Do cheat/treat days keep you sane, or derail you?

babyangelica2010
babyangelica2010 Posts: 117 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Personally they derail me and I struggle to get back on the healthy eating wagon.

Replies

  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
    Keep me sane. I would not be able to sustain this lifestyle were I not allowed to have a 1300 Reese's sundae every once in a while.
  • My0WNinspiration
    My0WNinspiration Posts: 1,146 Member
    Cheat days just derail me so I cheat everyday ...no sense in playing games lol
  • christianteach
    christianteach Posts: 595 Member
    They keep me on track by giving me something to look forward to. My shrinking body keeps me from wanting to revert to my old ways.
  • Tracilea38
    Tracilea38 Posts: 21
    I am fairly new to this process, maybe about 2 or 3 weeks in, but I have noticed if I have cheat days it makes me more hungry.

    I have been pretty active over the last week, school trips, daughters grad, play day etc etc so I have not been faithful to watching my calories. I have been recording everything down faithfully on paper and i just added it in and I was sad to see I went over my calories alot. There was a special lunch and a few days of running errands that it was quick and easy to stop for a smoothie and tim bits.

    Long story short, even though I didn't seem to eat much, the calories really added up an today i am trying to keep on track with recording everything as i eat it so I can see.....I feel SOOOOO hungry!! I want to eat everything :-(

    So I think.....without having too much experience....that it can be derailing
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    Something seems amuck with the concept of "cheat day". If there's some sort of mental breakdown going on with the target calories, perhaps they're just set a bit too low to start with.
  • hatersgonahate
    hatersgonahate Posts: 52 Member
    I keep them spaced out to not backtrack on progress, I do cheat days about once a month at the end of the month
  • Camera_BagintheUK
    Camera_BagintheUK Posts: 707 Member
    I never have cheat or treat days. Every day is the same. Some days I come in under my calorie goal, some days over. I eat what I want but keep an eye on the calories. I'm focussing on changing my habits for life, not dieting. So the concept of cheat/treat days isn't helpful for me. (and it's working, I've found I'm quite good now at mentally estimating my calories, and I'm certain I've never gone over 2000 a day since November when I started.)

    I have treats whenever I can "afford" them in my calorie limit - so if I have a light breakfast, I can "afford" a biscuit mid morning, with a coffee. If my breakfast and lunch are lower in calories, I can "afford" to treat myself to some pudding, or a glass of wine, or something. If I spend the day in the garden, I burn enough calories to "treat" myself to something I don't normally have, like pizza or (small) fish & chips or something. If I go out to a party or for a meal, I can choose to indulge and pay (either by not losing weight, or by doing some exercise) or I can choose moderation.

    If you're too rigid and "deny" yourself then you are more likely to feel like you've earned a day off, and fall back on old habits. I try not to deny myself, but instead I look at my calories a bit like cash - if I've only got a tenner, I know I have to make the choice between buying a book, or going to see a film, or putting it in a savings account. I look at what I can "afford" rather than at what I can't or mustn't have. So for now, I'm on a budget of 1200 calories a day, and when I get rid of one more stone, I'll be a bit wealthier with 2000 calories a day.

    For me, cheating means bending or breaking the rules in order to gain some advantage or beat someone else. So eating too many calories doesn't gain me any advantage, and it doesn't make any difference to anyone else, so cheat isn't really the right word.

    You can treat yourself within your calorie limit, and I try to do that.

    Hope this is helpful :smile:
  • Daphne1994
    Daphne1994 Posts: 32
    completely derail me unless i mentally allow for them like for my birthday for example.
  • jinna86
    jinna86 Posts: 93
    They keep me sane. I find treat days give me something to look forward to since I love eating out, and also, the higher calorie days make me feel better the rest of the week when I'm eating less calories.
  • mjcat002
    mjcat002 Posts: 15
    I agree, to live is not to diet, it is to eat well, and yes have a treat once in awhile too :-).
  • kris472
    kris472 Posts: 61 Member
    I don't have cheat days because I am trying to change my bad habits and have a healthier lifestyle. If I allow myself to "cheat" then I feel like I am dieting, not changing my behavior. With that said, I also do not deprive myself of things. If I want a cookie, I will have a cookie. The difference is that now I will have 1 cookie, not 5 or more!
  • 2stepscloser
    2stepscloser Posts: 2,900 Member
    In past weight loss efforts, I allowed myself a cheat day and it totally derailed me. I have not allowed this over the last six months but today has turned into an unplanned cheat day due to a function at work. Tomorrow, I'm back at it. :)
  • LassoOfTruth
    LassoOfTruth Posts: 735 Member
    Cheat days keep me sane.

    Emotional binge eating derails me.
  • MsAnn07
    MsAnn07 Posts: 172 Member
    I don't call it cheat days..it's just a day in over...of course it's not everyday. It's a Lifestyle change not meant to be an 'in jail' change.
  • chellycakes
    chellycakes Posts: 347 Member
    I completely agree and couldn't have said it better.
    I never have cheat or treat days. Every day is the same. Some days I come in under my calorie goal, some days over. I eat what I want but keep an eye on the calories. I'm focussing on changing my habits for life, not dieting. So the concept of cheat/treat days isn't helpful for me. (and it's working, I've found I'm quite good now at mentally estimating my calories, and I'm certain I've never gone over 2000 a day since November when I started.)

    I have treats whenever I can "afford" them in my calorie limit - so if I have a light breakfast, I can "afford" a biscuit mid morning, with a coffee. If my breakfast and lunch are lower in calories, I can "afford" to treat myself to some pudding, or a glass of wine, or something. If I spend the day in the garden, I burn enough calories to "treat" myself to something I don't normally have, like pizza or (small) fish & chips or something. If I go out to a party or for a meal, I can choose to indulge and pay (either by not losing weight, or by doing some exercise) or I can choose moderation.

    If you're too rigid and "deny" yourself then you are more likely to feel like you've earned a day off, and fall back on old habits. I try not to deny myself, but instead I look at my calories a bit like cash - if I've only got a tenner, I know I have to make the choice between buying a book, or going to see a film, or putting it in a savings account. I look at what I can "afford" rather than at what I can't or mustn't have. So for now, I'm on a budget of 1200 calories a day, and when I get rid of one more stone, I'll be a bit wealthier with 2000 calories a day.

    For me, cheating means bending or breaking the rules in order to gain some advantage or beat someone else. So eating too many calories doesn't gain me any advantage, and it doesn't make any difference to anyone else, so cheat isn't really the right word.

    You can treat yourself within your calorie limit, and I try to do that.

    Hope this is helpful :smile:
  • amandatapar
    amandatapar Posts: 246 Member
    They derail me. If I stay away from the stuff I don't really need anyway then it isn't a big deal but it is harder to only eat just a few bites if I taste it. I treat every day the same too with healthy eating.
  • StephTheBookworm
    StephTheBookworm Posts: 177 Member
    I have one once a week, and I know for a fact I could not have come this far and lost this much weight without them. They keep me sane.
  • jennalee85251
    jennalee85251 Posts: 14
    Gotta treat yourself. Personally I try to look at this as a lifestyle change, not a diet. If I were dieting, I'd say cheating is bad... But since I am not dieting.... I can do what I want in healthy moderation!
  • Maridinger
    Maridinger Posts: 74 Member
    I was doing cheat days once a week and its kept me at the same weight for 2 months. Ive decided Im changing it to every 2 weeks. If I want a treat or fast food or something, then I have to fit it into my calories for the day or I don't get it. Period.
  • CrazyTrackLady
    CrazyTrackLady Posts: 1,337 Member
    Is it a cheat day if you put in a really high cal burn in the morning, and have almost 1800 calories left by dinner, of which half of those go to ice cream? Cuz if it is, then call me a cheater.
  • MyOwnSunshine
    MyOwnSunshine Posts: 1,312 Member
    Definitely keep me sane. I can stay on track during the week because I know if I'm craving something I can have it as a treat on the weekend.

    Edited to add: Eating unhealthy things satisfies me psychologically, but tends to make me feel physically unwell, so I'm always ready to get back on the healthy side every Monday.
  • chezjuan
    chezjuan Posts: 747 Member
    I don't call it cheat days..it's just a day in over...of course it's not everyday. It's a Lifestyle change not meant to be an 'in jail' change.

    This is how I handle it. I almost always stay within my goals, and I eat pretty much whatever as long as it fits in my goals and macros. If I end up going over in calories because I go to a function or just feel like another serving of dinner, so be it. It's a rare occurrence and one day of going over every now and then is balanced out by the days I end up a bit under my goals (generally heavy exercise days where I'm just not hungry after dinner). If I weren't tracking my food, it would just be living normally.
  • rosemmcdowell
    rosemmcdowell Posts: 1 Member
    It definitely keeps me sane! Life is too short not to enjoy the things you like. :)

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