Do cheat meals help weight loss?

tiffkittyw

Hi everyone, I've been a my fitness pal member for a long time but have never actually been consistent with logging my food. As a result, my weight has also been up and down and I've gained 20 pounds in the last year. My lab work was recently done and my TSH was a little high, but I can't blame my thyroid for my poor eating habits and inactivity. However, it does concern me a bit that I will now struggle with losing the 44 pounds I hope to lose.

I have heard different things regarding cheat meals and that they help you stay on track with your diet the rest of the week since you will always have something to look forward to. What are your thoughts?

Sweep79

I have quite a lots of treats. I either 'earn' them through exercise or I do have a 'cheat' day, making sure that it doesn't take me too far over in the week as a whole. I.e. maintaining a good deficit by doing well the other six days. So far, I am losing a steady 2 pounds per week. (I want to shift 50lb so similar goal).

ibnfaqir

It's to provide relief from the monotony of dieting. Refeeds are helpful if you are doing low carb or cyclical carb diets. I have found that during my low carb diet refeeds helped kick start fat loss. If you are lean trying to get leaner it is necessary IMO. For normal dieters just weigh your food, exercise and eat at a deficit.

Unknown

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arditarose

There's nothing magical about them. If you eat at a deficit all week and go well above maintenance due to your cheat meal, the size of your deficit decreases. You could shave off 100 calories from your deficit instead, then add 600 calories to a day of your week, log, enjoy, and keep losing at the same rate. It's really up to you. But if you stop losing at the rate you want, you need to get your cheat day/meal in check.

cityruss

From a psychological/adherence perspective only you know the answer to that.

From a weight loss perspective all that matters is a calorie deficit.

I'd personally just eat all the things you consider to be a "cheat" whenever you want, ensuring you stay within the calorie and macronutritional goals you set yourself.

steph2strong

What has been said in these forums by so many and what really ultimately matters for weight loss is maintaining a calorie deficit. There are numerous methods that people employ in order to achieve this. For some people having a cheat meal or day to look forward to keeps them on track all week (as long as the cheat meal/day doesn't overcompensate for the deficit all week). For others a cheat meal or day can completely derail their healthy eating. Some people find that certain foods just need to be completely eliminated from their diet as it they cause excessive bingeing, while others are able to enjoy everything in moderation. Also "cheat" can mean a lot of different things.In the past when I was eating a very low calorie diet a cheat was eating a piece of bread. It really depends on what works for you to maintain a calorie deficit.

tiffkittyw

Thanks everyone!

editorgrrl

tiffkittyw wrote: »

I've been a my fitness pal member for a long time but have never actually been consistent with logging my food. As a result, my weight has also been up and down and I've gained 20 pounds in the last year.

My lab work was recently done and my TSH was a little high, but I can't blame my thyroid for my poor eating habits and inactivity. However, it does concern me a bit that I will now struggle with losing the 44 pounds I hope to lose.

I have Hashimoto's (autoimmune thyroid disease), and I lost the weight just like everybody else—by eating fewer calories than I burn. Learn to log everything you eat & drink accurately & honestly. Logging works.

I followed the advice in the Sexypants post: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

I don't "cheat." I eat "good" 80% of the time, and fit yummy, portion-controlled treats into my calorie goal. Deprivation can lead to bingeing.

CSARdiver

For long term success don't think about these as "cheat meals". Just make small changes to your life that will become habitual. Don't try anything drastic as you simply will not be able to stick with it over any length of time. If you make small changes, reach a goal, then make more changes - it makes it much easier to reach your long term goal.

There's no real secret to logging, other than making you aware of what's going in your stomach. As in all things the key to success is consistency.

Check my diary last night - after a 12 hour workday, mowing the lawn, and finishing up grouting a tile project I got into a bad habit and didn't portion out Goldfish - I grabbed the bag and grazed while catching up on Netflix. Logged it, but still within my calorie goals for the day.

kristen6350

To lose weight right, in my opinion, you need to think of it not as cheating. Eating food isn't something you should be ashamed of. No food is good/bad. Learning to eat smaller amounts of what you love is what makes this long term. If you don't learn that, you'll lose weight, go on maintenance and go hog wild because you've deprived yourself of things you like for so long, and then gain the weight back. AKA Yo Yoing.

So, invest in a food scale and a tub of your favorite ice cream. Put the bowl on the scale, measure out a serving, fit it into your day's worth of calories, enjoy. This is not considered "cheating" this is considered "life".

kshama2001

I don't like the concept of cheat meals. I do eat bigger meals on the weekend but I earn them by exercising more earlier in the day. Some people have great success working on a weekly deficit - I prefer to stick to a daily one.

I do budget calories for little treats at the end of the day like 70 calories worth of Ghiradelli chocolate chips.

callsitlikeiseeit

i dont do cheat meals. i eat what i want, and make it fit in my calorie goals. I workout to give me a few extra calories to play with (errr drink with). There are days or times where i eat around maintenance, but those are fairly infrequent.

ErinV1974

CSARdiver wrote: »

For long term success don't think about these as "cheat meals". Just make small changes to your life that will become habitual. Don't try anything drastic as you simply will not be able to stick with it over any length of time. If you make small changes, reach a goal, then make more changes - it makes it much easier to reach your long term goal.

There's no real secret to logging, other than making you aware of what's going in your stomach. As in all things the key to success is consistency.

Check my diary last night - after a 12 hour workday, mowing the lawn, and finishing up grouting a tile project I got into a bad habit and didn't portion out Goldfish - I grabbed the bag and grazed while catching up on Netflix. Logged it, but still within my calorie goals for the day.

Wow, that's an awful lot of calories for some stinkin' goldfish! WTG on staying within your goal!

SLLRunner

tiffkittyw wrote: »

Hi everyone, I've been a my fitness pal member for a long time but have never actually been consistent with logging my food. As a result, my weight has also been up and down and I've gained 20 pounds in the last year. My lab work was recently done and my TSH was a little high, but I can't blame my thyroid for my poor eating habits and inactivity. However, it does concern me a bit that I will now struggle with losing the 44 pounds I hope to lose.

I have heard different things regarding cheat meals and that they help you stay on track with your diet the rest of the week since you will always have something to look forward to. What are your thoughts?

I don't do cheat meals, I simply eat what I want and like in moderation, which includes daily treats.

As long as you say within your calorie goals for the week, whether or not that includes what you personally define as a cheat meal, you will lose weight.

CSARdiver

ErinV1974 wrote: »

CSARdiver wrote: »

For long term success don't think about these as "cheat meals". Just make small changes to your life that will become habitual. Don't try anything drastic as you simply will not be able to stick with it over any length of time. If you make small changes, reach a goal, then make more changes - it makes it much easier to reach your long term goal.

There's no real secret to logging, other than making you aware of what's going in your stomach. As in all things the key to success is consistency.

Check my diary last night - after a 12 hour workday, mowing the lawn, and finishing up grouting a tile project I got into a bad habit and didn't portion out Goldfish - I grabbed the bag and grazed while catching up on Netflix. Logged it, but still within my calorie goals for the day.

Wow, that's an awful lot of calories for some stinkin' goldfish! WTG on staying within your goal!

LOL I know - would be much better spent on a six pack

CattOfTheGarage

I don't think about "cheat meals" either. I'm an inconsistent eater - some days I'm under, others way over. My only rule is "log everything". My theory is that over time, awareness will change my behavior. It works, too - Iost about 20lb last year with this approach. I only put it back on when I stopped logging.

I do wonder if a variable calorie intake - going over maintenance some days - could trick the body into not noticing the overall deficit and so reduce the chance of it using energy-saving measures to sabotage your weight loss But this is just a vague hypothesis I ponder sometimes, based on nothing Anyone got a research grant and feel like running a study?

PaulaWallaDingDong

It helps with my sanity, and that's all I care about. However, I call it a "splurge" rather than a "cheat." I don't like the term "cheat" because it assumes you're getting one over on someone or something, but you're not.

tiffkittyw

I appreciate the responses because I feel like I need to have one night a week to enjoy the dinner of my choice and a few glasses of wine. It will give me something to look forward to and keep me on track other days. I do plan to log my meal that day as well, and exercise to help with the excess intake.

Chasity6

Hashimotos here as well. I have lost 15lbs in a month but I have over 100lbs to lose. I follow a paleo style diet everyday but WI day. On WI day I chose to eat whatever I really want for dinner that day. Last week pizza this week BBQ and I was down 3.2lbs this week. Seems to be working probably due to deficit CI/CO. But its nice to know if I want some dark chocolate or a glass of wine I can count for it and still lose.

7lenny7

For me, a cheat meal or cheat day is a great way to throw away all the progress I've made the several days leading up to the "cheat". I'd rather stick to the plan and accomplish my goal.

Domicinator

kristen6350 wrote: »

To lose weight right, in my opinion, you need to think of it not as cheating. Eating food isn't something you should be ashamed of. No food is good/bad. Learning to eat smaller amounts of what you love is what makes this long term. If you don't learn that, you'll lose weight, go on maintenance and go hog wild because you've deprived yourself of things you like for so long, and then gain the weight back. AKA Yo Yoing.

So, invest in a food scale and a tub of your favorite ice cream. Put the bowl on the scale, measure out a serving, fit it into your day's worth of calories, enjoy. This is not considered "cheating" this is considered "life".

This. x10.

And I have to say, getting the food scale made this whole thing so much easier for me. Instead of counting stuff or trying to figure it out by cutting a portion I think is correct, I just throw it in a bowl, get it to the right weight on the scale, and eat it.

yogacat13

I have one meal/day per week when I just don't worry about it. This helps me keep focused the rest of the week and allows me to have a stress-free date night meal out with my husband where I'm focused on us having a good time and not worried about adding up calories. It may slow my weight loss down a little, but it's worth it to me.

insearchofcheese

I think of my calories on a weekly basis instead of daily so that I can eat at or slightly above maintanance one day per week. The rest of the week, I eat less. Works for me.

Tedebearduff

tiffkittyw wrote: »

Hi everyone, I've been a my fitness pal member for a long time but have never actually been consistent with logging my food. As a result, my weight has also been up and down and I've gained 20 pounds in the last year. My lab work was recently done and my TSH was a little high, but I can't blame my thyroid for my poor eating habits and inactivity. However, it does concern me a bit that I will now struggle with losing the 44 pounds I hope to lose.

I have heard different things regarding cheat meals and that they help you stay on track with your diet the rest of the week since you will always have something to look forward to. What are your thoughts?

It's a personal choice, do what works for you

PinkPixiexox

yogacat13 wrote: »

I have one meal/day per week when I just don't worry about it. This helps me keep focused the rest of the week and allows me to have a stress-free date night meal out with my husband where I'm focused on us having a good time and not worried about adding up calories. It may slow my weight loss down a little, but it's worth it to me.

Sounds like a very healthy approach

Need2Exerc1se

tiffkittyw wrote: »

I have heard different things regarding cheat meals and that they help you stay on track with your diet the rest of the week since you will always have something to look forward to. What are your thoughts?

I agree with this. I don't actually do "cheat meals", but I do eat pretty low calorie during the week so that I can have higher calorie weekends. I really hated when I tried to stick to a calorie goal on the weekends. I could never do that for long.

yogacat13

PinkPixiexox wrote: »

yogacat13 wrote: »

I have one meal/day per week when I just don't worry about it. This helps me keep focused the rest of the week and allows me to have a stress-free date night meal out with my husband where I'm focused on us having a good time and not worried about adding up calories. It may slow my weight loss down a little, but it's worth it to me.

Sounds like a very healthy approach

thank you

tiffkittyw

After my first week of trying to improve my diet and start exercising I've come to the conclusion that I need to have that one night a week to eat out with my husband. Like what was previously stated if my weight loss slows it is still worth it to me. It's a lifestyle change and I can't just eat healthy every day for the rest of my life, that just isn't realistic for me.

XavierNusum

tiffkittyw wrote: »

After my first week of trying to improve my diet and start exercising I've come to the conclusion that I need to have that one night a week to eat out with my husband. Like what was previously stated if my weight loss slows it is still worth it to me. It's a lifestyle change and I can't just eat healthy every day for the rest of my life, that just isn't realistic for me.

It isn't ralistic for most poeple. You are the rule not the exception.

I, personally, am an advocate for the rule Jillian Michaels pushes, 80/20. 80% of what you eat everyday should be "clean" and 20% DAILY should be just stuff you like to eat. Overall you should stay within your goals. When you minimize the restriction you are happier in general.

It is about a lifestyle, a LIFE-style. You want to have dinners with your spouse, family get togethers or holiday parties. That's a part of life. You should, YOU ARE able to enjoy your life and still live a healthy life.

Mezzie1024

I'm another one who doesn't like the word "cheat." I do have regular maintenance days and occasional maintenance weeks. My weight loss remains steady (though slow, which I'm happy with), and I don't feel deprived.