Do you have a treat day/night?

learntolovetheburn15

Do you have a day where you go off plan and eat whatever you fancy. Does it have an impact on any less or gain?

elizabethpittman80

Personally I do not because it totally derails me. I make sure I have enough calories at the end of each day so that I can have an indulgence. If I want pizza or something high in calories throughout the day I cut the portion size and make sure it fits into my numbers. This way I never feel deprived and need that cheating day.

Phrick

I did for a long time but finally admitted that the struggle to get back on track after a cheat meal wasn't really worth it to me. I would fight cravings and battle "hunger" for 2-3 days after splurging on treats or a meal full of "whatever I fancied." I think it made things way harder than it had to be, for me.

zugunruhey

I used to do that but I found it hinders my progress. I don't do it anymore unless it's a rare occasion, maybe once a month or so I will not count calories for a meal if we go out with friends. But I plan for it by eating smaller meals earlier in the day so that even if I exceed my calorie goals it's not by a huge amount.

For me the only way to stay on the wagon is to make small, sustainable lifestyle changes one by one and stick to them. If I'm restricting my diet to the point that I feel I need a treat/cheat day every week then I haven't been making sustainable changes. A diet that lets you stay at a healthy weight should also include things you enjoy and treats, you just have to plan your calorie goals around them and decide which treats are worth keeping in your diet.

Personally I could never live without burritos (and I still eat them regularly), but something like chips where I feel hungry after eating 500 calories of chips just isn't worth it to me. After a few times where I ate the chips, logged it, and achieved my calorie goal but I was still starving at the end of the day I just decided to not have chips be a regular part of my diet.

StealthHealth

No I don't. When my social life means that a restaurant meal or drinks are on the cards I plan that into my daily/weekly allowance.

DebSozo

Phrick wrote: »

I did for a long time but finally admitted that the struggle to get back on track after a cheat meal wasn't really worth it to me. I would fight cravings and battle "hunger" for 2-3 days after splurging on treats or a meal full of "whatever I fancied." I think it made things way harder than it had to be, for me.

Same. Now I think about that carefully before I splurge and/or eat something that will throw my system off. Otherwise I fight cravings too.

Lounmoun

Not really. I have planned and pre-logged my food every day for over a year even on holidays. I am not on a very restrictive diet so there is nothing to cheat from except portion sizes. Some days I choose to eat at maintenance level. I don't think of that as a treat or cheating.

angelamccann1974

I usually just watch my numbers and portion sizes. If I can't pass up a treat then I just have a very small amount just to savor the taste of it. If I deprive myself of things I like then I'm bound to derail myself and hate it. So I do it sensibly and plan my intake prior to the larger meal. As long as numbers stay with in limits and activity is increased its ok

caammph

I work treats into my daily/weekly allowance.

Sapphires4me

I do not have a set day or meal for treats or splurges. I really do find that if I have a great day of eating on target and working out and I want an ice cream and I have enough calories left for the day then I have one. If I don't have any calories left in my day then I skip it. I am fighting really hard to stay disciplined with this. I know this is some of the reason I have not been successful in the past. I would just say - to heck with it and have the ice cream and life is too short to not eat ice cream when I want. Well being 40 pounds overweight was the result of that. And I now realize life is too short to spend it being unhealthy and uncomfortable.

Machka9

learntolovetheburn15 wrote: »

Do you have a day where you go off plan and eat whatever you fancy. Does it have an impact on any less or gain?

About a month every 16 weeks while I was losing weight.

Dannigreen31

Yes once a week or I wouldn't be able to do it

genpopadopolous

Yes- but i do it for special occasions and 5 pounds lost.

It works out to 1 or 2 a month.

I've been saving my last 5 pound treat meal for this weekend. I'm going to be in a town with a Chipotle

terbusha

I don't have cheat days where I just eat whatever I want. I do flexible dieting and if I really want a treat, I work it into my calories and macros...even going out to dinner with my wife. I don't hit my goals exactly every day, but I'm pretty darn close the vast majority of the time.

The main problem with cheat days is that people usually end up way overdoing it and that sets them back in their progress. I've seen a lot of people make good progress during the week and then gain it all back from a cheat day. That gets frustrating really fast.

kthompson601

I have a Sunday night treat of some ice cream. You can buy small single-serving tubs of ice cream of a few different brands. I like them because they're just one serving, so I can eat the whole thing. I can't trust myself to just weigh out one serving from a pint of ice cream, I'd splurge and eat too much. But that one single-serving tub is perfect. Knowing that I am going to have that sweet treat on Sunday nights helps keep me away from temptations on the weekends, which are difficult times for me. It's easier for me to avoid the vending machine and naughty high-cal snacks at the store if I know I have that little bit of sugary goodness waiting for me.

icemom011

No cheat days. But around big family gatherings, birthdays, just going out i focus on portion size, making sure to have a bit of even higher calorie things that i love, just not pig out. At the restaurant i would eat half my meal and bag the rest to take home. And if we're having deserts, i will too, but not a plate full, just some. That satisfies me and i am happy with that, not raiding pantry and fridge for more, even though we always have sweets at home, which was my biggest downfall lifetime-long.

arditarose

I guess. I just don't think of it that way. Every weekend I like to eat a meal out. Sometimes it's a burger with fries, sometimes a whole branzino and a glass of wine fit better. I eat lighter throughout the week (well TRY to) to accommodate a meal with 1500 calories over the weekend.

robininfl

Yep, Saturday night I almost always have a restaurant meal and a couple of drinks. You would just have to sort of shortchange days during the week if you like to do that, undercut your calories by 150/day x 5 then you have 750 extra, right? It seems to work for me naturally to have a weekly pattern like that, not controlled that exactly but you know, get average days down to where your week can accomodate a bump.

I don't do gluttony though, and don't think of eating as cheating.

ummijaaz560

I eat whatever I want every day. I just cannot eat however much I want any more, unless I want to stay fat.
Eat good food but eat smaller portions.

VitaSh

I plan to either have a small treat daily or a bigger treat meal (not whole day) one day a week. I fit it into my calories, macros, and goals (whether it's weight loss, maintenance, or slight gain). I log it all. I don't look at a food as good or bad.

marty_smith

Im pretty much stay on track calories wise monday to friday, then try and limit my calories saturday breakfast and lunch and then go pig crazy on my dinner. Usually a takeaway of some sort followed by dessert or icecream. I usually consume 3000+ on this day, haha. Even the followingg Sunday i have a bacon sandwich and chill out food wise but not as bad. Then kill it monday to friday again. Some weeks there are birthday meals out - i eat whatever i want then too, but there has been times ive done some exercise after or that day to stop me feeling guilty.

In the past a cheat meal was enough to derail me. Now i know its all about patience and if i dont lose a pound one week because of a *kitten* week then sod it, ill try again the next week. This isn't a race, its a way of life. Try and eat good all of the time and allow yourself the odd bad day once or twice a week. Just make sure you do exercise and not cheat through the week when you know you dont need to.