Cheat Meals

Ashleigh_91

Hello Every1, I was wondering what treats everyone has and when do you have them? I'm usually good through the week but once it comes to the weekend I plan to have 2 cheat meals (one of them is usually chocolate and Dominos) but I always over do it. Any tips?

kcn2bluesky

I don't generally think cheat meals/days are a good idea. I used to always think that dieting and losing weight meant cutting out certain foods. Since being on MFP and reading lots of threads, I've changed my thinking on this topic. I don't cut foods out of my life, I include them! I drink wine on the weekends, and I eat pizza with my family every Wednesday evening. The difference is that I use moderation to keep things in control and stay within my calorie limit for the week.

For example, when we are having pizza night. I used to have 3 pieces of pizza, potato skins, etc. Now, I have 1 piece of pizza and I make a large cesear salad to go with it. I don't feel deprived, I feel empowered. And I don't cringe when I step on the scale the next morning lol

My suggestion would be to work your Dominos and chocolate into your calorie limitations. Look at your calorie over/under for the week, rather than just a single day. That way, you have a little flexibility for those days when you want to eat more higher calorie food.

If you have difficulty controlling stopping once you start eating, try pre-logging your food. That has helped me as well.

Good luck!
Karen

TimothyFish

I don't do cheat meals. There's no reason why you can't have chocolate every day, if you limit it to a small amount. Dominoes is okay, as long as you fit it into your calorie goals.

IsaackGMOON

Why bother having cheat meals or days when you can just incorporate the foods you like into your diet while hitting your micros and macros...

Don't have the mentality of "oh it's sunday, BETTER HAVE A CHEAT MEAL"... that could potentially lead to binging.

karenrich77

I don't do a 'cheat meal' I do a 'treat meal' once a fortnight... so instead of cheating on my calories, I treat myself to something I wouldn't normally have that still fits in my calorie count.

So for me, every second Friday I have a Lamb and Garlic Souvlaki on Pita Bread with a small side of chips (note I do extra exercise on this day to make sure I am still under) And I eat it and feel like I have won the lottery

Francl27

I brought up over 30 results just doing a search for 'cheat meal'.

nordlead2005

I don't "cheat" any meal, as it is only cheating myself. It also depends on your definition of a cheat day or meal.

I log everything even if it puts me over my daily goal. However, a long term view is better. Rarely am I over my weekly goal, and if I am it is not by much. My weeks under offset my weeks over. When I was on vacation I set my goal to maintenance and mostly ate whatever I wanted. I think I ended up ~600 calories over. No big deal, as I also didn't log any exercise despite increased activity (long walks every day and swimming in the ocean).

If I decide to go out to eat, I accommodate it by eating less elsewhere (that day or week). I'm yet to pig out on a +2000 calorie meal. I typically log a fudge pop as a night time snack first thing in the morning to make sure I have calories for it. I also eat home made pizza pretty much every week. I'm currently trying to figure out when I can drink a mud slide. I wanted one last night but it didn't work out because I was lifting from 8-9 and my wife was really tired and wanted to go to bed (I'd rather not sit up by myself just to drink a mud slide).

Basically, there is no reason to deprive yourself of something you want to the point where you ruin your weight loss when you snap and over consume.

PinkPixiexox

There are so many conflicting opinions on 'cheat meals.

My personal trainer introduced me to the term 'refeed' - the logic is that after a while on constant 'weight loss mode', your leptin levels drop and introducing one 'high calorie' meal twice a month can help lift those levels and thus boost that weight loss again. For starts, No I have absolutely no idea what leptin levels are or even if I'm spelling the word correctly! Saying that, I haven't actually had my twice monthly refeed BECAUSE of all the arguments against having them! I don't particularly want to mess up my deficit but at the same time, I do think a treat can be really beneficial for progress.

I'd say, there isn't really a right or wrong answer. Allow yourself a treat every now and again because you're a human being, not a robot. Just be aware if you're going a little overboard and address it.

Machka9

Ashleigh_91 wrote: »

Hello Every1, I was wondering what treats everyone has and when do you have them? I'm usually good through the week but once it comes to the weekend I plan to have 2 cheat meals (one of them is usually chocolate and Dominos) but I always over do it. Any tips?

That's precisely how I got here in the first place.

I ate fairly well during the week ... I'd often lose weight during the week. And then I'd overdo the Dominos and tiramisus on the weekend, and the weight loss would either stop, or sometimes I'd gain a bit. Very gradually over 4 years I put on 15 kg.

Now I work for my extras. If I want pizza ... I ride my bicycle or hike an appropriate distance/time to earn the pizza. Doing that allows me to still have the extras, but it also increases my awareness of just how many calories they are and how much I have to do to burn them off. No cheating involved.

SFCStank

You have two important caloric measurements
Resting Metabolic rate (RMR sometimes called BMR) = calories you burn just breathing and
Total daily energy expenditure rate (TDEE) = calories you burn living your life's normal routine. Your RMR number will be lower then your TDEE and you rarely can change it unless you add muscle to increase your caloric burn. That's why weight training is important. Your TDEE can increase and decrease daily based on your activity, but its usually averaged to your normal type of day. This is where a Fitbit that tracks your heart rate comes in handy.

Cheating is fine as long as you always stay below your TDEE but don't make a habit out of it. As long as calories out is greater than calories in you will continue to lose weight. Remember weight loss isn't a once and done deal, it's a lifestyle change. If you can't live with how you are eating you'll never stick to it.

I'm a binge eater too. Always have been, but I had a lifestyle that would burn 5000 + calories a day. I blew up to 302 lbs after I left the military mainly from eating crap in excess. I still binge eat, however I only do so from Friday dinner until Saturday dinner. I rarely even track these days, but they are also my most active days (lift and cardio hard Friday night and play with the kids/yardwork Saturday). The important thing is I stay below my TDEE during that time. As long as I'm below that I eat whatever and whenever I want. Sunday is back on the wagon until next Friday night. On those days I eat 500 (give or take) calories below my RMR. I've lost 56 pounds so far.

I'm not saying this method would work for you, only that you need to find what works and that you can live with comfortably and it will feel like you aren't even trying to lose weight, but you will be.

Damien_Scott

Don't Cheat. Who are you cheating? Yourself. If you want a burger then AT LEAST estimate it into your daily calorie goal. Plan out your "cheat meals" first and then fill in the rest of the day around them. It's much more satisfying to eat whatever you want every single day while skimping on breakfast or lunch. Never cheat on a daily basis, your calories don't magically reset every day. If you eat a 500 calorie deficit daily but cheat twice a week and eat an extra 2000-3000 calories on those days then you aren't going to lose anything.

The only time I consider a meal a "Cheat meal" is if I go to my grandmothers to eat or I eat at a restaurant. It's really hard to see exactly how many calories you eat but you still need to estimate. MFP makes that super easy. I limit these experiences to once a month or less.

TL;DR.. Don't cheat. ALWAYS write everything down, even if it's an estimate.

KrisiAnnH

I don't have a 'cheat' meal where I go crazy but I do have a treat day occasionally where I'll eat to maintenance. With a relatively low calorie goal (1350 currently) it would be hard to fit things like dominos in without starving myself for the rest of the day. I'd rather have one blowout meal like pizza once a week while eating to maintenance than have a little bit each day, for some reason I find it more satisfying. I think the main reason I've stuck with this for so long is that I allow myself that one maintenance day. Of course I do still have smaller treats if they fit my calories the rest of the week, or I'll bank some calories if I have a high cal day/meal planned.

Ashleigh_91

Thanks for all the feedback. When I mean I eat a dominos I do have the "personal" size pizza which is 4 little slices! I also work out 5 times a week, I eat 1,200 cals a day. I will take on board all your comments thanks.

leahcollett1

i never "cheat" normally, however this weekend i went out saturday night and sunday lunch time, and didnt hold back. ive tried logging it but it was that bad it put me into a 3 hour food coma lol.. was awfully painful after.. however sunday afternoon i got straight back on it after dusting myself down - ive down 5 body combat classes this week and so hopefully time will tell on saturday whne i weigh in what the damage was.

PinkPixiexox

leahcollett1 wrote: »

i never "cheat" normally, however this weekend i went out saturday night and sunday lunch time, and didnt hold back. ive tried logging it but it was that bad it put me into a 3 hour food coma lol.. was awfully painful after.. however sunday afternoon i got straight back on it after dusting myself down - ive down 5 body combat classes this week and so hopefully time will tell on saturday whne i weigh in what the damage was.

Forget 'Cheat' and call it a treat Surely, as a human being - you're allowed treats once in a while.

bethn24

I treat myself to one "cheat meal" a week but its still within my allocated calories and I put a little more effort in at the gym when I do so,it seems to work helps keep me happy and motivated without the guilt. If may have a burger for lunch but if I do have a lighter dinner

Ashleigh_91

kcn2bluesky wrote: »

I don't generally think cheat meals/days are a good idea. I used to always think that dieting and losing weight meant cutting out certain foods. Since being on MFP and reading lots of threads, I've changed my thinking on this topic. I don't cut foods out of my life, I include them! I drink wine on the weekends, and I eat pizza with my family every Wednesday evening. The difference is that I use moderation to keep things in control and stay within my calorie limit for the week.

For example, when we are having pizza night. I used to have 3 pieces of pizza, potato skins, etc. Now, I have 1 piece of pizza and I make a large cesear salad to go with it. I don't feel deprived, I feel empowered. And I don't cringe when I step on the scale the next morning lol

My suggestion would be to work your Dominos and chocolate into your calorie limitations. Look at your calorie over/under for the week, rather than just a single day. That way, you have a little flexibility for those days when you want to eat more higher calorie food.

If you have difficulty controlling stopping once you start eating, try pre-logging your food. That has helped me as well.

Good luck!
Karen

Thank you Karen, this is really helpful!

bethn24

kcn2bluesky wrote: »

I don't generally think cheat meals/days are a good idea. I used to always think that dieting and losing weight meant cutting out certain foods. Since being on MFP and reading lots of threads, I've changed my thinking on this topic. I don't cut foods out of my life, I include them! I drink wine on the weekends, and I eat pizza with my family every Wednesday evening. The difference is that I use moderation to keep things in control and stay within my calorie limit for the week.

For example, when we are having pizza night. I used to have 3 pieces of pizza, potato skins, etc. Now, I have 1 piece of pizza and I make a large cesear salad to go with it. I don't feel deprived, I feel empowered. And I don't cringe when I step on the scale the next morning lol

My suggestion would be to work your Dominos and chocolate into your calorie limitations. Look at your calorie over/under for the week, rather than just a single day. That way, you have a little flexibility for those days when you want to eat more higher calorie food.

If you have difficulty controlling stopping once you start eating, try pre-logging your food. That has helped me as well.

Good luck!
Karen

I agree with this I follow a similar principal

Ashleigh_91

PinkPixiexox wrote: »

There are so many conflicting opinions on 'cheat meals.

My personal trainer introduced me to the term 'refeed' - the logic is that after a while on constant 'weight loss mode', your leptin levels drop and introducing one 'high calorie' meal twice a month can help lift those levels and thus boost that weight loss again. For starts, No I have absolutely no idea what leptin levels are or even if I'm spelling the word correctly! Saying that, I haven't actually had my twice monthly refeed BECAUSE of all the arguments against having them! I don't particularly want to mess up my deficit but at the same time, I do think a treat can be really beneficial for progress.

I'd say, there isn't really a right or wrong answer. Allow yourself a treat every now and again because you're a human being, not a robot. Just be aware if you're going a little overboard and address it.

Machka9 wrote: »

Ashleigh_91 wrote: »

Hello Every1, I was wondering what treats everyone has and when do you have them? I'm usually good through the week but once it comes to the weekend I plan to have 2 cheat meals (one of them is usually chocolate and Dominos) but I always over do it. Any tips?

That's precisely how I got here in the first place.

I ate fairly well during the week ... I'd often lose weight during the week. And then I'd overdo the Dominos and tiramisus on the weekend, and the weight loss would either stop, or sometimes I'd gain a bit. Very gradually over 4 years I put on 15 kg.

Now I work for my extras. If I want pizza ... I ride my bicycle or hike an appropriate distance/time to earn the pizza. Doing that allows me to still have the extras, but it also increases my awareness of just how many calories they are and how much I have to do to burn them off. No cheating involved.

It's something about those Dominos that are soo addictive!! Thanks for your advice

PinkPixiexox

Ashleigh_91 wrote: »

PinkPixiexox wrote: »

There are so many conflicting opinions on 'cheat meals.

My personal trainer introduced me to the term 'refeed' - the logic is that after a while on constant 'weight loss mode', your leptin levels drop and introducing one 'high calorie' meal twice a month can help lift those levels and thus boost that weight loss again. For starts, No I have absolutely no idea what leptin levels are or even if I'm spelling the word correctly! Saying that, I haven't actually had my twice monthly refeed BECAUSE of all the arguments against having them! I don't particularly want to mess up my deficit but at the same time, I do think a treat can be really beneficial for progress.

I'd say, there isn't really a right or wrong answer. Allow yourself a treat every now and again because you're a human being, not a robot. Just be aware if you're going a little overboard and address it.

Machka9 wrote: »

Ashleigh_91 wrote: »

Hello Every1, I was wondering what treats everyone has and when do you have them? I'm usually good through the week but once it comes to the weekend I plan to have 2 cheat meals (one of them is usually chocolate and Dominos) but I always over do it. Any tips?

That's precisely how I got here in the first place.

I ate fairly well during the week ... I'd often lose weight during the week. And then I'd overdo the Dominos and tiramisus on the weekend, and the weight loss would either stop, or sometimes I'd gain a bit. Very gradually over 4 years I put on 15 kg.

Now I work for my extras. If I want pizza ... I ride my bicycle or hike an appropriate distance/time to earn the pizza. Doing that allows me to still have the extras, but it also increases my awareness of just how many calories they are and how much I have to do to burn them off. No cheating involved.

It's something about those Dominos that are soo addictive!! Thanks for your advice

I am no stranger to the Dominos binge!!!!

SFCStank

PinkPixiexox wrote: »

There are so many conflicting opinions on 'cheat meals.

My personal trainer introduced me to the term 'refeed' - the logic is that after a while on constant 'weight loss mode', your leptin levels drop and introducing one 'high calorie' meal twice a month can help lift those levels and thus boost that weight loss again. For starts, No I have absolutely no idea what leptin levels are or even if I'm spelling the word correctly! Saying that, I haven't actually had my twice monthly refeed BECAUSE of all the arguments against having them! I don't particularly want to mess up my deficit but at the same time, I do think a treat can be really beneficial for progress.

I'd say, there isn't really a right or wrong answer. Allow yourself a treat every now and again because you're a human being, not a robot. Just be aware if you're going a little overboard and address it.

Quoted for Truth! Your personal trainer is absolutely right! (Hang on to him/her)

You're leptin levels (controled by the hypothalamus) is what signals the brain that your body is fueled and ready to go and burn energy. If your Leptin levels drop to low the hypothalamus tries to put your body in energy conservation mode reducing your metabolism (IE you feel tired all the time). A strong high caloric meal can reset this and keep that at bay. Just don't make a habit out of it.