Do you make up for "cheat" meals?

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lemonsurprise
lemonsurprise Posts: 255 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
So to all you maintainers, especially the ones who manage it without logging - if you have an event, meal out or just fancy a treat and suspect or know you have gone over your cals, do you make up for this in the following days?
If I go over I always try and make it up afterwards, or save up calories for the night, but I'm still wanting to loose weight rather than maintain.
Or do you just carry on as normal in the following days? Obviously these meals, events etc wouldn't be a regular thing.
Thanks
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Replies

  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    I just carry on. And know that sometime soon I won't be hungry, or will have less of an appetite etc. I don't exercise more before over indulging. But then I don't plan "cheat" meals.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    if it's a cheat it's not supposed to be made up.

    Then it's not "cheating"

    but I don't really dig that idea anyway- it creates a negative connotation to something that should be simple to handle and not an issue. Now. For certain events- I KNOW are coming- holidays are a good time frame- I'm significantly more diligent about my calories- and I tend to be more anal retentive about 'going over' or carrying more deficit- but I don't go crazy with it.

    I dine out regularly with my SO- we do not live togehter- and we both really enjoy steaks- so it's a thing we do at least 2x a month- and one of those is all you can eat brazillian- which is pretty much 2 hours of meat consumption.
    I know this happens- so I tend to be VERY conservative through the day with what foods I am willing to consume- so yes- I eat light on days I know I'm going to have big meals- but I never try to 'make up' for it.

    And as Sabine says- just carry on.
    One day dieting - as we all know- does not make you skinny.
    One day of feasting- as we all apparently do not know- does not make you fat.


  • SToast
    SToast Posts: 255 Member
    edited December 2014
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    It's not cheating if you make it up later. That just makes it something to be punished for. That being said, when I cheat I don't eat an entire pizza and a whole chocolate cake. I still try to make good decisions. I just don't deny myself an enjoyable meal out with friends or special occasions by saying "Oh, I can't eat that guys, it won't fit in my Calorie Count today".
  • sun_fish
    sun_fish Posts: 864 Member
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    JoRocka wrote: »
    if it's a cheat it's not supposed to be made up.

    Then it's not "cheating"

    but I don't really dig that idea anyway- it creates a negative connotation to something that should be simple to handle and not an issue. Now. For certain events- I KNOW are coming- holidays are a good time frame- I'm significantly more diligent about my calories- and I tend to be more anal retentive about 'going over' or carrying more deficit- but I don't go crazy with it.

    I dine out regularly with my SO- we do not live togehter- and we both really enjoy steaks- so it's a thing we do at least 2x a month- and one of those is all you can eat brazillian- which is pretty much 2 hours of meat consumption.
    I know this happens- so I tend to be VERY conservative through the day with what foods I am willing to consume- so yes- I eat light on days I know I'm going to have big meals- but I never try to 'make up' for it.

    And as Sabine says- just carry on.
    One day dieting - as we all know- does not make you skinny.
    One day of feasting- as we all apparently do not know- does not make you fat.


    This is my take on it as well. Well, except the part about steaks :) But the idea is the same!
  • Notreadytoquit
    Notreadytoquit Posts: 235 Member
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    Some days I'm hungry and unsatisfied. I need a treat but at 1200 calories I have to burn it hopefully before I eat it. On occasion I will do some "fine tuning" to my food/exercise diary to justify my caloric overage. A very few times in last 6 months I freaked out & didn't log it ... I am only fooling myself as I didn't lose or gained those weeks.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
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    Oh you know it! The next day I eat like a bird and bust my @$$ in the gym so the calories don't creep up and make me fat again!
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    Notreadytoquit wrote: »
    Some days I'm hungry and unsatisfied. I need a treat but at 1200 calories I have to burn it hopefully before I eat it. On occasion I will do some "fine tuning" to my food/exercise diary to justify my caloric overage. A very few times in last 6 months I freaked out & didn't log it ... I am only fooling myself as I didn't lose or gained those weeks.

    You're maintaining on 1200 calories? That's just wrong.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    If I know I'm going over one day I might go a little under the day before. But other than that, I let the scale dictate if I need to make overall changes. As in - if I'm in my target weight range, I don't let one day dictate the next day.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
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    I make up for it later. My calendar or weekly chart will tell me how much exercise or if I need to eliminate a couple hundred calories. I do not do this in one day. You will not gain by doing this.

    Remember you have to eat over your maintenance 3500 extra calories to see 1 pound of weight gain or 1750 for .5 pound of weight gain.

    THIS IS JUST ME: I have a spreadsheet that shows my calorie intake, exercise and BMR and shows weight loss or weight gain for the week. Because I have this chart I never over eat for the week..

    Because I am totally weekly (I can see if a change is needed) and I weigh in every two weeks it evens out.
  • Notreadytoquit
    Notreadytoquit Posts: 235 Member
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    No. I am a newbie to maintenance & fluctuating .4 to .8#'s from goal. Close enough. I have to figure out the maintenance thing but my point is still valid. Burn it then eat it or back up I go. Actually really looking forward to new daily calorie goals whatever they may be. I am hungry.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    how is it a cheat if you make it up??

    I'm so confused by this concept.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
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    I fluctuate because of sodium intake, women's issue and of course the "stuff" in still in my body that I have not eliminated (you catch my drift).

    I stopped watching these fluctuations because it drove me crazy. But I am now low sodium and lots of water and has made a huge difference. Exercising almost stopped all the crazy fluctuations due to hormones.

    I stopped weighing daily.. It drove me crazy insane!!
  • scrittrice
    scrittrice Posts: 345 Member
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    I don't "cheat"; I eat. Sometimes I eat a little more than I burn, and sometimes I eat a little less.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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    I don't consider nights out or high calorie meals as cheat meals. They're just days that I eat more than usual. I lower my intake I have several of these days in a week, or a lot of events planned.
  • lemonsurprise
    lemonsurprise Posts: 255 Member
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    I just used "cheat" meals to state the times you go over, or think you go over your calories.
    Thanks to those who answered!
  • feisty_bucket
    feisty_bucket Posts: 1,047 Member
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    JoRocka wrote: »
    if it's a cheat it's not supposed to be made up.
    Then it's not "cheating"
    but I don't really dig that idea anyway- it creates a negative connotation to something that should be simple to handle and not an issue.

    Yeah, exactly. "Cheating" in weightlifting parlance is a very specific overfeeding meal to maximize growth after exercise stimulus. It's not the same as "blowing my diet OMG Cookie Monster YOLO nomnom."

    Yeah, you should definitely track it if you eat more than usual at once. That's presumably why we're here, yes? And then correct for the imbalance later to stay on-goal. It's not hard or anything to freak out or especially worry about, just fix it.
  • RaspberryTickleChicken
    RaspberryTickleChicken Posts: 629 Member
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    90/10 Rule

    I just carry on
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    cheat implies bad and I don't believe in bad foods....just eat what you want and fit it into your day ....
  • dieselbyte
    dieselbyte Posts: 733 Member
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    ndj1979 wrote: »
    cheat implies bad and I don't believe in bad foods....just eat what you want and fit it into your day ....

    ^This. And feeling like you're "cheating", and the subsequent feeling that you need to "make up for it" can create an unhealthy relationship with food. We aren't perfect, nor should we strive to be.
  • ucabucca
    ucabucca Posts: 606 Member
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    I realize to be normal you will fluctuate some high some low. If it became I habit I would address it. The only thing I have to adapt for is high salt I feel grossly bloated and then find I do add more water to help flush it out

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