Treat/cheat day
maggleberrypie
Posts: 29 Member
Hi all,
People talk about cheat days but I don't get it. I work hard all week controlling my carbs and calorie intake. If I allow myself to have a treat over the weekend (like nachos. I'm not gorging all day like some people do) I feel like it sets me back as when I weigh myself the following week, I'm the same weight as my weigh in the week before!
I just feel like, for me, I must lose weight during the week then just put that weight back on if I have something high calorie.
But other friends rave about cheat days and still lose weight with them! I don't get it. The only thing I can think of is that they eat far less calories during the week so it balances out on a cheat day.
I just want to know if there are others out there who don't have cheat days as it doesn't work for them (like me!)
People talk about cheat days but I don't get it. I work hard all week controlling my carbs and calorie intake. If I allow myself to have a treat over the weekend (like nachos. I'm not gorging all day like some people do) I feel like it sets me back as when I weigh myself the following week, I'm the same weight as my weigh in the week before!
I just feel like, for me, I must lose weight during the week then just put that weight back on if I have something high calorie.
But other friends rave about cheat days and still lose weight with them! I don't get it. The only thing I can think of is that they eat far less calories during the week so it balances out on a cheat day.
I just want to know if there are others out there who don't have cheat days as it doesn't work for them (like me!)
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Replies
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Why not just fit the things you like in to your daily life instead of depriving yourself.
Why not create lifestyle that you can maintain and not feel like you have to cheat, or worry about consequences of eating certain foods?
Create a calorie deficit, lose weight, simple.
I don't have cheat days. I hit my calorie and macronutrient goals eating a range of foods that I enjoy.0 -
maggleberrypie wrote: »Hi all,
People talk about cheat days but I don't get it. I work hard all week controlling my carbs and calorie intake. If I allow myself to have a treat over the weekend (like nachos. I'm not gorging all day like some people do) I feel like it sets me back as when I weigh myself the following week, I'm the same weight as my weigh in the week before!
I just feel like, for me, I must lose weight during the week then just put that weight back on if I have something high calorie.
But other friends rave about cheat days and still lose weight with them! I don't get it. The only thing I can think of is that they eat far less calories during the week so it balances out on a cheat day.
I just want to know if there are others out there who don't have cheat days as it doesn't work for them (like me!)
I don't get it for me either, but for others it is the mental attitude they require to stick to it
I don't get cheat anything for me .. it means something negative
I eat everything within my calories including making room for high calorie dense foods .. I never cheat I just eat it .. works for me0 -
I'm trying to lose weight so I have a calorie deficit and enjoy what I eat every day (fish, nuts, avocado). When I hit my target I can maintain well and work these treats in no problem. What gets to me is when I'm trying to lose weight and it's the weekend. My friends want me to eat popcorn at the cinema with them, or go out for pancakes for breakfast. They are dieting and say they do it coz it's their cheat day but when I cheat it messes up my weight loss goals. However, they continue to lose weight so my guess is that they are eating far less calories (creating a greater deficit than me) in the week so when they cheat they aren't as affected.0
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Why not just fit the things you like in to your daily life instead of depriving yourself.
Why not create lifestyle that you can maintain and not feel like you have to cheat, or worry about consequences of eating certain foods?
Create a calorie deficit, lose weight, simple.
I don't have cheat days. I hit my calorie and macronutrient goals eating a range of foods that I enjoy.
All of This!0 -
TavistockToad wrote: »Why not just fit the things you like in to your daily life instead of depriving yourself.
Why not create lifestyle that you can maintain and not feel like you have to cheat, or worry about consequences of eating certain foods?
Create a calorie deficit, lose weight, simple.
I don't have cheat days. I hit my calorie and macronutrient goals eating a range of foods that I enjoy.
All of This!
So I think you have answered my question....
To eat higher calorie foods as a treat (like a pancake or chocolate cake here and there) I should eat more of a deficit every day so that when I eat the cake I know it's worked into an overall weekly deficit to still lose weight.0 -
maggleberrypie wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »Why not just fit the things you like in to your daily life instead of depriving yourself.
Why not create lifestyle that you can maintain and not feel like you have to cheat, or worry about consequences of eating certain foods?
Create a calorie deficit, lose weight, simple.
I don't have cheat days. I hit my calorie and macronutrient goals eating a range of foods that I enjoy.
All of This!
So I think you have answered my question....
To eat higher calorie foods as a treat (like a pancake or chocolate cake here and there) I should eat more of a deficit every day so that when I eat the cake I know it's worked into an overall weekly deficit to still lose weight.
Personally, I'd drop the whole "treat" thing. Foods are just numbers. Numbers to be fit in to your overall daily calorie and macronutrient goals.
You're assigning moralistic values to foods.
Eat a variety of foods, all foods, create a deficit.
(and before anyone chimes in, no one is suggesting eating chocolate cake, pancakes or twinkies all day, as with everything a hint of user intelligence is required to create a balance)0 -
maggleberrypie wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »Why not just fit the things you like in to your daily life instead of depriving yourself.
Why not create lifestyle that you can maintain and not feel like you have to cheat, or worry about consequences of eating certain foods?
Create a calorie deficit, lose weight, simple.
I don't have cheat days. I hit my calorie and macronutrient goals eating a range of foods that I enjoy.
All of This!
So I think you have answered my question....
To eat higher calorie foods as a treat (like a pancake or chocolate cake here and there) I should eat more of a deficit every day so that when I eat the cake I know it's worked into an overall weekly deficit to still lose weight.
Yep. That's how it works. Want pizza? Eat more salad that day. :-)
There are hacks you can use too. I sneak my own air popped popcorn and some blueberries into the cinema, and make low calorie versions of Haribos the night before and sneak those in also. If I have room in my calories, there will be some chocolate as well. So I have lots of little things to mindlessly nibble on, without ingesting huge amounts of calories.
Proper Planning And Preparation Prevents P*ss-Ups and all that. ;-)
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maggleberrypie wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »Why not just fit the things you like in to your daily life instead of depriving yourself.
Why not create lifestyle that you can maintain and not feel like you have to cheat, or worry about consequences of eating certain foods?
Create a calorie deficit, lose weight, simple.
I don't have cheat days. I hit my calorie and macronutrient goals eating a range of foods that I enjoy.
All of This!
So I think you have answered my question....
To eat higher calorie foods as a treat (like a pancake or chocolate cake here and there) I should eat more of a deficit every day so that when I eat the cake I know it's worked into an overall weekly deficit to still lose weight.
No. You just work it into your calories. If your calorie goal is 1500 (for example), just make sure the cheat fits into that. Balance the numbers. That's all.
My cheat day, consists of only eating candy all day. But, my goal is 1500 calories, and even though I'm eating candy, I make sure I don't top that limit. For me a cheat day is not how much food you eat, but what kind of food you eat.
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I think an entire cheat day is dangerous for me personally. I could easily make up a week's worth of calorie deficits in one day from gorging. Instead, I've tried not to deprive myself too much during the week and then on Sundays I don't count calories... but I don't go crazy with what I eat that day either. It's just a way to give myself a break so I don't burn out0
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i guess it depends on the person for me I'm in the mindset that once the weight comes off then I will allow myself these treats within my calorie limits should I still want them then. Chances are months of healthy food will mean the chocolate cake will taste sickenly sweet and I'd rather have some fruit instead as my treat. I am trying to redefine what I see as a treat....a fat laden cake is not my treat anymore.....going out for a nice fish dinner or prawns basically any seafood is what I look forward to now. If we can't afford that I settle for some 'posh' prawns marinated in garlic yum0
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I like the option of having a cheat day, it really helps me stay on track. I struggled with an eating disorder about 6 years ago and whenever I got over my calorie goal I would binge and then punish myself by not eating for at least a day. Now that I am trying to loose weight again I want to be careful not to put too much pressure on myself.
I use cheat days when I go out to the pub for example and want to drink beer, or when I want to order Indian take out, or big antipasti platters (I love cheese). The next day, it's back to normal. It helps because I feel l can let go every once in a while. I'm only human and I don't mind how long it takes to reach my goal weight - I'd rather get there very slowly.
I do understand what you mean though, I guess everyone just has to do what they feel works best for them.
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MustLoveCats21 wrote: »maggleberrypie wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »Why not just fit the things you like in to your daily life instead of depriving yourself.
Why not create lifestyle that you can maintain and not feel like you have to cheat, or worry about consequences of eating certain foods?
Create a calorie deficit, lose weight, simple.
I don't have cheat days. I hit my calorie and macronutrient goals eating a range of foods that I enjoy.
All of This!
So I think you have answered my question....
To eat higher calorie foods as a treat (like a pancake or chocolate cake here and there) I should eat more of a deficit every day so that when I eat the cake I know it's worked into an overall weekly deficit to still lose weight.
No. You just work it into your calories. If your calorie goal is 1500 (for example), just make sure the cheat fits into that. Balance the numbers. That's all.
My cheat day, consists of only eating candy all day. But, my goal is 1500 calories, and even though I'm eating candy, I make sure I don't top that limit. For me a cheat day is not how much food you eat, but what kind of food you eat.
I have a healthy lifestyle normally and when I maintain my weight, I can have treats without putting on weight or worrying. It's just the 6 weeks of dieting I'm doing now (following Christmas of course) where I'm trying to diet/tone and being encouraged to have a day off to cheat but for me it doesn't work as then I'm not in deficit anymore.
I would find it much easier to eat 100 calories less per day of my calorie calculation then get to Saturday, eat a 600 calorie slice of cake and still have all my calories left for the day. This would seem to work too.
I like to think of the weeks calories overall. If I have a few days eating more calories and a few days eating less, it would still balance out.0 -
maggleberrypie wrote: »MustLoveCats21 wrote: »maggleberrypie wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »Why not just fit the things you like in to your daily life instead of depriving yourself.
Why not create lifestyle that you can maintain and not feel like you have to cheat, or worry about consequences of eating certain foods?
Create a calorie deficit, lose weight, simple.
I don't have cheat days. I hit my calorie and macronutrient goals eating a range of foods that I enjoy.
All of This!
So I think you have answered my question....
To eat higher calorie foods as a treat (like a pancake or chocolate cake here and there) I should eat more of a deficit every day so that when I eat the cake I know it's worked into an overall weekly deficit to still lose weight.
No. You just work it into your calories. If your calorie goal is 1500 (for example), just make sure the cheat fits into that. Balance the numbers. That's all.
My cheat day, consists of only eating candy all day. But, my goal is 1500 calories, and even though I'm eating candy, I make sure I don't top that limit. For me a cheat day is not how much food you eat, but what kind of food you eat.
I have a healthy lifestyle normally and when I maintain my weight, I can have treats without putting on weight or worrying. It's just the 6 weeks of dieting I'm doing now (following Christmas of course) where I'm trying to diet/tone and being encouraged to have a day off to cheat but for me it doesn't work as then I'm not in deficit anymore.
I would find it much easier to eat 100 calories less per day of my calorie calculation then get to Saturday, eat a 600 calorie slice of cake and still have all my calories left for the day. This would seem to work too.
I like to think of the weeks calories overall. If I have a few days eating more calories and a few days eating less, it would still balance out.
You could do that too. But I use my cheat day for everything I crave during the week. I actually write down my cravings and then have them all on one day. Haha.
So if I have a moment in the week where I crave something, I just tell myself to wait until Saturday.
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I don't believe in cheat days, it makes you think that this is a diet not a lifestyle choice. I think it's best to have what you fancy in moderation .0
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MustLoveCats21 wrote: »maggleberrypie wrote: »MustLoveCats21 wrote: »maggleberrypie wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »Why not just fit the things you like in to your daily life instead of depriving yourself.
Why not create lifestyle that you can maintain and not feel like you have to cheat, or worry about consequences of eating certain foods?
Create a calorie deficit, lose weight, simple.
I don't have cheat days. I hit my calorie and macronutrient goals eating a range of foods that I enjoy.
All of This!
So I think you have answered my question....
To eat higher calorie foods as a treat (like a pancake or chocolate cake here and there) I should eat more of a deficit every day so that when I eat the cake I know it's worked into an overall weekly deficit to still lose weight.
No. You just work it into your calories. If your calorie goal is 1500 (for example), just make sure the cheat fits into that. Balance the numbers. That's all.
My cheat day, consists of only eating candy all day. But, my goal is 1500 calories, and even though I'm eating candy, I make sure I don't top that limit. For me a cheat day is not how much food you eat, but what kind of food you eat.
I have a healthy lifestyle normally and when I maintain my weight, I can have treats without putting on weight or worrying. It's just the 6 weeks of dieting I'm doing now (following Christmas of course) where I'm trying to diet/tone and being encouraged to have a day off to cheat but for me it doesn't work as then I'm not in deficit anymore.
I would find it much easier to eat 100 calories less per day of my calorie calculation then get to Saturday, eat a 600 calorie slice of cake and still have all my calories left for the day. This would seem to work too.
I like to think of the weeks calories overall. If I have a few days eating more calories and a few days eating less, it would still balance out.
You could do that too. But I use my cheat day for everything I crave during the week. I actually write down my cravings and then have them all on one day. Haha.
So if I have a moment in the week where I crave something, I just tell myself to wait until Saturday.
I suppose I could do this too but I would need to calculate the total calories and work out how to still build a deficit into my week either by exercising more or eating less calories before/for a few days after. I couldn't just eat everything I wanted to on one day and go back to the same diet the next day. I think this is what causes me to stall where no matter how good I am in the week, the scales don't budge.0 -
It doesn't work for me either -but for other reasons. If I allowed myself a slice of chocolate cake on a saturday you can bet I'd be craving it hard for the next week. For me , it's better just to avoid it. During PMT I do allow myself a small bar of chocolate and I tend to allow my daily calorie goals to be made of of more carbs than usual- but I'm usually in such a foul mood that week that it doesn't matter about additional cravings!0
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maggleberrypie wrote: »MustLoveCats21 wrote: »maggleberrypie wrote: »MustLoveCats21 wrote: »maggleberrypie wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »Why not just fit the things you like in to your daily life instead of depriving yourself.
Why not create lifestyle that you can maintain and not feel like you have to cheat, or worry about consequences of eating certain foods?
Create a calorie deficit, lose weight, simple.
I don't have cheat days. I hit my calorie and macronutrient goals eating a range of foods that I enjoy.
All of This!
So I think you have answered my question....
To eat higher calorie foods as a treat (like a pancake or chocolate cake here and there) I should eat more of a deficit every day so that when I eat the cake I know it's worked into an overall weekly deficit to still lose weight.
No. You just work it into your calories. If your calorie goal is 1500 (for example), just make sure the cheat fits into that. Balance the numbers. That's all.
My cheat day, consists of only eating candy all day. But, my goal is 1500 calories, and even though I'm eating candy, I make sure I don't top that limit. For me a cheat day is not how much food you eat, but what kind of food you eat.
I have a healthy lifestyle normally and when I maintain my weight, I can have treats without putting on weight or worrying. It's just the 6 weeks of dieting I'm doing now (following Christmas of course) where I'm trying to diet/tone and being encouraged to have a day off to cheat but for me it doesn't work as then I'm not in deficit anymore.
I would find it much easier to eat 100 calories less per day of my calorie calculation then get to Saturday, eat a 600 calorie slice of cake and still have all my calories left for the day. This would seem to work too.
I like to think of the weeks calories overall. If I have a few days eating more calories and a few days eating less, it would still balance out.
You could do that too. But I use my cheat day for everything I crave during the week. I actually write down my cravings and then have them all on one day. Haha.
So if I have a moment in the week where I crave something, I just tell myself to wait until Saturday.
I suppose I could do this too but I would need to calculate the total calories and work out how to still build a deficit into my week either by exercising more or eating less calories before/for a few days after. I couldn't just eat everything I wanted to on one day and go back to the same diet the next day. I think this is what causes me to stall where no matter how good I am in the week, the scales don't budge.
Like I said - you should eat what fits in your calories while still keeping a deficit.0 -
thrashscara wrote: »I don't believe in cheat days, it makes you think that this is a diet not a lifestyle choice. I think it's best to have what you fancy in moderation .
Moderation everyday does not work for me, because I can't just eat one block of chocolate. I need to have the whole slab! Cheat day rules Lol
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Whitezombiegirl wrote: »It doesn't work for me either -but for other reasons. If I allowed myself a slice of chocolate cake on a saturday you can bet I'd be craving it hard for the next week. For me , it's better just to avoid it. During PMT I do allow myself a small bar of chocolate and I tend to allow my daily calorie goals to be made of of more carbs than usual- but I'm usually in such a foul mood that week that it doesn't matter about additional cravings!
Great idea! My friends always have a set back around that time of the month! I'm usually ok but I also think it's important to have the odd week where you change what you eat to suit mood/PMT!0 -
thrashscara wrote: »I don't believe in cheat days, it makes you think that this is a diet not a lifestyle choice. I think it's best to have what you fancy in moderation .
This ^^
Its not a cheat or a treat, its about making the foods you want to eat fit in with the numbers you have. Don't let peer pressure make you eat things you would rather not, no one can make you eat anything and I'd think poorly about friends who pile on the pressure if you have decided not to have what they're having.
My husband and son regularly eat fish & chips in the evening, but its very greasy and the calorific content is enormous so I compromise, I eat a forkful of fish (with a little batter) and 2 or 3 chips - still tastes the same, still leaves the same taste in my mouth, but the numbers are really good, and if I've already had my cals for the day I say no thank you and stay out of the way until its eaten.
Losing weight is all about choices, and only you can decide what you'll do in a given situation, eating too rigidly will cause me to binge so I allow myself some leeway to have the things I want as well as those that I should.0 -
I have treats everyday-its called moderation.0
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Liftng4Lis wrote: »I have treats everyday-its called moderation.
Yeah I've dieted like that before - adding in a small chocolate bar or whatever to your daily plan. My post was more about eating a well balanced, calorie controlled diet normally and how it would be possible to have a cheat day or treat without it screwing up your weight loss plan.
I think I get it now
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Do what works for you and don't worry about anyone else. You don't know everything they put in their mouth or every rep at the gym they take. Words are relative. Their cheat day may not equal your idea of a cheat day. Keep your head up and best of luck!
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