Cheat day or strict 24/7 diet??

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Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    No cheating, but I wouldn't consider my diet "strict". I fit foods into my calorie goals. If I go over? I make sure I'm within my weekly goal.
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  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Neither. Eat what you like within your calories/macro.
  • SergeantSausage
    SergeantSausage Posts: 1,673 Member
    You're only cheating yourself, right?

    If that's OK with you ... but I tend to think that if you feel a need to cheat, you are definitely doing it wrong. Way wrong.
  • fgleiser
    fgleiser Posts: 16 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    No cheating, but I wouldn't consider my diet "strict". I fit foods into my calorie goals. If I go over? I make sure I'm within my weekly goal.

    Same here, I dont eat all of my running valories back so i use them as a "bank" for weekends. On weekends, I relax a bit and eat a bit more, trying not to go over maintenance.

    It helps that I usually run 20km (12.5mi).

    So far it's been working for me
  • Seigla
    Seigla Posts: 172 Member
    I focus on changing my lifestyle. I get some foods out of my regular diet. I allow myself to eat most of these foods on special occasions, like parties, or just once a week. And on some days I feel more hungry I allow myself to eat more, I don't have to lose every day. So I am not that strict. The result is that I don't lose very quickly all the time, but what I lose I keep off, because my lifestyle is sustainable; I don't get frustrated with it.

    I only need to lose 5 kilos or so, which will probably take 2-4 months or so. If I were very strict I am sure that I can do it in a month, but then I would be much less sure that I will be able to keep that off and I also think that it would cost too much willpower, which is a precious resource that I also need in order to finish my studies in the coming weeks.
  • daaaaaanielle
    daaaaaanielle Posts: 114 Member
    The closest thing I have to a "cheat" day is when I deliberately skip breakfast and eat a light lunch (usually 300 calories or so) in order to have a really big dinner or a big portion of ice cream or lots of Doritos. Or reduce my calories on previous days to account for going over one day. It still comes in under my daily or weekly calories, so I still end up with a deficit, because I plan ahead for it.

    But I try to avoid thinking of it as a "cheat" meal/day and more of a "Treat Yourself" meal/day.

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  • Glinda1971
    Glinda1971 Posts: 2,328 Member
    Yesterday was my birthday and I went 1,080 calories over my limit. But- I'm still 2,000 calories under my limit for the week because I planned for yesterday.

    I don't consider it a cheat day, sometimes in life you are going to have a special occasion, etc. And so for me, it was just a day that I consumed more than usual. And over the course of a year that 1,000 calories isn't going to make much of a difference.

  • raelynnsmama52512
    raelynnsmama52512 Posts: 1,184 Member
    Neither. I eat what I want, just in moderation, and do what I have to do to make it fit. For example, tomorrow I will be taking my daughter to a birthday party for one of her friends. I know there will most likely be cake and ice cream, and probably pizza or some other kind of party food, and I've already planned for a light breakfast and light dinner to accommodate. I've found planning ahead and making things fit works better for me than having "cheat" days or being "strict". Just my $0.02
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  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited June 2015
    I find the "cheating" mentality to be detrimental to my progress, but I do understand the appeal for others. Personally if I even imply to myself that I'm being a "bad girl" I start spiraling out of control because the rebel in me enjoys it too much. It needs to feel like just like any other day of eating food for dieting to work for me.

    I usually do random deficit where I just eat whatever I feel like under maintenance and let my deficit fall where it may ranging from 0 to 1500. Sometimes I control it with a weekly budget or with quick fast days, other times I don't. Sometimes I plan modest gains where I allow myself to gain a certain amount of weight, mainly on holidays. I see no reason to rush it, so why restrict myself or ride pre-planned caloric roller coasters?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    hit your calorie targets all the while enjoying foods that you...well...enjoy. it's really friggin' easy
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
    What's a cheat day? I eat what I want, when I want, and how much I want.

    I hate the word cheat, that makes it seem like you are doing something wrong or cheating yourself.

    You know if you do fasting like I do then you don't need to worry about cheat days, strict daily allowances.......
  • dorothy2512
    dorothy2512 Posts: 21 Member
    I try. It to cheat as such - but if I'm going somewhere special or I really want to eat something, I will - but I work my calories out per week, and not just day to day, so if I want something to eat say for 700 calories, I knock 100 calories off each day, then I get to eat what I want, and by knocking them off each day, doesn't feel like I've spoilt my calorie allowance each day. Good luck
  • bstover217
    bstover217 Posts: 15 Member
    I generally have one "cheat" meal of food I wouldn't normally easy about once a week. I generally try to fit it into my calorie goal though. It's easier for me though because I can eat 2400 calories a day and still lose 2 lb a month :/
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