Thoughts on a "cheat day"???
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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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