Cheat day during weight loss?
martinaneuwirth
Posts: 3 Member
Hi. I want to know your opinions about cheat days during weight loss? Can I have One cheat day Once a week? Or every two weeks? Daily I eat around 1400calories and Maybe it will start again leptin function and i will catch some new glycogen. Whats your opinion?
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Replies
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My opinion is that weight loss is really simple (eat less, move more), and overcomplicating it (leptin, glycogen, metabolism, gut bacteria, etc etc) is what makes it difficult.
I also mean that if you count calories, you shuld do it right. Set an appropriate calorie goal (to achieve a weekly loss of 1% of total body weight), log everything correctly, and stick to the calorie goal as much as possible from day to day.
If you log correctly and honestly, you can eat whatever you want, so there is no need to cheat. The concept of cheating also goes against the concept of accurate, honest and consistent logging. One cheat meal could easily wipe out a week's deficit. Saving up calories for a special meal or the weekend, and logging that correctly as well, is not cheating, though.
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I agree with the above.
Cheating is just that, cheating. And you're only cheating yourself.
However, choosing to drop to, say, 1,350 for 6 days a week to buy yourself an extra 300 calories for fun on the 7th is a totally legitimate thing.
Just don't drop TOO far (net intake after exercise should be above 1,200 for most women and 1,500 for most men) or you're likely to find energy levels etc suffer (also long term health, vital bodily functions etc etc).
Alternatively, earn some extra calories through exercise so that you can afford the splurge.4 -
Rather than a cheat day have a treat meal every now and then. Just plan for it in the days leading up with more exercise or slightly reduced calories so you fit within your weekly budget, or eat at maintenance for that day. Be very mindful that this occassional meal doesn't become an occassional day, then a week, then a oh well let's give up trying to lose weight kind of thing.3
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Ok. I Just wanted to say I can not treat myself Everyday. I can't eat Just a tiny piece of chocolate. I was obese in the past so i love Food so much But as i said i can't treat myself like that. I want a whole chocolate bar(Or Even more hah) until i fell satisfied0
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martinaneuwirth wrote: »Ok. I Just wanted to say I can not treat myself Everyday. I can't eat Just a tiny piece of chocolate. I was obese in the past so i love Food so much But as i said i can't treat myself like that. I want a whole chocolate bar(Or Even more hah) until i fell satisfied
you need to relearn how much chocolate you need to 'feel satisfied'...2 -
You don't have to eat chocolate to treat yourself. If you love food, I'm sure you like a lot of different foods. Most healthy weight adults don't eat chocolate every day. (Some do, but it takes some planning, and it's usually quite small amounts. If you don't feel satisfied with small amounts, it's better to not torment yourself with it.) But you can surely eat chocolate occasionally, and lose and then maintain weight.3
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kommodevaran wrote: »My opinion is that weight loss is really simple (eat less, move more), and overcomplicating it (leptin, glycogen, metabolism, gut bacteria, etc etc) is what makes it difficult.
I also mean that if you count calories, you shuld do it right. Set an appropriate calorie goal (to achieve a weekly loss of 1% of total body weight), log everything correctly, and stick to the calorie goal as much as possible from day to day.
If you log correctly and honestly, you can eat whatever you want, so there is no need to cheat. The concept of cheating also goes against the concept of accurate, honest and consistent logging. One cheat meal could easily wipe out a week's deficit. Saving up calories for a special meal or the weekend, and logging that correctly as well, is not cheating, though.
This makes total sense.
Not just to the quoted poster but in general: Is there an easy way to keep track over the whole week or can you only see calories day by day? It would be great if you could see a weekly goal and as you go through each day it recalculate the average allowance for the days left or something! Anybody found an app that syncs with MFP maybe?
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kommodevaran wrote: »My opinion is that weight loss is really simple (eat less, move more), and overcomplicating it (leptin, glycogen, metabolism, gut bacteria, etc etc) is what makes it difficult.
I also mean that if you count calories, you shuld do it right. Set an appropriate calorie goal (to achieve a weekly loss of 1% of total body weight), log everything correctly, and stick to the calorie goal as much as possible from day to day.
If you log correctly and honestly, you can eat whatever you want, so there is no need to cheat. The concept of cheating also goes against the concept of accurate, honest and consistent logging. One cheat meal could easily wipe out a week's deficit. Saving up calories for a special meal or the weekend, and logging that correctly as well, is not cheating, though.
This makes total sense.
Not just to the quoted poster but in general: Is there an easy way to keep track over the whole week or can you only see calories day by day? It would be great if you could see a weekly goal and as you go through each day it recalculate the average allowance for the days left or something! Anybody found an app that syncs with MFP maybe?
the weekly average is available on the app0 -
Oh thanks, I haven't found that yet!0
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Hi ! actually the comments above aren't true (no disrespect
)the logic makes sense though you need to learn that you don't have to eat the whole chocolate to feel satisfied . you cannot gain weight ( and i mean real fat ) on a cheat meal (or cheat day but a meal is better in any ways itll teach you how to restrain yourself from eating your fridge 
) you ll be heavier the day after for sure for many reason (mostly water ) but the upside can be great . the thing is that the idea of a cheat meal comes from the rebound in musculation . the important thing on a cheat is to eat carbs some people forget that . in a good diet the only thing you need to adjust are the carbs . you always eat the same amount of protein and fat . with less carbs your body uses the energy from your bodyfat and your muscles (the point is to keep the muscle as much as possible though ) in the end the important thing is tohave a calori deficit but you cant take aways any kind of calories . to come back to your question a cheat will not have any impact on your diet as long as it is used when you start slowing down (you feel cold tired you look flat and you are not hungry anymore ) it means your hormones are decreasing . for most people the body slows down after 7 to 10 days (i cheat every 7 days ) i lost 25 pounds with a cheat every sunday .
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MaximilienZadeh wrote: »Hi ! actually the comments above aren't true (no disrespect )the logic makes sense though you need to learn that you don't have to eat the whole chocolate to feel satisfied . you cannot gain weight ( and i mean real fat ) on a cheat meal (or cheat day but a meal is better in any ways itll teach you how to restrain yourself from eating your fridge ) you ll be heavier the day after for sure for many reason (mostly water ) but the upside can be great . the thing is that the idea of a cheat meal comes from the rebound in musculation . the important thing on a cheat is to eat carbs some people forget that . in a good diet the only thing you need to adjust are the carbs . you always eat the same amount of protein and fat . with less carbs your body uses the energy from your bodyfat and your muscles (the point is to keep the muscle as much as possible though ) in the end the import
just no....6 -
TavistockToad wrote: »MaximilienZadeh wrote: »Hi ! actually the comments above aren't true (no disrespect )the logic makes sense though you need to learn that you don't have to eat the whole chocolate to feel satisfied . you cannot gain weight ( and i mean real fat ) on a cheat meal (or cheat day but a meal is better in any ways itll teach you how to restrain yourself from eating your fridge ) you ll be heavier the day after for sure for many reason (mostly water ) but the upside can be great . the thing is that the idea of a cheat meal comes from the rebound in musculation . the important thing on a cheat is to eat carbs some people forget that . in a good diet the only thing you need to adjust are the carbs . you always eat the same amount of protein and fat . with less carbs your body uses the energy from your bodyfat and your muscles (the point is to keep the muscle as much as possible though ) in the end the import
just no....
thanks for a great answer to my post i understand your very well explained reponse
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MaximilienZadeh wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »MaximilienZadeh wrote: »Hi ! actually the comments above aren't true (no disrespect )the logic makes sense though you need to learn that you don't have to eat the whole chocolate to feel satisfied . you cannot gain weight ( and i mean real fat ) on a cheat meal (or cheat day but a meal is better in any ways itll teach you how to restrain yourself from eating your fridge ) you ll be heavier the day after for sure for many reason (mostly water ) but the upside can be great . the thing is that the idea of a cheat meal comes from the rebound in musculation . the important thing on a cheat is to eat carbs some people forget that . in a good diet the only thing you need to adjust are the carbs . you always eat the same amount of protein and fat . with less carbs your body uses the energy from your bodyfat and your muscles (the point is to keep the muscle as much as possible though ) in the end the import
just no....
thanks for a great answer to my post i understand your very well explained reponse
your post is full of broscience rubbish....
you're welcome.8 -
TavistockToad wrote: »MaximilienZadeh wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »MaximilienZadeh wrote: »Hi ! actually the comments above aren't true (no disrespect )the logic makes sense though you need to learn that you don't have to eat the whole chocolate to feel satisfied . you cannot gain weight ( and i mean real fat ) on a cheat meal (or cheat day but a meal is better in any ways itll teach you how to restrain yourself from eating your fridge ) you ll be heavier the day after for sure for many reason (mostly water ) but the upside can be great . the thing is that the idea of a cheat meal comes from the rebound in musculation . the important thing on a cheat is to eat carbs some people forget that . in a good diet the only thing you need to adjust are the carbs . you always eat the same amount of protein and fat . with less carbs your body uses the energy from your bodyfat and your muscles (the point is to keep the muscle as much as possible though ) in the end the import
just no....
thanks for a great answer to my post i understand your very well explained reponse
your post is full of broscience rubbish....
you're welcome.
you are so disrespecful ahaha . these are just facts you can make some research if you want . i'm just trying to answer his question with some knowledge aquired from a long time of research and diet . you dont have to agree with me but its all based on serious studies and i tested it all on myself to see what worked and what didnt . still you need to learn manners .6 -
MaximilienZadeh wrote: »the thing is that the idea of a cheat meal comes from the rebound in musculation . the important thing on a cheat is to eat carbs some people forget that . in a good diet the only thing you need to adjust are the carbs . you always eat the same amount of protein and fat . with less carbs your body uses the energy from your bodyfat and your muscles (the point is to keep the muscle as much as possible though ) in the end the important thing is tohave a calori deficit but you cant take aways any kind of calories
This entire quoted section makes my brain hurt at the sheer incoherent nonsense it contains. Did this go through Google Translate?
Eat what you like but teach yourself to control it. That's much more beneficial in the long term than, as @TavistockToad so eloquently puts it, broscience rubbish. It may take you a while to gain full control, but once you do it will become part of your new eating habits and negates the need for actively planning cheat days.4 -
MaximilienZadeh wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »MaximilienZadeh wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »MaximilienZadeh wrote: »Hi ! actually the comments above aren't true (no disrespect )the logic makes sense though you need to learn that you don't have to eat the whole chocolate to feel satisfied . you cannot gain weight ( and i mean real fat ) on a cheat meal (or cheat day but a meal is better in any ways itll teach you how to restrain yourself from eating your fridge ) you ll be heavier the day after for sure for many reason (mostly water ) but the upside can be great . the thing is that the idea of a cheat meal comes from the rebound in musculation . the important thing on a cheat is to eat carbs some people forget that . in a good diet the only thing you need to adjust are the carbs . you always eat the same amount of protein and fat . with less carbs your body uses the energy from your bodyfat and your muscles (the point is to keep the muscle as much as possible though ) in the end the import
just no....
thanks for a great answer to my post i understand your very well explained reponse
your post is full of broscience rubbish....
you're welcome.
you are so disrespecful ahaha . these are just facts you can make some research if you want . i'm just trying to answer his question with some knowledge aquired from a long time of research and diet . you dont have to agree with me but its all based on serious studies and i tested it all on myself to see what worked and what didnt . still you need to learn manners .
Trying to work out exactly what is fact in what you said to be honest. If you eat a tonne of food, well above maintenance, you can indeed gain more than water retention. A cheat meal might be more carbs for you but that is very personal. I am more likely to have fries or cheesy potato bake rather than roast potato which is extra fat but the same number of carbs. With a deficit your body will use energy from bodyfat and muscle regardless of whether the deficit comes from carbs, fat or protein.4 -
MaximilienZadeh wrote: »Hi ! actually the comments above aren't true (no disrespect )the logic makes sense though you need to learn that you don't have to eat the whole chocolate to feel satisfied . you cannot gain weight ( and i mean real fat ) on a cheat meal (or cheat day but a meal is better in any ways itll teach you how to restrain yourself from eating your fridge ) you ll be heavier the day after for sure for many reason (mostly water ) but the upside can be great . the thing is that the idea of a cheat meal comes from the rebound in musculation . the important thing on a cheat is to eat carbs some people forget that . in a good diet the only thing you need to adjust are the carbs . you always eat the same amount of protein and fat . with less carbs your body uses the energy from your bodyfat and your muscles (the point is to keep the muscle as much as possible though ) in the end the important thing is tohave a calori deficit but you cant take aways any kind of calories . to come back to your question a cheat will not have any impact on your diet as long as it is used when you start slowing down (you feel cold tired you look flat and you are not hungry anymore ) it means your hormones are decreasing . for most people the body slows down after 7 to 10 days (i cheat every 7 days ) i lost 25 pounds with a cheat every sunday .
I think this might be the problem with these forums.
Sometimes the responses are not entirely relevant to the original poster's question.
Personally, I have learned the usefulness of a controlled higher carb "re-feed" (not cheat!) day to moderate (what I believe to be) my body's ghrelin/leptin response to my lower-than-average body fat level. I have seen continued results, reductions in hunger and cravings, and it works for me. People on here will probably call woo but whatever. Maybe they're not in my situation. They definitely don't live in my body. Maybe @MaximilienZadeh has found the same.
BUT
We may have guessed wrongly, but the tonality of the OP's question, and the apparent hankering after cheat day(s) would suggest that they are at an earlier point in their weight loss journey, or one where they're still fact finding for information about concepts that are easily bandied around, but can be misleading.
Based on what I've read of these forums, I think that the low post count and relatively limited information given (no disrespect meant at all - it's just an observation that the people with thousands of posts who then ask a question tend to give a whole *kitten* tonne of background information in their initial post) kind of back that up.
Most of the replies therefore seem to me to be targeted to fairly basic concepts surrounding cheating and maybe how to get away from a mentality where it's ok to cheat and switch to one where it's ok to take a calculated, planned and controlled break.
So in this situation, I wouldn't choose to start on the concept of re-feeding and what I think about hormone response, because it just doesn't seem relevant.
Presenting things as absolutes will just get you called out for woo
@MaximilienZadeh has presented a lot of things as absolutes and truths, with no sources to back them up.
Some of them are patently true (weighing more after a cheat/over-eat day due to water weight retained by the additional carbs) but some of them sound a bit, um, dodgy.
If things are personal experience, that is fine, but I wish people would present them as such. I've been called out for woo enough times, that I now try REALLY HARD to be clear about what is my opinion and experience, rather than hard fact. If you read what I've written earlier in this post, you should see what I mean. Words like "apparent", "suggest", "I think", "seem to me".
So anyway. Rant over. It's just been brewing for a while!
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Depending on on how much you want to defer your weight loss goals, you can have as many cheat days/meals as you want. Let's say you're on a 500 calorie a day deficit, you have cheat meals twice a week in which you consume 750 additional calories each (1,500 total additional calories). By doing so, you have deferred your weight loss goal by three days (1,500 divided by 500).0
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i appear to be the bad guy here ahahah its okay , sorry but i cant back up everything i say all the time i didnt see any additional research links in your posts either . so next time ill keep my knowledge to myself since im getting flamed . ive been studying the question for 8 years now im not saying im always right but i was really just trying to help here , people try to teach to former obese people that they have to show restrain ,the thing is for us its so much harder and it takes so much time to learn the new concept . as least i can thank you CS2 for a full and complete answer good day to you all ^^ 0
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martinaneuwirth wrote: »Ok. I Just wanted to say I can not treat myself Everyday. I can't eat Just a tiny piece of chocolate. I was obese in the past so i love Food so much But as i said i can't treat myself like that. I want a whole chocolate bar(Or Even more hah) until i fell satisfied
There are also other ways to get a chocolate fix. I put a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder in my fruit and veggie smoothies. No, it isn't the same as a dark chocolate truffle, but it's good.
Here's a sample recipe: 1/4pound spinach, 1 small banana, 1c. frozen cherries, 1c. frozen blueberries, 1/2c. pomegranate juice, 1c. unsweetened almond milk, 1T unsweetened cocoa powder, 1T ground flax seed, 1T oat flour, a few drops of vanilla extract.
A full recipe is about 450 calories, but you can always halve it. You can always put in a bit more cocoa powder for more of a chocolate flavor. It's also a great way to get some of the antioxidant and other benefits of chocolate without busting your calorie budget. This is my lunch a few days a week -- it feels luxurious and not at all like cheating.1 -
kommodevaran wrote: »You don't have to eat chocolate to treat yourself. If you love food, I'm sure you like a lot of different foods. Most healthy weight adults don't eat chocolate every day. (Some do, but it takes some planning, and it's usually quite small amounts. If you don't feel satisfied with small amounts, it's better to not torment yourself with it.) But you can surely eat chocolate occasionally, and lose and then maintain weight.
I'm a healthy weight and still losing (at a slow rate) and I definitely eat chocolate every day! Try dark chocolate, it's much more flavorful so you don't need as much of it. 20g or dark chocolate a day comes to around 100 calories and is totally worth it during my 4pm slump!4 -
Pre-planning your day also makes it SO much easier to do what you want. I could easily have a full chocolate bar every day if I wanted to (and often do) simply by pre-logging everything that I'm going to eat the next day.
I work full time so I do meal prep for all of my work days. I come up with a good solid dinner because I work graveyards so that's my most important meal of the day which I have at midnight. Then figure out the rest of my day around that.
Then your whole week is sorted with treats built in and calories on track. The last couple of weeks have been about giant brownies. Before that it was big lemon squares. I think next week I'm doing New York style cheesecake every day.
*Oh, I'm also currently on 1,480 calories a day.1 -
Ok every single thing in this post is false. Cheat meals are still calories and yes you can overcome your deficit by a cheat meal. You can stop losing weight and even gain weight if cheat meals are common. Instead log your food,budget treats, and stop cheating yourself.MaximilienZadeh wrote: »Hi ! actually the comments above aren't true (no disrespect )the logic makes sense though you need to learn that you don't have to eat the whole chocolate to feel satisfied . you cannot gain weight ( and i mean real fat ) on a cheat meal (or cheat day but a meal is better in any ways itll teach you how to restrain yourself from eating your fridge ) you ll be heavier the day after for sure for many reason (mostly water ) but the upside can be great . the thing is that the idea of a cheat meal comes from the rebound in musculation . the important thing on a cheat is to eat carbs some people forget that . in a good diet the only thing you need to adjust are the carbs . you always eat the same amount of protein and fat . with less carbs your body uses the energy from your bodyfat and your muscles (the point is to keep the muscle as much as possible though ) in the end the important thing is tohave a calori deficit but you cant take aways any kind of calories . to come back to your question a cheat will not have any impact on your diet as long as it is used when you start slowing down (you feel cold tired you look flat and you are not hungry anymore ) it means your hormones are decreasing . for most people the body slows down after 7 to 10 days (i cheat every 7 days ) i lost 25 pounds with a cheat every sunday .1 -
MsHarryWinston wrote: »Pre-planning your day also makes it SO much easier to do what you want. I could easily have a full chocolate bar every day if I wanted to (and often do) simply by pre-logging everything that I'm going to eat the next day.
I work full time so I do meal prep for all of my work days. I come up with a good solid dinner because I work graveyards so that's my most important meal of the day which I have at midnight. Then figure out the rest of my day around that.
Then your whole week is sorted with treats built in and calories on track. The last couple of weeks have been about giant brownies. Before that it was big lemon squares. I think next week I'm doing New York style cheesecake every day.
*Oh, I'm also currently on 1,480 calories a day.
Pre-tracking my days is one of my core reasons for my success, particularly when I've binged. I've found it immensely helpful.2 -
martinaneuwirth wrote: »Hi. I want to know your opinions about cheat days during weight loss? Can I have One cheat day Once a week? Or every two weeks? Daily I eat around 1400calories and Maybe it will start again leptin function and i will catch some new glycogen. Whats your opinion?
It still comes down to numbers...what you don't want to do is have 6 days of a deficit and then blow all your "calorie savings" in one go. For example...if you were in a 250 cal deficit for 6 days, thats a total deficit of 1500 calories. If you go too crazy, you could eat all those calories back and be in a surplus for the week. It's your average over time that matters.
What I do is a semi-cheat. For example, a Chipotle double chicken burrito bowl where the "cheat" is having cheese, sour cream and guac. The majority of the bowl fits my daily macros just fine but the dairy and guac puts me over my fats. End result is the marginal "cheat" is minimal. Hope that makes sense.2 -
A weekly cheat meal, if you wanna call it that, can help expel water weight. A couple hundred extra calories won't slow fat loss by a lot if excericise is adjusted to mitigate.
I say do whatever helps keep you happy and working toward your goals--this strategy isn't for everyone, but I like it!2 -
tabletop_joe wrote: »A weekly cheat meal, if you wanna call it that, can help expel water weight. A couple hundred extra calories won't slow fat loss by a lot if excericise is adjusted to mitigate.
I say do whatever helps keep you happy and working toward your goals--this strategy isn't for everyone, but I like it!
I hope you mean "Retain"0 -
I find that if I cheat for an entire day, it makes it soooo much harder to get back on the wagon the next day. But, if I have a cheat meal on Tuesday and maybe a cheat dessert on Friday, it's a lot better and easier. You also don't want to ruin all of your hard work during the week in one day.3
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joemac1988 wrote: »martinaneuwirth wrote: »Hi. I want to know your opinions about cheat days during weight loss? Can I have One cheat day Once a week? Or every two weeks? Daily I eat around 1400calories and Maybe it will start again leptin function and i will catch some new glycogen. Whats your opinion?
It still comes down to numbers...what you don't want to do is have 6 days of a deficit and then blow all your "calorie savings" in one go. For example...if you were in a 250 cal deficit for 6 days, thats a total deficit of 1500 calories. If you go too crazy, you could eat all those calories back and be in a surplus for the week. It's your average over time that matters.
What I do is a semi-cheat. For example, a Chipotle double chicken burrito bowl where the "cheat" is having cheese, sour cream and guac. The majority of the bowl fits my daily macros just fine but the dairy and guac puts me over my fats. End result is the marginal "cheat" is minimal. Hope that makes sense.
Whoa! be careful of Chipotle, their chicken burrito is 1000 calories. Their chicken burrito bowl is 625 calories. I am not sure how each ingedient works out, but it might be the rice.0 -
Basically, if you crave ice cream, have a little bit. I buy the tiny 4 oz Haagen Dazs, only 10 carbs, so not bad on my 150 carb diet. Sometimes I have 2, so 20 carbs. I also crave a normal coke, so 7.5 oz can, is about 20 carbs. Make sure you do not binge on a cheat day.1
This discussion has been closed.
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