Do you plan your cheat meals/days?
PinkSuede
Posts: 49 Member
Im wondering what methods people use for cheats meals or cheat days. Do you find its better for you personally to plan them in advance to keep cravings away or do you keep pushing til the cravings get so bad you'd almost kill someone for a bite of a brownie? And why? I know Ill have to figure out what is best for me personally but Im curious how others approach it.
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Replies
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I alway cheat on Saturdays just a couple of cheat meals tho4
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I just polished 900ml of tiramisu ice cream - I am spontaneous like that14
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There's something seriously wrong if a bite of a brownie is considered cheating.22
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I don't plan. ***Kitten* happens.5
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You poor thing...16 -
<confused> You won't eat vegetables unless it is a cheat day? </confusion>
<idea!> But... what if you washed your vegetables? Then they would be clean enough to eat on ANY day! </idea>
May I suggest a novel idea? "Eat to a weekly deficit that is approximately 20% of your total daily energy expenditure". Eat whatever the ***kitten*** makes you happy and likely to continue doing so for as long as you need to.
Pay some attention to things such as fiber (about 25g a day for women/38g for men) and protein.
MFP's recommendation on protein is actually not that bad. Try for that or more
And consume at least 20% of your calories from fats, with saturated fats preferably not exceeding 7% of your total calories. That falls a little bit below what MFP recommends.6 -
TavistockToad wrote: »
You poor thing...
Not really. Since cutting out most processed foods and those with added sugar my cravings and appetite have been much more manageable when compared to eating whatever I want as long as it fits within my calorie budget. When I do eat sugar... the cravings for more sugar last about 24 hours. Usually I dont miss it at all. Out of sight, out of mind.....for the most part.12 -
I plan my cheat meals . i find it motivates me to get through the rest of the week if it is a particularily hard week. A typical cheat meal consists of a dinner (wings / pizza) with icecream for desert.
I know if i was just to have treats incorporated any day i would binge; so to each their own..:)
Cheat day is usually sunday or a day when there is an event or party planned.
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I eat - I track - I fill my macros accordingly - I maintain the weight and BF% i want - no clue what a cheat meal is.5
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The best realistic advice is to have a "cheat meal" not a "cheat day". If you've worked out and ate at a deficit all week..eating a meal off your plan won't ruin your progress like eating all day long whatever you want.
Myself.. I eat strict on plan for breakfast and lunch.. I workout.. then I will go out to dinner and just get what I want. Not much damage done at all..and it keeps me sane.5 -
TavistockToad wrote: »
You poor thing...
Not really. Since cutting out most processed foods and those with added sugar my cravings and appetite have been much more manageable when compared to eating whatever I want as long as it fits within my calorie budget. When I do eat sugar... the cravings for more sugar last about 24 hours. Usually I dont miss it at all. Out of sight, out of mind.....for the most part.
yet you're posting here about how to shoehorn everything you feel you 'cant' eat into a cheat day, so....?16 -
I struggle to stick to my diet when hubbys is home so his day off is always my cheat day. It's what we call in our house 'family day'. We'll normally have a day out with the kids which 99% of time means eating out. It all works out pretty well though because it's also my lie in day so I skip breakfast and he's home to have the kids in the evening so I can go to the gym. Sounds crazy that I plan my cheat days around my husband but it works. It's important to me that my new lifestyle fits my current routine. In my head it means it's more sustainable.4
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When I was on a mission to lose weight, I did not have any cheat days. I stuck to the diet like glue.
But I also made a decision that if I had a limited number of calories to work with, I was going to eat only foods I liked. So that bite of brownie ... sure, why not! As long as it fit within my calorie limit.
I also exercised a lot, especially on weekends, so that I could eat more.6 -
You asked if we planned days where we simply eat more (cheat), or do we wait until things are so bad we cave in. To me this is a double standard and are not the same things. Caving in to have that brownie is not the same as a planned :"cheaterie".
The "cheaterie" is not a cheat if it is planned. I personally hate the the use of this terms as it implies breaking some law or rule and its label alone implies to rebel only leaving me guilty or shamed.
I do make plan to be relaxed on calories(weekends), it may be choices of foods or the number of calories (maintenance). If I choose to I can bank calories, or just for go the deficit for a day.8 -
I dont plan to be honest.
I eat and then base the rest of my calories around that.
Last night a had a big plateful of Turkish mixed grill which I am overestimating at around 1000 calories. Today i will take it easy to make up for it. Not starve but eat enough low cal foods until im satieted. (maybe more coffee to reduce hunger too)2 -
To the extent that I know there will be alcohol on the weekends I suppose I plan my cheating, but no I don't plan to cheat I can tell in advance when I will go over by 1000 calories -- for example on the 4th of July; at a reunion & this up coming Labor Day with all the BBQs. I try to balance out the food with extra movement -- dancing, walking. playing games etc. I'm down 9 pounds so it's working to some extent. If I abstained, would I have lost more weight? Probably but I'd be miserable, feel deprived & I'd never make it.
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I don't cheat because I eat all the things. Just not all the things all the time. The "cheating" mentality can be a bit counterproductive to me, as is the clean/unclean way of thinking. I eat food. I try to make sure it's filling and nutritious most of the time. I scratch the psychological indulgent food itch nearly every day too.
That said, I exercise a reasonably large amount to allow me the calories to do this, I would never survive on very restricted calories and food choices.8 -
I have a treat like a chocolate bar or a piece of cake everyday, so I never get to the stage where I feel like I could murder someone for a bite of a brownie.
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I usually have to if I want to make sure that it fits in my weekly calories.2
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I have 4 planned IDGAF days each year. They help keep me sane. I don't plan every food item I will eat, but I plan where I will eat. My bday is coming up and I'm definitely eating lunch at Pizza Hut buffet, breakfast is up in the air (I have 3 choices, just picking one is hard) while supper is an IDK at this point. I weigh my food and log it. For me, the point of an IDGAF day is to eat what I want in the amounts I want and to hells with the sodium. I do fit what I like in my daily calories, though I want to have a cinnamon roll and pizza and pasta and "normal" bread and a chocolate bar etc., but I can't have all of those in the amounts I want every day.
Basically, I eat more of what I already eat and don't pay attention to my sodium level. IMO, if you're using a "cheat" day/meal to eat foods you don't regularly eat, then you might want to check to see how satisfying your diet is because if you can't eat a slice of bread once a week, there's something wrong.
Disclaimer: barring any medical conditions! I'm not telling people with celiac to go gorge on Wonder bread.6 -
I don't plan it. It usually will happen on a weekend if we get invited to hang out with friends or family. I'm doing keto and this past Saturday we went to my sisters to play some games and hang out. I had my bullet proof coffee that morning but didn't eat until about 6pm that night. Then I had about 6-8 light beers so even though I went over my carb goal for the day I feel as though I didn't do too bad. This week is a new week and I'm back on track now.
We may be "dieting" and trying to eat right but you still have to live a little every once in a while. Otherwise, what's the point?2 -
TavistockToad wrote: »
You poor thing...
Not really. Since cutting out most processed foods and those with added sugar my cravings and appetite have been much more manageable when compared to eating whatever I want as long as it fits within my calorie budget. When I do eat sugar... the cravings for more sugar last about 24 hours. Usually I dont miss it at all. Out of sight, out of mind.....for the most part.
This is what I don't get...why not just fit little goodies into your daily intake? Your way of eating does not sound sustainable, especially since you are now posting about cheat meals/days. 1 single cheat day could wipe out an entire weeks worth of deficit. Why not incorporate the stuff you like in your daily allowance. I have lost week all week eating Reese's peanut butter cups each day. Yesterday I even made a swing by Starbucks. Each and every one of those was fit into my daily calories. Yes the first few weeks of logging were very difficult with cravings. I continued to push past them and focus on eating lots of protein to keep me full longer. Now that I have reached day 60 in logging and am down 27 lbs, I can eat some chocolate, a cookie, or have a Starbucks without letting it ruin my whole day.
In terms of events that come up, yes things happen and sometimes you may eat more than you intend. I would recommend not going too crazy that you counter all the hard work you did during the week and move on back to your deficit the next day.7 -
On cheat day [every other Saturday] I have a smaller than usual breakfast, then the cheat meal in question becomes two meals in one [lunch/dinner]. That gives me a total of 1800-2700 calories to work with for one meal [if I end up having an extra large cheat meal that day, i'll add an elliptical session to burn off the extra calories].3
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Sometimes I plan them, like if I've been craving a big rack of ribs for a while. And sometimes I don't, like an unexpected invitation to a party or event.0
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I don't usually get cravings-- when I do I wait it out for a handful of days. If I still feel the craving I try to fit it into my macros. I don't wait out my cravings for too long because then I tend to overindulge.
I don't plan my cheat meals. If anything they're on Friday-Saturday since I'm at my bf's place on those days.0 -
I eat whatever I want, as long as it fits into my calorie goal. So, I don't consider eating sweets to be cheating.
That said, every now and then I have a day where I eat at maintenance because I'm at a high deficit and after a few weeks of it, my hunger levels seem to skyrocket.3 -
I go out for regular pizza every Friday night (mmm!) and I might make a dessert or go out and get something else over the weekend, but I don't have many cravings.
If I do I work with it and fit whatever I'm craving into my day.
I'm maintaining now, but I still tend to save up some calories from the week so I can eat more during the weekend.
This plan has worked very well for me.5 -
I make room in my daily goals for whatever I want.
Some people here are very successful with cheat days. For me personally, it sends a message that this isn't a lifestyle change. I see these turning into gains, frustration, and completely off track on my friend feed. I guess you'll find out which group you're in soon enough.3 -
I eat lots of seriously unclean food and stuff with added sugar everyday. I plan it in and log it all. From your definition every day is a cheat day for me. I don't label foods as good or bad so I don't do cheat meals. I just eat what I like in portions that keep me full and fit into my calorie goal. If there is a day that I do go over (because life and holidays and special events happen) then I just log everything as best I can. I would never be able to stick to something as strict as "clean" eating. I honestly don't even really know what that means. I eat most of the same things I always ate including fast food and processed foods and real sugar. I've been very successful with calorie counting this way and I am now in maintenance.12
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