Attn. Cheaters!!

daniellerusbult1

How often do you allow yourself to cheat? And how bad do you cheat?

I usually eat like a rockstar when I'm home and working, but when I go visit family on the weekends for golf tournaments (a lot during the summer), I know that I'm not going to. We cook all weekend for those who are golfing, and it would just be dumb to not eat that food... also, nearly impossible since I'm the one golfing sometimes and can't make my own food. Then we also drink. So it's safe to say I fall off the wagon for several weekends during the summer, or rather STEP off of the wagon because I know ahead of time that I'm going to do it.

My question is whether you think that will set me back big time or not?

loislenski

I normally cheat once a week and you can check my ticker, I've lost a little over ten pounds. I would honestly prefer to cheat less but things come up normally once a week.... just like you have golfing on the weekends. I wouldn't stress out too much over it though if you are worried, still eat the food and drink provided just have a small serving and only one beer, or something like that.
Have fun golfing!

UsedToBeHusky

It will set you back temporarily, but if you are eating right for the better part of the time, you will be fine.

battyg13

I have only just started this.

One cheat meal per week.

Not sure how it will affect me.

Francl27

I 'cheat' every day with things that fit in my calorie goal. Pie, ice cream...

Dauntlessness

Its not cheating, its moderation. I allow myself to eat whatever I want on Fridays since the hubby and I go out to eat and are busy.

If anyone thinks that they will go the rest of their lives not eating holiday food, vaca food, high cal restaurant food or sweets, well they are delusional..hahaha:laugh: Its not about "wrong foods" and "right foods", its about balance.

Its important to get out of the mindset of that your on a "diet" and using a word like cheating is only reinforcing that mentality.

xinit0

Get off the wagon? Um... I don't know what you're doing, but I'm pulling the wagon, not riding on it.

daniellemm1

Every day I have a little something I consider a treat, a few squares of dark chocolate or a bowl of ice cream. Usually on the weekend I know there will be one day that I go over on my calories but I also try to be more active on the weekends. I don't stress about it because if I didn't allow myself to eat what I love I would eventually give in and binge like a crazy person.

Keep in mind that it takes 3500 extra calories to gain a pound. Just try to be more aware of your intake and increase your movement. Have one less drink then you normally would or try to stop munching when you are full rather than when the plate is empty.

Like Dauntless said this is a lifestyle change and you will have special occasions and weekend fun that you don't want to miss out on.

JoRocka

just because it isn't food you normally eat doesn't mean you can't eat in moderation- and doesn't mean you can't be healthy.

Don't go hog on it- just limit yourself- and drink slowly.

Sweet_Pandora

I like to refer it as indulging.

The word cheating to me implies you are doing something wrong. Moderation is key, I'm still working on that!

Karen

overstreetjl

It's like this, if you cheat, it's going to set you back, plain and simple. How much it sets you back is determined by what you eat, how much you eat, and how much you go over your daily calorie goal.

I'm not saying this works for everyone, but for me it does. I train like an athlete and I do not have cheat days. I watch my calories enough to make sure that at the end of the night, every night, I can afford myself a small snack. Normally I have a bowl of Cheerios, or Froot Loops.

That being said, this is what I told someone who said roughly the same thing you did about "I try to be active on weekends". To me, there's no such thing as being active on the weekends. I explained to this person that all it takes is making a few simple changes to accommodate exercising regularly. Whether it be going to bed 30 minutes later, or getting up 30 minutes earlier, there is always a way to get exercise into your daily routine.

Food is no different than any other drug out there. I've never heard a heroin addict say "If I don't allow myself to shoot up every once in a while, I'll fall back into it". The way someone explained it to me (which is what made the difference) is, you have to find something inside of yourself that goes beyond the standard "I want to lose some weight". It has to be more than that. There has to be a motivation to you that makes the benefits of diet and exercise weigh more than having cheat days, or just quitting all together.

That's just my opinion though, I wish you the best, and good luck with whatever you do.

missjeevious

I only ever needed to 'cheat' when i was trying to maintain a low-calorie diet. Now that i eat 2100-2400 cals/day, there's no need to cheat. I want it and it fits in my macros? I have it.

chezjuan

I personally don't cheat. I usually work everything I want to have into my daily goals, and accept it if "life happens" and I end up at a function and going over my calories for a day here or there.

Maybe look at your goals weekly instead of daily? Maybe don't eat back as many exercise calories (if you follow that). As long as you're not starving yourself every day so you can go nuts on the weekend, it could work. Saving, say, 100 calories a day M-F would give you 500 extra on Saturday.

ItsCasey

I would say try to make it all fit, but if you don't know ahead of time what you're going to be eating, that can be difficult. Maybe, if this is something that's going to be happening a lot, you should content yourself with maintaining until summer is over. I honestly think in this situation, it comes down to prioritizing. And it's perfectly fine if spending the summer golfing with your family is a bigger priority than staying true to your eating plan every day.

If losing weight is a bigger priority, then sacrifices will have to be made. One "bad" meal on the weekend is not going to hurt you, but eating off-plan all weekend is going to make it difficult to lose weight on a weekly basis. It's going to require moderating your intake on the weekends or eating at a larger deficit during the week to give yourself more calories on weekends. And that could affect whatever training you're doing during the week. So again, it's about prioritizing.

donald149

It all comes down to that scale... lol if you cheat and still pull off some great numbers than fantastic. If not, then you really have to decide how bad you want it. i think half the people on here are in the same position as you.

Healingnutritionsolutions

I see many posters to this thread who indulge on a daily or weekly basis who have lost a LOT of weight according to their tickers... I am impressed by this, and I'm glad to see it. I think its much healthier to allow some... I have dabbled with tracking on here for a couple of years, but I am really only a couple of months into my first seriously dedicated attempt to make the real lifestyle changes it takes to make permanent loss in fat regardless of weight. I don't ever cheat on my tracking ever... that to me would be worse than not tracking at all. Keying up the nutrition is important - I feel better when I eat well, and I am learning to watch the portion sizes, and stop eating when satisfied instead of full. Now to work on the exercise... that is where I cheat - or don't motivate myself as well... I am definitely extremely busy, (I need a 30 hour day really!) but I really could find a bit of time to work in a bit more exercise if I really wanted to... so that's my next goal...

MG_Fit

I'm in the planning for an event boat. I'll eat at a deficit if I'm planning to party later in the week. There are spontaneous situations that come up where I'll have to decide whether or not it's worth it for me to indulge. 99% of the time, I'll eat according to my goals, but there are times when I just have at it.

Someone yesterday told me that it must be "hard work" watching what I eat, going to the gym and just living healthier overall. It truly was a chore at first, but after 7 months of doing this it's more like second nature at this point.

SteveJWatson

Depends how long-term you see this as being, really.

If you are on a 20% deficiet then a few weekends a year when you eat loads aint going to matter at all in the grand scheme of things - also bear in mind that 1lb weight gain takes 3500 cals or thereabouts to achieve.

I can't bear the self-flaggeleating attitude whereby some people have to be on track all the time and use phrases like 'on the wagon' - it just seems to me that life just aint like that and if you are too rigid then ultimately you will fail.

I'm sure if you are golfing, you are walking about a lot too, so that helps.

There is loads of stuff that I can't log - "home-made" slices of cake from the stands at the country shows etc at this time of year, for example....

Will I not eat them or buy a generic cake with info on so I can log? Hell no! Life is too goddamn short.

dandelyon

I didn't start logging weekends until 6 months in, because that's when it started holding me back. I still indulge, but I track it. If I eat something that's not in the database I just give it my best guess.

daniellerusbult1

Well, I'll say this much... I seriously really like healthy food! I've been eating *fairly* healthy since I graduated high school (6 years ago). I never buy snacky foods, as in chips, cookies, popcorn, etc. It's just that I've made a conscious choice to pull out ALL unhealthy foods/processed foods when I'm tracking. I eat ground turkey breast, chicken breast, salmon, tilapia, fresh fish we catch, shrimp, etc. for my meats. Then I eat a lot of carrots, some cauliflower, frozen corn and fresh green beans for my veggies. I'll have grapes, apples, bananas for fruits. And every morning I have 2 eggs and maybe a yogurt or banana before my workout. I usually snack on these same foods, and I enjoy it! I'm eating at around 1200-1400 calories every day (and yes, I feel full at my meals). I drink around 130-150 ounces of water every day (except those pesky golfing weekends), and excluding the golf/family weekends, I usually workout every day (25-30 minutes of cardio, upper body or lower body strength training).

Also, I don't usually pay attention to how much I eat on those weekends, but compared to the way it used to be, I don't feel sickly full all day anymore. We used to have food sitting out all day and we would "graze." LOL I eat at meal times and tend to drink all day.

Lulzaroonie

Every day. A couple of cookies here, a bag of crisps there. If it fits into my calorie goal, I don't let myself suffer from wanting.

LovinDaNewLiz14

Just do not overdue it....your walking and doing some type of exercise golfing and I am sure your downing that water. Just be careful, and do not overdue it:) Nothing wrong with having a cheat day!!

jimgatewood

Don't even like the word.

nathalier71

I'm with you - I eat what I want - and walk more to burn it off.

bcattoes

How often do you allow yourself to cheat? And how bad do you cheat?

I don't call it "cheating" but always eat and drink more on the weekends. I just eat lighter during the week to offset it. On holidays and at parties I often don't worry about calories, but I don't stuff myself like a madman either. These occasions show a small gain, but it disappears quickly once I get back to my normal routine.

My question is whether you think that will set me back big time or not?

This depends on how much you go over. If you go on a crazy 5000 caloris a day binge for a week, then yeah, expect a pretty big set back. If you typically have a 500 calorie deficit and you go over goal by 800 calories, then you still only have a 300 surplus so even if you do it for a week you should gain < 1 lb of fat (though you may also have temporary water weight gain).

Enjoy yourself but don't go crazy. You'll be fine. Life is more enjoyable if you get to "cheat" now and then.

cmurphy252

I am also one who eats what I want everyday - just work it into my calorie goals. I do allow myself a splurge day once/week where I dont intentionally go over calorie goals, but if I do I dont sweat it! Its one day and hasnt hurt my progress. I will say that I dont have a problem with binging, so this works for me whereas it may not work for someone who struggles with binging.

Pangea250

I'm not even sure. I guess it depends on what cheating is. I eat like a normal person, but I stay on the careful side. I avoid "bad" food and watch portions like a hawk.

But what is cheating? Is it pizza? Is it Doritos? I've done both of those in the past week. But in moderation.

If cheating is completely blowing it for the day? That happens rarely. Maybe once a month. If cheating is allowing myself something I want (but in moderation), then that happens several times a week.

daniellerusbult1

Cheating for me is either as small as allowing myself more sodium than I should have for the day (which happens more often), not calories... or it'll be these weekends where I eat brats, burgers, coleslaw, a bag of chips... those types of foods. Not all in one meal though! I don't stuff myself! Oh and drinking lol

elliej

By cheat do you mean over eat compared to calorie goal or just eat nice food?

I eat whatever I want as long as i'm within my macros and calorie goal - that's not 'cheating' that's good sense. I think it's next to impossible to stick to a 'diet' if it's all about abstaining from anything you want to eat...

daniellerusbult1

By cheat do you mean over eat compared to calorie goal or just eat nice food?

I eat whatever I want as long as i'm within my macros and calorie goal - that's not 'cheating' that's good sense. I think it's next to impossible to stick to a 'diet' if it's all about abstaining from anything you want to eat...

For me, it's not a diet so much because that's just what I eat. When I'm consistently making sure I'm within my calorie goal and tracking, that is then a diet. What do you mean by macros? I have seen that term a lot.

And I can't eat anything I want because I love salty foods LOL But I'm good with staying away from them for the most part.

KANGOOJUMPS

I cheat all the time,