Thoughts on a "cheat day"???
AnnaMakepeace106
Posts: 12 Member
Last night I went for a meal with friends and decided last night would be my "cheat day".
I had heard that these could actually help you lose weight becos of kick starting your metabolism one again. For me, I felt I'd saved up enough calories in the week in order to enjoy myself that night. Plus, it was kinda good practise cos even tho the food I ate wasn't great, I was still conscious of what I was eating (declined the offer of having bread and butter at the table, shared a starter, only ate until I was full and also declined dessert! Which is soooo not like me).
Today I've woken up raring to get back on my diet. One of my biggest worries is the whole, "it takes 21 days to make a habit" do cheat days mean you go back to day 1? But by the choices I was making last night I feel it wasn't a bad thing.
Thanks in advance for your comments
I had heard that these could actually help you lose weight becos of kick starting your metabolism one again. For me, I felt I'd saved up enough calories in the week in order to enjoy myself that night. Plus, it was kinda good practise cos even tho the food I ate wasn't great, I was still conscious of what I was eating (declined the offer of having bread and butter at the table, shared a starter, only ate until I was full and also declined dessert! Which is soooo not like me).
Today I've woken up raring to get back on my diet. One of my biggest worries is the whole, "it takes 21 days to make a habit" do cheat days mean you go back to day 1? But by the choices I was making last night I feel it wasn't a bad thing.
Thanks in advance for your comments
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Your metabolism doesn't need kickstarted.
I've never done a cheat day. It implies I'm doing something wrong. I just eat the foods I love in moderation, working them into my weekly deficit (which is what you did, it sounds like).0 -
The problem with cheat days is some people tend to go a little overboard and indulge in everything they are consciously depriving themselves of through the week... next thing they know they have undone all of that week's deficit and are sitting scratching their heads wondering why they aren't losing weight whilst they are being so "good" 90% of the time.
It sounds like you made some good sustainable choices though when you were out, however, I would suggest that you *try* to log your cheat days to the best of your ability, just to make sure that you aren't wiping out all of your hard work. A large portion of cheesy sauce on something is likely to far outweigh a bit of bread!
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^^^^ THIS, I have seen many people undo their work with 'Cheat days'. I do sometimes have days I don't log or go over but these aren't cheat days they're just life. The problem I see with cheat days with some people is they go all out. There are foods that they will only eat on those days.Your metabolism doesn't need kickstarted.
I've never done a cheat day. It implies I'm doing something wrong. I just eat the foods I love in moderation, working them into my weekly deficit (which is what you did, it sounds like).
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one more thing to add... I've no idea how tall you are but from your profile pic you are already fairly slim (do you *really* have 12lbs to go?)
Your margin of error at your size is likely to be much smaller unless you are getting a decent amount of exercise, you aren't likely to have thousands of calories banked up to play with on a cheat day0 -
I have a cheat day, mine was yesterday, i didnt go over my calories for that day, i even went out for a run.
A cheat day is a day that you can eat something that you really like, drink a beer or 2.
Some people eat 3000 calories on a cheat day when they normally can eat 1500 a day (for example), thats not gonna work. If you have a cheat day still try to keep around your calories target, but eat and drink stuff you wouldn't eat the rest of the week.
Its working for me, if i dont have a cheat day i want to eat the unhealthy stuff everyday, no i have something to look forward to.0 -
I don't do cheat days. If I want to eat more than usual, I exercise for it.
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I used to do a cheat day, but I didn't go overboard, just had something I wouldn't usually have, like a nice, homemade dessert. And I'd only have a cheat day if I hadn't had any treats all week.
Now I just fit treats in when I fancy them, staying in my calorie allowance. I'll have the occasional day when I go over calories like my birthday, Xmas day, wedding anniversary etc. I rarely eat back exercise calories so I create a big enough deficit to allow for this 0 -
not for me i only drink 1 or 2 beers on my cheat day, i wouldn't go to eat a burger on a normal day. i dont eat all my calories back so i have enough room to eat a burger on my cheat. day.
My GF is also working out so we have a cheat day together.
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not for me i only drink 1 or 2 beers on my cheat day, i wouldn't go to eat a burger on a normal day. i dont eat all my calories back so i have enough room to eat a burger on my cheat. day.
My GF is also working out so we have a cheat day together.
It's not a cheat day because you are working into your calorie allowance.0 -
Do what works for you and will keep you working towards your goal.
Personally, I just kept it at my daily calorie goal, so I did not want a "cheat" day. I didn't want to run the risk of extending the cheat day beyond one day. The story of my life and dieting. One day turned into two days. Two days into two weeks. Two weeks into two years. Two years into two decades.
Know yourself, and what works for you. This is all about you, so be selfish and however you get there is great!0 -
MonsoonStorm wrote: »one more thing to add... I've no idea how tall you are but from your profile pic you are already fairly slim (do you *really* have 12lbs to go?)
Your margin of error at your size is likely to be much smaller unless you are getting a decent amount of exercise, you aren't likely to have thousands of calories banked up to play with on a cheat day
I've gained weight since my profile pic was taken, that's what I want to get back to☺️0 -
Just say no to cheat days and learn how to fit the foods you want and dining out into your new lifestyle/habit. Sounds like you did fine doing that. I generally save my high calorie meals for weekends when I am more active and can eat more (I don't do small portions).0
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Cheat days are why I regained eighty pounds. I had way too many cheat days and not enough reduced calorie days to make up for them. Since I'm back near my goal weight, I would rather not repeat that mistake.0
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I don't have a cheat day, am just conscious of only having one or two "less healthy" meals each week. This has backfired in the past though, as my body decided it didn't want to deal with greasy food after a week of grilled chicken and vegies!0
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Nony_Mouse wrote: »
not for me i only drink 1 or 2 beers on my cheat day, i wouldn't go to eat a burger on a normal day. i dont eat all my calories back so i have enough room to eat a burger on my cheat. day.
My GF is also working out so we have a cheat day together.
It's not a cheat day because you are working into your calorie allowance.
For me it is because i eat stuff i dont eat on normal days. I work into my calorie allowance because i feel guilty when i am going over it!
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I don't believe in "cheat days" - it makes me feel like I am doing something wrong, and if I feel like I need to cheat, how can my eating "habits" truly be habits and how can it be sustainable long-term?
Every now and then, I truly crave something that is completely unhealthy (thank you PMS), and I have it. But I have it in moderation. I, feeling completely cruddy and wanting something VERY savory & satisfying (read rich and fattening), went out to dinner last night. I ordered an appetizer for the table (philly cheese steak egg rolls) and then, realizing JUST how awful I would feel if I piled something else unhealthy on top of that, a chicken cobb salad with a box. I ate 1/2 of an egg roll, 1/3 of the salad, 2 unsweetened iced teas, and declined bread and dessert. I left feeling satisfied and without going over my calories. I just had to make wise choices even when "treating" myself.
Ok-wall of text: don't cheat, treat.0 -
Nony_Mouse wrote: »
not for me i only drink 1 or 2 beers on my cheat day, i wouldn't go to eat a burger on a normal day. i dont eat all my calories back so i have enough room to eat a burger on my cheat. day.
My GF is also working out so we have a cheat day together.
It's not a cheat day because you are working into your calorie allowance.
For me it is because i eat stuff i dont eat on normal days. I work into my calorie allowance because i feel guilty when i am going over it!
If it fits within your calorie allowance, it isn't cheating.
We can eat whatever we feel like ... as long as it fits within our calorie allowance. I had half a cheesecake on my birthday ... but I did a long bicycle ride before I ate it, and so it fit within my calorie allowance. No cheating involved.
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This is what MFP has to say on this subject. You can read all about 'cheat days' here:
http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/the-problem-with-cheat-days/0 -
Ive got to much to lose to cheat LMAO....if I want something I just eat it Im an adult..stick it in your calories0
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1 Cheat day for me turned into 5 days :Z just could'nt get enough food and i also had gained about 1lb it happened so fast.. for me cheat day is'nt in my option anymoresnowflake930 wrote: »Do what works for you and will keep you working towards your goal.
Personally, I just kept it at my daily calorie goal, so I did not want a "cheat" day. I didn't want to run the risk of extending the cheat day beyond one day. The story of my life and dieting. One day turned into two days. Two days into two weeks. Two weeks into two years. Two years into two decades.
Know yourself, and what works for you. This is all about you, so be selfish and however you get there is great!
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It doesnt sound like you cheated at all if you set aside the calories from the week, thats up to you and still keeps you on target. At some stage you make a choice is it worth eating this food considering the calories v my objectives, soemtimes its yes and other times its no. You handled it well.0
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Cheat days can be good for ones sanity if you feel like you are depriving yourself some how or want to just take a rest from consciously logging everything. However, rewarding yourself this way can be a bit of a slippery slope. I personally only log cals/macros in my head and eat anything I like (IIFYM) so I never feel deprived of anything so do not feel the need to over indulge. However, you can not get fat in one day just like you wont reach your goal in one day so enjoy yourself.0
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I have a cheat day, mine was yesterday, i didnt go over my calories for that day, i even went out for a run.
A cheat day is a day that you can eat something that you really like, drink a beer or 2.
I don't understand. How is it "cheating" if you stayed within your calorie goal? Are you saying that eating something you really like is "cheating"?
If that's the case, then every day is a cheat day for me, because I don't deprive myself of foods that I like.
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booksandchocolate12 wrote: »I have a cheat day, mine was yesterday, i didnt go over my calories for that day, i even went out for a run.
A cheat day is a day that you can eat something that you really like, drink a beer or 2.
I don't understand. How is it "cheating" if you stayed within your calorie goal? Are you saying that eating something you really like is "cheating"?
If that's the case, then every day is a cheat day for me, because I don't deprive myself of foods that I like.
+1
And of course, it's not cheating to eat stuff we like. One of the decisions I made when I started here was that if I only had a certain number of calories to work with, I was only going to eat food I like. No point wasting my calories on something boring or unappealing.
Just yesterday, for example, we had tacos for dinner ... taco shells purchased from a supermarket, with chicken mince, refried beans (which are surprising low-ish in calories), a little bit of low fat cheese, tomatoes and avacado. Yummy!! It's one of my favourite meals. And happily, with the exercise I did yesterday, I came in well within my calorie limit.
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Cheat days are finebooksandchocolate12 wrote: »I have a cheat day, mine was yesterday, i didnt go over my calories for that day, i even went out for a run.
A cheat day is a day that you can eat something that you really like, drink a beer or 2.
I don't understand. How is it "cheating" if you stayed within your calorie goal? Are you saying that eating something you really like is "cheating"?
If that's the case, then every day is a cheat day for me, because I don't deprive myself of foods that I like.
Some of us use our cheat day as a day we don't watch our macros is how. Mine are usually carbs high low fat or protein "cheats".
I make sure to fit my cheat meal into that weeks calorie allotment I usually go over my maintance cals a bit but make sure I'm slightly under goal a couple days before. Not had a problem losing or maintaining with the odd "cheat" day. You'll be fine!
As to the op - it should be a habit of healthy eating your trying to create and imo healthy eating habits include the odd splurge! So no, you won't have broken your habit if the habit your trying to create is living a healthy lifestyle. :-)
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Nony_Mouse wrote: »
not for me i only drink 1 or 2 beers on my cheat day, i wouldn't go to eat a burger on a normal day. i dont eat all my calories back so i have enough room to eat a burger on my cheat. day.
My GF is also working out so we have a cheat day together.
It's not a cheat day because you are working into your calorie allowance.
For me it is because i eat stuff i dont eat on normal days. I work into my calorie allowance because i feel guilty when i am going over it!
That's actually what practicing moderation is. You don't have a hamburger every day, but when you do you fit it into your goals.0 -
I don't do "cheat days", at least I don't plan a specific day to go over. I do go out to eat, have meals with friends and family, etc which sometimes causes me to go over. If I know ahead of time I will cut back throughout the week to "bank" calories. Sometimes it's not planned. If I go over one or two days, I don't sweat it but get back on track the next day. Life happens, celebrations happen, vacations happen. You made some good choices during your dinner out. That is what I try to do as well. I do log everything to the best of my ability. I will also check out a restaurants nutritional information if available. That way I can "preplan" what I can order without going way over. I will often eat only half the entree and take the rest home for the next day. To me "cheating" implies doing something wrong, going over occasionally is not wrong--just may slow down my process.0
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Nony_Mouse wrote: »
not for me i only drink 1 or 2 beers on my cheat day, i wouldn't go to eat a burger on a normal day. i dont eat all my calories back so i have enough room to eat a burger on my cheat. day.
My GF is also working out so we have a cheat day together.
It's not a cheat day because you are working into your calorie allowance.
For me it is because i eat stuff i dont eat on normal days. I work into my calorie allowance because i feel guilty when i am going over it!
That's actually what practicing moderation is. You don't have a hamburger every day, but when you do you fit it into your goals.
That's not entirely true, even moderation doesn't guarantee you'll stay within your range, especially if you're going out to eat. A dessert alone can easily bump me up to maintenance calories with eating normally the rest of the day.
That's where pre-logging comes in handy.
Whenever possible, I look up the restaurant online a couple days in advance, and I look over the selection. It's even easier when they give me the calories.
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This is what MFP has to say on this subject. You can read all about 'cheat days' here:
http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/the-problem-with-cheat-days/
Excellent, and timely.
Quoting for truth:
http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/the-problem-with-cheat-days
"Forget about designating a cheat day to reward yourself. Denying yourself most of the week and then indulging like crazy on your one day “off,” just promotes guilt, anxiety, and shame around eating—which means you won’t likely get to the health outcome you’re looking for. Instead, make every day a great day by listening to your appetite, periodically adding in some of your favorite foods in small portions, and savoring each and every bite of everything you eat. This sustainable approach will help you think of all of your eating as enjoyable, and that’s what gets you down the road to where you want to be."0
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