Cheat days

gggirl67

Do you plan your chest day and if so does it help you stay on track?

akittle11509

I have noticed that cheat days do not help me. Infact the hurt my progress.

seamusmacduffy

I go for three months and then have a cheat weekend. Four cheat weekends a year. I find this way doesn't sabotage my efforts... Also it requires self discipline.

Zeus727

gggirl67 wrote: »

Do you plan your chest day and if so does it help you stay on track?

I just love cheat days in my weight gain.

Kie_Hughes

I have them as and when I feel depleted. Usually once every 2-3 weeks

kgirlhart

I don't have cheat days. I just try to fit in the things I like every day. Maybe not all the things in one day. But I try to never leave myself feeling deprived or tell myself I can't have something. I can have whatever I want, but it might make me go over my goal so a lot of times I decide I don't want it after all. As far as holidays and birthdays I don't worry about going over. I just try to make sure all my potions are reasonable and enjoy the day. I didn't gain all this weight in one day so one day here and there won't set me back too much. But I think if I planned weekly cheat days I could easily wipe out my weeks deficit and not get anywhere. So I don't do that.

IncredibleShrinkingSandy

This weight loss process has been slow for me: 48 pounds in 18 months. The reason for this is because I used to have a cheat weekend every weekend. At first, it was fine, I still lost weight consistently every week and would lose the water weight from it in 2 days or so. Then I reached a point where I would put on 2-5 pounds over the weekend. Even though it was water weight, it began to take me the entire following week to get down to where I was at the the end of the previous week. So, I try to limit it to one or two small indulgences a week. The reason it worked out in the beginning I know was because I would be under calories by 100-300 every day and by the weekend it would add up so it didn't effect much. As my calories lowered and my exercise didn't change I had less to work with and wasn't under as much that often. So, at first it might be fine, but it catches up to you .

Marilyn0924

I do the occasional cheat day, but for me, I try to keep it within my maintenance calories. That way I don't get derailed, but get to have something that I wouldn't normally eat. Yesterday was one of those occasions with a few chicken wings, a handful of fries and a pint at the local pub. An hour of cardio earlier in the day helped balance it out. No guilt, and no derailment.

Chieflrg

I don't cheat. I eat ice cream, pumpkin pie, pastries every day. Hit your macros and your calorie goal and it doesn't matter what you eat.

If you want to eat a food, fit it in your diet.

arditarose

Chest day? Definitely planned. Every Sunday and Thursday.

Cheat day? I don't cheat. I either eat calories up to goal, or go over calories if I feel like it.

MsBuzzkillington

I don't do cheat days or cheat meals because I hate feeling like those meals/days are things I am waiting all week for. I hate making food something I am looking forward to or restricting only to reward myself with at a later date.

I have been cleaning up my diet and eating more fruits, veggies, lean proteins, healthy-ish fats and such. But if I want a chocolate, I eat it, if I want a cookie, I eat it. Or even fast food. Sometimes I stay right within my limit, sometimes I go a little over. It happens, it doesn't really matter and I am learning to have a healthier relationship with food.

Xarina

I have cheat days on my weekend off. So every other weekend. But on those days I just eat without a deficit not over that if I want to. In the long run it would at most make a half pound difference so I still make progress.

maplesyrup10

Chieflrg wrote: »

I don't cheat. I eat ice cream, pumpkin pie, pastries every day. Hit your macros and your calorie goal and it doesn't matter what you eat.

If you want to eat a food, fit it in your diet.

I like this because telling myself no to everything I crave for the rest of my life makes me want it more. I had pizza and popcorn last week, stayed in my calorie range and still lost weight.

T1DCarnivoreRunner

I did at first, but my appetite is insatiable. To me, a cheat day means eating whatever I want and as much as I want. That amounts to 20K-30K calories and erases months of progress.

Rocknut53

I don't have cheat days. Seems counter productive. I do however go on a 3-4 hour hike if I want to splurge a bit or if I know I'm going out to dinner and want to eat something besides the house salad. Mostly, I just fit it all in my daily calories. I don't focus on food that much any more, just enough to make sure my meals are healthy and I'm eating enough.

ybee1991

I give myself two days (usually Thursday and Friday) as cheat days. They're fun. I think it gives me a nice little shock and it stops me from indulging, something I couldn't do in the past.

Michaelg235

I usually eat like the night before

My cheat days consist of me going the Chinese buffets and just eating crab legs, shrimp, clams
I look forward to that every two weeks

arditarose

ybee1991 wrote: »

I give myself two days (usually Thursday and Friday) as cheat days. They're fun. I think it gives me a nice little shock and it stops me from indulging, something I couldn't do in the past.

How do cheat days stop you from indulging. Isn't a cheat day, let alone TWO cheat days, quite indulgent?

Jack_NYC

arditarose wrote: »

Chest day? Definitely planned. Every Sunday and Thursday.

Cheat day? I don't cheat.

This.

gggirl67

Lol

Bry_Fitness70

I just don't see the point in doing a full cheat day (or days), I spread 3-4 cheat meals out during the course of a week.

pichiPurinsesu

if i had a cheat day everything all falls apart. If there was something i was REALLY craving though i'd try work it into my diary and make it up

N0easyway0ut

I don't have cheat days - merely a cheat meal - once a week. I try to keep it within my goals, but it doesn't always work. However I don't think that 1 bad meal in 42 per week will make that much of a difference!

Sharon_C

arditarose wrote: »

Cheat day? I don't cheat. I either eat calories up to goal, or go over calories if I feel like it.

This is exactly what I do

TheCrawlingChaos

My last efforts in weight loss included me allowing cheat days, and too often. Since xmas I decided on a few things. 1. I don't have designated days where I can "cheat." I try to make the foods I eat varied enough that I don't get bored with them and try to find exciting recipes to try out so I'm always looking forward to the stuff I know is better for me. And 2. If I do have a day where I eat something I normally wouldnt, I don't consider it cheating. I consider it "rare and appropriate." That helped remind me to stay within my goals even if I ate less than ideally. I stole this idea from Penn Jillette and it's worked pretty well for me.