Cheat meals

deasphodel

I was wondering what everyone thinks about cheat meals? How often do you have them? Personally, I feel that this would create negative feelings about a certain group of food. Has anyone found this before? Do you adjust how often cheat meals are according to your weight? If so, how?

Sued0nim

I don't do cheat meals, I agree with you it sets up a negative connotation to certain foods

I prefer to eat whatever I want in moderation to hit my calories...I feel if you have to cheat you're probably doing it wrong

So I hit my macros, eat a wide range of vegetables and eat what I want with the rest

segacs

No such thing as cheat meals. You're only cheating yourself.

You can have the foods you enjoy. Just make them fit into your daily calorie allotments. Log and track everything.

juggernaut1974

deasphodel wrote: »

I was wondering what everyone thinks about cheat meals? How often do you have them? Personally, I feel that this would create negative feelings about a certain group of food. Has anyone found this before? Do you adjust how often cheat meals are according to your weight? If so, how?

I don't have any particular feelings toward the concept per se. I personally don't choose to use the term, as I try to work in foods I enjoy in moderate amounts on a regular basis, so don't have the need for them.

In the end, the numbers always win out.

If you find a "cheat" day/meal helps you maintain an overall caloric deficit over the long term, then go for it.

However, if your "cheat" day/meal wipes out your calorie deficit, it's going to be counter productive.

jeepinshawn

I don't agree with Cheat meals, the only serve to fuel guilt and bad feelings. I also think that when people say "cheap days" or "cheat meals" they really mean BINGE meals or BINGE days, meaning they want to eat a whole bunch of food, and then they wind up feeling guilty and posting on here that they totally binged and and feel horrible and asking how to fix it.

Really it is all a mental thing, I know I have to work through it, cause honestly right now I'd like nothing better then to motor boat a large pepperoni pizza but I am also realizing that as soon as I was done with it I'd completely regret it and be mad at myself. So I will go eat a healthy turkey sandwich, and maybe work a piece or two of pizza into my meal plan tomorrow,

Dariasen

I don't have 'cheat' foods but I will indulge once in a while without guilt or counting calories...but I also don't eat a weeks worth of calories in that one meal.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

melonaulait

I let myself cheat if I feel like it. But I'll still try sticking to my calories as close as possible...

LegalMom0928

For me, personally, the concept of a "cheat meal/day" is a very slippery slope. One meal turns into a day, turns into a week, turns into gaining back 5 lbs of the weight I just worked so hard to lose, turns into me giving up. But I know that I struggle with that and the only way for me to stay on track is to keep myself accountable. Every day, every meal.

Also, I tend to agree with what other posters have said about creating negative connotations for certain foods. I think if you can eat something in moderation and keep it within your daily goals, then there is nothing wrong with it. You should be able to enjoy the foods you like, without guilt or shame, within reason. And finding that balance is where you'll be most successful!

So, I say, whatever you want to eat, weight it out and log it. Then, ENJOY! Best of luck to you!

Alyssa_Is_LosingIt

rabbitjb wrote: »

I don't do cheat meals, I agree with you it sets up a negative connotation to certain foods

I prefer to eat whatever I want in moderation to hit my calories...I feel if you have to cheat you're probably doing it wrong

So I hit my macros, eat a wide range of vegetables and eat what I want with the rest

+1

No food is a "cheat" for me. It either fits into my goals or it doesn't. I don't assign a moral value to anything that I eat.

deasphodel

Thanks for all your replies! It's been very useful to see. I remember there was an article about it on here a while ago and I just started wondering what everyone's views were about it. I'm glad to see the general consensus is stay within your calorie goal for that day!

SpectacuLaura

I'm in favor of a cheat meal...just as long as it doesn't turn into a cheat DAY. It's true that it does sometimes cause guilt or provide too much temptation to turn it into an all-out binge, but typically I like having one cheat meal a week. It makes me appreciate "cheat" foods more and savor them.

brdnw

when i needed to lose alot of weight, i did 0 cheat meals. I just didn't understand the rationale of slowing down my progress. Now that I have less to lose i'm more open to eating a 'bad' meal once or twice a week, but i still try to offset it w\better eating the next day or a lil more cardio.

CasperNaegle

My GF and I do cheat days.. It usually just results in us taking in more fat that we would, overall higher calories than we would do normally. We usually actually cut back the day before or during the day so our calories are not just blown out, but our macros end up way off.

Orphia

http://youtrition.net/the-truth-about-cheat-meals/

stac928

I short hand call them cheat meals but really that's not what I do. There are meals I make a decision to not worry about staying inside my weight loss calorie goal. I do stay below maintenance calories for the day though. So I'm not losing or at least not losing as much; but I'm not gaining either. It may slow me down a bit but I'm ok with that. These also are usually weekends, so I've done my longer runs and have more exercise calories to work with. Really most of the time I'm still probably under my calorie expenditure for the day, just not by as much as normal.

But rather than explain all that to people I call it cheating for shorthand. As long as I'm comfortable with it who cares what I call it.

DaddieCat

I don't believe in restricting anything that I don't plan on restricting forever. Doing so seems unbalanced and a potential for me to step into disordered eating territory. That said, sometimes I do binge.... no biggie... just balance it out later over time. I'm in this for the long haul, so one bad day is no biggie and sometimes "cheat meals" are unavoidable. I'll take dinner out and cake with family over stressing over it. I can always re-balance the equation over this week, or the next.

sunandmoons

Not a game Im willing to try. I take pride in the hard work I've accomplished. Cheating is just a mind game at the same time can lead to weight gain and or a setback. Maybe you have restricted yourself with too high of a loss that you feel the need to cheat. If I want a treat I fit it in my caloric needs set within MFP. Im not going to try well,... I overate today I will eat less tomorrow. Thats setting yourself up for a pattern of bad choices.

So once you get to your goal...aren't you going to do maintenance? Will you cheat yourself at that too?

PinkPixiexox

I have very, very occasional 'non tracking days' - these are usually on days such as birthdays or special events. On my 'non tracking days', I do not binge and I do not go overboard - I just put my tracker down and use my head. I'll allow myself an indulgence but I won't binge eat, that's the important thing.

If I want a 'treat' in every day situations, I make it fit into my calorie allowance. If your plan is realistic and your calories aren't too low, this is 100% do-able

dearmrsowl

I don't do cheat meals or days either. I just eat what I want and make that fit into my calories. That also goes for having a higher calorie meal where I don't just stick to the 'healthiest' options available. If I know I'm going out for some burgers and fries at night I just make sure to a little less throughout the day.
Especially whole cheat days can ruin a whole week's progress.

ashbee03

Depends on what you call a cheat meal?
I used to eat fast food like 4-5 times a week. Now we've cut it down to twice a month, and that's our "cheat meal" but we make sure it is within our calorie budget and don't go over our calorie budget and if we do it's only by a bit. Not over indulging and eating like a weeks worth of calories in one day.

lemonychild

Nah... They're horrible and make u judge the food .. Good or bad

BoxerBrawler

I don't agree with cheat meals either. I used too but I felt like it was contradictory to everything I was trying to do. Plus I am not a dog, why reward myself with food?

WinoGelato

I'm in the "fit in the foods you want every day" rather than plan to blow it out once/week camp. I have a glass or two of wine, and something sweet pretty much every day. I fit it into my calories and don't have any negative feelings (mental or physical) about my consumption.

With that said, there are occasionally events which I know I am going to exceed my calories on - a night out or a birthday party or something. I try to save up some calories during the week and make sure I get extra exercise in the day of the event. I don't see that as a "cheat" either, because it's just part of life to have some days you want to splurge.