A cheat day or one cheat meal?
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The less you cheat, the better. As ambiguous as that is, it's really the best answer. Generally, this is because the more you allow yourself to cheat, the more likely you are to fall into bad habits with your diet, and the less likely you are to stick with your current plan. Always keep the end goal in mind. But yeah, having a cheat meal every now and then (read: once a week max) is good for the soul. But just be careful you don't start slipping and having a cheat meal every day.0
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If you are in it to win it, you don't ever cheat. If you want to eat something and it is within your allotted calories, eat it. I am not a cheater. I am a winner.
^^^This. I just fit what I want into my calories. Sorry but the words "cheat day" or "cheat meal" are one of my biggest pet peeves. And OP, if you are fitting these meals into your calories, then it's not really a cheat anyway.
I say cheat day because everyone knows what it is.
No they don't. I certainly don't.
You have also had loads of people questioning how is it cheating if you haven't gone over your calories.
You have also had lots of people who disagree with the idea that eating is cheating.
When I chose to go over my calories I still don't consider it cheating. When I eat a meal purely for enjoyment I still don't consider it cheating.
To me it sounds very much like an unhealthy attitude to food and weight maintenance. It doesn't seem to be making you happy either..
Your words - "I always feel bad too, and do some extra cardio!"
You don't just cheat by going over calories. Generally cheat meals are high in sugar and trans and saturated fat, with little to no nutritional value. You can't tell me that eating McDonalds isn't a cheat meal, when we all know it is extremely unhealthy and doesn't benefit your overall fitness goals.0 -
Kriddler92 wrote: »If you are in it to win it, you don't ever cheat. If you want to eat something and it is within your allotted calories, eat it. I am not a cheater. I am a winner.
^^^This. I just fit what I want into my calories. Sorry but the words "cheat day" or "cheat meal" are one of my biggest pet peeves. And OP, if you are fitting these meals into your calories, then it's not really a cheat anyway.
I say cheat day because everyone knows what it is.
No they don't. I certainly don't.
You have also had loads of people questioning how is it cheating if you haven't gone over your calories.
You have also had lots of people who disagree with the idea that eating is cheating.
When I chose to go over my calories I still don't consider it cheating. When I eat a meal purely for enjoyment I still don't consider it cheating.
To me it sounds very much like an unhealthy attitude to food and weight maintenance. It doesn't seem to be making you happy either..
Your words - "I always feel bad too, and do some extra cardio!"
You don't just cheat by going over calories. Generally cheat meals are high in sugar and trans and saturated fat, with little to no nutritional value. You can't tell me that eating McDonalds isn't a cheat meal, when we all know it is extremely unhealthy and doesn't benefit your overall fitness goals.
Agreed!
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Kriddler92 wrote: »The less you cheat, the better. As ambiguous as that is, it's really the best answer. Generally, this is because the more you allow yourself to cheat, the more likely you are to fall into bad habits with your diet, and the less likely you are to stick with your current plan. Always keep the end goal in mind. But yeah, having a cheat meal every now and then (read: once a week max) is good for the soul. But just be careful you don't start slipping and having a cheat meal every day.
I agreed! Once a week seems to work for me.
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[/quote]
You don't just cheat by going over calories. Generally cheat meals are high in sugar and trans and saturated fat, with little to no nutritional value. You can't tell me that eating McDonalds isn't a cheat meal, when we all know it is extremely unhealthy and doesn't benefit your overall fitness goals.[/quote]
By this philosophy, everyday is a cheat day for me. But, I guess it depends on your goals. I've maintained my weight and continue to fit into my size 0/00 clothing for three years without depriving myself of the foods I love, and I'm healthy enough to run 10 miles without feeling like I'm going to die, so I'm meeting my goals by eating smaller portions of the foods I love. A good lunch for me is a McDonald's small hamburger/small fry < 500 calories. A typical dinner for me is fried chicken, wings, or pizza -- just not a lot of it, followed by an ice cream cone for dessert. But, I'd much rather feast on two pieces of pizza or a handful of fries than eat my weight in kale and quinoa.
Strict diets have worked for me in the past to lose weight, but I got tired of them and slowly started "cheating," which was the beginning of the end of their success. My best advice it to do what works for you and that you will stick with! No one knows you better than you!0 -
Kriddler92 wrote: »If you are in it to win it, you don't ever cheat. If you want to eat something and it is within your allotted calories, eat it. I am not a cheater. I am a winner.
^^^This. I just fit what I want into my calories. Sorry but the words "cheat day" or "cheat meal" are one of my biggest pet peeves. And OP, if you are fitting these meals into your calories, then it's not really a cheat anyway.
I say cheat day because everyone knows what it is.
No they don't. I certainly don't.
You have also had loads of people questioning how is it cheating if you haven't gone over your calories.
You have also had lots of people who disagree with the idea that eating is cheating.
When I chose to go over my calories I still don't consider it cheating. When I eat a meal purely for enjoyment I still don't consider it cheating.
To me it sounds very much like an unhealthy attitude to food and weight maintenance. It doesn't seem to be making you happy either..
Your words - "I always feel bad too, and do some extra cardio!"
You don't just cheat by going over calories. Generally cheat meals are high in sugar and trans and saturated fat, with little to no nutritional value. You can't tell me that eating McDonalds isn't a cheat meal, when we all know it is extremely unhealthy and doesn't benefit your overall fitness goals.
Go and tell you local food standards agency that the food in McDonalds is unhealthy and they should be closed down as it is a threat to your health and they will be very, very confused!
Tell me exactly what you think eating one meal from McDonalds will do to your health.
Please stop saying "we all know" when that plainly isn't the case! It's your opinion and nothing more. And I can tell you that McDonalds isn't a cheat meal (in your terminology) to me it's just a meal - and a highly unlikely choice of meal for me as well.
I frankly don't have a clue why you think eating one pretty poor example of a burger meal is unhealthy. It still contains protein, carbs and fat which will be digested and used by your body. So again please explain why there is "little to no nutritional value" - what do you think will happen to those macros?
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<snip>
I've maintained my weight and continue to fit into my size 0/00 clothing for three years without depriving myself of the foods I love, and I'm healthy enough to run 10 miles without feeling like I'm going to die, so I'm meeting my goals by eating smaller portions of the foods I love. A good lunch for me is a McDonald's small hamburger/small fry < 500 calories. A typical dinner for me is fried chicken, wings, or pizza -- just not a lot of it, followed by an ice cream cone for dessert. But, I'd much rather feast on two pieces of pizza or a handful of fries than eat my weight in kale and quinoa.
kluvit you're my heroine!
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Kriddler92 wrote: »If you are in it to win it, you don't ever cheat. If you want to eat something and it is within your allotted calories, eat it. I am not a cheater. I am a winner.
^^^This. I just fit what I want into my calories. Sorry but the words "cheat day" or "cheat meal" are one of my biggest pet peeves. And OP, if you are fitting these meals into your calories, then it's not really a cheat anyway.
I say cheat day because everyone knows what it is.
No they don't. I certainly don't.
You have also had loads of people questioning how is it cheating if you haven't gone over your calories.
You have also had lots of people who disagree with the idea that eating is cheating.
When I chose to go over my calories I still don't consider it cheating. When I eat a meal purely for enjoyment I still don't consider it cheating.
To me it sounds very much like an unhealthy attitude to food and weight maintenance. It doesn't seem to be making you happy either..
Your words - "I always feel bad too, and do some extra cardio!"
You don't just cheat by going over calories. Generally cheat meals are high in sugar and trans and saturated fat, with little to no nutritional value. You can't tell me that eating McDonalds isn't a cheat meal, when we all know it is extremely unhealthy and doesn't benefit your overall fitness goals.
so if I go to Mcdonalds and get the grilled chicken wrap with no mayo it is cheating because mcdonalds???0 -
Kriddler92 wrote: »If you are in it to win it, you don't ever cheat. If you want to eat something and it is within your allotted calories, eat it. I am not a cheater. I am a winner.
^^^This. I just fit what I want into my calories. Sorry but the words "cheat day" or "cheat meal" are one of my biggest pet peeves. And OP, if you are fitting these meals into your calories, then it's not really a cheat anyway.
I say cheat day because everyone knows what it is.
No they don't. I certainly don't.
You have also had loads of people questioning how is it cheating if you haven't gone over your calories.
You have also had lots of people who disagree with the idea that eating is cheating.
When I chose to go over my calories I still don't consider it cheating. When I eat a meal purely for enjoyment I still don't consider it cheating.
To me it sounds very much like an unhealthy attitude to food and weight maintenance. It doesn't seem to be making you happy either..
Your words - "I always feel bad too, and do some extra cardio!"
You don't just cheat by going over calories. Generally cheat meals are high in sugar and trans and saturated fat, with little to no nutritional value. You can't tell me that eating McDonalds isn't a cheat meal, when we all know it is extremely unhealthy and doesn't benefit your overall fitness goals.
Go and tell you local food standards agency that the food in McDonalds is unhealthy and they should be closed down as it is a threat to your health and they will be very, very confused!
Tell me exactly what you think eating one meal from McDonalds will do to your health.
Please stop saying "we all know" when that plainly isn't the case! It's your opinion and nothing more. And I can tell you that McDonalds isn't a cheat meal (in your terminology) to me it's just a meal - and a highly unlikely choice of meal for me as well.
I frankly don't have a clue why you think eating one pretty poor example of a burger meal is unhealthy. It still contains protein, carbs and fat which will be digested and used by your body. So again please explain why there is "little to no nutritional value" - what do you think will happen to those macros?
This is all very entertaining! Who cares about others options, if you are secure in yourself, it doesn't really matter..lol
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Kriddler92 wrote: »If you are in it to win it, you don't ever cheat. If you want to eat something and it is within your allotted calories, eat it. I am not a cheater. I am a winner.
^^^This. I just fit what I want into my calories. Sorry but the words "cheat day" or "cheat meal" are one of my biggest pet peeves. And OP, if you are fitting these meals into your calories, then it's not really a cheat anyway.
I say cheat day because everyone knows what it is.
No they don't. I certainly don't.
You have also had loads of people questioning how is it cheating if you haven't gone over your calories.
You have also had lots of people who disagree with the idea that eating is cheating.
When I chose to go over my calories I still don't consider it cheating. When I eat a meal purely for enjoyment I still don't consider it cheating.
To me it sounds very much like an unhealthy attitude to food and weight maintenance. It doesn't seem to be making you happy either..
Your words - "I always feel bad too, and do some extra cardio!"
You don't just cheat by going over calories. Generally cheat meals are high in sugar and trans and saturated fat, with little to no nutritional value. You can't tell me that eating McDonalds isn't a cheat meal, when we all know it is extremely unhealthy and doesn't benefit your overall fitness goals.
Go and tell you local food standards agency that the food in McDonalds is unhealthy and they should be closed down as it is a threat to your health and they will be very, very confused!
Tell me exactly what you think eating one meal from McDonalds will do to your health.
Please stop saying "we all know" when that plainly isn't the case! It's your opinion and nothing more. And I can tell you that McDonalds isn't a cheat meal (in your terminology) to me it's just a meal - and a highly unlikely choice of meal for me as well.
I frankly don't have a clue why you think eating one pretty poor example of a burger meal is unhealthy. It still contains protein, carbs and fat which will be digested and used by your body. So again please explain why there is "little to no nutritional value" - what do you think will happen to those macros?
This is all very entertaining! Who cares about others options, if you are secure in yourself, it doesn't really matter..lol
Good - glad you are enjoying the debate, it's certainly been an insight for me into some people's perceptions of what appears to me to be a totally ordinary part of life that shouldn't cause feelings of stress or guilt.
I wonder if some of the differences just come down to odd use of language? "Unhealthy" seems to be shorthand for something else which never gets explained despite asking for people to do so - actually describe what they mean when they use the word in context of food and diet.
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Well to me a normal burger/fries meal at Mc Donalds or equivalent is definitely a very unhealthy meal. It is twice as many calories as I would usually have in one meal, it is much higher in fat and sugar than my usual meals, and it doesn't fill me up for the day.
I don't call it a cheat meal because I don't use that phrase, but I do call in an unhealthy meal.
As for telling the food agencies to close down the fast foods - isn't fast food the reason obesity is so much higher in the US than elsewhere? Just food for thought....0 -
Well to me a normal burger/fries meal at Mc Donalds or equivalent is definitely a very unhealthy meal. It is twice as many calories as I would usually have in one meal, it is much higher in fat and sugar than my usual meals, and it doesn't fill me up for the day.
I don't call it a cheat meal because I don't use that phrase, but I do call in an unhealthy meal.
As for telling the food agencies to close down the fast foods - isn't fast food the reason obesity is so much higher in the US than elsewhere? Just food for thought....
Fast Food..the amount of packaged / processed food and snacks...incredibly large portions served in restaurants...dependence on cars...longer commercials which entice people to grab a snack while watching shows...those are just right off the top of my head, though I could think of more.
In other words no...fast food is not *the* reason, the choices people make is *the* reason, because while every American is subject to this lifestyle, not all indulge in it... Sure, some people eat only fast food all day every day, others include it as a part of an overall healthy diet which involved moderation. Sure some people eat everything on their plate at Cheesecake Factory, others save half, or even two-thirds for another day, sure some people drive everywhere, others ride their bikes on the weekends, etc etc etc.
This isnt an all or none, one single cause issue...its a matter of choice and whether or not a person chooses to create and maintain some sort of balance.0 -
Kriddler92 wrote: »If you are in it to win it, you don't ever cheat. If you want to eat something and it is within your allotted calories, eat it. I am not a cheater. I am a winner.
^^^This. I just fit what I want into my calories. Sorry but the words "cheat day" or "cheat meal" are one of my biggest pet peeves. And OP, if you are fitting these meals into your calories, then it's not really a cheat anyway.
I say cheat day because everyone knows what it is.
No they don't. I certainly don't.
You have also had loads of people questioning how is it cheating if you haven't gone over your calories.
You have also had lots of people who disagree with the idea that eating is cheating.
When I chose to go over my calories I still don't consider it cheating. When I eat a meal purely for enjoyment I still don't consider it cheating.
To me it sounds very much like an unhealthy attitude to food and weight maintenance. It doesn't seem to be making you happy either..
Your words - "I always feel bad too, and do some extra cardio!"
You don't just cheat by going over calories. Generally cheat meals are high in sugar and trans and saturated fat, with little to no nutritional value. You can't tell me that eating McDonalds isn't a cheat meal, when we all know it is extremely unhealthy and doesn't benefit your overall fitness goals.
Go and tell you local food standards agency that the food in McDonalds is unhealthy and they should be closed down as it is a threat to your health and they will be very, very confused!
Tell me exactly what you think eating one meal from McDonalds will do to your health.
Please stop saying "we all know" when that plainly isn't the case! It's your opinion and nothing more. And I can tell you that McDonalds isn't a cheat meal (in your terminology) to me it's just a meal - and a highly unlikely choice of meal for me as well.
I frankly don't have a clue why you think eating one pretty poor example of a burger meal is unhealthy. It still contains protein, carbs and fat which will be digested and used by your body. So again please explain why there is "little to no nutritional value" - what do you think will happen to those macros?
This is all very entertaining! Who cares about others options, if you are secure in yourself, it doesn't really matter..lol
Good - glad you are enjoying the debate, it's certainly been an insight for me into some people's perceptions of what appears to me to be a totally ordinary part of life that shouldn't cause feelings of stress or guilt.
I wonder if some of the differences just come down to odd use of language? "Unhealthy" seems to be shorthand for something else which never gets explained despite asking for people to do so - actually describe what they mean when they use the word in context of food and diet.
Yes for sure
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HappyCampr1 wrote: »McDonald's gets such a bad rap and other sit down restaurants like Chili's serve food that is much more loaded with fat and sodium. I just think it's funny that everyone considers McDonald's the epitome of bad food.
I also think that when you eat things, you are making a decision to eat that item. Whether it's nutrient-rich or not, it's still something that you apparently enjoy, so you work it into your daily calories and move on. I don't consider any food to be a "cheat". I try to hit my macros and my micronutrients. Once I've taken care of my nutritional needs, I don't see any reason for me not to have whatever I feel like eating.
As far as going over my calories in maintenance, I try to stay in my weekly totals. Sometimes, I don't make it. I know that eventually this will cause me to gain weight. But, it's not going to happen overnight (8 months and still at the bottom end of my range) and if I have to go into a deficit to take off two pounds, that's not going to be the end of the world for me. I'd rather live my life and enjoy what I eat than feel guilty about the pecan creme cake I had for dessert last night.
ETA - this is today's totals so far. I have 541 calories left after my dinner and my glass of wine is entered. I don't have any issues with diabetes or sugars. My proteins aren't on goal, but 110g is 1g per pound lean body mass, so I'm ok there. And, I'm short on fats. I don't see any reason I shouldn't be able to have my dessert after dinner without feeling guilty about it.
I don't like McDonalds food period! I have been very sick the last 2 times I ate that food! I do enjoy a good gourmet burger and fries sometimes.
My kids like the happy meal about 2 times per year.0 -
Reading this thread really makes me want a McDonald's0
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Ummm...I don't call it cheat day, but I do call it 'relaxing on the weekends'. If I know I have a special event, I allow myself to relax and eat what I want...even if it's not as healthy as usual. What I have found is that even when I do splurge on cheese, wine or fun appetizers (fun=fattening!!)....I am within 100 calories of my calorie limit. I have gotten in the habit of eating healthy, so it's all good.
I have very little willpower, so it's tough for me during the week...it feels good to be able to not worry a couple days a week...also, I'm active so it all pretty much evens out in the end.0 -
I like MFP because I don't HAVE to say no to anything really. If I want it and it fits my caloric goal I say yes, maybe adjust the portion or make another choice so that I can have more. There is no need to "cheat" at all. That word plays negative on your outlook....have a look at your reports, how are you doing this week? If you've got some calories to play with...it's not a "cheat" it's a treat!!0
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Well to me a normal burger/fries meal at Mc Donalds or equivalent is definitely a very unhealthy meal. It is twice as many calories as I would usually have in one meal, it is much higher in fat and sugar than my usual meals, and it doesn't fill me up for the day.
I don't call it a cheat meal because I don't use that phrase, but I do call in an unhealthy meal.
As for telling the food agencies to close down the fast foods - isn't fast food the reason obesity is so much higher in the US than elsewhere? Just food for thought....
no, people are obese because they over eat all the foods, not just fast food.
I have never been a big fast food person. I got out of shape and over weight because I ate everything in site = pizza, philly cheesesteak, ice cream, home cooked meals, chips, cookies, etc etc….0 -
Well this has been very interesting... But in regards to your question, if it fits in my macros, I don't consider it a cheat. IIFYM takes into account more than just calories so that is my opinion. Now if it doesn't fit in my macros then I consider it a cheat, and that doesn't happen too often for me, maybe once a week or every other week, depending on my goals. But I never do a cheat day, only a cheat meal. I am not sure why everyone is so upset over two simple words.0
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"cheat meals" = Contextual arbitrary argument.......
With that said; do whatever you need to do, to meet your goals folks.....Why must we complicate the uncomplicated?????
exactly! people see cheat meals as good, some see it as bad. whatever works for you, so long as you're getting closer to achieving your goals! we've got different bodies and ways on how to lose/maintain/gain the weight. for me, i just eat about anything i want so long as it fits into my calorie goal (i don't count macros because lazy haha), but that doesn't mean i should judge those who like having a cheat meal every now and then.0 -
erinben623 wrote: »Well this has been very interesting... But in regards to your question, if it fits in my macros, I don't consider it a cheat. IIFYM takes into account more than just calories so that is my opinion. Now if it doesn't fit in my macros then I consider it a cheat, and that doesn't happen too often for me, maybe once a week or every other week, depending on my goals. But I never do a cheat day, only a cheat meal. I am not sure why everyone is so upset over two simple words.
Exactly! All my pro body building friends use the word cheat all the time. Or off season diet, nothing to get all worked up about..lol
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This discussion has been closed.
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