Didn't enjoy my cheat day
Suhrah623
Posts: 65 Member
I've been working really hard the last couple weeks on logging my calories and eating right and have lost around 6 lbs so far.
Last night my husband and I went out for my birthday and I just couldn't enjoy it. I tried to order something on the healthier side because I felt like I was just going to sabatoge all the work I've done lately. Ugh, but then they give you all that delicous bread before your meal comes! Anyway, I just felt anxious the whole time about it all.
Is this feeling normal? and if so, does it go away eventually? I want to enjoy life and not be afraid of gaining weight everytime I have a cheat day!
Last night my husband and I went out for my birthday and I just couldn't enjoy it. I tried to order something on the healthier side because I felt like I was just going to sabatoge all the work I've done lately. Ugh, but then they give you all that delicous bread before your meal comes! Anyway, I just felt anxious the whole time about it all.
Is this feeling normal? and if so, does it go away eventually? I want to enjoy life and not be afraid of gaining weight everytime I have a cheat day!
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Replies
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Congratulations on your weight loss so far!
I never have cheat days. I take all foods into account for what I need to maintain the weight loss. The odd time I used to have a giant meal or unhealthy takeaway, I really didn't enjoy it and regretted it afterwards. For me, enjoying life is about never being obese again, and taking control. You can eat out, but you need to keep logging. It's just my opinion, but whereas I can understand a "cheat meal", I can't understand the point of a cheat day.0 -
Oops I should add that it wasn't an entire cheat day. It was just the dinner portion that was the "cheat meal".0
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I really think it all comes down to your own mentality on the subject of food. Try to remember you didn't gain all that extra weight in one day, so you're not going to gain it back all in one day. What's important is to try and log everything you eat- even if you go over- to remain accountable for what you're putting into your body. You can also try eating less during other days of the week if you know you're going to have a particularly high-calorie day to try and lessen the blow. With that said, take it one day at a time. You got this!0
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Stop thinking of it as a "cheat". Work things like that into your calorie goal, maybe throw some extra exercise in if that helps you meet your goal, and enjoy! I use a weekly goal rather than a daily target and find that works best for me.
Well done on your loss so far!
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I think it's normal to feel like that cos it's only been two weeks
Work your calorie allowances over the week, save for special occasions, choose with care and enjoy
That's not a cheat
That's CICO0 -
Feeling guilt or anxious needs to go away. It could be that it was your first time?
Food is food. One meal, one day doesn't derail.
As well calling is a "cheat" might be the reason...you feel like it's "bad" when it's not...if you are doing those days or meals...try calling it a treat.
I eat "treats" almost everyday...chocolate typically.
Remember weight loss should be similar to maintenance but maintenance has more food to eat...
Do use weight loss as a deprivation time...eat like you plan on eating the rest of your life. Same foods just different quantities.
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Couple of weeks?
One meal isn't going to reverse the work you have done over the course of weeks.
This is the definition of a treat, a RARE time you allow yourself to indulge a bit, particularly on a special occasion.
And there's absolutely nothing wrong with doing such a thing every once in a while.
Don't worry, as long as you are back on track as of immediately after that meal, you're fine.
Stressing and worrying will do nothing but hinder healthy life choices.
Stress is bad for you.
Don't stress, darlin'.0 -
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Do not have cheat meals, plan them into your calories. If this means that once ina while you will be e.g. at maintenance rather than losing, this is perfectly fine, and you will not be stressed about it.0
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I would say it's common, but not normal. Food is food. It shouldn't make you feel guilty.
Do the math. Calculate what your maintenance calories would be, and how much you normally eat now. That will tell you how much of a deficit you have. Then calculate what the calories would be in your so-called "cheat meal" and you'll see you probably still have quite a bit of a deficit for the week. It would be REALLY hard to undo an entire week's worth of a deficit in one meal.0 -
Treats are not rare for me! I work them into my every day allotment, because they are important in order for me not to feel deprived.
If I know I'm going to be having a dinner out, I plan the day accordingly so that there's lots of wiggle room for dinner. And if I go over that day? Meh, not a biggie - I just log it and move on.
I deliberately avoid the "cheat" mentality, because that can also set you up to thinking that foods are either good or bad, and that can open up a whole host of disordered thinking in regards to food.
I have learned to make better choices along the way, which allows me to budget for things that I love. There's nothing that's off limits for me, except foods that I've always hated. Ain't no one got time for that! LOL.0 -
Just because they bring you the bread does not mean you need to eat all of it. As others have said stop thinking of meals as cheat meals. You know you are going to go out to eat that day so plan ahead. Leave yourself enough calories that you can enjoy it. If you have one of the smaller calorie goals, just adjust your goal for the day to eat at or slightly below maintenance. That way you know you are still moving in the right direction or at least not backsliding and still get to enjoy a special occasion.
And don't worry so much. Even if you go over your maintenance for a day, it is only one day in a long long journey. Just don't let those days become frequent.0 -
First of all, you are losing too much weight too fast. 1 pound per week should be your goal, then you won't really need a cheat day.
I think you are setting yourself up for failure and discouragement.0 -
Ya, I experimented with the cheat meal concept and it turned into a cheat evening, and then a cheat afternoon and evening and then I realized I'm better off just eating lighter and exercising more during the day Saturday if I'm going out Saturday night.
If I'm eating someplace where the bread is just average or with people who also do not want to fill up on bread before the entrée, we'll tell the server to not bring us bread, or to bring it with the entrée. If I'm eating with people who do want the bread ahead of time, I'll sometimes forgo it or save some to have with my entrée.
My birthday's in December and I'm curious to see how I'm going to handle this. Right now I imagine I'm going to my favorite upscale Italian restaurant and having as much bread as I want. (Best bread and olive oil in the county.)0 -
I think it's normal to feel like that cos it's only been two weeks
Work your calorie allowances over the week, save for special occasions, choose with care and enjoy
That's not a cheat
That's CICO
Rabbit speaks the truth. You're still finding your way with healthier habits and adjusting your attitude towards food, so some uneasiness and being a bit unsure is to be expected.
If you still find yourself feeling this way down the line?
That could be a problem, because the ultimate goal is to incorporate special occasions into your life and plan for them in some way. That could be eating less during the week to bank calories for them, eating lighter fare during them, eating smaller portions of indulgent foods during them, or eating less afterwards to compensate.
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Unless you went extremely wild, it's hard to undo any progress with one cheat meal. Look at it this way ... if you're set to lose one pound per week, that is a 500 calorie deficit per day. If your cheat meal put you 1,000 calories above your usual daily intake you then end up with five days worth of deficit rather than seven ... 2500 calories below weekly maintenance, not 3500 ... but still a deficit if you eat normally for the rest of the week.0
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I think the problem is that this is all new to me. I am not new to MFP, as I've used it in the past to log exercises, but I have never logged calories before.
I just wanted to hear feedback from people who can recall back to when they first started logging calories and if they remembered if they felt the same way that I do. That's all. I'm sure I'll get over the irrationality of the whole thing soon.
And thanks for everybody for the helpful advice!0 -
bcalvanese wrote: »First of all, you are losing too much weight too fast. 1 pound per week should be your goal, then you won't really need a cheat day.
I think you are setting yourself up for failure and discouragement.
I didn't mean to lose that much. I have it set to lose 1.5 lbs per week. I thought that was a reasonable goal? No?
It's been 3 weeks.0 -
Oh...I thought this was going to be about when you bank calories for a cheat day, order, and the meal sucks. That's when I don't enjoy my "cheat" day. Though I don't cheat.0
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Also, OP...just get it in your head. If you are "cheating" you ARE sabotaging some of your hard work, so to speak. Basically you are working hard, eating at a deficit, and then going over for a meal so that you either lose at a slower pace, or you put yourself at maintenance for the week. Once you understand that, then decide if it's worth it. Sometimes it is. Sometimes, maybe not.0
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Part of the reason you were so uneasy is because it is all relatively new and you still don't trust the process 100%.
I definitely was way more obsessive when I first started. After a while you realise that what you do everyday is what matters, not the occasional indulgence.
As long as you don't go "hog wild" (let's face it, I can probably still pack 5,000 cal if i hit an all you can eat buffet and allow myself free reign)
So feeling guilty for eating a 2000 Cal dinner with family or friends? Not if it was delicious!
If you weigh yourself everyday you would expect to see an additional water weight gain that will go away in a day or two.
Working an evening out into your weekly calories is normally quite doable depending on your deficit level.
Happy Birthday!0 -
bcalvanese wrote: »First of all, you are losing too much weight too fast. 1 pound per week should be your goal, then you won't really need a cheat day.
I think you are setting yourself up for failure and discouragement.
It's only a few weeks in. There is an initial huge drop in water weight. It's unlikely she created a 21,000 calorie deficit and lost pure fat.0 -
I think the problem is that this is all new to me. I am not new to MFP, as I've used it in the past to log exercises, but I have never logged calories before.
I just wanted to hear feedback from people who can recall back to when they first started logging calories and if they remembered if they felt the same way that I do. That's all. I'm sure I'll get over the irrationality of the whole thing soon.
And thanks for everybody for the helpful advice!
Yeah, I had Labor Day right after I started this and I avoided a barbecue. Crazy.
Now? I enjoy holidays and birthdays. These things rarely come up more than once a month so I just eat and move on.
Maybe what you need to do is see that it doesn't impact your scale (perhaps temporary water weight, but you will probably still lose for the week).
Finally, losing 6 pounds your first two-three weeks isn't extreme. Most of that was water weight. You shouldn't worry about it. Your rate of loss should be slower now.0 -
bcalvanese wrote: »First of all, you are losing too much weight too fast. 1 pound per week should be your goal, then you won't really need a cheat day.
I think you are setting yourself up for failure and discouragement.
I didn't mean to lose that much. I have it set to lose 1.5 lbs per week. I thought that was a reasonable goal? No?
It's been 3 weeks.
If you make your goal 1 pound per week, you will only need to minus about 500 calories per day from your diet, and that, IMO, is not enough to make a person feel like they have to have a cheat day. If you want to eat something more, take a 2 mile walk or jog or bike ride to burn off more calories.
It takes years to put on weight and most people try to lose it too quickly, and that in turn causes them to not eat enough to fuel their body properly, and that causes them to feel like they have to cheat, and that is very frustrating and discouraging. Then they go off their diet and wind up weighing more than they did in the first place, and it just creates a cycle of failures.
It's not just a diet, it's a life style change, but do it slowly and gradually, and you will see that it is quite doable that way.
I was 225 pounds 6 months or so ago. My goal is 1 pound a week and I now weigh about 196. I have been losing a pound a week, and will reach my goal of 170 in another 6 months or so. By that time I will have gotten so used to my increased activity level and the calorie intake that it will be my new normal.
Nature happens very slowly... don't rush it...:)0 -
bcalvanese wrote: »bcalvanese wrote: »First of all, you are losing too much weight too fast. 1 pound per week should be your goal, then you won't really need a cheat day.
I think you are setting yourself up for failure and discouragement.
I didn't mean to lose that much. I have it set to lose 1.5 lbs per week. I thought that was a reasonable goal? No?
It's been 3 weeks.
If you make your goal 1 pound per week, you will only need to minus about 500 calories per day from your diet, and that, IMO, is not enough to make a person feel like they have to have a cheat day. If you want to eat something more, take a 2 mile walk or jog or bike ride to burn off more calories.
It takes years to put on weight and most people try to lose it too quickly, and that in turn causes them to not eat enough to fuel their body properly, and that causes them to feel like they have to cheat, and that is very frustrating and discouraging. Then they go off their diet and wind up weighing more than they did in the first place, and it just creates a cycle of failures.
It's not just a diet, it's a life style change, but do it slowly and gradually, and you will see that it is quite doable that way.
I was 225 pounds 6 months or so ago. My goal is 1 pound a week and I now weigh about 196. I have been losing a pound a week, and will reach my goal of 170 in another 6 months or so. By that time I will have gotten so used to my increased activity level and the calorie intake that it will be my new normal.
Nature happens very slowly... don't rush it...:)
I really do appreciate the advice, but I honestly wasn't trying to rush it...I know that weight loss is a gradual thing and that it's a lifestyle choice. My calories ARE set for 500 less than my TDEE.
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^actutally it's set for 510 less. Just to be technical.0
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My wife was lamenting the lack of my gray hairs the other day (at 43), and I thought to myself, "It's because I don't do things that stress me out, or think in a way that stresses me out."
Guilt is stress.
You should eat in a way that fuels your body and goals, and leaves you guilt-free. If there is no other rule to guide you, I'd let that be your guide.
I'm all for living a life guilt-free. I think it's a wasted human emotion.0 -
I just wanted to hear feedback from people who can recall back to when they first started logging calories and if they remembered if they felt the same way that I do.
Yeah, starting real food logging can be an emotional experience, for all kinds of reasons. Personally, I was, like, "holy crap did I ever eat like a pig!" with all kinds of attached self-guilt (all gone now). Others get anxious about all kinds of things, from missing a macro by one gram to "perfect" macros to etc etc etc.
As it becomes more of a routine for you, the emotional side can become less of an issue, but it will depend on you. If you're an "anxious" person by nature, it very well might not, so you'll have to find your own best way of dealing with that reality.
Good luck!
:drinker:
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I've been working really hard the last couple weeks on logging my calories and eating right and have lost around 6 lbs so far.
Last night my husband and I went out for my birthday and I just couldn't enjoy it. I tried to order something on the healthier side because I felt like I was just going to sabatoge all the work I've done lately. Ugh, but then they give you all that delicous bread before your meal comes! Anyway, I just felt anxious the whole time about it all.
Is this feeling normal? and if so, does it go away eventually? I want to enjoy life and not be afraid of gaining weight everytime I have a cheat day!
so don't cheat dawg idk lol
lift heavy so you can eat more
a lot of us are eating 2500-3500 calories a day because of our activity level
no need to cheat when you already have to shove that much food in your face daily just to maintain0
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