Anyone have a cheat day?

ladybugvalerie

I am incorporating a cheat day into my week. Does anyone else do that?

malibu927

No, because I'm not cheating on anything. If I want something, I work it into my calorie goals...if I can't for the day, I'll look at my weekly goal.

animatorswearbras

I tend to have a larger deficit during the working week and hover around maintenance for the weekend I just set a weekly deficit for myself (of around 2000 cals deficit total). Whatever you find works for you and can make this sustainable long term. Also there's some evidence cycling calories can be good for maintaining your metabolism. Good luck x

blackcars7411

I did that for a while. Had a cheat day & ate whatever I wanted all day for a day. Then I reduced it to just one cheat meal once a week. In the beginning it helped with cravings & such but After a while, I realized I wasn't getting the results I wanted so I cut out cheat day/meals completely. Now, if I really want something, I try to incorporate into my calories & if I can't, I try not to eat it. Other than that, I don't have cheat days/meals anymore. I broke that bank a long time ago.

sardelsa

I have two surplus days where I eat more than usual. I bank/calorie cycle during the week for them so it's all in the plan.

tlee278

I've been trying not too, but this past weekend, I indulged in b-day cake and ice cream as we celebrated two birthdays. I was mindful to stay within my calorie limit and portion sizes.

Tried30UserNames

Once a week or so I eat the foods I want to indulge in and don't pay attention to how healthy the food is or if I ate any vegetables. But I'm still trying to keep it within my calorie levels. I had mostly cheese enchiladas and ice cream the other day, not exactly a balanced diet but within my calories. That's the kind of cheat day I'm trying now.

bbell1985

No. Because I don't feel it's healthy to "cheat" at a diet, mentally. I can also wipe out a calorie deficit with a cheat day. I have a pre-determined maintenance/surplus day that fits within my calorie deficit for the week. I log everything.

sabinaholtby

I do, I go all out once a week. I find that is helps me think about what I want my eating life to be like. It's very interesting to me.

sophie7591

I've only been on this new journey about six weeks. On Mothers day I had a high fat high calorie dinner from a buffet and one can of soda. But turns out it was still within my calories for the day because I skipped lunch and had a light breakfast. I'll do that again when the mood strikes me, but it won't be more than once per month .

BlueSkyShoal

Kind of. Some days I don't log, I just try to gauge my eating by hunger. I'm trying to train my body to recognize fullness (so I can stop eating at that point), since there are situations where you just don't know the calorie count (like in restaurants).

I guess those are more "non-logging days" instead of cheat days, though, since I am still trying to stay within my calorie goals. I do occasionally have a day where I go nuts on chocolate candy or something. Not to the extent that it undoes all my progress, but definitely to the extent where it wouldn't be healthy to eat like that every day.

noshea6434

ladybugvalerie wrote: »

I am incorporating a cheat day into my week. Does anyone else do that?

Last time I was on a Keto diet, I had a cheat day where I was allowed to eat whatever carbs I wanted. It worked brilliantly. Helped me stave off cravings during the week and since my parents host a weekly family dinner, it meant I didn't have to ask them to plan around my diet. I still would do things like choose low carb tortillas if I had fajitas or tacos, but if I wanted potatoes or pasta or rice, the things I miss like crazy when I go keto, it was fair game.

I'm not sure what your plan is, but if you're just planning to count calories, I would do as others have recommended and try instead to incorporate the things you crave into your count rather than cheat. Maybe some of the suggestions about banking or having a weekly plan rather than a daily plan could work to build a "cheat day" which would really just be the day you get extra calories.

Ultimately, my friend reminds me, "You can't store the calories you don't eat." I usually make the mistake of setting unrealistic parameters that I can't possibly adhere to so recommend you pick a reasonable number that allows you to have some of the things you like as long as it's reasonable (try doing half portions of snacks/sweets for example). Best of luck!

HMedina1963

I normally give myself a cheat day and usually is Sunday. Try not to overdo it so I will not end guilt ridden.

I think it helps me to stay on track and avoid cheating during the week in small increments.

kincharles

I don't have a cheat day - what I have is days that I don't beat myself up for being too close/over my target. There are days I just feel like having something extra and it sometimes just won't fit into my goals for the day. I don't worry about it though because I know that 90% of the time I will be fine meeting my goal and if I don't give in to eating something I just 'want' now and then, there is a larger chance of a 'cheat day' which could spiral into completely falling off target.

InkAndApples

The term cheat day always makes me assume it's a day you don't log. The scientist in me is horrified that you cod spend all week trying to gather as much data as accurately as possible and then completely throw that out of the window. Honestly, why bother?

I don't have "cheat days" because no matter what I eat I log it, I also don't have a set plan I can "cheat" on I eat whatever I like while fitting it in to my calories. Some days I eat more, some days I eat less but it always fits within my weekly calorie goal. This Sunday I ate lunch out, had drinks and then had takeaway pizza. I don't class that as a cheat as it was all logged and accounted for and fit into my calorie budget.

Jadedinosaur

I guess as long as you recognise the calories still count whether it is a cheat day or not. I have days I overindulge (though I still track to the best of my ability), but I don't count them as cheating, as there is no way to cheat the maths.

sazzyanne14

I've pretty much been eating the same lunch everyday (I don't find it boring) which means I have plenty of room left for my evening meal. This was for me it always seems like a treat whilst fitting in with my allowance

ldwatene

I thought about having one today but then after thinking more on it. What is a cheat day/meal when you can pretty much work any meal into your calorie count with the right planning.

Raysie1

For me eliminating words like cheat (along with 'bad' food and guilt) with all their negative associations from my weight loss journey has made me more confident in success this time.

MsHarryWinston

I don't have cheat days. I work what I want to eat into my daily calories. I have a lot of days where I'm short 50-100 cals so if a day comes up where I'm just SUPER hungry I add up the calories I was under for other days and use them as extra for the day. So say even if I eat up to maintenance that day I'm usually still at my originally planned deficit when you look at the week view.

I don't like the idea of "cheating", I think the wording can potentially put you in a bad place with good emotionally and mentally. But I think that if you're really struggling with your deficit then having a planned day eating at maintenance can be a good mental break.

scarlett_k

No. Implying that eating certain foods is cheating can be harmful and does nothing to help build a healthier relationship with food. I've been eating home made cake and biscuits every day since I started and I've still been losing every week. I don't call that cheating, I call that a massive win.