Cheat days

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itshannahlol
itshannahlol Posts: 57 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Are they a good idea?
I'm just worried I'll have one day where I eat whatever I want and never go back to eating better.

Replies

  • fellowtraveler87
    fellowtraveler87 Posts: 41 Member
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    Cheat day? Probably a bad idea. A "cheat" meal once a week, has helped me control cravings and keep on track the other 20 meals of the week. Still you need to keep it reasonable...ie...blowing out on 5 plates worth of food at Golden Corral will probably not be in your best interest.
  • m4n1x
    m4n1x Posts: 65 Member
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    fellowtraveler87 wrote: »
    Cheat day? Probably a bad idea. A "cheat" meal once a week, has helped me control cravings and keep on track the other 20 meals of the week. Still you need to keep it reasonable...ie...blowing out on 5 plates worth of food at Golden Corral will probably not be in your best interest.

    This guy is about spot on, until you are at peak physical and wouldn't be upset with gaining a couple of pounds I would avoid an entire cheat day (reserved for beasts like Dwayne Johnson).

    Cheat meals are definitely the way forward, however do try to keep them reasonable (eg. not 3x your daily allowance)
  • abatonfan
    abatonfan Posts: 1,123 Member
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    Personally, no. I prefer to "treat" myself every day, as long as it fits within my calories. The only two days where I am a bit more lenient with my calories is my birthday and Christmas -and even then, those days do not become free-for-alls.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    I say they are not.
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
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    I'm not a fan of cheat days, I just eat what I want as long as it fits into my calories for the day.
  • ManiacalLaugh
    ManiacalLaugh Posts: 1,048 Member
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    m4n1x wrote: »
    fellowtraveler87 wrote: »
    Cheat day? Probably a bad idea. A "cheat" meal once a week, has helped me control cravings and keep on track the other 20 meals of the week. Still you need to keep it reasonable...ie...blowing out on 5 plates worth of food at Golden Corral will probably not be in your best interest.

    This guy is about spot on, until you are at peak physical and wouldn't be upset with gaining a couple of pounds I would avoid an entire cheat day (reserved for beasts like Dwayne Johnson).

    Cheat meals are definitely the way forward, however do try to keep them reasonable (eg. not 3x your daily allowance)

    LOL - saw the pictures of The Rock's cheat day. It was his first in a year, right? Man, that monster went all out. I can't even imagine... I think he probably topped 10,000 calories. I don't even know how he fit all of that in.

    OP, if you feel like you won't go back to eating right after "cheating" for a meal or a day, don't do it. Trust your instincts about yourself. The only benefit of giving yourself a scheduled "cheat" is to give yourself a mental break every once and a while. It's definitely not a neccessity.

    If you're wanting a specific treat, here's an idea I've learned from the MFP forums and it's helped me: "Bank" calories for a week. Don't go overboard, but eat a little under every day. At the end of the week, count up how many calories you've "banked" and eat a treat that will fit into that slot. I was actually able to have a 600 calorie frozen custard last weekend and it didn't screw up my week at all! I still lost my goal.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    I dislike the word "cheat" at all in this context. It implies that you're doing something wrong or against the rules. I treat myself with a little something every day and I build it into my calorie allotment. I'm not in this to meet some specific goal on a specific date, this is the rest of my life. Parties, meals out, etc. happen and I just log them and move on.
  • dirtyflirty30
    dirtyflirty30 Posts: 224 Member
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    I don't do it, because I can't cheat the scale. If I want to eat something, I do, within reason.
  • hgycta
    hgycta Posts: 3,013 Member
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    As others here have pointed out, I wouldn't suggest it. A single cheat meal (within reasonable limits) may be beneficial, but an entire day doesn't seem too wise, especially since you seem doubtful regarding your self control.
    If you're losing weight healthfully and slowly you shouldn't need to cut out everything you love or feel deprived, so if you're having urges to sit down with pint after pint of ice cream and order every carry out food item you can think of then I would suggest reevaluating your diet plan instead of succumbing to these urges.
    For me personally at least, I began a very unhealthy restrictive/binge cycle which was very moderate and worked at first with my goals, but soon spiraled out of control and took a lot of effort and motivation to get back on track. Cheat days can easily get out of hand if you're not careful and leave you feeling ridden with guilt, hopeless, tired, and horribly bloated for several days. It's very easy for cheat days to cause disordered eating for most people, me being one of them.
    But that all being said, different things work for different people, so do what you feel is best for you. Listen to your body, not your tongue - do you really need all those calories or do you just want/miss them?
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,254 Member
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    I am at 1200 calories a day, so even with exercise I can't fit in too many treats. A cheat meal every once in a while has kept me happy and able to continue. For example, I ate dinner with my step-daughter, her hubby and the step-grandkids a few weeks back and ate sensibly at dinner, then REALLY enjoyed chocolate lava cake with ice cream for dessert. I didn't even bother logging it. I just went right back to all my good habits and it didn't derail me in the slightest. I just don't do this very often.
  • andrean930
    andrean930 Posts: 2 Member
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    If you feel you don't have the willpower to survive an entire cheat day and go back to your routine the next day - don't do it. Try a meal (really relish this meal), once a week and then go from there. I realized maintaining a healthy diet is all about your mental stamina. Once you realize how effortless it is to eat healthy, without thinking about cheating, you can try an entire cheat day! An entire day won't affect you if you follow your routine afterwards!
  • lmunoz323
    lmunoz323 Posts: 2 Member
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    my wife and i usually have a cheat meal after we have accomplished a couple of weeks of dieting and exercise. We usually still log and try to keep it within our allotted calorie intake. We were out of town and we had a couple of cheat meals and i gained 9 lbs! No more cheat meals for me. I was 205 went up to 214. My next cheat meal will be when i am under 195 or for my wife's birthday (in a month), which ever is first.
    my sister in law has a cheat day once a week and she has been able to lose weight and keep up with us. it all depends on your body and how bad the cheat meal/day is.
  • roselemonade
    roselemonade Posts: 53 Member
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    When I was successfully/steadily losing weight I let myself have one non-logging day per week, but not a true "cheat day." I wouldn't go all-out and eat a bucket of fried chicken and twelve eggs (or whatever it is proponents of Real Cheat Days do) but I'd let myself not worry about getting exactly one serving of something, or I'd go out to eat without spending ten minutes trying to figure out how to log my restaurant meal. I probably wasn't eating that far over my allotted calories, but just being able to take a breather from logging helped me stay on track for quite a long time.

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