Cheat day..yes or no?

addily1986

When starting my diet I thought to myself "I'm not sure I can do this...I need a cheat day." Now my mind is telling me yes cheat day! ...but it's telling me to cheat every day so I'm trying not to listen.
What are other peoples viewpoints on a cheat day?

Dieting is hard work any time of the year you do it. But it feels especially hard for me in the summer because of all the fun social things happening. I mean have you ever tried to float the river without a beer? BORING.

fineporcelain01

I think about having cheat days. I go so far as to decide what I want from the store when I do go. Then I get there and I think about all my hard work and how far I have gotten mentally, willpower wise. Then I look at it and think "Do I REALLY want this?", then I end up picking something healthy.

MelaniaTrump

Cheat days.
The most horrific waste of 6 months of my life.

If I know I'm going to drink beer on Friday, I will eat less calories for a week.
Here is the entry: Calorie Bank - Placeholder Calories

seska422

Find a way of eating that satisfies you within your calorie limit.

If you want something, work some of it into your calories. I have about 20% of my daily calories designated for treat foods. Since I have treats every day, I don't feel nearly so deprived.

DorkothyParker

Have a beer. Have a really good high quality beer. In my mind, that means from the Cascadia region, but you do you.

But don't decide that a beer needs pizza. And if you are eating pizza and find it too salty, don't offset with ice cream. And after you've had the icecream, don't decide you are too full to run. And if you are too full to run, don't decide to binge watch Battlestar Galactica. Because if you are binge watching Battlestar Galactica, you're going to need another beer.

SueInAz

If you're eating in such a way that you feel the need for a cheat day, you're doing it wrong.

Seriously, that type of eating leads to yo-yo dieting. Restricting yourself in such a way that you're miserable isn't going to result in weight loss you can sustain. Besides, many people end up negating their calorie deficit for a day or even a week on their "cheat" day. Rather than do all of that to yourself, give yourself a few more calories each day to play with or/so you can incorporate small treats into your day that fit into your goals.

RainaProske

Cheat days happen, but I sure don't plan for them -- yet. Maybe some day, I will. But sometimes, food sneaks up on us -- like I had cake and ice cream last night.
WHAT????
Well, I was at a shower . . . .

zyxst

I didn't do cheat days during most of my weight loss because I knew I would blow my deficit and not lose. I started adding them in in 2015, 4 days a year. For me, it was easier to eat what I wanted within my calorie goal than to be super strict for so many days, then blow-out on one day. The latter puts in my mind a starve-binge cycle.

brdnw

i didn't have cheat days when i was losing weight, i didn't understand why you would want to get in the way of your own progress.

vingogly

As has been pointed out in many threads, cheating implies a moral choice. There's no moral dimension to decide on eating food X rather than food Y.

I often reserve 300 calories or so for a treat after dinner. Sometimes it's a dish of ice cream from the dairy down the street, or a good-quality chocolate bar. Sometimes something else. If I've eaten my treat calories earlier in the day, well, that was my choice and there's always tomorrow.

Treatin' ain't cheatin'. And dieting isn't hard work if you're not looking at it as dieting (meaning an unpleasant portion of your life you look forward to getting through, so you can return to "normal eating"). Catch my drift?

mamadon

It's a personal choice. It took me around a year and a half to lose a lot of weight and I've maintained it for over two years. I had a "cheat " day around once a month or so. It never hurt me, because I was able to continue on afterwards eating at my calorie deficit. A day once in a while isn't going to hurt if your able to do that.
Some people, have a hard time getting right back to it though, so indulging occasionally, can cause them to really fall off the wagon. You have to decide if you are able to do it or not.

jester13

Think about it this way. It takes more then a day of clean eating to get healthy and in shape. One day is not going to ruin progress. Mentally it helps a lot.

pompeyjosh1990

I 100% agree with 'cheat meals' not cheat days, cheat meals should consist of having a chips instead of low starch carb, or a home made burger instead of a bit of chicken. I would not consist a cheat meal as stuff your face with 5 burgers from macdonalds, drink 10 bears and a kebab on the way home! YES everyone has bad days, I get that- (I do too) its just how you sustain and get back on track, work harder, and try harder to sustain a good clean healthy diet. CHEAT MEALS' will help mentally with your weight loss progression.
One thing I learnt when I first started I did cheat days (which is perfectly acceptable) as you are still making progress having 6 out of 7 good meals- to slowly start to cut back what you have for a cheat meal- then it will be the norm. Cheat meals should be a small pleasure if you cook your food in a tasteful way anyway. Now im back in training im having one cheat meal with one beer on a Saturday or Friday night depending on what im doing. I will slowly remove the beer, then reduce the Fat in each cheat meal.
Cheat days and carb loading are totally different so don't let people fool you?....

Fursian

Cheat day..yes or no?

I say yes, BUT, you absolutely must be of the mind to carry on your plan the very next day. If you cannot do this right now in your life, circumstances, environment, etc, it is suggested you just fit treats into everyday calorie allowance, or you may be better off with the "cheat meal", rather than a whole cheat day. -- It also must be said that if you're someone who can "put away" thousands of calories, stay well away from "cheat days", they can wipe an entire calorie deficit out, and then some.

Things can slip... You may find that everything is going well with these cheat days, but you find yourself having more than 1 a week, "Hell, why not 3?, I'll get back to it tomorrow.."... Yeah... slippery slope. Perhaps the hot weather has taken away the other equation for you that you think helps make your whole plan work (exercise). So you're working out less, and boredom may strike..you're praying for that cheat day, and you'll use any excuse or "event" to have one. This is not the end of all things fun you've come to know in your journey, nope..

But... you will have to re-access things, and make sure that cheat day is only once a week. Keep yourself honest.

When all is said and done, cheat days WILL slow your progress if you choose to have one, however in my 9 months of personal experience with them, I have no regrets. As long as you remember the #1 rule, to get right back on track.

phatphuk1

No. Why would you cheat on yourself? If you were saving money for a car would it make sense to cheat and blow your money after saving up for 2 weeks?

Gallowmere1984

jester13 wrote: »

Think about it this way. It takes more then a day of clean eating to get healthy and in shape. One day is not going to ruin progress. Mentally it helps a lot.

There is certainly truth to this. The amusing part is, in order to get back to my starting weight within a year, I would need to eat close to 4000 kcal per day, while being completely sedentary. That sounds...painful to do, given that my current diet is high fat, and still leaves me feeling excessively full at times, just eating to a 1700/day maintenance.

tech_kitten

I don't believe in cheat days (as in scheduling a day per week or whatever), but I DO believe in special occasions. If there is a birthday, wedding, office party, or whatever, I let myself eat a bit of all of the yummies. I have to be careful, because my body is not used to eating like that, so I can't scarf it all down or I get sick.

MrsT1610

I don't like the term 'cheat' it implies something to feel guilty about. I prefer to think about scheduling in 'treats' which are 'earned' through the hard work of sticking to my plan the rest of the time...

CincyNeid

Personally I only do a cheat meal once a week, maybe twice a week. I cannot do a full blow cheat day. I find myself overly stuffed and feeling bad when I eat too much of the wrong things.

Now I will admit this. When I go on a long bike ride and I burn a ton of calories I have a tendency to eat things I wouldn't if I wasn't working out on a rest day.

MissusMoon

It's anecdotal evidence, but people who do regular cheats on my feed are not doing as well as those who don't. Cheat meals can turn into cheat weekends, which can turn into giving up. Or gaining/losing the same few pounds while others who have been logging the same amount of time have lost 30, 40, 50 pounds.

I don't regularly dip into my exercise calories, either...but those are my buffers. I eat out a lot, and while I'm careful about my portions, typically they require me to estimate. Exercise calories are a great buffer for that.

I'm pretty against cheating. This isn't my first rodeo with having to lose a lot of weight. I took cheat meals the last time. That reinforced that there was another way to eat when I reached goal. So of course, I ate like every day was a cheat day, and I gained it all back and then some. Now I realize that I'm eating the way I need to for the rest of my life. I have a safe buffer of calories so that I know I'm in good shape, intake wise.

All that said, I'm not logging on Thanksgiving. So there, I guess you can call it a cheat day. I am going to take it easy, though, because not even that meal is worth gaining weight for.

Adding: I know many posters on MFP do cheat meals and have been successful. I don't deny their experiences, but it won't work for me and it's not working for the majority of people I interact with here daily. We all have to think about this process and make the decision that is best for us.

tech_kitten

MissusMoon wrote: »

It's anecdotal evidence, but people who do regular cheats on my feed are not doing as well as those who don't. Cheat meals can turn into cheat weekends, which can turn into giving up. Or gaining/losing the same few pounds while others who have been logging the same amount of time have lost 30, 40, 50 pounds.

I don't regularly dip into my exercise calories, either...but those are my buffers. I eat out a lot, and while I'm careful about my portions, typically they require me to estimate. Exercise calories are a great buffer for that.

I'm pretty against cheating. This isn't my first rodeo with having to lose a lot of weight. I took cheat meals the last time. That reinforced that there was another way to eat when I reached goal. So of course, I ate like every day was a cheat day, and I gained it all back and then some. Now I realize that I'm eating the way I need to for the rest of my life. I have a safe buffer of calories so that I know I'm in good shape, intake wise.

All that said, I'm not logging on Thanksgiving. So there, I guess you can call it a cheat day. I am going to take it easy, though, because not even that meal is worth gaining weight for.

Adding: I know many posters on MFP do cheat meals and have been successful. I don't deny their experiences, but it won't work for me and it's not working for the majority of people I interact with here daily. We all have to think about this process and make the decision that is best for us.

^This. I have lost weight so many times, then I gained it all back because I treated every day after like a cheat day.

gjw1911

I need a cheat meal, or I will not be able to stay on track.
Sometimes I want a double cheeseburger, fries and a few beers. I just make sure my weekly calorie deficit is high enough to tolerate those extra calories.
Also figure out ways to cheat cheat meals, like my wife and I splitting a meal at a restaurant. That way a cheeseburger and fries are not as bad cut in half. I still get my burger just with half the calories.

Buhbee

I don't necessarily "cheat" but one day a week I just don't count my calories. I am still mindful of what I eat and try to make healthy choices. But if my hubby wants to enjoy a glass of wine and ice cream when the kids go to bed early, you will never hear me say NO. lol. If you over indulge one day, its no big deal. Just get back on track the next day and don't fret.

CoachJen71

I bank earlier in the week for nicer treats or splurge meals on the weekend. As long as the numbers all still work, it's fine. Holidays are the closest I get to cheat days, but I haven't gotten to a place where I can enjoy letting go completely. I am eating a lot of food on those days, but not enjoying it. I hope to get to that place someday where I can let go of food guilt.

QueenOSpades

I found that cheat "days" made me excuse a lot of unnecessary junk food. A single cheat "meal" however kept me on track a bit more.
Holidays and birthday events are another thing though... at the end of the day it's what you are comfortable with the most.

Gallowmere1984

gjw1911 wrote: »

I need a cheat meal, or I will not be able to stay on track.
Sometimes I want a double cheeseburger, fries and a few beers. I just make sure my weekly calorie deficit is high enough to tolerate those extra calories.
Also figure out ways to cheat cheat meals, like my wife and I splitting a meal at a restaurant. That way a cheeseburger and fries are not as bad cut in half. I still get my burger just with half the calories.

Funny enough, this kind of thought process is what got me started down the low-carb path. "Wait, you mean I can halve the calories in this, by throwing away the bun, which I don't really like anyway?" Had to figure out something on the nights we ended up working in the middle of nowhere for days on end, with nothing but a McDonalds nearby open at night.

Tophers_Motivation

I suppose it depends on what you mean by "cheat day." For instance, I'm going to a restaurant with my wife on Saturday, and I fully intend to have my favorite meal, a country-fried steak. However, I'm going to be careful with my calories the rest of the day, still do my exercise and it's not going to include a bunch of junk food. It might cost me on the scale the next day, but I know it's not going to derail my overall progress.

immatureinspiration

i say no allow yourself a little cheat everyday and youll be fine and be able to control your calories thats why counting calories work everytime at least for me. not only that if you dont cheat on your cardio youll be able to eat what you want in moderation . moderation keeps you from binging unless you drink then you may loose the battle for the day lol

MaryLuvsTheLamb

I never have a cheat day. Been doing MFP for 7 weeks now. There have been 2 times where I had one high calorie meal when I was too far under calories, but for me, a whole cheat day isn't worth undoing what took me a whole week to accomplish. I can't work out like most people, so I'm very strict with my CICO.

addily1986

So, I am nearing the end of my first week. It has been hard. But today I woke up with energy enough to take a walk.
Yesterday I did what most of you advised and splurged on calories for a meal. I went out with my husband and had carne Asada with rice and beans (which is my favorite). And I was able to have almost all of the plate. But decided to only have half of the rice and beans and more of the meat... And did pico de gallo instead of salsa with only 6 chips. And I also rewarded myself with a vodka/soda water with lime. It really made me feel at cause over my life knowing I can balance things in a way that I can still go have fun with my family and be social.

I ended my day 300 to spare. Though I was 1g over my fat intake target. But 1g is pretty dang good!

pbandalyssa

IIFYM