Weekly Cheat Day Thoughts

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TylerWhiite
TylerWhiite Posts: 108 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Are weekly cheat days okay to have during dieting? I'm thinking of having a cheat day every Sunday and order some pizza for football haha. I've read it can actually help my tricking your metabolism into thinking it's getting enough calories.
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Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    You don't need to "cheat" your metabolism during weight loss.

    If a cheat day helps you stay on plan the rest of the week *and* if you don't eat enough to put yourself out a caloric deficit overall for the week, it would be okay. But some people find that it stalls their weight loss because they eat too much during the "cheat day" and it eliminates the deficit they have built up the other six days of the week.

    When I was losing weight (I am currently maintaining), I just planned for things like ordering pizza -- made it fit into my overall plan for the week. Not saying you have to choose this path instead of a "cheat day," but there are ways to include pizza that don't involve throwing out your goals for the day.
  • DisneyDude85
    DisneyDude85 Posts: 428 Member
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    Just fit it into your cals for the day/week! :)
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    You can't really trick your metabolism. Most people find that a cheat day wipes out their weekly deficit. If you want to eat at maintenance for a day that won't harm your progress, but you still want to consider logging to understand your true calorie intake every week.
  • Golbat
    Golbat Posts: 276 Member
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    I think a better idea than a cheat day is to arrange your calories so you can have the things you like from time to time so you don't feel like you need a cheat day.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    DisneyDude85 wrote: »
    Just fit it into your cals for the day/week! :)

    Winner winner, chicken dinner!! (Or pizza, whatever works!)
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,114 Member
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    I agree with those who say, "Find a way to fit it into your calories for the week." [if you are able]

    I usually have one meal a week that is just...ice cream or pizza or a bag of candy or cookies or some such thing that I don't eat the rest of the week. My compulsiveness doesn't really let me have a couple cookies. It's all or nothing for me. On that day I'll eat double my maintenance allotment. It's a problem psychologically, but not for my weight.

    I've been able to stay at my same weight and still do this, but it's a slippery slope for me and I don't like that feeling of being out of control.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    I mean I think its personal choice. Personally I don't see the point in a cheat day, I'd much rather have a reasonable amount of food regularly throughout my week than starve myself for 6 days so I can pig out on the 7th. But I try not to be judgemental about it because I imagine for some they would be more comfortable with a "cheat day" type approach. In theory either one works as long as you maintain a deficit over time.
  • workinonit1956
    workinonit1956 Posts: 1,043 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I don't consider pizza cheating...I consider it pizza...and I have some from time to time...no biggie.
    Me too! Having it tonight-- completely planned and logged!



  • leanjogreen18
    leanjogreen18 Posts: 2,492 Member
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    There is a study around refeeding where you follow a deficit and then have a period of eating maintenance. It showed that leptin levels returned to normal which helped with hunger although the conclusion was that more study was needed. I eat one low cal day and one day I eat near maintenance which I call a "controlled cheat" day with hopes ( no empirical evidence) I keep my leptin levels from dropping too much.
  • Dano74
    Dano74 Posts: 503 Member
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    If this is about pizza, make it work into your calories. There's nothing "bad" about pizza (ok, depending on your nutrition camp) if it's fitting your daily goals and you're getting the nutrition you need overall.

    Honestly, if I know pizza is on the menu ... I'm making pizza happen and I get creative. And if that means I drink lots of water and protein and bank my calories for later, I'm doing it. Of course, you can't eat the whole thing unless you're really high on calories but you can usually manage some decent eatin' unless you're SUPER low on calories. It's just knowing when to say when.... even though conventional wisdom tells us a Large really means "Personal".
  • jdb3388
    jdb3388 Posts: 239 Member
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    I play D&D on Sunday nights and we always have a big meal. So what I do is just make sure I get a good hard workout on Sunday afternoon to help me offset those extra calories I'm going to be taking in. I can't exercise hard enough to cover ALL of the extra calories, but I can get enough of them to not feel bad about eating heavier that night.
  • Catawampous
    Catawampous Posts: 447 Member
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    Love D&D!!

    Oh and no, I don't do cheat days. I bank calories for Friday night pizza :)
  • capaul42
    capaul42 Posts: 1,390 Member
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    I don't believe in cheat days/meals. And I don't typically bank calories. I do make pizza from scratch once every week or two. Far yummier than delivery or frozen options and half the calories :D
  • my58vw
    my58vw Posts: 18 Member
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    I normally have 1, and sometimes rarely 2 days a week were I eat to TDEE. Those extra 600 - 1000 calories will be enough to get you through the hard days. You should not eat over TDEE, and that should never be a problem. If cheat means "enjoy a desert, or something similar, than great, go for it! If cheat means go 1500 over TDEE, then you have an issue with eating still...
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,996 Member
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    When I want pizza I exercise more that day.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,114 Member
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    my58vw wrote: »
    I normally have 1, and sometimes rarely 2 days a week were I eat to TDEE. Those extra 600 - 1000 calories will be enough to get you through the hard days. You should not eat over TDEE, and that should never be a problem. If cheat means "enjoy a desert, or something similar, than great, go for it! If cheat means go 1500 over TDEE, then you have an issue with eating still...

    I've been at weight maintenance for quite a long time. It is exceedingly easy to go over TDEE by 1500 - and I no longer put a judgement on myself for that. 1500 calories can be one meal at Cheesecake Factory or Outback. One dessert and an appetizer. A day at the fair. I enjoy food. It's not that much food when eating out - and eating out is gonna happen.

    I don't know. I used to really beat myself up for having a +1500 day. Now, after nine years in maintenance, I realize that these occasional days don't affect me. It took me being at a healthy weight to "get" that, though. As long as I was over weight I continued to use shame on myself. It's self-defeating, because I would then spiral down into a week of not logging, over-eating daily, and it was a battle to start again.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
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    I think it's fine if it makes losing weight easier for you. As long as you still have a deficit overall you'll still lose.

    I eat over maintenance most weekends, so even in maintenance I run a deficit throughout the week. This works for me because during the week I have a desk job and a very structured routine. On the weekends we like to eat drink and be merry. We attend or host a lot of weekend gatherings and I like being able to not give calories much thought on the weekends.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,114 Member
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    That's what I do too, @Need2Exerc1se
  • Philtex
    Philtex Posts: 966 Member
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    TylerWhiite wrote: »
    Are weekly cheat days okay to have during dieting?

    You would only be 'cheating' yourself. It really comes down to priorities. Are you willing slow your weight loss progress? Is abandoning your diet plan once a week more important to you than how soon you could reach goal? Only you can know that.

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