Cheat Days

KBurkhardt08

I know this is kind of late but I actually was asking people about this this weekend because I just recently started a "diet" but having to stick to that started driving me crazy. So I've decided that one cheat day on a weekend is fine. You can either log it or not. Then you have something to look forward to. You seem pretty young...I'm 23. Theres no reason to cut yourself off and not allow the things you enjoy. I like sweets and alcohol so Saturday will be the day that I can have whatever I want. I've talked to a lot of people and all of them have still gotten to their goal weight when having a cheat day. I say whatever is going to make you happy.

SteveMFP123

thegreatcanook wrote: »

I don't really cheat, but I plan for a treat. Like, for thanksgiving, I'll log a piece of pie, some stuffing and a glass of wine and then plane rest of my calories around that. I hit my calorie goal, had a treat, and won't feel cheated! Feel free to add me for support.

That's exactly what I do, if I really fancy a treat I will work it into my calories by having smaller meals throughout the day. I haven't gone over once in 6 months by doing this. Christmas will be the first day I go over, I've already logged a rough estimate for that day and I'll hit my maitanance calories instead of my 2lbs loss calories which I'm honestly fine with.

ndj1979

cheating implies that you are doing something bad ….so I don't cheat..I just eat whatever I want and fit it into my calorie and macro goal for the day …if I go over on cals every now and then, then it is no big deal ...

ryanmt80

Me personally I do, because it gives me something to work towards. I do have a couple of rules though. I make sure that what I eat I can log in MFP, and the 2nd rule I have for myself is I have to get a normal workout (usually cardio) in before I can have any kind of cheat meals. I have found this approach has helped me and it's amazing that my tastes are actually changing and my meals are not as terrible as they first were when I was "cheating".

timpaton1

I "earn" my cheat days.

I know there's a debate about whether or not it's a good idea to eat back exercise. But I'm a cyclist - and fairly fit at that - which makes it relatively easy to burn an awful lot of energy if I make the time to go for a solid couple of hours ride.

My normal daily target is about 7000 kJ (~1700 cal; sorry, I'm an engineer, I can't think in medieval units :-P ). I've gotten used to eating that kind of energy intake since I stated counting calories (in August), and come in a bit under target most days.

A couple of days a week, I go out for an hour on the bike before the family wakes up, and earn an extra ~4000 kJ (1000 cal). I use a power meter, so I have reasonable confidence in the numbers. That's a significant proportion of my daily feed. I can get by pretty easily without eating anything extra... or I can splurge a bit - which feels like a cheat - and still come in well under my corrected target. Even allowing myself to eat half of that back feels like a massive treat.

Weekend rides are even better. A couple of hours out with the bunch on a Saturday morning can earn me an extra ~8000 kJ (2000 cal) or more. More than a normal day's eating. Now, I'm not going to say it's impossible to eat that back (I know we've all been there), but it takes some dedicated gluttony :-D. So there's a few guilt-free cheats enjoyed on a Saturday afternoon, without coming close to my energy target.

I think the key is the sporadic nature of my exercise. A normal 7000 kJ day is still normal. If I did a ride every day, or even most days, then >10,000 kJ/day would my normal eating pattern and it wouldn't feel special. But since it's only a couple of times a week, it still works as a special occasion and can be a treat. "Hey, I've got 2000 kJ left today... what the hell, I'll have a 600 kJ beer after dinner. Hehe. Losing weight, eh?".

If there's a party or some other event planned, I can prepare for it by doing an extra morning bunch ride. Or by just doing my normal amount of riding, eating normally and saving up the energy credits.

This approach may not work for everyone, but I've dropped 8kg (~16#) since I started counting, in August. That was all about making my energy intake on normal days more realistic, learning what a sensible everyday diet looks and feels like. Something I spent 39 years doing wrong.

I thoroughly recommend being fit enough to ride a bike hard for a long time. It's a stunningly efficient way to burn a heap of energy ;-)

kittkat100

I work on a weekly average instead of daily. If I have a cheat day I just burn it off/eat less the next. It keeps me sane but lets me lose. My TDEE score is low, only 1440. I would go crazy trying to lose or maintain weight without having higher calorie intake days sometimes. It sucks I have to sacrifice other days to balance, but it has become routine for me.

GaleHawkins

courtraines wrote: »

Hey guys! I was wondering about cheat days and how everyone feels about them when losing weight? Do you find them helpful? If so, how often do you have them?

Thank you!

I tried it once one evening. Gained 6 pounds and took 8 days to deflate. I now call it Fat Week so I never try it again.