How many calories do you go over your base on cheat days?

serindipte

Rather than "cheat days", I do weekly averages on my calories. I generally eat a bit below my daily goal each day so that, on days I want a higher calorie meal, I can enjoy it without disrupting my weight loss. The phone app makes it easy to watch weekly averages.

jjpptt2

I don't do cheat days, at least not in the sense of a planned "today I'm intentionally going over my calorie goal" day. To me, those are counter productive and feel like I'm planning to undo some of my prior progress. It just doesn't jive for me.

I do most certainly have days where, at some point in the day, I say "f*** it, I'm going to eat this whole case of starburst because that will make me feel better." On those days, all I can hope for is to keep it isolated to just the 1 day. I may well be 4000 cals over. But if I can get back on track the next day, then I've contained the damage and I can usually get back in my groove... which usually means the damage done is fairly easily overcome during the next week or 2.

However, if I let that 1 day spiral into a week or month... then I'm in trouble and it becomes more than just a blip on my progress bar.

Brithicks

Call it whatever you want to. I eat at a deficit Monday through Friday and closer to maintenance on the weekends. It works for me. I don't feel deprived, and it is something that I can continue for into the future (I also don't drink alcohol or eat added sugar or many packaged "snack" type foods during the week, but do on the weekend if I want).

Emily3907

I don't believe in cheat days. But on days where I do go over my planned calories, I try to stay below maintenance.