

    I dont see anything wrong with eating pizza while losing - plan it in to fit your caloric daily budget, or save some calories from the previous days if you have a picnic or something.

    When I was losing, I regularly ordered pizza, cooked steaks, ordered Chinese - I did not need cheat days.

    Just my 2c
  • SergeantSausage
    SergeantSausage Posts: 1,673 Member
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    I have two rules on this subject.

    Rule 0: If you feel the need to cheat, you're doing it wrong.
    Rule B: You're only cheating yourself, and your goals.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    SergeantSausage wrote: »
    I have two rules on this subject.

    Rule 0: If you feel the need to cheat, you're doing it wrong.
    Rule B: You're only cheating yourself, and your goals.

    Except that a cheat can act like a refeed and there are situations where it is necessary.
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
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    I do not cheat myself. My plan has been reasonable and it's been working for over 3 years. I don't have any reason not follow it.
  • rebeccaEsmith
    rebeccaEsmith Posts: 1,136 Member
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    I do a cheat day Saturday usually go out for dinner and have a few drinks
  • SergeantSausage
    SergeantSausage Posts: 1,673 Member
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    usmcmp wrote: »
    SergeantSausage wrote: »
    I have two rules on this subject.

    Rule 0: If you feel the need to cheat, you're doing it wrong.
    Rule B: You're only cheating yourself, and your goals.

    Except that a cheat can act like a refeed and there are situations where it is necessary.



    When it's "Damn, I gotta have that pizza!" it's probably a cheat... and it is *never* "necessary."


  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,932 Member
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    If I want to eat more, I exercise more. Happily I enjoy exercise, so it's all good. No cheating involved. :)


    That said, I did take a 1-month break after I reached my first goal in June. I went on holiday for 3 weeks, then spent another week easing back into it again. On holiday, I had no intention of logging anything but exercise, and I had every intention of eating everything in sight, and lots of it. I didn't log anything but exercise, however, I discovered that my tastes have changed. I couldn't eat as much as I thought I was going to and found myself doing things like ordering sides of steamed veggies and eating salads fairly frequently.

    And I had a celebration dinner on my husband's and my 7th anniversary in August. I went about 300 cal over my daily limit, but was still within my weekly limit. Must have been that banana split we shared for desert. :)

    I planned to have another celebration dinner last weekend because I had finished the final exam for the very difficult post-graduate course I was taking, and we went out to friends in the evening for a potluck sort of get-together. I told my husband that I wasn't going to limit myself and if there was cake, I was having it. Imagine my disappointment when everyone brought healthy food. The best I could manage was a small sliver of quiche and otherwise I had some chicken and lots and lots of veg. And sadly, there was no cake of any sort to be had. :(

  • fishshark
    fishshark Posts: 1,886 Member
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    I can't have cheat days anymore because I go crazy. The simple solution would be to moderately cheat, but that takes away my point of cheating. I just make things fit and if I have plans during the weekend I will be a little more aggressive during the week.
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
    edited October 2015
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    I used to have a 'cheat day' every single week and completely stopped losing weight - sometimes even gaining. This was purely for the fact that I totally ruined my weekly deficit on this one day alone.

    I don't have cheat days now. When I was losing weight, I would eat at a sensible deficit and make my food fit into my allowance. I'm on maintenance now so this is a little easier to do than when I was cutting. Having said that, If i go over my maintenance calories, I'll cut my calories for the next couple of days to balance things out.

    My advice would be - make your indulgences fit if you can.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,932 Member
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    PinkPixiexox wrote: »
    I used to have a 'cheat day' every single week and completely stopped losing weight - sometimes even gaining. This was purely for the fact that I totally ruined my weekly deficit on this one day alone.

    That's precisely how I got here in the first place!!

    For a few years now, I would lose a bit of weight during the week, and gain it all back on the weekend. Sometimes I'd maintain ... I went months at the same weight. Then I might put on half a kg and maintain at that weight for a few weeks ... and another half kg ... and another half kg. But usually still losing a bit during the week.

    My weekday eating changed just a little bit when I started here, but my weekend eating changed quite a bit.

  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,978 Member
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    No, I work what I want into my calories. Using a weekly calorie goal helps with that.
  • mama4loca819
    mama4loca819 Posts: 6 Member
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    I agree with Pink Pixie^^^^I would do so well during the week and completely lose control on the weekends. I never lost weight! There is no good reason to overindulge like that.
  • Emily3907
    Emily3907 Posts: 1,461 Member
    edited October 2015
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    mama4loca819 wrote: »
    I agree with Pink Pixie^^^^I would do so well during the week and completely lose control on the weekends. I never lost weight! There is no good reason to overindulge like that.

    Same here! What I did, is readjusted my calorie goals for each day of the week so I eat less during the week and have more calories on the weekend. It was the only way for me to get those extra yummies in on the weekend and not completely lose control of my efforts. Basically, I started going by weekly calories, instead of daily calories. It has helped and makes me feel less restricted on the weekends.
  • daniwilford
    daniwilford Posts: 1,030 Member
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    My definition of a cheat day is when you eat above maintenance. When you are obese or overweight, cheat days are counter productive in my opinion. Eating for a day, week or month at maintenance is a different thing. Some times when you have a significant amount to lose it can be helpful to take a break. Also an individual day of eating above maintenance i.e. holiday, birthday etc. as long as it averages out over a week to be maintenance or lower is not a cheat day. I am into eating healthy for the long term. It is important that I understand how, and I am able to eat at maintenance, after achieving a loss into a healthy weight range. Scheduling or taking days when I eat over maintenance is not something I want or need. For me a lifestyle of overeating or under exercising is in the past and I want it to stay there!
  • krithsai
    krithsai Posts: 668 Member
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    I don't do cheat days. I do cheat meals occasionally when I just need to eat a favorite that I simply can't fit into my regular caloric goals. I do try and save some calories for it through the week.
  • beachhouse758
    beachhouse758 Posts: 371 Member
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    krithsai wrote: »
    I don't do cheat days. I do cheat meals occasionally when I just need to eat a favorite that I simply can't fit into my regular caloric goals. I do try and save some calories for it through the week.

    This.

    I found that I can very easily blow a whole week's caloric deficit in a cheat day's worth of food.
    So now I do exactly that the previous poster does.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    SergeantSausage wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    SergeantSausage wrote: »
    I have two rules on this subject.

    Rule 0: If you feel the need to cheat, you're doing it wrong.
    Rule B: You're only cheating yourself, and your goals.

    Except that a cheat can act like a refeed and there are situations where it is necessary.



    When it's "Damn, I gotta have that pizza!" it's probably a cheat... and it is *never* "necessary."


    I have to disagree there. As a competitive bodybuilder and long time dieter a refeed is occasionally necessary. Refeeds are an important tool many bodybuilders use in competition prep. It's for hormonal reasons, not because we feel like we have to eat an entire pizza. The difference between a cheat and a refeed is controlled calories and macros.

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