Eating out...

andrea41876

Sorry for the overload of questions. Just have so many. We enjoy going out on the weekends. Is it ok to have a cheat night? or will that just ruin the whole week?

janejellyroll

There is no universal answer.

If your cheat meal doesn't wipe our your deficit for the week, you will continue to see progress. But some people find it easy to wipe out a week's deficit in a single meal, especially if they are closer to goal or if alcohol is involved.

Why not just log all your meals and then you can decide what fits with your goals and what doesn't?

thegeordielass

The way I look at it, it's a 1 off. Out of all the food I eat over the course of a year, 1 meal isn't going to make any real difference.

callsitlikeiseeit

typically if i eat out (and i do, often) ts my only meal of the day. a lot depends on what it was, but im not having a salad most of the time

if i do get hungry later in the day (really unusual for me after eating out), I have a salad or something filling but super low calorie.

fatty_cakezxoxo

I been having 1-2 cheat days a week since I started losing weight 60 days ago .. I try not to go over 1000 calories extra for example if my calorie goal is 1400 I workout burn 300 my max for cheat day would be around 2700 MAX not AVERAGE have I gone over that ? Yes .. lol but I try not to ..I usually try to stick to only 500 over or less .. I have lost twenty pounds so far !

amgreenwell

I don't do "cheat" days or meals b/c I just fit whatever I want into my calories. If I know I'm going to eat more one evening then I'm certain to work out longer or harder or walk more or whatever it takes to make it fit.
Try to search the nutrition for the restaurant and stick with whatever "healthier" option you pick, or go buck wild and just splurge. I never deprive myself of anything and I think that's what gets me through most weeks.

JeromeBarry1

There are two variables to consider. First, what is the total calorie deficit you've achieved in the 6 days prior to the eating out? Second, what is the total calorie surplus on the day of eating out? Manage those two variables in your favor and the whole week is in your favor.

laur357

I don't consider dining out to be cheating. I track my meal as best I can, enjoy the company and the food, and work on not overeating until I'm stuffed or mindlessly grazing on things I didn't intend to eat. (That last compulsive overeating part is my personal problem, and obviously doesn't apply to everyone. Turns out they will still let you leave the restaurant even if there are a few cold nachos left on the plate or bread remaining in the basket.)

Most chains have calorie counts available online, and you can pick similar items from a chain to track if you go to a local place. (Dominos large pizza slice for a local pizza joint, for example.) Many people successfully have a cheat meal or day, but if you're not losing weight like you want to going forward, I'd suggest tracking your evenings out.

tyediri

I don't have cheat meals or days per se... At least I don't call them that. Sometimes I will go over my calories if its the time of the month, or I've had a very bad day or feeling especially ravenous!! But I don't plan for these days and try to stick to my goal anyway, but if I go over I won't fret too much about it but I will still LOG EVERYTHING. This way you'll still stay on track and you'll be able to see if you have indeed wiped out your deficit for the entire week. If you have, you can make sure it doesn't happen again. But if you don't log it is very easy to lose track.

butterfli7o

I do my best not to make a dinner out a "cheat" meal. But yeah, depending on what you order you could derail yourself. Just try to make smart choices.

TeaBea

andrea41876 wrote: »

Sorry for the overload of questions. Just have so many. We enjoy going out on the weekends. Is it ok to have a cheat night? or will that just ruin the whole week?

Let's say Sunday thru Friday you built up a 2,500 calorie deficit.

If your cheat meal on Saturday brings your daily calorie total to 500 calories above your maintenance......then you're still at a 2,000 calorie deficit for the week. It's not really a "cheat" meal because you pay for it one way or another. But many people eat less during the week to "bank" weekend calories. Whatever helps you stay consistent.

jennifer_417

It all comes down to the numbers. If you eat fewer calories than you, burn, you'll lose weight.

150poundsofme

laur357: so funny lol "Turns out they will still let you leave the restaurant even if there are a few cold nachos left on the plate or bread remaining in the basket."

So since you know that you want to eat more and/or drink, I would eat a bit less that day. If you normally have breakfast and lunch, maybe just have smaller portions.

andrea41876

TeaBea wrote: »

andrea41876 wrote: »

Sorry for the overload of questions. Just have so many. We enjoy going out on the weekends. Is it ok to have a cheat night? or will that just ruin the whole week?

Let's say Sunday thru Friday you built up a 2,500 calorie deficit.

If your cheat meal on Saturday brings your daily calorie total to 500 calories above your maintenance......then you're still at a 2,000 calorie deficit for the week. It's not really a "cheat" meal because you pay for it one way or another. But many people eat less during the week to "bank" weekend calories. Whatever helps you stay consistent.

I didn't look at the week as a whole. That makes sense....