Cheat days, yes or no?

IsaackGMOON

lrash1167 wrote: »

I do cheat day once a week because I need to know I'm not missing out on things - I know some will blast me for this (the health nazi's always do!) but I'm a normal, older woman with family and friends and we ENJOY eating "normal" foods - we go to pot luck's, have bar-b-que's, go to movies, and family get together's that involves southern comfort foods and yes, I scale down my quantities...but now and then I just need to not have every bite I take the center of my universe! I REALLY don't want to feel like I'm missing out on the fun times in my life! I'll DO the extra workout thank you... I HAVE noticed though that certain "free day" foods now make me sicker than a dog if I indulge too much in them. (Found THAT out with a recent movie with popcorn...uggh!). Guess what I'm saying is I wanna eat to nourish my body and still enjoy LIVING - NOT live to watch everything I eat!

iifym

oh_happy_day

Kalikel wrote: »

Lots of people do this. They like to include treats on a regular basis. Some include them every day, some once a week or once a month or whatever.

I don't do a lot of "cheating." I like eating healthy food and I've found healthy food that is yummy, so it's not like I spend my days longing for a treat. On rare occasions, I indulge, but I don't really feel like it's cheating.

Just work out a plan you like and go with it. You can always change it later!

I think this is wise. For me this is a lifestyle change and about finding better balance. I will never give up wine, cheese, eating out and other indulgences. So I need to find a way to work them into my calories. I'll need to do that when I'm in the maintenance stage as well. I do have indulgences. Some more worthwhile than others, sometimes I regret it because my body really does prefer healthier foods - my brain just hasn't quite caught up yet. I run my calories on a weekly rather than daily basis, so this allows for eating out and extra yummy things.

veganbaum

People around here tend to be very big on "moderation." For those who tend to come in with comments like that, they usually mean daily moderation. Works for some, doesn't work for others. For some, moderation means once a week, or even once a month. You should do what works for you, so long as it's healthy and doesn't hinder your goals.

I look at a weekly deficit, as do many others. Saturdays are my "cheat days." Except I don't call them that. I just save up some of my deficit for the week, and eat a lot more food on Saturdays, including treats that I don't eat during the rest of the week. I actually enjoy doing that more than I do having daily treats. Between my work, commute, and exercising, I barely have time to adequate sleep (and most of the time don't). So, I rarely eat takeout during the work week and keep my days pretty simply planned. On Saturdays I can have an indulgent breakfast, a dessert treat of some sort, a restaurant meal, etc., and still be meeting my weekly deficit.

People like to talk about lifestyle changes and whatnot, and they're not wrong in talking about such a mindset. However, we all lead different lifestyles. If you want to be successful, you should probably choose a way that you could reasonably see yourself sustaining. If having your "cheat day" is that way for you, then do it.

Becca_250

Francl27 wrote: »

No reason not to eat what you're craving within your calories instead of gorging yourself on it because it's a 'cheat day'.

I suggest you do a search on 'cheat days'. You will find a LOT of replies.

Also I don't believe there is such thing as 'tricking your metabolism' by eating more one day.

dubird wrote: »

I don't really do 'cheat' days. There are occasions where I don't feel good and just say *kitten* it, but normally, I just try fit what I want into my daily calories. That being said, I don't worry as much about logging for holiday meals with family. That would just be depressing!

+1

robspot

For me, cheat=doing something wrong. Can't you call it an Increased Calorie Day or something? If you're building it into your plan to help you stay focused then it's not cheating, it's just part of the plan.

I have a Mars ice cream pretty much every night for pudding. It's only 140 calories so no deal breaker but it's just enough to stop me craving rubbish all day.

I do have days (or sometimes weekends....) where I don't set out to "cheat" but we go to weddings or birthdays and I don't control what I eat (usually where alcohol is involved!!) but I'm fine with that. I can get quite dull when I'm in the zone and occasionally you need to remember that life isn't just about the numbers on the scales. The idea of waiting all week to gorge on junk wouldn't work for me though. The healthier my diet becomes, the healthier I want it to stay.

J383

No cheat days. It isn't worth the struggle afterwards. I will enjoy a portioned treat if I have done really well the entire week. I will have a few ounces of Mt.Dew or a very small portion of custard as a treat. Never a full day. I always workout right afterwards. Why work so hard only to screw it up in one day?

kkzmom11

I agree with many that say it's better to fit the "cheat" foods into your daily calorie range. I wouldn't be willing to wait until my "cheat" day to have what i want. and when i am maintaining my weight, i want to be able to just have a plan, not wait for one day to eat whatever i want. that wouldn't help me at all.

Radory

Today marks 13 weeks I've been at this and I've not had a "cheat day/meal" as of yet. Have I had an occasional soft serve ice cream? Yes, but it fit into my calories for the day. I think I've been too fearful of how it would set me back. I am planning on a dinner out for my wedding anniversary in four weeks and it will be one that just can't be tracked...so that may be my first. I'll save up some from the week before though just to be safe. lol

Iron_Feline

I have a chest day once a week - though I don't think of it as a cheat day as it is factored into my plan.

I log that day as normal and try to only eat up to my maintenance calories - I'll lose slightly slower but feel happier being able to go drinking with my friends or out for a nice meal once a week.

Works for me.

Oh and I also fit what I want into my daily calories as I follow IIFYM but my daily allowance doesn't fit in a night at the pub :drinker: so maintenance days.

kshama2001

ungeneric wrote: »

BasicGreatGuy wrote: »

If one changes his or her lifestyle to better reflect a healthier way of eating and living, there should be no need to feel like one needs to cheat, as if that is some kind of reward in the negative for living positive.

For people who have not yet achieved nirvana and purified themselves of desire, though, there may be some cognitive or emotional cost to weight loss. Running a sustained calorie deficit may require the regular exercise of willpower, and tallying up every calorie eaten may consume some amount of focus and energy.

For people in that situation (which I think describes most people who are losing weight), a "cheat day" appeals because it allows them to take a break from exerting focus and energy on weight loss. Whether or not a "cheat day" is actually productive is the subject of this thread!

I've been meaning to start a thread on cravings from the Buddhist perspective, but for now will say the less craving-inducing foods I eat, the less I want.

ungeneric

Iron_Feline wrote: »

I have a chest day once a week

(Am I immature for giggling at this typo?)

kshama2001 wrote: »

I've been meaning to start a thread on cravings from the Buddhist perspective, but for now will say the less craving-inducing foods I eat, the less I want.

I think that's pretty common -- you get out of the habit of eating these things, or rather you get into habits that do not include those things, and so you don't have to exert force of will so often to avoid them.

I think the point of a scheduled "cheat day" is to make it sort of finite -- I am going to flex my willpower and preserve my progress by not having my trigger-food right now, and I won't have it tomorrow, either. But if I still want it on Saturday, then I know that I can have it on Saturday. It's not an insurmountable task, I don't have to keep making decisions about it: if I still want it on Saturday, I'l have it on Saturday.

(Where it really becomes pathological is if you don't even want it anymore on Saturday, but you have it anyway...)

All of that elegant logic aside, though, I don't know if it actually helps or not. Just because something sounds like it might help doesn't mean it really will. I'd love to read some studies about weight maintenance and cheat days.

veganbaum wrote: »

People like to talk about lifestyle changes and whatnot, and they're not wrong in talking about such a mindset. However, we all lead different lifestyles. If you want to be successful, you should probably choose a way that you could reasonably see yourself sustaining. If having your "cheat day" is that way for you, then do it.

Exactly. Though the truth is, I don't think any of us really know if any given strategy will work for us, until we try it... a couple of times... at least.

butterfli7o

Liftng4Lis wrote: »

I don't do "cheat", as I'm not doing anything wrong. Make what you want fit into your allotment.

This!

VintageFeline

When I started I thought that would be the approach I'd take but in all reality it's just easier to eat what I want, when I want, not call it "bad" and just fit it into my daily allowance.

I had a couple of days off strictly counting last week and much to my delight I actually found it pretty hard to just go all out so things have changed for me. Had I been allowing myself to binge once a week from the get go (and I, personally, would have binged) I may not be where I am now with the whole thing.

I think it's totally personal but for the most part I don't think it's necessary.

rdtalon

The last two weeks I have been having a "cheat day" on Tuesday. I allow myself to eat an extra thousand calories if I feel like it (I dont usually eat the whole 1k calories). So for dinner I might have a chicken fried steak. It will slow your weight loss by 1/7th though I guess. I've been thinking about doing away with it, but it makes me happy, so I figure if I give myself an outlet on these cheat days I might be less likely to binge eat.

jessathemessa

I don't like to do cheat days because I tend to feel bad about it. I do, however, eat more calories on certain days. Usually, though, if I'm going to eat a treat or an especially large meal, I'll try to scale down my other meals or get some extra work outs in to offset. Something that helps me is to really think about how this needs to be a lifestyle change. For example, if you love chocolate, it doesn't make sense to say you're never going to eat it. But then again, it also doesn't make sense to say that for the rest of your life you're going to eat 1200 calories a day except one day where you eat an extra 1,000 calories of chocolate.

When it comes down to it, you need to do what works for you. I know people who do cheat days and otherwise eat 100% clean, and that is great for them. I know that once or twice a week, I end up eating a couple hundred extra calories from a special meal or treat, but I try not to make an entire day unhealthy. Try different methods and do what works for you!

lolly2414

I just try to eat within my calorie and carb goals. Occasionally I do allow myself a day to eat over my carb limit, but for the most part if I want something like fast food I just eat a smaller portion of it (like small fries and drink instead of medium or large) or get whatever grilled chicken option is on the menu. As long as it fits in my calorie and carb goals on here I don't restrict it. That includes treats like cake, candy or juice too. With that said, I do try to focus on eating healthy food like lean meat, veggies and fruit and drinking a lot of water most of the time.

Now on holidays, particularly Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve & Day, and Easter, I don't track what I eat and eat whatever I want. I love dessert and on those days I allow myself to binge.

petitehealth

I personally always feel super guilty after a "cheat day"..even if I planned in advance and knew that the day was designated as my "cheat day". I am doing better with fitting in treats or my cravings to my macro and calorie goals. For example, my future hubby told me he is craving steak and I was craving red wine. So I planned the next day backwards. I pre-logged the next day, starting with a steak dinner and red wine and balanced out my calories and macros with the rest of the day's meals/snacks. This way, he and I don't have to feel like we are suffering and I won't go CRAZY (like I used to) on my "cheat day".

JoAnnRyan123

I dont have cheat days, I have nights of heavy beer drinking

becalee26

Today is my cheat day and consisted of two slices pizza and piece of cake/hoodsie cup. I did however stay in my calorie limit so I don't feel as guilty. It keeps me happy and keeps me from having binge days. Back to salads and smoothies tomorrow.

Whartonhope

swilde1978 wrote: »

Cheat days are a way of telling your brain, your body and yourself that healthy eating will only ever be a temporary change.

Whartonhope

Good point! It's a lifestyle change if you want lifetime success.

jeepinshawn

jessidarklighter wrote: »

I first started implementing cheat days after reading an article in a magazine. The article said cheat days are good for two reasons. First, it keeps you on track for the rest of the week because you tell yourself you only have to wait to the end of the week to get that item you've been craving, and second, abruptly consuming more calories tricks your body into adjusting your metabolism, creating a better fat burn for the lesser calorie amounts you consume in the rest of the week. Now I will be honest, I'm not sure I could bear to give up cheat days altogether, but if they really are bad I might moderate them a little. So I want your opinion. Cheat days, yes or no? and why?

The only thing you are cheating is yourself, if you're cool with that go for it. Personally I find that when I splurge and eat more then I should it makes me want to do it more frequently. I find it much more productive to make room in my daily intake for the item Im wanting. I may not be able to eat half a pizza, but I can still find room for 2 slices. I don't get a supersize fry but I can get a small one.

I think Cheat days simply serve to reenforce your old "bad" eating habits. If you want to loose weight and stay in shape and not yo yo up and down you have to figure out how to eat in a way that doesn't "cheat", sure have a small bag of chips, instead of having pizza for dinner make a hot turkey sandwich with no mayo and a half ounce of cheese...