Treat days?

PostExamsHealthBinge

what are people's thoughts on treat days? Do you have them or not? If so why and do you think it's prevented weight loss or not? Any opinions really

msjanie66

I do have treat days I dont cut out going out for dinner ie still go out for pizza, carvery, etc but it is making decisions when you eat ie dont go for the mixed grill with chips, breadroll, followed by chocolate fudge cake and icecream, but maybe pizza and salad, followed by icecream. I have a treat every day whether it be a chocolate biscuit, cereal bar, etc you can get low cal versions in all these. If you do have a treat day for a special occasion that you know you cant stick to the more healthy versions remember to stick to the calories you know you will burn that day if you wasnt on a diet, also if you have an an avoidable treat day unless you must meet the weight goal by a certain date that it is just one day so it may take you a couple of extra days to meet your goal but as long as you follow these guidelines you will ok. I have lost 10 Ilbs since Easter 2015 - 5 llbs since the 10th April and that is with eatng out at least once a week often twice

bendyourkneekatie

I don't have treat days, cos I can easily imagine undoing a week or more's deficit with an entire day of 'treating'. But I have a treat meal on a Friday night, a treat dessert on Saturday, and a bit of treat alcohol on the weekend. I also have a little 'treat' every day. This is sustainable for me and all easy enough to keep within my weekly goal.

mch2829

Different things work for different people. There's a big psychological component to weight loss.

Some people find it easier to have a strict, clean diet. Some people find it easier to have a special cheat meal once in a while. Some people find it easier to have cheat days and eat what they want some days.

I've tried all of those things and they don't work for me. What does work for me is to just eat like a normal person. Smaller portions than I would normally eat, but not obsessed with calorie counting. Some days I do eat more than I probably should, but that's life. I basically eat like a perfectly average person at my ideal weight. And eating that way has made it easier to stick to and I've lost 50 lbs so far.

Do what works for you. If you try something and it doesn't work out, then change it.

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Machka9

PostExamsHealthBinge wrote: »

what are people's thoughts on treat days? Do you have them or not? If so why and do you think it's prevented weight loss or not? Any opinions really

1. I eat quite a good variety of yummy foods within my calorie limit.
2. I exercise for my "treats". If I want something high calorie that will take me out of my calorie limit ... I had better have done enough exercise to "afford" it.


Treat days (aka cheat days) are one of the reasons why I'm here. For 4 years, I ate reasonably well most of the week, and then kinda went overboard on the weekends. It took me 4 years to gain 15 kg. The weight gain was slow, so I was close to where I should have been ... but those splurge days just put me over.

kickassbarbie

I have a fairly inclusive diet anyway but I have a treat/cheat evening once a month while cutting or once a fortnight while maintaining. I often go out for my cheat evening, it's never prevented me hitting my weight goals either. If anything it's helped as it keeps me sane and if I feel like eating the entire fridge I can think "if I do this then no lovely treat day... I'll wait for treat day." One day in a big surplus won't ruin a monthly deficit but lots of little treats will imo. (I also drop loads of water weight after treat day which is fun to watch.)

It's personal to everyone and what works for one person may not work for another.

Some people it helps stay sane, others don't handle treat days and cheat meals well. I find a whole day is a recipie for disaster in my case. But never letting lose at the buffet/resturant will eventually drive me insane and lead to overeating.

Experiment with it and see what works for you.

aubiefan122013

I definitely have "treat days" once or twice a month, and I think it's a big morale booster that resets my dedication to my weight-loss regimen the next day. Unless you seriously binge, chances are you're not going to consume enough calories in one sitting or even one day to truly affect your weight significantly, especially in the long term. I do know that "saving up" for a treat day by eating too restrictively the day or two before can make your body desperate and set you up to overeat . . . so be nice to yourself, take time to enjoy a treat day, then get back on the horse. I have absolutely progressed steadily towards my weight loss goals while taking that approach.

TimothyFish

Every day is a treat day for me. I just keep my treats below my calorie goal.

PeachyCarol

I haven't had any day where I've gone over my calorie goals. I'll probably take a diet break where I eat at maintenance eventually -- possibly when I've been eating at a deficit for around a year or so in order to offset adaptive thermogenesis. I won't look at that as an opportunity to eat anything out of the usual, though. Just larger portions of what I already eat.

I do have a planned indulgence coming up in a few weeks when we go on vacation, but hey... it's vacation. I'll also be extra active that week with a lot of walking and cycling.

Saying that? I have a little something sweet at the end of every day most days. Nothing major, just a small treat.

weightliftingbarbie

I have a cheat.meal.once every 1-2 weeks

shadowfax_c11

Define treat day.

Do you mean a no restrictions eat what you want day? Never. I don't ever allow myself to go over the calorie allowance that MFP with fitbit adjustments sets for me. I might sometimes eat back more of the exercise calories if I am really hungry.

Do you mean a day when I can eat things like candy or pizza? Every day I incorporate some sweets. I have pizza maybe once a week. I eat what I like when I like and make sure that it fits.

mabearof6

I dont necessarily have treat days but just treats here and there. Of course the last few days look like treat days thanks to friends who brought food while I was at the hospital with my daughter. I lost a good amount of weight a few years ago and was super restrictive with my food. This time around I have let ago of guilt and if I want a treat I have it. I allow myself one day every 15-20 days where I go over my calories and on all the other days if I want a treat I have it. I just log it and make sure it fits into my calories for the day. I need this to be sustainable, so never having treats just isn't reasonable for me.

PostExamsHealthBinge

Thanks, all your suggestions are really helpful- I was curious to see what other people do but I guess it's trial and error on a person level

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booksandchocolate12

I used to do treat days. I weigh in on Saturday morning, so Saturday was my treat day. Then I found that Saturday turned into Saturday and Sunday. Then Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Then....well, you get the idea.

Instead, I try to incorporate a treat into my everyday caloric intake. A piece of chocolate, usually. That's not to say I don't splurge on occasion. But for me, regularly scheduled treat days just don't work.

crazyjerseygirl

I don't do them. They have been bad for me. This time around I'm finding more success working treats into my calorie allowance when I want them. I find myself making better choices on treats too.

For example, this past Thursday Lindt truffles were at work. I checked my calories and decided that I would have an 80kcal truffle. I didn't go over calories that day, and I had my treat.

I used to treat "treats" as binges. A box of cookies, half a cake etc. treat days were an excuse to eat all that and a bag of chips. Now I'm trying to redefine treat to mean "a" cookie, "a" slice of cake. And just spread out their enjoyment.

Ymmv

cwolfman13

If you hit your calorie goals you can do whatever you want...having a treat even daily doesn't hinder weight loss so long as you're hitting your targets and those targets are actually appropriate.

cindyangotti

Of course you should have treats. Just know how many calories it is, log it, and do some extra cardio to cover the extra calories. I am debating right now if I want to go get an iced latte from Starbucks. ...

arditarose

I don't know what that means exactly. Do you log treat days? For me it's all about data. I can wipe out my deficit for the week so I don't lose, or I could treat myself enough to keep a little deficit, or I could stay on track. I choose all three options depending on how motivated I feel to eat or lose.

BlueSkyShoal

I have treat days once in a while. Most of the time I eat pancakes with butter and real maple syrup, plus vegetarian sausages and eggs. Not exactly junk food, but definitely a lot of calories and usually I go over my weight goal.

Absolutely no regrets. I just eat a little less the next day or two.

grandma107

Just log everything and average it out over the week. If needed, move more with exercise. Blessings.

taentea

Cheat days make me feel like I have to eat everything I can possibly get my hands on as long as I'm allowed to, so I don't do those. I do eat ice-cream and chocolate almost every day though, sometimes few times a day even. I just make sure the portions are small enough to fit into my calorie goal and do not rob me of the food that's actually filling. And I'm on 1200. It should be even easier on plans with 1500-2000+ calories.

peterjens

I don't have a cheat day because it sounds like I'm doing deceiving. My daily total calories is 1765 and I save about 200 calories for an evening treat - usually something with ice cream or something my wife has baked. If for some reason that doesn't happen, I will eat some other food item to make my calorie goal.

Asher_Ethan

I try and keep my treat days for only special occasions and after I do a half marathon. Last, "treat day," there was an all you can eat brunch and my sister had just announced her engagement... I stuffed my face with probably 3000 calories that meal and I don't regret a bit of it.

wannaloseit77

No more 'treat days' for me, like someone else said, one treat day can roll into another treat day, into another one... that's what got me here in the first place! Now if I want a 'treat' I will make sure it fits in my daily calorie allowance or I try to exchange exercise for it!

bclarke1990

Weight loss is about calories in - calories out. My advice is rather than rewarding yourself with food and setting youself up for failure, fit foods you enjoy into your diet while still maintaining your goals. I've been losing a lot of weight eating things like ice cream and chocolate every day. How? Portion control. If I have a bad craving for ice cream and I've been fairly active throughout the day having a small bowl ~50g for maybe 100 calories isn't going to break your diet. Once a week I'll save up some calories and have something like a burger or a hotdog, while keeping the rest of my meals to healthy ~400 calorie nutrient rich meals that will keep me full.

This is my strategy

For breakfast I usually have ~420 calories of steel cut oatmeal with some berries and peaches.

For lunch I usually have no-carb protein pancakes made of egg whites (350 calories) and 10 cals of syrup.

For dinner I usually eat 5 ounces of chicken marinated in buffalo sauce with a cup of cauliflower and green beans (230 cals)

These 3 meals end up being about 1000 calories and they are all filling and reasonably healthy. This leaves me with around ~800 calories a day to eat whatever I want without feeling hungry or deprived.

Sometimes I'll have a bowl of ice cream. Sometimes I'll have a home-made protein bar. Sometimes I'll have a hotdog, a burger or even a cookie or two. I would recommend getting fruit early in the day; I try to eat an apple a banana or a yogurt at least once a day too.

This is what works for me, but the point of this overly long post was that if you just enjoy smaller portions of the foods you like, rather than letting food control you and binging during a diet you might find it easier to lose weight.

I used to eat more bro-ish and once a week I would pig out on donuts or Dairy Queen or cereal and just eat back my deficit under the false premise that I was "re-feeding" and boosting my metabolism, when in reality I was wasting a lot of time running on the treadmill or going for jogs just to eat back the calories in an hour.

Good luck.

SamKiler

I have a treat meal every month. French toast with syrup, bacon and eggs. It's killer, but I love it so much I don't think I could ever give it up.

macgurlnet

I plan to go out for food/have something higher in calories 1-2 meals a week usually. I still log it all, and I keep track of my calories over the course of the last 7 days. I've been doing half marathon training and the number of exercise calories I have on long run days sometimes is a bonus because I have a tough time eating ~2000 calories of nutritious food. If I feel like having pizza, though, then the 2000 is easily reached

I have some kind of dessert every night - I love sweet things - and sometimes during the day, too. I just make it fit in my calories.

If there's some kind of event where there will be all the food ever, sometimes I just go for it; sometimes not. I do still log it all and try my best to estimate what I've eaten. I see the information logged in my diary as reference data more than anything else. As long as I'm not going 3000+ calories over budget on a weekly basis, I'm doing OK

~Lyssa

cgangl1821

I have what I call junk food nights with my boys once maybe twice a month. Ice cream, buttered popcorn, blueberry danish, powered sugar donut holes is what I had the other night. I just keep my portions smaller, and save my calories for the night. I enjoy every bite. I also have a fast day afterwards just in case.

avskk

I tend to have a big blowout with food and booze on Saturdays (though this week it was Friday), but I save calories back all week and make sure to log everything accurately to maintain my weekly deficit and stay on track. It's just easier for me to plan that day of excess -- weekdays are a breeze for me and I usually come in under my goal anyway, so I use that wiggle room for the day I'm at home and bored, so likely to have cocktails and more food.