Cheat days... Your experience

Lindsay1084

I have the mindset like many others that you can eat what you want while on your journey, but also believe in cheat days. Days where you don't count calories and just let loose a little bit. I would love to hear others thoughts on allowing a cheat day a few days a month and how that has impacted your journey.
I have a girls weekend coming up where I will be drinking beer and eating whatever everyone brings.
I know it may stall my weightloss next week, but I'm not willing to give up these rare opportunities.

ajnb88

My cheat days are enforced by my wife suggesting we get pizza. Happens about once a month, and I can't resist pizza.

Other than that, I don't really do them. I'll have days when I go over my targets, but I don't have certain days where I just decide to eat crap.

Init_to_winit

I think it's important to live your life and still go out and do things. However, maybe try and change your lifestyle some. For example, when I go out now, I drink a light beer instead of a full flavor one to save on calories and I drink plenty of water in between. I also try and limit my snacking and try and fill my plate with more of the healthy stuff. I don't count calories and portion everything out and say no to dessert, I just try and eat the green things and ask for a small slice

I think the other key is not to let a "cheat day" turn into a cheat week. You ate, you drank, you partied, now get back in the gym you!

Winterlover123

In the beginning, I could not have a cheat meal or cheat day because I didn't have the control yet to stop after that day.
Now being 170 days in and have lost 25 pounds (At the beginning, I had given up a lot but still logged, now I'm about 2 months in being serious about it) I'm finding it much easier to go "yea, I can have a cheat meal" and be able to recover and continue on within my calories the next day. I don't have a cheat day every week, I have them only on special occasions
Edit: please keep in mind I only eat within my calories, not exactly watching what I eat; which means I don't exactly choose the healthiest all of the time lol

Need2Exerc1se

Whatever you choose to call them, days where I eat more than I burn are a part of life for me. Sometimes WAY more than I burn. They always have been and hopefully always will be. I can't imagine a life where I ate the same way every day.

Woodspoon

Yup I do cheat days, one day a week every week, Fridays are my day.
Probably not a good thing to do really and no doubt many will say it's not good but it's something to look forward to.
It makes the constant counting during the week worthwhile, as long as the digits on the scale keep going down then I'll still allow myself to have them, if the scale starts going up then I'll stop them.
I'm not going to cut back on the few pleasures I have left just so I can lose a little bit more a tiny bit quicker.
Nothing is worth losing my chocolate, cheese and beer on a Friday night

Kalikel

I don't like the word "cheating" because I don't think I am. There are days where I exceed the calorie allotment, but there are days I'm under, too. It all balances out in the end.

I used to check weekly, now I check monthly to see how I'm doing.

I don't allow days to eat things I shouldn't because I'm truly happy with my diet the way it is. Once in a blue moon, I eat something I really shouldn't, but I have my reasons for that and really don't consider it cheating.

SingRunTing

I have cheat days for special occasions.

Normally, I work treats into my calorie allowance, so I don't feel the need for regularly schedule cheat days. But I have several days a year that I just don't track calories. I could be over or under, I don't know. But I just relax and enjoy myself. Those days are major holidays (Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas) and life events (my birthday, my anniversary, family weddings, vacations). It works out to less than one day a month if you average it out. I don't take a day off for every holiday - I tracked on July 4th, Memorial Day, Valentine's Day, etc. And I don't take off for everyone's birthday. Only my own.

I need to stay focused to lose the weight, so I don't cheat regularly. But I also don't want to not enjoy special occasions by worrying about food. It's all in what you do most of the time that counts.

allbarrett

I don't schedule days that I got over my targets, and I don't consider any day (or meal) a "cheat". Sometimes I do go over my targets (Saturday there is a family birthday, between the Belgian beer and the birthday cake, I'll probably go over unless I get my long run in that morning, which I'm going to try to do!). I figure there are as many days I'm below target as I'm above, and as long as I'm sticking to my targets in the long run, living life to the fullest, AND being healthy, I don't sweat it.

nvmomketo

In the past, I considered a cheat to be a food that I believed is not good for me, such as Dr Pepper or Swedish Berries. When I would eat those, I found it was a trigger food for me and I ended up eating more (unless something stopped me like staying at someone's home). A cheat day would turn into a cheat week or month. It didn't work for me.

Right now I would consider a cheat something that would take me out of my macros. Right now, I won't cheat because it would throw me out of ketosis, and I don't want to face the discomfort of getting back into it.

I have had days where I eat more calories than my goal, but I don't consider that a cheat since it all evens out over time.

crystalewhite

Mine go downhill quickly. I do better if I incorporate proper portions of "junk" food into my day.

Unknown

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rosebarnalice

I don't cheat on logging. I have days (usually Fri or Sat) that I eat more than my target, but I still log it.

theawill519

I do cheat meals, not cheat days. I've only had one cheat day and it went downhill FAST. One meal is enough for me.

lianachu13

Cheat days work for me. I'd rather have one "bad" day and be on track for the rest of the time than spread the treats out over a period time. So I don't lose weight for a week or two? No big deal. I just keep said days reasonably spaced.

Katzedernacht

I have a cheat meal once a week, a whole cheat day seems a bit too much for me .

slaite1

I don't plan cheat meals anymore because I think it can cause an unhealthy mindset around food. I basically eat what I want and still hit my goals. When i know I'm going to splurge-I bank up some calories during the week and add a little extra exercise.

If some big event I was excited about came up-I just wouldn't worry about it and I would enjoy myself. One day here and there is basically a drop in the bucket. It doesn't have to be a "cheat". This is your life, your diet is just one small part of it. Have fun!

cindyangotti

I hope you have a great time and enjoy your friends and everything you eat and drink!!! It wont necessarily slow your weight loss for the following week. I would add in some extra cardio and get right back on track the following day.

handeye

like someone else said, i find it easier to incorporate "treats" into my daily or weekly calorie allotments than to necessarily have a designated cheat day. on special occasions (holidays, birthday) i let myself enjoy and eat what i'd like knowing i'll have to pay stricter attention to what i'm eating the next few days. i've tried to adopt the infamous french approach of "everything in moderation" and i literally haven't felt like i've been dieting at all though i've lost almost 30 pounds.

gummybears700

i use a social event as a cheat meal, but i just consciously cut back on portion sizes and make sure im only eating enough so that im not full, whether that be two three bites of a rich chocolate dessert or a quarter of a burger. and oh yes, even though its the worse thing ever for me, i drink diet coke or coke zero because it fills me up really well and its extremely low in calories

kwtilbury

I usually organize cheat days/meals around holidays and special events - Thanksgiving, Christmas, Super Bowl. It's so much easier to just relax and enjoy the day without worrying about what I'm eating.

kailyw05

Yeah I don't call them cheats really because I still try to log everything, regardless if it puts me over or not. If I know there's a social event coming up that will revolve around food and alcohol, I try to plan ahead. I keep a bit more of a deficit the days leading up, and usually can "bank" a good 500-700 calories. I'll usually squeeze in some extra activity on these days as well if I can. I'm usually still a bit over in the end, but over the next couple of days I can usually make up for it. As long as you didn't exceed maintenance in the end you know you won't gain.

I will enjoy myself at these events, but I will usually pre-log my alcohol before I go and stick to that. Then the next day I will sit down and attempt to log what I ate at the event. If it was a lot of chip bowls, dips, finger foods, cheese & crackers, etc and I find it too annoying/hard to remember every bite I ate and try to find entries for them all, I will usually just "quick-add" a guesstimate. Sometimes it could be as much as 1000 calories. But I do try and keep a mental note of the munchies and try not to over-do it. I could pack away soo many snacks at a party in the past. Now I try to stick to the veggie tray if there is one, and limit myself to the chips. If you can engage in conversations away from the food table it helps.

As others said, this is real life. Whether you log it or not the calories were still consumed. The last time I didn't log was my weekend away at a cottage during an outdoor music festival where it was just too chaotic to log everyday. You can still stay on track while indulging a little with friends!

PinkDeerBoy

Unless I am hungry and need it, I usually do not eat my exercise calories the day I get them, instead I save them. That way I don't have to worry about once a week or so having a meal that normally would not fit into my goals. Most weekends my family likes to eat out, ordering something, get a special meal, and such, so since I know that, I can plan ahead of time.

brandyosu

I have cheat days. My expectation is that I will retain 2 - 3 pounds of water weight after a cheat day and it is generally gone within three days. Honestly, it helps make my weeks feel shorter, keeps me focused on the here and now and how far I've come and not so much on the big picture and how far I still have to go.

tiffanycompton33

I feel like for months I was doing something like that... I would eat well during the week and the weekend anything would go but I was only eating a 1/2 a pound deficit and then I would gain that 1/2 pound back on the weekend (even though it looked like more due to the whole water weight thing the above poster mentioned). I was stuck. I've shortened that window. I'll eat extremely well Friday during the day and budget any drinking/dining for that night. Saturday is a day I let myself eat and drink and be merry but I make sure that I do a leisure activity. Sunday I can eat a great brunch but by mid-afternoon its back to business and a solid workout and the calories should balance. But once again I was doing this every weekend so if this is a special weekend then I say do it up .

krdews

I do not plan a cheat day, I just don't get the concept of pre-planning a day to cheat. My journey has been a lifestyle change - healthy eating habits <CICO> something physical everyday; if there is a breakdown in there for whatever reason - I keep it moving and get back on track. If I planned for it -I would spiral out of control quickly. I feel I would start looking forward to cheating too much and become less focused on what really needs to be done.

ibamosaserreinas

Katzedernacht wrote: »

I have a cheat meal once a week, a whole cheat day seems a bit too much for me .

Yep. I do meals once in awhile. A whole day is too long.

I really do just try to eat foods I like all the time so that it really does become a lifestyle. I have become ok most days with moderation.

betuel75

a cheat meal should be fine. A cheat day of "letting loose a little bit" can result in eating more calories and undo an entire week of deficit/progress if not more. Just something to think about when wanting to do it. Im going out to dinner tonight and have no idea of calories at the place im eating so im keeping calories low today and know exactly what to order tonight. Its not the low cal foods items either, its the food i want...

bubaluboo

I don't cheat, sometimes I lack self control and sometimes I consider the options and eat more/make up for it another day but whatever I decide to eat and for whatever reason I can't cheat my body into ignoring the calories so there is going to be a consequence and I may as well own it. By logging excess calorie intake I get a good idea of what would or would not fall within my maintenance level and start to understand what calories really are in those 'treats'. Sometimes it's surprisingly not as bad as expected and then other times it's way worse but I wouldn't know that if I didn't log everything.

z304

I've never been into cheat days. If I'm on a plan that makes me feel like I want one, at this point I know it's going to end in failure for me because I can't make that division of time & habits work for me personally.

I do think there are ways to not blow your diet entirely without shunning social events. When I have a thing coming up I plan ahead and figure out ways I can eat healthier while I'm there, and I try to eat a little cleaner than usual beforehand. At this point I can't ditch my healthier eating habits entirely though, I'm still ordering healthier foods and not cramming bar nuts and chips into my mouth when I'm out... and I've noticed that when I order say the hummus/pita/veggie appetizer instead of a fried appetizer, others will eat the healthier option more than the fried one too.
You say you're "eating whatever everyone brings" so I assume you're bringing stuff too- so there's no need to mentally give up power over your choices and health.
You can opt to bring healthier options... off the top of my head you could bring a big bag of popcorn instead of chips. Vodka or wine instead of regular beer (that also depends on how much you drink of the wine vs beer thing, and on mixers). Even vodka-soaked watermelon instead of jello shots if it's that type of weekend.

ShannonMpls

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

Whatever you choose to call them, days where I eat more than I burn are a part of life for me. Sometimes WAY more than I burn. They always have been and hopefully always will be. I can't imagine a life where I ate the same way every day.

This exactly.

I lost 130 pounds over 15 months, and I took a day or two "off" from logging every month. Sometimes, during a trip or vacation, it was more than a day or two. Sometimes I ate at maintenance on these days, sometimes way over. I usually had these days due to an event (wedding, girls weekend, etc) but sometimes just because I wanted to go out to dinner and cook without weighing and logging. When these days/trips were over, I went straight back to eating at a deficit, no exceptions.

This worked really well for me. It made it much easier to stick to my plan the rest of the time, knowing I had a no-logging day coming up at some point.

Bottom line: I do not think I would have been as successful as I was without no-logging days. They aren't "cheat" days, they were and continue to be part of my plan. Having the mental and physical break makes my massive weight change sustainable and enjoyable.

Now, I maintain generally by logging M-F at a deficit, and not logging on weekends. Lately, I've had a few too many trips and free days, so I'm tightening up the logging a bit. I've been maintaining my 130 pound loss for nearly three years.