To cheat or not to cheat..
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You can't undo all your hard work in one day. If you are eating for 1.5 lbs per week of weight loss (appx 5250 cal per week/750 cal a day deficit) and pick one day where you eat to 250 cals over maintenance (1000 cal more than a normal day for you), You won't undo anything. That puts your deficit to 4250 cal for the week. You'll lose 1.25 lbs this week instead of 1.5.
Over a year, it means that you will lose 65.5 lbs instead of 78
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petey200745601 wrote: »
That's an interesting thought. Just work a little harder when you want something. Earn it.vidxdeword wrote: »Have a workout day instead of a cheat day, then eat the food you crave (within youre calorie goal).
That can be a vicious cycle and kind of damaging. I really don't like the idea of "earning" your calories.
Bottom line is that your weekly deficit is more important than your daily. That being said, you should be consistent if you want results. If you are consistent, one meal out of many isn't going to derail your efforts, however, a whole day can most certainly set you back and why it is a really bad cycle to get into.0 -
You gals and guys make tons of sense. Lol. This isn't a temporary diet anymore, so I need to just live. Change the core of your diet, but still eat the foods you love, just work a little harder to incorporate those days.0
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@Petey
No reason to feel guilty for going beyond the limit once in a while. However, I strongly recommend logging the cheat days accurately. If you are not losing weight, it is good data to look at later.
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_incogNEATo_ wrote: »
@_incogNEATo_ My husband went in to hospital last night so I was really worried and ate a lot, even things I'm not supposed to eat on my diet. He back home but still sick. I'm working off the extra calories by running upstairs to check on him. Not cheat day for me for a long time.
What you ate was still under your control. You didn't cheat by the way.0 -
petey200745601 wrote: »
That's an interesting thought. Just work a little harder when you want something. Earn it.vidxdeword wrote: »Have a workout day instead of a cheat day, then eat the food you crave (within youre calorie goal).
vidxdeword
burned 2,000 calories doing 420 minutes of cardio exercises, including "Walking, 12.5 mins per km, mod. pace"
this is a bit extream, but i got to eat a whole pizza
, got a shiny brass-ish mini medal and lots of blisters (which are still healing atm). In terms of cost-benefit for me it was still worh it. 0 -
I try to incorporate whatever I may be craving into my day. One day I was craving chocolate and my coworker had a chocolate chip cookie. Instead of denying and going crazy I took half the cookie. It was delicious and I didn't have another craving for at least a week or more.0
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I agree with just about everyone here . . . just eat what you want, and log it. Don't ever call it a 'cheat'.
Back when I started doing this, I started feeling under the weather about two weeks in. It turned into a cold, and just about had me confined to bed for a day (which is really odd for me . . . I don't get sick). I finally couldn't take the cold AND the 'diet', and just ate whatever I wanted. The cold was gone within hours. I think that the new diet was causing added stress and suppressing my immune system. So . . . listen to your body, and eat what it needs.
(Yesterday my body started the day by needing a chocolate chip cookie AND a slice of chocolate cake. And I ended up having my largest one-day loss EVER. It was pretty incredible. But the 5K I ran in the afternoon probably helped, too.)0 -
I went over my goal yesterday, and it's okay. You can either cut a little extra each day and aim for a weekly goal instead, or just move on. As long as the days you go over don't turn into a common occurrence, you'll still lose weight. The only issue is if your willpower gives out from the days you overeat, and overeating becomes your new diet again.0
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Almost 6 hours of walking to eat a pizza?! Wow. You really earned the pizza lol.0
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petey200745601 wrote: »You gals and guys make tons of sense. Lol. This isn't a temporary diet anymore, so I need to just live. Change the core of your diet, but still eat the foods you love, just work a little harder to incorporate those days.
Bingo! Lol Enjoy those tasty foods.0 -
I don't really have cheat days, I have 'over' days. Holidays and special occasions like State Fair I do try and keep track of what I eat, but I'm not as concerned about staying on budget. Because let's face it, if you're going to eat at the State Fair, trying to keep your calories under control can be miserable! XD
There are other times I go over, but when that happens I just log it and do better the next day. As long as my week evens out at the end, I'm ok with that.0 -
I had a cheat day yesterday, but it was a national holiday, and it wasn't more then 3500 calories, so not insane eat until you burst day. My next planned cheat day isn't for another 5 months.0
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I'm beginning to lean more and more away from "cheat days." Whether it is planned or not, to overcome a cheat day, you have to deprive yourself on another day(s). Feeling deprived can lead to giving up.0
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If I want something and it fits my calories for the day, or week, I eat it. I don't deprive myself of anything and I don't consider it "cheating." If it isn't going to fit, I don't (usually) eat it or at least work out enough so it will fit my cals.0
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Nope. I don't have "cheat days" because that implies it's bad and contributes to disordered eating. Instead, if I want something, I find a way to fit it into my calories for the day or week. I definitely have days that are higher calorie than others, but I don't consider them "cheat days." They are part of my life.0
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shirllpena wrote: »I try to incorporate whatever I may be craving into my day. One day I was craving chocolate and my coworker had a chocolate chip cookie. Instead of denying and going crazy I took half the cookie. It was delicious and I didn't have another craving for at least a week or more.
oh my GOSH was your coworker mad?! I would have been MAD!!!!0 -
_incogNEATo_ wrote: »_incogNEATo_ wrote: »
@_incogNEATo_ My husband went in to hospital last night so I was really worried and ate a lot, even things I'm not supposed to eat on my diet. He back home but still sick. I'm working off the extra calories by running upstairs to check on him. Not cheat day for me for a long time.
What you ate was still under your control. You didn't cheat by the way.
You didn't see what I ate, lol. Thanks for saying I didn't cheat, you've made my day, you sweetheart.
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You can't undo all your hard work in one day. If you are eating for 1.5 lbs per week of weight loss (appx 5250 cal per week/750 cal a day deficit) and pick one day where you eat to 250 cals over maintenance (1000 cal more than a normal day for you), You won't undo anything. That puts your deficit to 4250 cal for the week. You'll lose 1.25 lbs this week instead of 1.5.
Over a year, it means that you will lose 65.5 lbs instead of 78
I am eating for .5 lb per week because I am short and close to goal. So it's pretty easy to undo SOME hard work, I should say. Obviously not ALL If I create a 250 deficit Monday-Friday (1250 total deficit) and then eat 2750 on Sunday (which is 1250 calories over maintence), then yes, I've undone my hard work for the week. It would be easy to overeat when there is cake I pick and chose when it is worth it, and allow small, regular indulgences. LAst weekend I ate way over maintenance for my birthday. Looking at the entire week, I will still lose weight, but it will be less than .5 lb. Totally worth if for my birthday, but I don't treat every weekend like that. 0
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