Cheat days

irishmisst

Are these beneficial or not? I need to decide if I'm going to have one a week or none at all?

SBHWeav

I think it all depends on how your mind work and what kind of eater you are. For me, it's easier to eat "healthily" 6 days a week, and then have one day a week where I go ham and cheese bagel on whatever I want. This works for me because if I fit in one serving of a "treat" on any random day, I get out of control and next thing you know a 900 calorie can of Pringles has magically disappeared. So for me one day a week (or every other week, or every month) that I don't have to worry about it is easiest.

irishmisst

Thanks I would be picking one day and sticking to it, it just means if I'm out with friends ect I know when I can have a small red wine ect without worrying

withoutasaddle

I'm not a fan personally, since one cheat day for me turns into multiple cheat days and worry and cancels out my hard work for the week, so I try to go steady as long as I can and save up "cheat days" for really special occasions or unexpected events. I'm not a fan of the "on Fridays I cheat" atitude since if an unplanned buffet party comes up Saturday id be screwed. But that's just me. But try it out! See what works for you!

MelaniaTrump

Most horrific WASTE of 6 months of my life !!!
Now, I save or "bank" calories if I want to eat a feast on a weekend.
And I still log everything.
Banking calories - there is an entry for that.

brb_2013

I wouldn't ever call it cheating. I'd perhaps chose to eat at maintenence for a day if there was a special occasion or if I were feeling deprived. But only for a day and not over my maintenance (which based on MFP is around 2200).

aub6689

I used to plan every sunday a cheat meal for being good, but I found that rewarding myself with food wasn't a good plan. Also untracked "cheats" can add up and undo a weekly deficit. The change I made that I found far more sustainable, is that I just work anything bad into my daily calorie total. Sure my macros that day won't be my normal aims. Like last night, knew I would be eating dinner at a ballpark, so I ate really clean, but low calorie that day to "save" my calories for what I knew would be a really calorie dense meal. Everyone finds what way is best for them. I find working it in to my totals works better.

irishmisst

Thanks for all your replies

Jams009

Personal preference. As long as you don't undo the entire week's deficit you will still lose, it's up to you to decide if the food is worth it.

ubermofish

They aren't beneficial at all, but we're all human. Make a responsible choice, ask yourself if its really worth it, and still log and complete your entry.

itsthehumidity

I wouldn't tell someone else what's best for them, but what works for me is a cheat meal. It's not a full day (I can clear 10,000 calories in a day and undo weeks of effort), but it basically allows me a meal a week where I don't have to track. It's still relatively controlled; I try not to go overboard, and the hope is that a day with a cheat meal ends up being at about maintenance or a slight but not major surplus.

I've read various things about how your hormonal profile changes when you've been sustaining a deficit, and that a day of maintenance or surplus can restore your typical balance, but i don't know enough about that to comment intelligently. It does seem to come up a lot, so that might be something worth investigating if you want to learn more about the merits of a cheat meal/day.

murp4069

I don't do cheat days or meals per se, but I do tend to eat more on the weekends, when I tend to eat out. So, I make sure to bank calories during the week to make up for the increased calories I know I'll have on the weekend. It works wells for me.

I'd very much caution against anyone doing full cheat days instead of a cheat meal. Depending on your weight loss goal and how much of a deficit you created during the rest of the week, even one cheat meal can undo the entire deficit. There are a million threads on here about people maintaining a deficit during the week and gaining weight because they were going overboard on "cheating."

Either way, make sure you are logging everything, even if you go way over your calories so you have the info you need to make sure you aren't going so overboard that you are erasing your deficit for weight loss. Just because it's a cheat day or meal doesn't mean you need to go crazy.

janejellyroll

irishmisst wrote: »

Thanks I would be picking one day and sticking to it, it just means if I'm out with friends ect I know when I can have a small red wine ect without worrying

5 ounces of red wine (a standard pour) is about 120 calories. You shouldn't need a cheat day or cheat meal to fit this in once a week.

martyqueen52

Cheat days are beneficial if you've been busting your butt, lifting heavy, and in a deficit for a long time.

I just call them refeed days. But for someone who probably isn't a competitor, I recommend a cheat meal. So you don't go wild eating all day and minimize damage.

srecupid

For your sanity

rbfdac

I have cheat days every single week. Basically, I eat at my normal deficit 6 days a week and then allow myself to eat at maintenance or a little above every Saturday. I usually fit in a nice calorie filled supper and dessert. I'm down 61 pounds using this method.

I tried eliminating my cheat day two weeks in a row to see if it would speed up my weight loss and I actually found that I did not lose as much the next week as I normally did. I'm pro cheat/re-feed/fatty/whateveryouwanttocallit meal/day. Just make sure you don't overdo it on that day- keep logging like usual, but just eat more than usual.

tiffanylacourse

I don't need cheat days. If I want something, I fit it into my day. If it doesn't fit into today, I'll have it tomorrow and make room for it. It's really that easy. This has to be a sustainable change to be a lasting change.

johnnylakis

http://www.doctoroz.com/article/cheat-your-diet-and-still-lose-weight

jamielikesyou

If I do cheat days, they snowball into weeks. My psychology simply doesn't allow for it as it easily derails and sabotages any progress I've made. Would love a day to stop counting and just enjoy what comes but I can't do it. Any deficits I acquire I just forget about and move on to the next day.

nixxthirteen

I take a break from logging on holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving, and just eat a sensible amount the best I can manage.

Also a fan of cheat MEALS vs whole days. And if I get a burger, I stay away from fries and get a salad with it.