Do you allow "cheats" and what are they?

happysherri
happysherri Posts: 1,360 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I know, I can't be the only one, but I have cheats almost weekly. Last night I had a couple of double stuffed oreos, I went over my calorie intake by a little over 100 calories. I have the biggest sweet tooth! I truly wanted to go get some ice cream, but opted for a couple of oreos instead.

I ate good all week and even turned down cake twice at work!

Replies

  • Unknown
    Unknown
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  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,064 Member
    Yes, as it makes this whole process a lot easier for me. I allow myself a cheat meal or snack a week, usually on Sundays. Now that it is summer it's usually an ice cream cone. Sometimes I will get a fast food meal. Yesterday I had some licorice. It all depends on what I feel like having.
  • lynn1982
    lynn1982 Posts: 1,439 Member
    This is the dumbest thing ever. Whom are you cheating? Do you think your body doesn't know that you fed it extra calories?? I suppose it's fine to delude yourself into thinking that perhaps you won't get "caught," but then don't come whining on here when you're not losing weight.

    For the love of god, STOP CALLING IT "CHEATING." Call it what it is. Is that so hard???
  • TheSlorax
    TheSlorax Posts: 2,401 Member
    Is the search function on this site broken. 10 cheat threads a day.

    lol

    people just want individualized validation and reassurance okay
  • exWHYzee1337
    exWHYzee1337 Posts: 96
    This is the dumbest thing ever. Whom are you cheating? Do you think your body doesn't know that you fed it extra calories?? I suppose it's fine to delude yourself into thinking that perhaps you won't get "caught," but then don't come whining on here when you're not losing weight.

    For the love of god, STOP CALLING IT "CHEATING." Call it what it is. Is that so hard???

    why are people so angry... lol

    yeah just don't let it get out of control. they say a cheat meal is ideal - once a week. cheat meals/days are great, but if they begin to slow your progress, then you know your overdoing it.
  • TheSlorax
    TheSlorax Posts: 2,401 Member
    This is the dumbest thing ever. Whom are you cheating? Do you think your body doesn't know that you fed it extra calories?? I suppose it's fine to delude yourself into thinking that perhaps you won't get "caught," but then don't come whining on here when you're not losing weight.

    For the love of god, STOP CALLING IT "CHEATING." Call it what it is. Is that so hard???

    you're straying from the normal confines of your diet - if it's not cheating what is it? let me check the thesaurus and see if there's a term that you approve of. OP mentioned one specific instance of going over by 100 calories... hardly anything that's gonna make her stop losing weight.
    why are people so angry... lol

    yeah just don't let it get out of control. they say a cheat meal is ideal - once a week. cheat meals/days are great, but if they begin to slow your progress, then you know your overdoing it.

    they don't believe in cheat days, they're hungry
  • lynn1982
    lynn1982 Posts: 1,439 Member
    This is the dumbest thing ever. Whom are you cheating? Do you think your body doesn't know that you fed it extra calories?? I suppose it's fine to delude yourself into thinking that perhaps you won't get "caught," but then don't come whining on here when you're not losing weight.

    For the love of god, STOP CALLING IT "CHEATING." Call it what it is. Is that so hard???

    you're straying from the normal confines of your diet - if it's not cheating what is it? let me check the thesaurus and see if there's a term that you approve of. OP mentioned one specific instance of going over by 100 calories... hardly anything that's gonna make her stop losing weight.


    If you're cheating, you're doing it with the hopes of not getting caught. If you cheat on a test, you know it's wrong, but you HOPE no one will see you. Call it going over your calories, call it fitting whatever junk you fancy into your caloric allowance - I don't really care. JUST STOP ****ING CALLING IT CHEATING.
  • happysherri
    happysherri Posts: 1,360 Member
    Yes, why are people so angry. This was my first question ever on here. I was just curious!

    I only have about 10 lbs to lose, more on here to maintain and not gain.

    Have an oreo and then run a mile. I don't like calling them "cheats" either - that is whay I put it in quotations!
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    Getting within 100 calories of your target is pretty solid. Hard to nail it exactly.

    Anyway, it's only numbers. If you're aiming for a 3500 weekly deficit and you hit a 3400 weekly deficit, w/e.
  • happysherri
    happysherri Posts: 1,360 Member
    Getting within 100 calories of your target is pretty solid. Hard to nail it exactly.

    Anyway, it's only numbers. If you're aiming for a 3500 weekly deficit and you hit a 3400 weekly deficit, w/e.


    Thank you so much!
  • lynn1982
    lynn1982 Posts: 1,439 Member
    Yes, why are people so angry. This was my first question ever on here. I was just curious!

    I only have about 10 lbs to lose, more on here to maintain and not gain.

    Have an oreo and then run a mile. I don't like calling them "cheats" either - that is whay I put it in quotations!

    Not angry. Just fed up with stupid questions.
  • rosemaryhon
    rosemaryhon Posts: 507 Member
    Yes, why are people so angry. This was my first question ever on here. I was just curious!

    I only have about 10 lbs to lose, more on here to maintain and not gain.

    Have an oreo and then run a mile. I don't like calling them "cheats" either - that is whay I put it in quotations!


    Seems to me you must realize going a mere 100 calories over once a week is not an awful thing, especially if you're mostly looking to maintain.

    Is it that you consider cookies/sweets to be the "cheating" part?
  • bubaluboo
    bubaluboo Posts: 2,098 Member
    I'm not a fan of the concept of 'cheating' just as I'm not into 'good' and 'bad' calories. Sometimes I will eat less nutritious foods but I think that staying in control of what I'm eating is important so I don't cheat. Instead I adjust my meals to allow the calorific intake of say a take away or a meal out. Occasionally I'll go over the set allowance but I figure that as long as I didn't go over my TDEE there's no weight gain but instead a slight slowing in weightloss rate and in my opinion if that is occasional, no harm done. The idea of cheating to me suggests not logging calories so you don't know how far off target you're going. Do that once a week and you may be just sabotaging your weightloss plan completely. If you're logging and happy with the effect on weightloss then I don't see it as cheating.
  • angelatjones16
    angelatjones16 Posts: 34
    Chocolate covered peanuts :happy:
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I don't know what a "cheat" is. I have a healthy relationship with food, so I don't categorize food as "good" or "bad". I get my nutrition on and once my nutritional needs have been satisfied any food is fair game. I don't obsess and feel guilty because I had some pie or something for desert.

    I also don't flip my lid because I went over on calories or something...people seem to forget that their calorie goal is a deficit...and often a rather substantial deficit from maintenance. They lose their **** because they went over by 100 calories or whatever but they're still at an 800 calorie deficit. When I was losing, I ate to maintenance when I felt like eating to maintenance or if there was a special occasion or whatever...I don't view eating to maintenance as "cheating"...it's maintenance, not overeating.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    It's probably just annoyance that they see so many "cheat" posts per day. That, and calling it a "cheat" implies you failed or aren't good enough (i.e. I couldn't hack it so I cheated to win). Never a good idea to have that thought in the back of your mind.

    Personally, I don't have "cheats", I have goals. Sometimes I get closer to my goals than other times. I have daily macro goals (eat enough protein) and avg. caloric goals are weekly, not daily, so I can be more flexible. My experience is that the fewer limitations I set on myself, the less likely I am to start craving random stuff. And when I do crave random stuff, I just go have some and compensate later if necessary.
  • corgicake
    corgicake Posts: 846 Member
    lol

    people just want individualized validation and reassurance okay
    THIS.
  • jackjackattck
    jackjackattck Posts: 117 Member
    If you are going over by 100 calories, you are not really "cheating" in my opinion. First of all, we set our deficits up per week, not per day. So if you go over a bit one day, just aim to be under the next day or log some more time in the gym. I don't eat clean 100% of the time, it is probably more like 80%. When I ate Chipotle with my boyfriend on Friday night and went over my goal by 150 calories, I didn't call it a cheat day, I called it life. It is damn near impossible to be perfect with your calories 100% of the time, so just live it up and move on. Like someone else here said, either your deficit will be 3400 for the week and not 3500, or work harder another day of the week to balance it out.

    It just depends on how committed you want to be. There are people on this site that are 100% committed and do everything they are supposed to, and sure they will lose/maintain much better than others. I however, prefer to do what fits into my lifestyle, and I am still steadily losing weight. Even if I go over my goal one day, oh well. They are goals, not hard set milestones. Just enjoy your life. :)
  • lyndausvi
    lyndausvi Posts: 156 Member
    I do not subscribe to the "cheating" thought process. Making any type of food taboo it not good for ME. Nor do I think it's realistic. My life includes going to birthday parties, attending cookouts, going out for drinks and dinner and making cookies with my nieces and nephews. There will be "unhealthy" food around me for the rest of my life. I actually have no desire to swear off anything.

    My main goals are to learn how to control quantities and portion sizes I want to eat more vegetables, nuts and other "natural" foods. I want to eat less fried, fast and "processed-type" foods. I don't feel guilty eating an mini-DQ blizzard once a month, I just don't want to eat a med 2-3 times week like I use to do.
  • happysherri
    happysherri Posts: 1,360 Member
    I do not subscribe to the "cheating" thought process. Making any type of food taboo it not good for ME. Nor do I think it's realistic. My life includes going to birthday parties, attending cookouts, going out for drinks and dinner and making cookies with my nieces and nephews. There will be "unhealthy" food around me for the rest of my life. I actually have no desire to swear off anything.

    My main goals are to learn how to control quantities and portion sizes I want to eat more vegetables, nuts and other "natural" foods. I want to eat less fried, fast and "processed-type" foods. I don't feel guilty eating an mini-DQ blizzard once a month, I just don't want to eat a med 2-3 times week like I use to do.


    Well put! Love the mini blizzards too!
  • nina8611
    nina8611 Posts: 25 Member
    CHEATING is cheating so stop making excuses!:cry:
  • suziepoo1984
    suziepoo1984 Posts: 915 Member
    I'm not a fan of the concept of 'cheating' just as I'm not into 'good' and 'bad' calories. Sometimes I will eat less nutritious foods but I think that staying in control of what I'm eating is important so I don't cheat. Instead I adjust my meals to allow the calorific intake of say a take away or a meal out. Occasionally I'll go over the set allowance but I figure that as long as I didn't go over my TDEE there's no weight gain but instead a slight slowing in weightloss rate and in my opinion if that is occasional, no harm done. The idea of cheating to me suggests not logging calories so you don't know how far off target you're going. Do that once a week and you may be just sabotaging your weightloss plan completely. If you're logging and happy with the effect on weightloss then I don't see it as cheating.

    ^^This

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