do you have cheat days/meals?

peopletalk

if so, do you eat at maintenance for a day or do you just have a cheat meal but stay within calories?
do you find it helps or hurts?

answers please!

cwolfman13

I've never understood this concept...I'm of the opinion that most people will benefit more and have better dietary adherence with a more reasonable calorie goal that doesn't leave them feeling deprived and thus needing these "cheat days" or whatever.

Either way, it's just math...the bottom line is what counts...over the course of a week, month, year, whatever...if you're in an overall deficit of energy you will lose weight. It's just math.

Unknown

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TheSatinPumpkin

i have a unplanned meal where i go all out. Last one was this past NYE trying to down a 6lb burger and 3lbs of steak fries. Went back on my plan the next day and have lost an additional 143lbs since.

RoseyDgirl

I have cheat meals. I cheated with a bowl of chili at lunch yesterday (not supposed to eat beans under my meal-plan). And, I had a tiny pinch of packaged 'fried onions' ... which had wheat flour in it. (another no)... I'm trying to be as grain-free and legume free about 95% of the time... and the 5% fail - well, luckily, they're small enough that it hasn't affected me much.

peopletalk

cwolfman13 wrote: »

I've never understood this concept...I'm of the opinion that most people will benefit more and have better dietary adherence with a more reasonable calorie goal that doesn't leave them feeling deprived and thus needing these "cheat days" or whatever.

Either way, it's just math...the bottom line is what counts...over the course of a week, month, year, whatever...if you're in an overall deficit of energy you will lose weight. It's just math.

i completely agree. i was just wondering first hand from people if they find it helps keep them going.
i know sometimes if i have a cheat meal, my cravings for the following days seem to go up quite a bit and i wonder if i should not have one.

peopletalk

RoseyDgirl wrote: »

I have cheat meals. I cheated with a bowl of chili at lunch yesterday (not supposed to eat beans under my meal-plan). And, I had a tiny pinch of packaged 'fried onions' ... which had wheat flour in it. (another no)... I'm trying to be as grain-free and legume free about 95% of the time... and the 5% fail - well, luckily, they're small enough that it hasn't affected me much.

that doesn't sound like such a cheat! for me at least haha

KANGOOJUMPS

OF COURSE!, eat whatever you want, any time, just go work it off.

RoseyDgirl

... 6 lbs of burger? 3 lbs fries? ... how does it fit?

TheSatinPumpkin

fits good, one gobble at a time..If i am going to have a off plan meal then i want to make it worth my while... Also it was 10 months ago and been 100% on my WOE since so it did not affected my long term trend line.

klkarlen

cwolfman13 wrote: »

I've never understood this concept...I'm of the opinion that most people will benefit more and have better dietary adherence with a more reasonable calorie goal that doesn't leave them feeling deprived and thus needing these "cheat days" or whatever.

Either way, it's just math...the bottom line is what counts...over the course of a week, month, year, whatever...if you're in an overall deficit of energy you will lose weight. It's just math.

+1

BlueBombers

^ Ditto

lemurcat12

I don't now, but I used to (didn't call it a cheat meal, though) and it worked for me. Basically, I had one day a week where I ate at maintenance, which I used to work in a more indulgent restaurant meal (nothing crazy--I never went way over what normal maintenance would be), order pizza, whatever. I ate slightly less through the rest of the week or saved exercise calories to make the week work out. Doing that I could aim for 2 lb/week loss at the level of exercise I was doing and still feel like it was totally sustainable as I could work my indulgences in every week and not feel like I was really depriving myself.

Now I am closer to goal, and work out more, and I find my indulgences typically can be worked into my regular daily limit without trouble, but having lower and higher calorie days within a week seems a perfectly reasonable approach to me. Especially for people who already think in terms of eating well during the week and more indulgently on the weekends it might be a way to transition, although it can't be an excuse to go completely crazy or ignore good sense entirely, IMO.

radiosilents

I don't believe in the concept of cheating... it sort of drives me crazy, actually.

It's going to take me longer to lose the weight, I know, but I incorporate just about any food into my daily diet. Almost every day you'll see bits of chocolate or a small serving of ice cream, or pizza for dinner in my diary. I try my best to stay until calories and to balance out the macros, and I am happier for it. I want to have a healthy relationship with food and eating, and this is how I am doing it. So far I've lost just under 50 pounds, with another 150 to go. It'll take me probably another couple years, but I will get there!

beautifulwarrior18

If you have a cheat meal you should still be staying within your deficit. If you can't learn to eat foods that aren't so great for you while still accomplishing your goals you're defeating the purpose of the cheat meal.

pinuprevival

Saturdays I exercise more and eat my exercise calories, so the more I exercise, the more I can have. It's totally working for me, I have lost 34 lbs in 52 days and I feel great! I never feel deprived, simply because I know I can have "that" on Saturday. Do what makes you feel right and motivated. We all believed in cheat days before we came on here so let's stop kidding ourselves.

defauIt

Sometimes you just have to eat/drink a few thousand calories at once. Just make sure you enjoy it as much as possible, and don't do it so often that it ruins your deficit.

luluinca

I generally average about 1600 calories/day over the course of a week and have lost a little over 53 pounds. We do eat out once a week or so, and I just mark it down as an 1800 calorie quick add day and then move on. I hate trying to track restaurant food and just eat what I believe is reasonable. I'll eat a little under 1600 for a couple of days (usually rest days) to make up for it. If we don't eat out I don't worry about it and just stick to my plan.