What are your cheat day 'rules'?

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NotQuiteNorm
NotQuiteNorm Posts: 283 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
If you have them ;)

I was just curious as I let myself eat whatever as long as it's below my maintenance (I use the 'if every day were like today' staying below my current weight as a guide) and wondered if you guys have set principles?

Eg. I'm aware some people sorta cut back say 100 calories more than they might usually every day for 6 days, then eat that 600 on their cheat day. To clarify:
S 1400
M 1400
T 1400
W 1400
T 1400
F 1400
S 2100 instead of 1500 every day

So what's your way of doing cheat days? Also wonder if anyone goes over maintenance on those days?
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Replies

  • Jesus4Mayor
    Jesus4Mayor Posts: 7 Member
    edited April 2015
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    The guidelines I have for myself are to stay within my calorie goals and to have reasonable portion sizes. I eat whatever I feel like eating. I'm just reasonable about it.
  • WickedPineapple
    WickedPineapple Posts: 701 Member
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    I got rid of cheat days altogether (I would eat whatever on Saturdays and not log it). I'll still eat things I deem unhealthy (fast food, Chinese food, etc.) maybe once a week or every other week, but I stay under my calories. If you're including something to be within your deficit, I wouldn't really count it cheating. I guess it all depends on what you consider "cheating".

    I do have periods of time in which I eat maintenance, this is usually on special occasions like weddings or birthdays or during the holiday season (I ate maintenance from Thanksgiving to New Years this past winter).
  • NotQuiteNorm
    NotQuiteNorm Posts: 283 Member
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    Jesus4Mayor wrote: »
    The guidelines I have for myself are to stay within my calorie goals and to have reasonable portion sizes. I eat whatever I feel like eating. I'm just reasonable about it.

    Not having cheat day is fair enough if you like it that way :)

    I decided on cheat days as I like to be able to eat 1/2 a rack of BBQ ribs in one sitting every once in a while without guilting myself about it, rather than having either 2 ribs and feel moreish or having the rack and possibly going hungry later! I have a binge problem too which I control better with little things. Like once a week I consciously let myself have a certain boundary of bigger portions or higher calorie foods that usually aren't worth it. This way I eat 500 or so extra calories rather than 2000! :smiley:
  • hsmith0930
    hsmith0930 Posts: 160 Member
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    There is no such thing as a cheat day. I can't "cheat" on life. I'm in it until I'm dead, there is no winning or losing and I'm not competing against anyone. If I consciously choose to eat more calories some days, then I do it.
  • NotQuiteNorm
    NotQuiteNorm Posts: 283 Member
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    hsmith0930 wrote: »
    There is no such thing as a cheat day. I can't "cheat" on life. I'm in it until I'm dead, there is no winning or losing and I'm not competing against anyone. If I consciously choose to eat more calories some days, then I do it.

    Cheat day is just the most familiar term I know for "eating a little more than usual". Sorry if you misunderstood :blush:
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    I cut down the days before and after whatever it takes to make my week average out to my weekly calorie goal. Generally, it's two days before and two days after. So, like tonight, when I am going to eat about 1400 extra calories worth of chips, tortillas, and cheese enchiladas, I eat about 350 less for each the two days before and each of the two days after.
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
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    I don't 'officially" have cheat days, but as you saw in another thread, as long as I've been at/under my goal for a bit, I don't guilt out over a dinner or night out with the girls. I am one who gets full quickly so a big meal isn't going to be that big for me, it's just more like, well I don't have to get the salmon tonight (but I also won't get the pasta alfredo).
  • NotQuiteNorm
    NotQuiteNorm Posts: 283 Member
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    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    I cut down the days before and after whatever it takes to make my week average out to my weekly calorie goal. Generally, it's two days before and two days after. So, like tonight, when I am going to eat about 1400 extra calories worth of chips, tortillas, and cheese enchiladas, I eat about 350 less for each the two days before and each of the two days after.

    This is the one I'm most familiar with, I'm considering switching up some weeks! Really I don't mind if I lose my weight in 8 weeks or 16 so I mostly just have my usual deficit then once a week pre-plan to have a bit more, but it might give me a bit more incentive to reduce my "cheats" over time until they can maybe almost disappear save for holidays like Christmas! :sweat_smile:
  • hsmith0930
    hsmith0930 Posts: 160 Member
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    NotQuiteNorm wrote: »
    hsmith0930 wrote: »
    There is no such thing as a cheat day. I can't "cheat" on life. I'm in it until I'm dead, there is no winning or losing and I'm not competing against anyone. If I consciously choose to eat more calories some days, then I do it.

    Cheat day is just the most familiar term I know for "eating a little more than usual". Sorry if you misunderstood :blush:

    No, I understood, I'm just saying that there isn't such a thing. There are no "rules". This isn't some kind of game that you play to win and then stop playing. You can't cheat on a lifestyle change. It doesn't make any sense to me to say "every Saturday I'm going to eat like I used to eat". Why not NOT do that? Why not just be conscious of what you're eating and making the choice to indulge in a treat and either fit it into your calorie budget or be fine with letting it push you over some? That makes way more sense to me than trying to deprive yourself of treats for most of the week and cramming all your cravings into one day.
  • NotQuiteNorm
    NotQuiteNorm Posts: 283 Member
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    @sofaking6 I guess in a way that's true for me too I have a lot of days where I don't eat nearly as much as half my calories back from exercise and though I say I can eat as much as my 500 deficit, I am yet to do so - if my 'calories burned' were 100% correct I am about 100-200 calories over most cheat days I'd estimate :)
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    Rule #1: No cheat days.
    Rule #2: When in doubt, see rule #1.

    That's it. I don't have cheat days. If I eat more than my calorie goal, I log it, accept that life isn't perfect, and move on.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    hsmith0930 wrote: »
    Why not just be conscious of what you're eating and making the choice to indulge in a treat and either fit it into your calorie budget or be fine with letting it push you over some? That makes way more sense to me than trying to deprive yourself of treats for most of the week and cramming all your cravings into one day.
    Because I don't want it to push me over some and if I have to give up three ounces of grilled chicken and an ice cream sandwich for four days so that I can have as much Mexican food as I want and not have it push me over some, that's a trade I'm willing to make now and again.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
    edited April 2015
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    How can it be a cheat if there are rules?

    ETA: I don't have scheduled cheat days, but some days I do eat a helluva lot more than others. So far it's been evening out to a slow but steady loss, which I am totally cool with.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    How can it be a cheat if there are rules?
    It's done outside the scope of usual rules. It's meta.
  • NotQuiteNorm
    NotQuiteNorm Posts: 283 Member
    edited April 2015
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    hsmith0930 wrote: »
    NotQuiteNorm wrote: »
    hsmith0930 wrote: »
    There is no such thing as a cheat day. I can't "cheat" on life. I'm in it until I'm dead, there is no winning or losing and I'm not competing against anyone. If I consciously choose to eat more calories some days, then I do it.

    Cheat day is just the most familiar term I know for "eating a little more than usual". Sorry if you misunderstood :blush:

    No, I understood, I'm just saying that there isn't such a thing. There are no "rules". This isn't some kind of game that you play to win and then stop playing. You can't cheat on a lifestyle change. It doesn't make any sense to me to say "every Saturday I'm going to eat like I used to eat". Why not NOT do that? Why not just be conscious of what you're eating and making the choice to indulge in a treat and either fit it into your calorie budget or be fine with letting it push you over some? That makes way more sense to me than trying to deprive yourself of treats for most of the week and cramming all your cravings into one day.

    Wow. That was a bit harsh, as I do eat much better but to me it's a less healthy outlook on life to say "I am never going to touch fast food again even though I love it" because it's not healthy. Personal choice - neither of us are 100% right as lifestyles are all our own :) What I do do is have a half-rack of the full racks I used to sometimes eat 3-4 times a week as my cheat day sometimes. Sometimes I get a bakery cake. The bolded part of what you're saying is exactly what I'm describing, I just have boundaries as to what.

    I'm sorry if I sound at all rude, but I'm just asking the people who -like me- find 'cheat' or if you like 'treat' days helpful, how the go about doing it and find your answer a bit condescending like you're trying to say I'm wrong... I do get a bit defensive so excuse me, I am sorry if you are only expressing opinion :)

    BTW life does have rules. Whether it's the time you go to work or the subconscious time you tend to go to bed most people tend to run on some kind of schedule. I can get into the psychology of human behaviour if you're going to further argue, but really you do you, me and the 'cheaters' will do us :smiley:
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    hsmith0930 wrote: »
    NotQuiteNorm wrote: »
    hsmith0930 wrote: »
    There is no such thing as a cheat day. I can't "cheat" on life. I'm in it until I'm dead, there is no winning or losing and I'm not competing against anyone. If I consciously choose to eat more calories some days, then I do it.

    Cheat day is just the most familiar term I know for "eating a little more than usual". Sorry if you misunderstood :blush:

    No, I understood, I'm just saying that there isn't such a thing. There are no "rules". This isn't some kind of game that you play to win and then stop playing. You can't cheat on a lifestyle change. It doesn't make any sense to me to say "every Saturday I'm going to eat like I used to eat". Why not NOT do that? Why not just be conscious of what you're eating and making the choice to indulge in a treat and either fit it into your calorie budget or be fine with letting it push you over some? That makes way more sense to me than trying to deprive yourself of treats for most of the week and cramming all your cravings into one day.

    Just because you don't have rules doesn't mean rules don't exist. There are many paths to weight loss, they don't all need to make sense to you.
  • NotQuiteNorm
    NotQuiteNorm Posts: 283 Member
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    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    How can it be a cheat if there are rules?

    It's a cheat cause it's not your normal daily diet intake - usually above your deficit goal :)

    I give myself rules because I'm a binge eater and need to learn to control the way I eat - I currently have the boundary rule of 500 calories but try to stay as far from it as possible too because I eat so excessively, and the rule to try to pre-plan that I am going to do it because my binges are spur of the moment and I can't let them control me :)
  • hsmith0930
    hsmith0930 Posts: 160 Member
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    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    hsmith0930 wrote: »
    Why not just be conscious of what you're eating and making the choice to indulge in a treat and either fit it into your calorie budget or be fine with letting it push you over some? That makes way more sense to me than trying to deprive yourself of treats for most of the week and cramming all your cravings into one day.
    Because I don't want it to push me over some and if I have to give up three ounces of grilled chicken and an ice cream sandwich for four days so that I can have as much Mexican food as I want and not have it push me over some, that's a trade I'm willing to make now and again.

    But how is that a "cheat"? You are making a conscious decision to keep your calorie counts low because you know you want to eat a lot of Mexican food on a certain day. What are you cheating at? Like are you cheating on grilled chicken and ice cream sandwiches for Mexican food? Are you in a committed relationship to those foods? No, you're a human. You eat like a human, by being conscious of what you eat and how many calories you're willing to eat of any given food. Sometimes the Mexican is a priority, sometimes it's not.
  • NotQuiteNorm
    NotQuiteNorm Posts: 283 Member
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    hsmith0930 wrote: »
    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    hsmith0930 wrote: »
    Why not just be conscious of what you're eating and making the choice to indulge in a treat and either fit it into your calorie budget or be fine with letting it push you over some? That makes way more sense to me than trying to deprive yourself of treats for most of the week and cramming all your cravings into one day.
    Because I don't want it to push me over some and if I have to give up three ounces of grilled chicken and an ice cream sandwich for four days so that I can have as much Mexican food as I want and not have it push me over some, that's a trade I'm willing to make now and again.

    But how is that a "cheat"? You are making a conscious decision to keep your calorie counts low because you know you want to eat a lot of Mexican food on a certain day. What are you cheating at? Like are you cheating on grilled chicken and ice cream sandwiches for Mexican food? Are you in a committed relationship to those foods? No, you're a human. You eat like a human, by being conscious of what you eat and how many calories you're willing to eat of any given food. Sometimes the Mexican is a priority, sometimes it's not.

    As I tried to explain the word "Cheat" is just a term and I am asking how those who do it turn a "ruin your progress cheat" into an acceptable part of our diet or the term you use: 'Lifestyle'. This is a term as 'diet' is in fact the correct word - our diets are what we eat whether we are watching our weight or not ^.^

    Maybe this helps you understand?

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