Cheat day.... yay or nay???????

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  • pesigrandi
    pesigrandi Posts: 74 Member
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    I don't do cheat days. I'm not on any special diet. I don't consider foods good or bad though I recognize some are better for my health than others. I'm working on portion control and limiting alcohol intake. I love cocktails but they don't love my waist so I imbibe only on Friday & Saturday and usually limit to a couple of drinks throughout the evening. I eat my preferred portions (1/4 protein, 1/4 starch/grain, 1/2 veggies) by volume. In the past I might eat a 7-9oz pork chop. Now I cut it in half and eat half for dinner and half for breakfast or lunch the next day. I have never been one to eat fast food (doesn't taste good to me) or junk food. If I'm hungry I eat nuts, dark chocolate (my favorite) or fruit as a snack.

    It's important to not make food the enemy.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    I see cheat days as a bad idea. Realistically, most people don't overeat everyday. It is those date nights, those party nights, those holiday meals, those potlucks that push them over the edge. If they ate only what they normally eat they might be overweight, but not to the extent that they are. But then they have those days when they eat more than normal. Cheat days set you up to continue that bad habit. It is better to figure out a way to keep those days of excess under control.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Nope, I fit everything I want to eat into my weekly calorie goal
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,108 Member
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    Nay. If I want a treat I arrange my calories for that day and make sure it fits. It's not cheating.
  • Rebecca0224
    Rebecca0224 Posts: 810 Member
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    annathebanana135 wrote: »
    Sounds like i should hold off on a cheat day then, though its sad to hear you all made valid points and your right, cheat days dont sound like a good idea and in the back of my mind i knew this and thats why i had to ask. I just really wanted my white chocolate mocha xtra sweet this morning and a chocolate shake for dessert!

    It doesn't sound like this will be sustainable for you. This restriction probably won't lead to long term success. Try working treats into your weekly calorie goal, last Sunday I had a big mac and fries and was still under my weekly calories and wasn't starving myself either. Figure out which foods keep you full longer and make room for treats, weight loss shouldn't be a punishment.
  • Chunkahlunkah
    Chunkahlunkah Posts: 373 Member
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    I think reframing it as a maintenance day is a smart idea.
  • markswife1992
    markswife1992 Posts: 262 Member
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    everyone is different. i eat <1300 cal\day and <30 g carbs\day and about once a week, i don't record or watch what i eat. i have lost 25 lbs so far since november, and that includes a week in vegas when i didn't log anything and ate and drank whatever i want. i look forward to my "cheat days." although i usually call them saturday.
    :wink:
  • Nikion901
    Nikion901 Posts: 2,467 Member
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    nay ...
  • markswife1992
    markswife1992 Posts: 262 Member
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    Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »
    In my opinion "cheat days" or "cheat meals" are just another negative association with food.

    There is no positive forms of cheating in life.. cheat on tests, spouses, whatever, its always a negative, so to me, people who throw foods into a category designated as a cheat meal often find themselves eating these foods and then completely regretting it right afterwards..

    in my opinion this only sets people up for a future fail because now that they feel *kitten*, they don't wanna feel that way again for a while so what do they do? they avoid the food even more now... and avoiding it usually leads to a binge.. and a binge can often derail someone entirely.

    i used to feel that way, but my dr has me on a very strict low-carb diet. i eat between 25-30g carbs\day and i kind of "have to" stick to this for a lifetime due to my health issues. so for me, knowing i can eat a few oreos on saturday or sunday keeps me on the straight & narrow during the week. i would do MUCH worse if i never had my cheat days to look foward to. honestly, i had an entire banana pudding in my refrigerator all day yesterday and never touched it because i knew i could have a slice today!
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
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    Yeah no, that's not how this works.
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,949 Member
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    A cheat day every week is way too often. Super easy to undo the whole week. Once a month is okay. Depends on the person though.
  • markswife1992
    markswife1992 Posts: 262 Member
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    VeryKatie wrote: »
    A cheat day every week is way too often. Super easy to undo the whole week. Once a month is okay. Depends on the person though.

    i used to think once a week was too often, but now i look forward to it so much. today was mine, and i had a piece of my banana pudding that i had been dreaming about! BUT that was all i had as far as "cheating" is concerned. so i guess we have to define cheat. LOL to me, it's eating something that i normally can't have. so i won't eat 2000 calories in one day, or eat an entire box of cookies. i limit it to just something that i am seriously craving.
  • Psyduckfan1
    Psyduckfan1 Posts: 18 Member
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    I can only speak for me, but I say nay to cheat days. Heck, I have to concede right now that I'm too undisciplined -- thanks to an unhealthy relationship for food that I haven't a clue in the world where I can talk about that -- to even eat normally most weeks.

    But the honest truth is I can't let myself cheat because so doing puts me on a slippery slope that soon leads to a junk orgy. So I have to hold myself to an iron discipline.
  • hellobaconplease
    hellobaconplease Posts: 108 Member
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    Cheat days are only going to cheat on YOU. Just factor in a treat! I skip breakfasts on the weekend so I can pig out and have a massive lunch and some chocolate.
  • Chadxx
    Chadxx Posts: 1,199 Member
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    JaydedMiss wrote: »
    You need to fix your mindset...not even a week in and already talking about cheat days? Fit your snacks into your daily calories. Simple dont overcomplicate it. "Cheat days" Shouldnt exist, shouldnt have to. especially after 6 days...Easily undo all your work with a single cheat day. Theres nothing sayign you cant eat what you want to eat daily aslong as you make it fit your calories. I eat burgers often. And chocolate. And iv lost 80 pounds in 9 months.

    Stop demonizing foods you love like their cheating.

    Nailed it. Lose the whole cheating mentality. Think budget and and spend your calories wisely to fit in what you want.

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