Logging Cheat Meal

grob49

Wife and I are going out to dinner and have Mexican food. My plan is to spilt a combination plate. That way we don't get so much. Just curious I would you logged it or would you? I have about 800 calories to give. My logged is open.

janejellyroll

I log everything, even if it's just my best guess. That way I can track trends better.

KyleGrace8

If you don't log it exactly, make a note of it. I've been meaning to mark it on a calendar when I have a cheat meal so I can really tell how long it's been and not make it a habit.

leanjogreen18

I have a "controlled cheat day" where I eat at maintenance. I log it.

I'm hoping it will help me with my eventual goal of eyeballing portion and calorie contents when I get to maintenance. I just went on vacay and I was able to intuitively eat (I logged my meals end of the day to check guessing and finding similar foods in the database) for a week and ate at maintenance with only slightly going over on 2 days (dang alcohol)

So my advice is log it as close as you can, it's all a learning process.

sammyliftsandeats

I would log it, even if you have to guess at the content because there's no nutritional info available. That way, if you have any cause for concern, you can look back in your diary and may be able to pinpoint any anomalies.

Even if you don't log it on MFP, your body definitely does.

JessicaB523

I log everything. I am going to Fogo de Chao tonight and plan on eating all the things. I have no idea what the actual calories/macros will be as I don't even know what meats and salad stuff I will decide to have, so I just found a general entry and put in like 3000 calories (which is probably a little overkill) just so I can look back if needed and have a general idea of what I ate.

This type of meal is a super rare occurrence though (like once or twice a year). Most of the time I try to be more specific even if it is just a guestimate when eating out or at family gatherings.

85Cardinals

I couldn't live with myself if I didn't log it! Had 3500 Calorie Friday a week ago today, logged each and every one. Worked too, broke outta my stall.

cwolfman13

when I logged, I logged everything...my diary was a tool that provided data for my analysis...I liked having accurate data to work with.

grob49

Everyone says log but how do you log half a meal. At best your guessing how many grams. Each item is. The meal was
1/2 tamale
1/2 green chile cheese enchilada
1/2 chile relleno
1 beef taco
1/2 green chili beef
1/2 Spanish Rice
1 refried beans

jayeless

grob49 wrote: »

Everyone says log but how do you log half a meal. At best your guessing how many grams. Each item is.

That's literally what I do. Last night I went to my grandma's birthday dinner (although I was aiming to stick to my deficit, not "cheat"). When I got home I found the same dishes from other places, estimated how much I had of everything (yes, in grams), and put it all in. It's not perfect but considering I'm not eating out at restaurants every night, even if I was off by 1,000 kilojoules it would only impede my progress for like, one day. And if it was truly a cheat meal, then at least I'd know roughly how much I cheated by. Approximate data is better than no data, I figure.

andrea_nichol

I log because it helps me to be motivated to get back on track after. I don't want my weight loss to take away from the enjoyment of life so I think it's okay to break out of the routine once in a while. I don't beat myself up.

grob49

I didn't log it I logged everything else and my exercises. I felt good about it. Didn't over do it and splitting it in half with the wife turned out just right for both of us.

sy_19440

Everything in moderation but I would log the meal. As someone else your body knows what you ate even if the rest of us don't.