Are Cheat Days ok?

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jaywirth88
jaywirth88 Posts: 66 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been eating very healthy and I have really enjoyed it, but I heard you should allow yourself one cheat day/meal a week. I had a cheat lunch last Sunday and I had a milkshake and burger today and I feel aweful about myself. Is cheating ok? and if so, what kinds of foods do you eat?
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Replies

  • shadowconn
    shadowconn Posts: 141 Member
    edited August 2015
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    Yes. They are fine. What they do is keep your body out of balance. Your body adjusts to everything you do to it. The theory behind a cheat day is that it stimulates your metabolism to burn. I'm not doing them right now. I probably should be. But there's no binge money in my budget atm.
  • AKNMHunt
    AKNMHunt Posts: 168 Member
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    Why feel awful about yourself? Unless you ate several burgers and several milkshakes, it's not going to make you gain weight. Maybe the sodium increase will add some water weight, but that's it.
  • cmtigger
    cmtigger Posts: 1,450 Member
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    I think they also keep you from giving up on a diet entirely.
  • ebbingfat
    ebbingfat Posts: 117 Member
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    Cheating is absolutely ok, and you shouldn't feel bad about yourself for indulging in something that you like. I "cheat" every single weekend, though I really don't think of it as cheating. Going over your calorie limit for a day isn't going to offset you that much. It takes about 3,500 calories to lose/gain a pound. So if you're eating at a deficit all week, in order for you to gain any weight from a cheat day you'd have to eat above your maintenance weight and the deficit you've accumulated throughout the week, and then it would take an entire 3,500 calories on top of that to gain a pound.

    If you want a burger and milkshake occasionally, treat yourself. You'll be better off in the long run if you make sustainable changes. That means letting yourself have things that you really like. In the past, when I've tried to restrict myself, I end up giving up after a while. This time I've been finally sticking with it, and it's because I eat junk when I want it. Heck, today I went to the Minnesota State Fair and ate all kinds of fried and sugary foods. So, so, so many calories. But it's ok, because it's just one day, and I ate at a deficit all week.
  • jaywirth88
    jaywirth88 Posts: 66 Member
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    I really enjoy my healthy foods. I've got a food routine down, and i'm eating at a serious deficit on a daily basis. But I really wanted a milkshake today, but after I scarfed the whole thing down in 3 minutes, i just felt crappy for the rest of the day.
  • JenWall2
    JenWall2 Posts: 14 Member
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    I have a cheat meal, not an entire day. I enjoy it more now than I ever did when that was all I ate. I look forward to it.
  • shadowconn
    shadowconn Posts: 141 Member
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    jaywirth88 wrote: »
    I really enjoy my healthy foods. I've got a food routine down, and i'm eating at a serious deficit on a daily basis. But I really wanted a milkshake today, but after I scarfed the whole thing down in 3 minutes, i just felt crappy for the rest of the day.

    Physically? Mentally? or both. I cleaned up my diet really really well a few years ago and ate a peice of cake after about 6 weeks. I thought i was dying.
  • Bshmerlie
    Bshmerlie Posts: 1,026 Member
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    I ate a huge steak last weekend and I felt so stuffed I thought I was going to throw up. But it was a $60 steak and I wasn't about to leave any behind. I was out of town at a hotel so doggie bag was not an option.

    Note to self: Your stomach has shrunk so don't order the 22 ounce Ribeye. :)

    At least I learned my lesson. :)
  • bclarke1990
    bclarke1990 Posts: 287 Member
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    Try to fit smaller portions of things you enjoy into your macros so you're not encouraging yourself to binge or ruin a week of progress eating 6 donuts or a container of icecream
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
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    There are conflicting views on "cheat days". There are some people here that say absolutely not - others that say "in moderation". I'm still confused about "cheat days" myself. In my opinion though - we are human beings and restricting, restricting, restricting 24/7 may be good for the fat loss but not very good for your mental well being. I don't "cheat" every weekend - I rarely cheat at all but that's purely through to getting used to being so utterly strict. I do need to relax at times and I need to train myself to do that.

    I'd say, go for it if it makes you happy. Happiness is important too! :)
  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
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    All that matters is your deficit.

    Your body doesn't understand emotional terms such as "cheating" when it comes to weight loss. It understands energy balance. Put too much in, you gain. Put the right amount in, you maintain. Put too little in, you lose.

    How you go about this matters little. Eat handfuls of lettuce all week, then eat burgers and milkshakes all weekend, it doesn't matter. All that matters is that you remain in a negative energy balance.

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    I don't believe in cheating

    Nor do I believe in restricting anything other than calories

    You should be able to eat anything so long as you have a generally nutritious diet, hit your protein and fat macros and work your calories across the week

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    PinkPixiexox wrote: »
    There are conflicting views on "cheat days". There are some people here that say absolutely not - others that say "in moderation". I'm still confused about "cheat days" myself. In my opinion though - we are human beings and restricting, restricting, restricting 24/7 may be good for the fat loss but not very good for your mental well being. I don't "cheat" every weekend - I rarely cheat at all but that's purely through to getting used to being so utterly strict. I do need to relax at times and I need to train myself to do that.

    I'd say, go for it if it makes you happy. Happiness is important too! :)

    It's just packaging up,calories differently

    I don't see why anyone would need to cheat themselves ...it's just food ...it's what comes of restriction, I agree
  • Losinandmovin
    Losinandmovin Posts: 188 Member
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    Bshmerlie wrote: »
    I ate a huge steak last weekend and I felt so stuffed I thought I was going to throw up. But it was a $60 steak and I wasn't about to leave any behind. I was out of town at a hotel so doggie bag was not an option.

    Note to self: Your stomach has shrunk so don't order the 22 ounce Ribeye. :)

    At least I learned my lesson. :)

    Ha ha!
  • Losinandmovin
    Losinandmovin Posts: 188 Member
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    I don't think in terms of "cheat" versus "good food". I eat whatever I want. I try to choose wisely and healthfully most of the time. When I choose something less than healthy-- I make sure I don't go over my calories for the day. I may need to eat smaller portions of the less than healthy foods, but at least I don't feel like I'm denying myself the foods I really like. So I can stick with this way of eating. I want to learn how to eat in a way that is long standing, not a diet I'm going stop one day.
  • HankD50
    HankD50 Posts: 49 Member
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    Cheat meals good.
    Cheat days bad.
  • oh_happy_day
    oh_happy_day Posts: 1,138 Member
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    shadowconn wrote: »
    Yes. They are fine. What they do is keep your body out of balance. Your body adjusts to everything you do to it. The theory behind a cheat day is that it stimulates your metabolism to burn. I'm not doing them right now. I probably should be. But there's no binge money in my budget atm.

    This isn't true.

    I don't do cheat days. I count my calories over the week and create additional deficits on some days to allow for meals out, wine etc. I don't have a mentality of good food vs bad food or 'cheating' etc. I eat for nutrition and to meet my calorie allowance for various purposes (currently for loss, later for maintenance) - this isn't a diet, it's just life.
  • anneeett
    anneeett Posts: 75 Member
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    I don't do cheat days anymore either: I have a tendency to go all out on those days and eat waaayyy more than I should, to the point of feeling physically ill. So instead, I have a 'cheat meal' every once in a while and eat everything else in moderation (I don't like the word 'cheat', because I'm not doing anything wrong). I have lost about 4kg in 2 months, and I feel like this is very sustainable for me.

    Also, if you feel awful about yourself after 1 burger and a shake, I think you should really re-evaluate your relationship with food. There is nothing wrong with a little indulgence every once in a while and you should be able to enjoy ALL the food you eat, without feeling guilty afterwards.
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
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    anneeett wrote: »
    I don't do cheat days anymore either: I have a tendency to go all out on those days and eat waaayyy more than I should, to the point of feeling physically ill. So instead, I have a 'cheat meal' every once in a while and eat everything else in moderation (I don't like the word 'cheat', because I'm not doing anything wrong). I have lost about 4kg in 2 months, and I feel like this is very sustainable for me.

    Also, if you feel awful about yourself after 1 burger and a shake, I think you should really re-evaluate your relationship with food. There is nothing wrong with a little indulgence every once in a while and you should be able to enjoy ALL the food you eat, without feeling guilty afterwards.

    THIS.
    Spot on!

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