How many "cheat" days can you have a week and still lose weight?

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13

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  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,233 Member
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    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    If you have to cheat, you're not doing it right.

    +1

  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
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    tishie1 wrote: »
    I have been having 3 cheat days a week where I don't count calories and I gain ALL the weight I lost ( the previous 4 days) back everytime. Has anyone else has this happen? How many days a week have you found that you can go off myfitnesspal and still lose weight in the long run?

    I see there are two pages here so far, but I haven't read them. Nice joke, OP.
  • lemonlionheart
    lemonlionheart Posts: 580 Member
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    How long is a piece of string?
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
    edited October 2015
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    I never have cheat days per se. I have certain, pre-planned days where I don't hold myself to logging and I don't have specific limits (I actually do try to log as best I can, but I accept that I will often be inaccurate). These are things like a birthday celebration, Thanksgiving or Christmas with the family, etc.

    I still try to keep things in normal portions, i.e. no crazy binges, but I'm not going to be sitting at Thanksgiving trying to weigh my turkey with a scale (unless I'm home alone for Thanksgiving, in which case I would).
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
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    If you have to ask, it's too many.
  • ncboiler89
    ncboiler89 Posts: 2,408 Member
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    tishie1 wrote: »
    I have been having 3 cheat days a week where I don't count calories and I gain ALL the weight I lost ( the previous 4 days) back everytime. Has anyone else has this happen? How many days a week have you found that you can go off myfitnesspal and still lose weight in the long run?

    This post.....oh this post....
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
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    I don't have any cheat days a week - because I know me and I KNOW i'd totally and utterly destroy my weekly deficit if I 'cheat'. This has been repeated many times on MFP but it's true - if you are a following a sensible and sustainable diet plan, there really is no reason why you should have one day of totally overloading yourself with high calorie foods. I used to have 'cheat days' once a week because I felt so utterly deprived the rest of the time I simply thought I'd 'earnt' the right to eat rubbish for a day! I stopped losing weight because of these 'cheats'.

    My advice would be - fit what you want to eat within your calorie allowance. If you're on a very low calorie diet, you're not going to be able to succeed in doing this which means you may need to re-think what you're doing. This is about a 'lifestyle change' and making good decisions. Instead of going to my favourite restaurant and eating the highest calorie food on the menu because 'it's my cheat day', I'll find something equally as tasty but I don't need to overdo it because there is absolutely no need.
  • tishie1
    tishie1 Posts: 19 Member
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    Thanks for the tips, guys. By "cheat days" I meant days when i don't log into myfitnesspal and I allow myself to eat sugar (I don't eat sugar the rest of the week). I have 3 because I have events that come up only on Fridays and weekends where sugar is served. However, not logging in means I have no idea how far I went over. So I am going to log in on weekends and see if that will make a difference in me losing weight. Thanks for the ideas!
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
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    tishie1 wrote: »
    Thanks for the tips, guys. By "cheat days" I meant days when i don't log into myfitnesspal and I allow myself to eat sugar (I don't eat sugar the rest of the week). I have 3 because I have events that come up only on Fridays and weekends where sugar is served. However, not logging in means I have no idea how far I went over. So I am going to log in on weekends and see if that will make a difference in me losing weight. Thanks for the ideas!

    Why restrict sugar during the rest of the week? That actually makes sugar far more addictive than if you just had sugar in moderation throughout your week. It's basically what behaviorists would term intermittent reinforcement - you desire something, sometimes you don't get it and sometimes you do. That actually strongly reinforces the craving, in fact much more strongly than if you consistently allowed yourself to eat it in moderation. One of the most powerful tools to reinforce a given behavior is to sometimes (but not always) reward it.

  • jaques33
    jaques33 Posts: 23 Member
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    Cheat meals don't work for me. I am less strict with myself on a weekend but I exercise more so I can eat more.
  • sunandmoons
    sunandmoons Posts: 415 Member
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    Not into cheating myself. This is asked nearly every day. Whats the point in cheating? Are you so deprived you cant restrain yourself? Eat within your alotted calorie intake. If your eating 1200 calories its nearly wrong everytime. Look up your TDEE. Most people start off with way to few calories.

    I track every single calorie. I need to know what my macros are. I dont get hungry because I'm eating the right foods and the right amount.

    If your cheating yourself you are not ready or committed to yourself yet. Your setting yourself up for binge eating . Enjoy food and come back when your ready.



  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    tishie1 wrote: »
    Thanks for the tips, guys. By "cheat days" I meant days when i don't log into myfitnesspal and I allow myself to eat sugar (I don't eat sugar the rest of the week). I have 3 because I have events that come up only on Fridays and weekends where sugar is served. However, not logging in means I have no idea how far I went over. So I am going to log in on weekends and see if that will make a difference in me losing weight. Thanks for the ideas!

    IMO you're doing it wrong

    Don't stop logging ...if it's an evnt save calories and estimate

    And cutting out sugar is pointless
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    hamlet1222 wrote: »
    cheat days don't work for me at least - I can do cheat meals at most. I tried the 5:2 intermittent fasting diet and found that on the non-fasting days (effectively 5 cheat days a week) I could easily eat more than enough to wipe out my weekly deficit.

    I find the discipline of keeping to a small deficit every day easiest.
    I did really well with 5:2, but I ate at mainenance and still logged everything on my non-fasting days. Otherwise I definitely would've wiped out my deficit posthaste.

  • robertw486
    robertw486 Posts: 2,392 Member
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    When you don't log you leave everything up in the air. If you log it, you know where you stand. Though I usually try to eat more healthy since starting on this weight loss, know and then I eat what I want. I simply make a point to try to stay at worst at maintenance levels when I look at the entire week.

    I had a day we had a bunch of people over for a pot luck/BBQ/eat drink and be merry day. I DRANK almost my calories for the day. The grand total was almost 6000 calories for the day. I was still below maintenance intake for the week.

    But I only know that because I logged it. :)
  • 85Cardinals
    85Cardinals Posts: 733 Member
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    Cheaters never prosper! And cheetahs never prospah.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    I can have two where I go over maintenance as long as I eat less the rest of the week, but I'm maintaining, not losing. When losing I had none, but I make room for what I want in my calories.
  • mrsnazario1219
    mrsnazario1219 Posts: 173 Member
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    None. I log everything, every day. I also eat whatever I want. I don't deprive myself of certain foods while staying within my calories. Its the only way this works for me and I've been steadily loosing 1-1.5 lbs/week for over a month now.
  • ncfitbit
    ncfitbit Posts: 1,058 Member
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    shadow2soul wrote: »
    I don't do any. Why? Because it only hurts me in the long run.

    Do I eat over my MFP goal? Sure. I'll go over. Sometimes to maintenance level calories and sometimes even a little over that. Since it is logged and counted though, I can see how I need to adjust my week and plan ways to fit those days in. If I don't log, then I don't know how much I ate and it's really hard to balance out the unknown.

    +1
  • vivmom2014
    vivmom2014 Posts: 1,647 Member
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    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    If you have to cheat, you're not doing it right.

    I like this answer too. I made coconut carrot cake this week - it's over 600 calories for an adequate slice, and I love it, so it's just gotta fit. I had it 3 times. That meant lighter dinners. For me and this sweet tooth, it was totally worth it. I don't do that every week. But come on, ya gotta live!

  • ncfitbit
    ncfitbit Posts: 1,058 Member
    edited October 2015
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    PaulBonham wrote: »
    tishie1 wrote: »
    I have been having 3 cheat days a week where I don't count calories and I gain ALL the weight I lost ( the previous 4 days) back everytime. Has anyone else has this happen? How many days a week have you found that you can go off myfitnesspal and still lose weight in the long run?

    You're basically wasting your time. I'm not saying that you shouldn't have days where you go over your calorie limit, but at least track them so you know what's what. I have bad days, recently it has been both my daughter's and wife's birthdays. On both days I exercised in the mornings so that I could enjoy a nice meal and drinks with them. I don't want to spoil their days by being Mr boring, but equally, I don't want to spoil my progress.

    Like anything, if you're not in the right frame of mind, you won't achieve.

    I agree. I would add that tracking those indulgent meals has really helped me figure out which treats are worth it and which are just "meh" calories that I am happy to skip. Some things are really worth it to me to have and I'll save for them or go over thta day and deal with it as it comes. Quality over quantity has become my new motto. And for some reason planned treats taste much better than unplanned ones!

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