Anyone have a "blow the eating" day a week?
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I don't really plan it but I'm usually over on Sat and/or Sun. I've only just started exercising over the weekend (usually just one day, rest the other) But I do need to break out of the habit of eating too much. Seems I spend all week getting back on track after a bad weekend. Great if I was going for maintenance but I still have 40+lbs to get rid of >_<0
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To answer your question, yes.. I sometimes have a cheat day. I had a cheat day this week and still lost a pound. If you eat around the same exact calorie allowance every single day, your body gets used to this amount and doesn't work as hard to burn calories. If you vary your intake by doing one cheat day a week or one every other week, you are telling your body to work harder to get rid of all that crap you just put into it. I find that this helps with cravings, and normally you will not feel the greatest afterwards, leaving you wanting only wholesome healthy food the rest of the week. You have to have dicsipline though. You can't do it everyday, or every other day.
I don't know if you follow Jillian Michaels or not but this is what she has to say about eating. She says that staying at the same can cause plateaus.
"Eat more: Ninety percent of the time plateaus are caused by your body's survival mechanism of protecting against famine, which is triggered by calorie reduction. The best way to fix this quickly is to give your body a little more food so it feels secure.
Varying your calorie intake is my best advice for keeping your body from plateauing:
For a couple days vary your calorie intake between 1,800 and 2,400 calories. I know this may sound crazy, but trust me...I know what I'm doing. Then, after three days, drop back down to the calorie allowance."
Hope that this helps.0 -
What I did was accidental, same I doubt can be said for you.
That was a lovely undertaking of accountability. Save for the accusatory bit at the end. No, my post was not accidental, I'm not sure anyone would think it was.
Anyway, good luck in your journey.0 -
What I did was accidental, same I doubt can be said for you.
That was a lovely undertaking of accountability. Save for the accusatory bit at the end. No, my post was not accidental, I'm not sure anyone would think it was.
Anyway, good luck in your journey.
I am absolutely accountable for what I said, I clearly offended people and that I am very regretful for as its the last thing I want to do.
I have no problem being corrected when wrong, its just how it is done that is important.
Again. Apologies for those offended and good luck in your journeys.
-Blake0 -
I agree ... Not everyone has strong discipline, that's why we are here... Also here for Positive HELP AND ENCOURAGEMENT not negative big headed comments.... If you cant say helpful things, say nothing...
Thing is, I can't tell if this response is to those who are against 'cheat days' or those in favor. The point of view *you* personally might find helpful and encouraging, another might interpret the exact opposite. So it probably would have been a good idea for you to have quoted or otherwise made clear who you prefer would "say nothing".0 -
Stay within my weekly allowance
eat less during the week and more on the weekends (which feels like 2 cheat days)
I feel great on mondays.0 -
I'm kinda maintaining right now, so I set my settings to lose .5 lbs a week, then I just eat whatever I want on the weekends, works well for me
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The way I figure it if I am going to eat like a skinny person, they will have celebrations etc and then eat less the following days or eat less before. So as far as I am concerned a high cal day is OK as long as you make up for it later in the week.
The other thing I know is that my body adapts pretty quickly to the amount of cals I eat and then weight loss slows down. So I plan once a week to have a low day sometimes eating only 1000cal ( which will not put me in starvation mode just for one day) and then make up the difference the next day, sometimes on that day I will eat 200 cals over TDEE but the next day back to my MFP cals. As far as I am concerned it is not binging it is a high cal day a planned day. If it were binging it would be out of control. I understand that there are purists who believe in eating weight loss cals or the time and eating clean all the time and it works for them that's great. At present I am doing what works for me and making slow changes that will last.0 -
My great weakness is Cappuccinos & Lattes. Sunday I allow myself to have these to my hearts content. Lately it's only been 2 cups & I've pretty much been staying within my calories. The cravings for these are getting easier to handle. And when I have a day where I know I'm going to have something way over the calorie limit I try to exercise more in order to earn whatever it might be.0
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Hi There: Sundays are my hardest day-especially if the weather is rainy and damp.
I am learning about myself while tracking all these calories and exercise.
It's a process right?
Have a great week!0 -
Sixteen whole days? Ah. Well, I suppose that makes you an expert.Absolutely not. Your either doing it or your not, can't have it both ways.
Most I have done in 16days is go over cals by 200, every other day I have been below. I'm down from 90.3 to 86kg.
Put foods you enjoy in your allowance and eat wise with the rest of it.
Cheat days are for those with weak discipline set to fail!
Good luck.0 -
Sixteen whole days? Ah. Well, I suppose that makes you an expert.Absolutely not. Your either doing it or your not, can't have it both ways.
Most I have done in 16days is go over cals by 200, every other day I have been below. I'm down from 90.3 to 86kg.
Put foods you enjoy in your allowance and eat wise with the rest of it.
Cheat days are for those with weak discipline set to fail!
Good luck.
At no point did I claim to be an expert and it was a opinion, one which I have already agreed wasn't thought out.
The last time I checked a forums main purpose was to share opinions rather than to try belittle people xwith sarcastic comments.
Not that its all that important I have for more experience with fitness than 16 days anyway.
Good luck to you too.0 -
I wouldnt call it a "blow it" day, but i eat a little more on thursday then I would on any other day cause its 4 mile thursday within my group of gym buddies (we do 4 miles on the elliptical) and I know I can afford a few extra calories. But I never go massively over maybe 100-250. I dont do it every week, but I do it more often than not.0
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This happened to me, and sucks.It is good to increase your daily caloric goal for one day of the week while on a caloric deficit diet. If you stay eating a low calorie diet for a long period of time, over time your metabolism will find ways to preserve energy, and lower your basal metabolic rate- therefore putting you out of a deficit. This process doesn't happen over night, and it affects some more than others, but by increasing calories by 500-700 more than your deficit you will slow the process of your metabolism slowing itself down a lot.
OP, keep it up.0 -
no, never.0
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I cannot understand the logic behind 'cheat' days. The only person you are cheating is yourself and you are making eating unhealthy, or too much, food, into something to look forward to and to aspire to. Surely you should be aspiring to that overworked phrase, 'a lifestyle change'? Part of my lifestyle change is that things I used to snack on daily are now something I eat in small quantities occasionally and always within my calorie allowance. Even then I find my tastes changing and the candy type chocolate I used to eat a lot is now too sweet for me, so I eat more healthy and less calorific dark chocolate, and not very much of it.
To me it's like cheating at golf, going out one day a week and not counting all your strokes so you can boast about how good you are.
Ron, the first three sentences sum it up PERFECTLY. Making food into a "reward".0 -
Wow people are being so snarky in this post :huh:
Anyway... Usually my only cheat days are holidays or birthdays, occasionally a date night with my husband. And it's not really because I want to eat a lot, I just don't want to be bothered with counting, I want to enjoy myself.
I started eating better because I love the way it makes me feel. If I cheat once a week than I'd feel icky once a week. It just doen't seem worth it.
I'm trying not to see food as a reward but as something to fuel my body.0 -
Absolutely not. Your either doing it or your not, can't have it both ways.
Most I have done in 16days is go over cals by 200, every other day I have been below. I'm down from 90.3 to 86kg.
Put foods you enjoy in your allowance and eat wise with the rest of it.
Cheat days are for those with weak discipline set to fail!
^^ I respect your choice to not do this but I totally disagree. I also find your opinion a little offensive - I do NOT have weak discipline, in fact I may actually be more disciplined than you because I can control it. And I'm NOT set to fail. You might not be able to have it both ways but I can! I'm down from 77.6kg to 65.4kg.
In response to the OP - Every Saturday I have a free day, where I eat whatever I feel like - not a binge day, just a 'eat not so healthily' day. And every Sunday I jump straight back on the bandwagon and carry on as usual. :bigsmile:0 -
I am fairly new to getting back to a healthy weight and have learned from past failures that I need a bit of flexibility - especially on weekends. My goal is to stay under my calorie goal during the week and be a little more flexible on the weekends. Also if I am planning a night out, I try to incorporate some extra exercise to offset it. For example, last night, instead of cooking, my hubs and I decided to go out to a local place for margaritas and new mexican cuisine --- I knew I would go over my calories goal so instead of driving, we rode our bikes (about 10 miles roundtrip) and I took forever to order while I studied the menu for the best choices. Bottom line --- I have found for myself, I can have a "flex" day as long as I stay focused.
I do agree that it is different for everyone and you have to find what works best for YOU.0 -
For better or for worse, I had an unintentional splurge day last Sat. I had basically 1000 calories over my norm. I wouldn't recommend it but the great thing is that in the past, I would've spiralled into shame, self-hatred, powerlessness & the cycle prolly woulda continued for a week. Since my roomie introduced me to MFP, the culture of openness allowed me to laugh at myself & disconnect the shame normally associated w/this. That's changed everything for me. Now if I could only apply that to all areas of my laugh lol.0
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Absolutely not. Your either doing it or your not, can't have it both ways.
Most I have done in 16days is go over cals by 200, every other day I have been below. I'm down from 90.3 to 86kg.
Put foods you enjoy in your allowance and eat wise with the rest of it.
Cheat days are for those with weak discipline set to fail!
^^ I respect your choice to not do this but I totally disagree. I also find your opinion a little offensive - I do NOT have weak discipline, in fact I may actually be more disciplined than you because I can control it. And I'm NOT set to fail. You might not be able to have it both ways but I can! I'm down from 77.6kg to 65.4kg.
In response to the OP - Every Saturday I have a free day, where I eat whatever I feel like - not a binge day, just a 'eat not so healthily' day. And every Sunday I jump straight back on the bandwagon and carry on as usual. :bigsmile:
Indeed, I did not word it very well, if something is working for someone or even if not it is their choice and good for you.Thank you for responding in an appropriate manner.
I could eat more and control it, I could probably eat a fair bit more and be okay but I just choose not to and its working for me at a pace I can be happy with.
I eat over 2000cals a day but also workout a lot so its balanced out, to me nutrition is first and calories second.
Sorry for the offense but in hindsight, their not even really my proper views as its not black or white.
Good luck in your goals & making the most out of life!
-Blake0 -
I had a tonsillectomy 8 days ago, so I haven't been able to eat very much at all lately. I have been significantly under my calorie goal every day since the surgery, so you better believe that on the day I can eat normally again I will probably go over my daily goal! However, I don't have a cheat day in general, usually just one cheat meal or snack per week. 0
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I tend to look more at my weekly calorie trend, rather than daily intake. Some days I don't feel as hungry, others I feel like I could absolutely eat an entire horse ( I don't of course - but the point being some days I'm a lot hungrier than others) Looking at weekly intake allows me to listen more to my body day to day rather than abiding by a strict caloric intake day to day. I still seriously watch the quality of what I eat and try to stay within a reasonable caloric range one way or the other. What I've found is in a month's time, overall, doing this, has only amounted to about a 1 pound discrepancy of loss, one way or the other. For me, part of this new way of doing things, is establishing some reasonable guidelines to live by, trying to learn how to 'honestly' ( key word here) listen to, and trust, my body's signals again, rather than a formula that imposes rigid rules each day. I don't know how this will work long term, when I get closer to my goal weight, but so far, it's worked out ok for me as I'm down almost 23 pounds since April 1st.0
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My strategy is absolutely the same: saving calories for a blow-eating day, so the weekly budget is still fine.0
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Do not do a free eat for all once a week that is actually bad. I have been talking to a personal trainer and a nutritionest so that i can lose the weight. Give yourself a 2000 calorie day every 2 weeks.0
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When I was losing, I usually had one day per week when I ate to maintenance or thereabouts. I never considered it cheating...I ate to a maintenance level of calories which means I wasn't over-eating. I think a lot of people are just way to hard on themselves and/or they don't understand that even if you go over your calorie goal, you're often still at a deficit of calories, just not as big of one.
OP...@ 2,500 calories you're probably close to maintenance (I'm 38 and 5'10" and maintain at around 2,700 calories)...I would't worry about it too much if it helps you keep your sanity. Just do understand that it might slow you down a little bit though (not much in the grand scheme of things).0 -
Do not do a free eat for all once a week that is actually bad. I have been talking to a personal trainer and a nutritionest so that i can lose the weight. Give yourself a 2000 calorie day every 2 weeks.
For a male of his height and weight, I guarantee you that 2000 calories is still a substantial deficit from his maintenance level of calories. 2,500 calories is still probably a slight deficit for him and at most would be maintenance. Nothing wrong with eating maintenance once in awhile. It's when you over-eat that issues arise...eating maintenance isn't over-eating.0 -
I completely agree with you... your most likely right that is just what they recommended for me mine is 1300 calorie diet so on my one day ever 2 weeks im not aloud to go over 2000 .. Im 5'9 female so yes his would probably be more0
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Thanks everyone. Not really "blowing" the diet or "cheating."
I asked a 60 year old bodybuilder at my gym (with a garage full of trophies from the 70s and 80s) what his eating was like as he got VERY muscular to peak for a contest. Even no longer competing his vascularity is incredible.
His reply was "whether it's me or preparing a client, I eat very low GI carbs, but have one day a week to have fun and go over calories. If you deny yourself, you will binge one day."
He said at a family gathering he would "have a small piece of birthday cake," and pass on the ice cream, "The day after a contest I would have cake and ice cream maybe once a week, but then I have been working out twice a day-six days a week."
Mine yesterday was a whole cup of raw cashews and a micro brew. (It was heavenly). Back at it this morning.0
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