Cheat days, I hear they are good for your diet?

Vivian06703188

I read a lot of posts. I am seeing people saying cheat days kept to once a week are good for your diet. I have not done this and am wondering what other peoples thoughts are on the matter. To cheat or not to cheat? We are talking about food here LOL

LexiAtel

I "cheat" once a month, not once a week. By cheat I mean I consume more calories than normal... like 500+ than I usually allow myself.

If I did this every week, I would probably never lose anything.

As for eating "bad" things, I do this anytime I WANT to within my calorie goal. For the past week I have been "bad", but not too bad. I plan on getting everything back on control. It's hard to eat right when you are driving around in nice weather

Kristine7813

No, my body def chooses it's own days and cravings. Sometimes yes, I allow myself to go all out but I don't schedule it to happen. For the most part, I try to keep it under control. Special allowances are holidays or when I am out with friends or family. I am not going to deny myself food because it goes over my allotment - that sort of thing.

sunlover89

They are good if you are very close to your goal or are at goal. For those who are obese or overweight, they are unnecessary because the body holds a lot of energy stores so it doesn't "worry" about running out. What I don't like about cheat days is that it assumes that you are not eating enough the other 6 days or not eating food you like. Eat enough tasty good food all the time and you shouldn't need a cheat day. Since becoming paleo/primal, my relationship with food has been based on fueling it like a machine to be able to reach lifting goals. I know that if I stuff my face with pizza and doughnuts for one day, my body will not like it at all and I won't reach those weekly goals. But that is just me. Other people who still feel the need for those types of food find one day a week to be able to eat them a psychological release.

Vivian06703188

I think it is good an valuable advice I have received from all of you. I have not had a cheat day. What I mean by cheat day to me means going over my calorie goal. I am not unhappy with my results but feel a little stuck. Which is probably unrealistic having lost so much this first month. I still have quite a bit of weight to lose. But I hear so many people say how much a cheat day (maybe once a month) boosts their weight loss. So I wanted to get other peoples opinions on it before I tried it.

Mokey41

It depends what you mean by a cheat day and how often you do it. If you mean a treat once in a while or enjoying a meal slightly over your budget but close to maintenance then why not? If you mean take a day a week to eat anything and everything you've ever wanted and totally blowing your budget then it probably isn't going to be good. Why work all week to eat at a deficit if you're going to eat it back on a cheat day? 3500 calories is a pound and I know I could totally eat that much in junk in a day.

tatey2009

I allow myself 1 day a week where I relax the rules so that I can drink alcohol with no guilt

I find that because I allow myself to do this I don't fall off the wagon because I don't feel bad about it. I also know that 1 bottle of my favourite wine is approximately 650 calories so in my mind if I allow myself to have 1400 extra calories on the weekend it feels like I am not deprived ... in my mind it figures out at 200 calories per day which net would only take me to 1400

I used this technique when I lost 2 stone on slimming world 2 years ago and even though I have only just restarted this week I fully intend to go by this strategy again

QuilterInVA

Why undo what you have done. Plan your days so you can have a little of the foods you like.

corgicake

I have at least one day a week where my exercise calorie tally spikes high enough that the day feels like an all you can eat buffet Not technically cheating, but it does involve enough tasty rubbish to make me happy.

toothpastechica

As has been said on all the posts about cheat days before....some people can do it, some people can't. Some people its a day or meal or over-calorie amount that helps them not feel restricted, but can maintain self control. For other people, too many cheats are what got them to the weight they didn't want to be in the first place. I personally do have a :cheat day", but for me that is simply I don't log my food on the one day a week I have a day off, doesn't mean I stuff my face with everything I see (and I still run or walk on those days) so I don't feel guilty about eating something that might not be AS healthy as other days, and so I don't spend my time with my husband or my friends constantly logging.

__Di__

I read a lot of posts. I am seeing people saying cheat days kept to once a week are good for your diet. I have not done this and am wondering what other peoples thoughts are on the matter. To cheat or not to cheat? We are talking about food here LOL

Personally, if I cheat, I can sometimes struggle to get back on track. I have come to the conclusion that, sod it, I'll stick with what I am doing as it is working and I feel very well and when I get to my goal I can have a cheat day or two then.

DawnieB1977

My personal trainer suggested I should have a cheat meal once a week. Not a day, just a meal! Or a dessert. Something that i wouldn't usually eat. He said to do this you have to eat perfectly all week or you can't have the cheat meal, so if you have a biscuit with your coffee one day, then no cheat meal allowed! I did this for about 8 weeks then I started letting a few little treats slip in in the week so I stopped, but now I've decided to trial it again. I'm very close to goal and really looking to tone up now more than lose weight.

When I was doing the cheat meal before it was always on a day I exercised, so I doubt I ever went over maintenance calories anyway. I don't eat back exercise calories usually, so i probably have enough deficit over my week to allow for that' cheat meal.

I find that having a treat to look forward to means I eat better during the week.

_Zardoz_

What are you cheating against? If you have to so called cheat its showing you that your diet is not sustainable

clockworkgeisha

I really hope they are good for your diet, because I've just had the mother of all Chinese take aways.....

Seriously, though, most of the time I can convince myself that I don't need to cheat, that I'm doing pretty well and that it's not worth it, and will happily have that salad for dinner and feel a bit smug about it.

But very occasionally, like today, I simply have to have a break, and I know if I don't some part of me is going to have a tantrum and I'll end up jacking the whole thing in and being a big fattie again. One takeaway now is going to save me a whole lot of takeaways in the future.

elisa123gal

if you feel tired of your diet..and your will power is :drinker: . do the cheat day thing. if it keeps you sane and on plan the rest of the week..it can work. I say do whatever works to keep your willpower strong.

NonnyMary

No, i dont dare cheat on purpose. I am very overweight, so i apparently dont need a cheat day. However I choose healthy food as much as possible, i am too scared to go off on purpose, because I am doing well.. it would be like telling a runner in a marathon to stop and eat some cheetos while she is running the marathon. i sometimes allow myself something that is probably higher in the numbers, but it still is not going to hurt me.

but im trying to take my fave restaurant food and make it at home, that should give me the pleasure of it, but be healthier MFP-wise.

I just made me the best turkey burger with a lot of flavor that it felt like a cheat meal, but it was not. some food you can make at home is so damn good you feel like your cheating! you just have to find it.. like i will make some chicken red curry.. MMmmmMMM will taste good and totally be non-cheat but will feel like a cheat!

KardioKim

I think I do best when I cheat about once a month or so. When I get on a good roll (eating well for days), it becomes harder to cheat because I don't want to break the cycle or mess things up. Eventually, cravings get the best of me, though. I just don't let it trip me up.

RobP1192

I don't think it's good for the body to be honest. I think it just sets you back a day. But when you're living a healthy lifestyle, you can handle setbacks easily. Doesn't take much to get back on track. But to me, that's what it is, going off track. But hey, i do it all the time, usually on weekends or holidays. Gotta live life. I wouldn't recommend cheat days for someone on a cut or trying to lose weight.

udt123

I cheat once every 3 weeks where I stuff my face with all the sweets I want(donuts, ice cream, cheesecake, etc etc) and I follow it with a day of no eating at all. On my cheat day, I probably hit about 10k cals. I'm fairly lean and at a carb deficit every day so my cheat day kick starts my metabolism and leptin levels. If you're not eating at a deficit, there really isn't too much need for a cheat day unless you need it to keep mentally sane.

g33kmommy

I've been told by numerous people that allowing yourself a "cheat" day once in a while is great for your metabolism.

I've been on a very strict deficit for the last three months, and one day I allowed myself 2,000 calories instead of 1,200. I mostly had to, because I went to a birthday party where there was absolutely nothing healthy to eat. I wound up eating Pizza Hut to my hearts content, and chips with ranch dip. On my weekly weigh-in, I was down 3lbs which was more than the .05 ounces from the week before.

I've heard it gives your metabolism a boost, because our bodies become adjusted to the deficit after a while.

I'm not a scientist though, but I know that it didn't blow my diet - it seemed to help it!