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Cheat Meal....yay or nay?

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  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
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    Nikion901 wrote: »
    I'd rather honestly eat at maintenance or even a up to 100 calories over than have a cheat meal or day.

    This where the issue lies. What you have outlined is a "cheat" day in some peoples eyes.

    It all comes down to definition of what cheating is.
  • Macy9336
    Macy9336 Posts: 694 Member
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    trigden1991 wrote: »
    Nikion901 wrote: »
    I'd rather honestly eat at maintenance or even a up to 100 calories over than have a cheat meal or day.

    This where the issue lies. What you have outlined is a "cheat" day in some peoples eyes.

    It all comes down to definition of what cheating is.

    Agree. I think IF non fast days could be viewed as built in cheating by some.... the word "cheat" has so many meanings.
  • credle071207
    credle071207 Posts: 37 Member
    edited March 2017
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    My cardiologist told me that I had to find a way to eat and exercise that I could sustain for the rest of my life and that is what I did. I am pretty much in maintenance mode now. I personally don't like the concept of a regular cheat day. When I hit my goal weight, I tried not logging for Month. I picked up 2 or 3 lbs. I started logging again. I may occasionally go over my calories, but there are still certain foods that I will not eat. To me, eating healthier has become a full time, life long commitment. I will never have a cheeseburger fries and a milkshake again and I don't miss it. When you are 55 years old and your doctor tells you that if you don't find a new way of living and lose weight, you may not see 60, it forced me to make a permanent change to how I think about food and exercise. I have lost 142 lbs and am running my first half marathon in April. I can never go back to where I was. This is why cheat days won't exist for me. Of course this is what I have had to do for me and am in no way saying that to be successful that you have to do it like me. I was addicted to food. Drinking a milk shake once a week would be like an alcoholic having one drink a week for me. But this is my personal journey and not everybody has to look at it as extremely as I do.
  • laceyslabaugh
    laceyslabaugh Posts: 113 Member
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    I don't consider it cheating - but I do log everything that touches my mouth. If I have an under day, over day or a waayyy over day ... it is what it is. I don't feel guilty and just jump back on the ship the next day!
  • joemac1988
    joemac1988 Posts: 1,021 Member
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    cbl40 wrote: »
    Hey there! What are your thoughts on one meal a week where you don't log and eat whatever you want? I don't have much, if any, weight to lose, trying to get leaner and stronger, hence eating to meet macros. However, I didn't follow that night of Super Bowl and ate crap (not a ton of it, but enough) and the scale went up 4 pounds. I know it wasn't smart to weigh myself a day or so after bad eating but is that normal? I'm thinking it's not worth to mess up your hard work with one night of bad eating. What are your thoughts on cheats?

    Don't do a "cheat meal", have a "refeed day". Track it but have higher carbs and fat.
  • KiaraShay
    KiaraShay Posts: 35 Member
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    I personally had to come to a realization for myself food is food. I refuse to call it cheating personally, I tell myself this food at this time simply doesn't alighn with my goals or it's does. I struggled with binge eating for so long, I would lose my mind because a cheat meal had such a negative connotation since I deemed those foods a no-go, so when I did, all hell would break loose. I had to stop myself and take a new approach to food and realize I can have these foods any time I want in moderation, so no need for a cheat meal, because to me NO food is off limits, it keeps me sane, and has helped immensely. If this is life long and sustainable, a girl can't live without chocolate. Also some people think dairy is bad, or chocolate, or bread, or peanut butter, people view "cheat" foods so differently. It's so stupid to me, to label effing food bad or good lol some have better nutrients and such but food is food to me. I feel like labeling food gives it too much power. Just my thoughts!
  • devrinator
    devrinator Posts: 77 Member
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    I wouldn't call it allowing a cheat day, but allow yourself a set number of meals or days where it's okay if food out of the routine comes your way so you stay balanced. That way if Mom or Mother-in-Law insists you try her fried eggplant or homemade mac and cheese, you can indulge (be polite) and go about your week. In other words, don't intentionally cheat, but allow for one or two days a week where you CAN digress without guilt if the opportunity is difficult to avoid.

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