Cheat Meal
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I will chime in.....
I really do not like the term 'cheat meal' - for lots and lots of reasons. In short, it shows the completely wrong mind-set. Well, might offend some with this post....truly not my intent....truly not the spirit of this post. But, if it does, well maybe that is a good thing. Get people thinking about their true mind-set.
I follow - and I realize that everyone is different....thank the good Lord - a flexible diet. The way I do this it is really more of a structured flexibility. The thought of "cheating" is no where near this thought process. I know what my caloric intake for the day is and I know how that value looks (in the form of protein, carbs, fats).
Because I am the way I am, I have no problem eating the same 10 foods (or whatever it is.....eight, nine, 10, whatever) and I know how to fill in the proteins, carbs and fats (which, in turn, fill in the caloric value).
If I want to have a piece of Apple Pie, so be it. If I want a huge *kitten* helping of Lasagna, so be it.
My calories and macros are - at least the way I do it - a budget. Just like money.
I am also more interested in a weekly total - of all four (Calories, Proteins, Carbs and Fats....and, yes, I do include Fiber in that.....so, to be honest, of all *FIVE*). THIS IS KEY!!!!
I know what my daily values are and if I have that Apple Pie - and if I am doing that then I am likely going to have a scoop of Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and some whipped cream....I mean, if you are going to do something then dag nab it freaking do it, right? - then I might have to be a bit more mindful on another day (or two!).
But, for me and how I do it, there is not the slightest bit of "cheat" in that. I guess that you can say, "Dude, you overate on Day X so you need to 'pay it back' on Day X+1 and possibly on Day X + 2". Okay...sure....but I - as mentioned - am more interested in the weekly totals than in each day's total. And, that is not 'cheat'. That is all about 'budget' - at least how I see things.
Anyway, everyone is different. Everyone looks at things from a different angle. I am not suggesting that my way is better - or worse, for that matter - than anyone else's way. I am just sharing my mind-set......
Hopefully this adds to this post!8 -
On Fridays we have pizza, I still stay within calories but eat them all! Always go to the gym first4
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To complete my thought.....it is all about sustainability. If you can not sustain a plan, then you are going to fail. And, with how I define things, you only fail when you quit. So, if you know that something is doomed for failure then why in the heck start? Total waste of time. And time is the one thing that NONE of us can get back.....
I want to be doing this for the next how many decades? At 50, I do not know how much longer I have on this planet. But, no matter what that number is, I want to be able to maintain this lifestyle. It is not an accident that I live this way. It works for me. And, again, thank the good Lord, everyone is different. So, find what works for you ........ what truly works for you .....and do that!
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When was your last cheat meal ? What was it ? I just had a cheat meal for lunch at Texas Roadhouse. Had a 12 oz. steak and a salad
Looks like you aren't getting the type of answers you were expecting here. Personally, I don't like the concept of cheating, neither in food, nor any aspect of life.
Regarding your situation, what is your MFP recommended daily calorie level? How many calories did you log for that meal? What were your total calories on that day?
My recommended daily calorie level is 2460. I logged 860 calories for that meal. In addition to my other meals I had 740 remaining for the day. I considered it a cheat because the steak seemed to have a lot of fat in which I don't have. And the salad had a lot of ranch in which I don't have either.
You can reset your macros under settings to something more suited to your preferred way of eating, if you want to. You will lose weight if you are in a caloric deficit. Macros don't affect weight loss, and there's little good evidence to support MFP's default settings. In particular there's evidence that fat has been unfairly demonized in the past. MFP's sodium setting is also inappropriately low, according to modern research which associates extreme low sodium diets (which their setting is) with an increased risk of death.
Because fat is so calorie dense, when you restrict calories, it's quite easy for fat to become a higher percentage of your diet. As long as you are getting adequate protein and other nutrients, you're fine. As a diabetic, MFP's default macros would literally kill me. Different people have different needs, and if eating more fat makes it easier to stay within your calories, do that. It's not cheating.0 -
Like a lot of others here, I don't really call it "a cheat meal" or "cheat day" or whatever else. But I know what you're saying and I have a "indulgent day" pretty much every Saturday.
Yesterday's involved an omelette with pico de gallo, fresh pineapple, iced cold brew, 1/2 of a thin crust margherita pizza, insanely delicious tamales from a local Mexican place, some really good craft beer, and then a vegetarian corn dog around midnight.
I also hiked several miles in the heat, cleaned my entire house, and walked across a mid-sized city twice. All so worth it! If every day was a Saturday I think I would be very strong and sunburnt and I'd eat way too much delicious food
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This post took the wrong direction..4
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I appreciate the people who just answered the question haha4
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When was your last cheat meal ? What was it ? I just had a cheat meal for lunch at Texas Roadhouse. Had a 12 oz. steak and a salad
Looks like you aren't getting the type of answers you were expecting here. Personally, I don't like the concept of cheating, neither in food, nor any aspect of life.
Regarding your situation, what is your MFP recommended daily calorie level? How many calories did you log for that meal? What were your total calories on that day?
My recommended daily calorie level is 2460. I logged 860 calories for that meal. In addition to my other meals I had 740 remaining for the day. I considered it a cheat because the steak seemed to have a lot of fat in which I don't have. And the salad had a lot of ranch in which I don't have either.
Okay, so your "cheating" didn't do any damage then. I think the real key in this plan is to be conscious of the true value of your Calories In and Calories Out, and ensure you're consistently having a Calorie Deficit.
Another point often made on here is that depriving yourself of foods you like, is going to eventually lead to failure. So maybe its best you enjoy your steak occasionally, and make up for it with more moderate choices on other days, plus perhaps some exercise or other increased activity.4 -
Please do not call it a cheat meal. By calling it a cheat meal you're implying you're doing something wrong. You're not doing anything wrong you're enjoying life
For this to work and be a lifetime Journey the process has to be enjoyable. By depriving yourself of food that you enjoy it won't work in the long run. You can't look at this as a diet diet suck and they fail you're miserable on them and eventually you'll go back to your old habits
Just like your life your eating habits are going to have good days and bad days. Your success will be on what you learned from these days and how you apply it there's nothing wrong with enjoying yourself once in awhile as long as it doesn't become a daily occurrence.
There are plenty of times I've blown my calorie limit for one reason or another I don't look at it as a negative all I do is I go up bad day today I'm back tomorrow. Using this philosophy I lost 80 lb over 8 months and I've been maintaining that weight loss for approximately one year. If I had to give up the occasional Wendy's hamburger pizza and beer on the beach I would have never done what I've done
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This post took the wrong direction..
OK. My memory is a bit foggy but in all likelihood it involved Chef-Boy-R-Dee ravioli. The entire can. Which I likely ate cold because it was the only way I could sneak it in without my parents detecting I'd consumed it. I typically finished that off with a Three Musketeers Bar.
Is that more to the point?0 -
The responses here are beyond whack. The psychologically sensitive individuals cannot address your question. You call it a cheat meal because that is what it is. It’s simply indulging in something that you mindlessly eat, just as you would prior to dieting.
Bottom line is this: have the “cheat meal” if you require it and are dieting. My last “cheat meall was the vegan frozen veggie patties in the freezer... anything you think is “diet friendly” can be cheating or calorically dense. Don’t beat yourself but what you chose to eat.
Also, if you make life style changes versus a
“diet” you won’t have to require a cheat meal which guilt is associated.
However: Give up the red meat and processed foods.8 -
I don't have cheat meals. Just eat anything I want everyday as long as it fits into my total calories. That includes sweets like donuts, chips, cookies, ice cream, ect. To OP it may totally look like a "cheat meal".1
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Give up red meat and processed? What is there to eat then?1
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Yes, one of the reasons that I am much less active in these forums now. But that is okay. We are all adults. My choice.1
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It varies, but lately I like to order a combo plate from a local cheap Mexican place to go and drink a jumbo Margarita at the bar while waiting for it to come out. Saturday it was a ground beef enchilada and beef tostada with beans, rice, and chips and salsa - usually around 1,300+ calories.
I try to eat about 80% "healthy" (according to plan), so during the course of a week that is 3-4 meals that are outside of that - I suppose you could categorize them as "cheat meals".0 -
This post took the wrong direction..
OK. My memory is a bit foggy but in all likelihood it involved Chef-Boy-R-Dee ravioli. The entire can. Which I likely ate cold because it was the only way I could sneak it in without my parents detecting I'd consumed it. I typically finished that off with a Three Musketeers Bar.
Is that more to the point?
Yes0 -
When I was doing low carb, I had cheat meals, because any indulgence in my favorite foods was off the diet. So every week or so I'd eat bread or ice cream or pizza. Sometimes it was a whole meal, sometimes just one specific food that I had been craving. That was the only way I could stick to that restrictive a way of eating for long. When I lost weight, I went back to normal eating and regained some of the weight but not all, fortunately.
After I joined MFP there were no cheat meals. I eat what I want. I log everything and try to eat within my calorie goals. Because I get a lot of exercise, I have a lot of freedom to eat what I enjoy. I eat ice cream a couple of days a week, beer a few days a week, pizza every other week, a restaurant meal every week, etc. I lost the weight I needed to lose and have been maintaining for about 8 months. Some days I am exactly on target with my calories, some days over or under. But it is a very sustainable way of eating. There is no sense of deprivation, I just maintain an awareness of how the choices I make will affect my calorie budget. Which makes it easy to decide whether or not to indulge in the more fattening options.0
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