Cheat days?

kami3006

brittlb07 wrote: »

puffbrat wrote: »

Keep in mind that your calorie goal is the amount to lose weight. You can eat up to maintenance sometimes without undoing your hard work, it will just slow your loss down a bit. I would suggest logging those days at least initially so you don't go off track. I personally don't call them cheat days, but I know that I eat out at least one meal and sometimes 2-3 on Fridays, so I just try to stay within maintenance and drink lots of water that day and the next to deal with the water retention from the extra sodium.

Thank you for explaining. I guess this is what I mean. We have been eating in and healthy every meal the last seven days. I was hoping for a cheese quesadillas from our local Chipotle-like Latin restaurant. This is not something I'd usually eat when eating healthy. But if the equation really does just comes down to calories, I think I hear everyone saying it is okay to eat if within my calories without calling a "cheat."

Enjoying the foods you like as part of your regular diet is the best way to adhere to your plan. It's also the best way to help ensure you maintain once you get to your goal. Often people change the way they eat as long as they're "dieting" and then go back to their old foods at goal causing them to gain the weight back. Eat the way you plan to eat for the rest of your life and it'll be a lot easier on you. Healthy is good in terms of overall diet but doesn't mean that much when you look at foods in isolation.

As long as you're eating under maintenance, you'll lose, regardless of what you're eating.

FL_Hiker

One day eating a bit over isn’t going to make a huge difference in the grand scheme of things; MFP allows you to view your average weekly calorie goal which I find very helpful 😊

kami3006

FL_Hiker wrote: »

One day eating a bit over isn’t going to make a huge difference in the grand scheme of things; MFP allows you to view your average weekly calorie goal which I find very helpful 😊

^this is one of the most helpful things I did; start looking at my weekly calories. I don't like to eat the same amount daily as I'm usually super hungry on lifting days. I eat my cardio calories on lifting days and let it balance out over the week.

kami3006

brittlb07 wrote: »

Many of you are suggesting that the 140's is "normal" for my height of 5'4. I should add that I have a very small frame (size 4 ring finger!). I have been 115-130 my whole adult life and been "normal" at these weights- never skinny. I can assure you that on my body, 140's is NOT right. I would share the pictures but my husband would be embarrassed for me haha. I have LOTS of extra weight hanging over my body in my thighs and midsection. To give perspective, my sister is 110 pounds and of the same height and that is her "normal" weight without working out or worrying about anything. We have a SMALL bone structure. So these extra pounds REALLY show sadly. I stopped nursing for the first time in almost 7 years as I nursed each of my kids until they were over 2 so I was eating like I was still nursing and I think this is what caused the rapid weight gain. I also have a family situation I am dealing with which also lead to the sudden gain as I was eating my emotions. But I am watching what I eat and really trying to make things right! I will consider more than 1,200 calories but this is what MFP recommended to lose 1-2 pounds a week for me and my activity level.

You can be at a healthy weight for your height and still have some weight to lose (some people do look better at the lower end of their range). I don't think anyone is saying you shouldn't lose any; just that there are other options such as eating at maintenance and doing resistance training to lose some fat and build some muscle. It improves your overall body composition. Just a suggestion for now or once you've lost a few.

I do think it's a good idea to consider bumping your calories up a bit. I am 5'3" and started at 145 and 1200 was not at all sustainable. I manually bumped it up to 1350 and made sure to eat my exercise calories and it made a world of difference in adherence, mood, and progression in my lifting.

Panini911

brittlb07 wrote: »

puffbrat wrote: »

Keep in mind that your calorie goal is the amount to lose weight. You can eat up to maintenance sometimes without undoing your hard work, it will just slow your loss down a bit. I would suggest logging those days at least initially so you don't go off track. I personally don't call them cheat days, but I know that I eat out at least one meal and sometimes 2-3 on Fridays, so I just try to stay within maintenance and drink lots of water that day and the next to deal with the water retention from the extra sodium.

Thank you for explaining. I guess this is what I mean. We have been eating in and healthy every meal the last seven days. I was hoping for a cheese quesadillas from our local Chipotle-like Latin restaurant. This is not something I'd usually eat when eating healthy. But if the equation really does just comes down to calories, I think I hear everyone saying it is okay to eat if within my calories without calling a "cheat."

for weight loss, a calorie is a calorie. doesn't matter how "healthy" it is. so not a cheat

zeejane03

brittlb07 wrote: »

Many of you are suggesting that the 140's is "normal" for my height of 5'4. I should add that I have a very small frame (size 4 ring finger!). I have been 115-130 my whole adult life and been "normal" at these weights- never skinny. I can assure you that on my body, 140's is NOT right. I would share the pictures but my husband would be embarrassed for me haha. I have LOTS of extra weight hanging over my body in my thighs and midsection. To give perspective, my sister is 110 pounds and of the same height and that is her "normal" weight without working out or worrying about anything. We have a SMALL bone structure. So these extra pounds REALLY show sadly. I stopped nursing for the first time in almost 7 years as I nursed each of my kids until they were over 2 so I was eating like I was still nursing and I think this is what caused the rapid weight gain. I also have a family situation I am dealing with which also lead to the sudden gain as I was eating my emotions. But I am watching what I eat and really trying to make things right! I will consider more than 1,200 calories but this is what MFP recommended to lose 1-2 pounds a week for me and my activity level.

I don't think your goal is unrealistic, I'm 5ft, 6in and working on some weight creep to get me back down to a maintenance range of 127lbs-130lbs. That's where I feel and look the best (to me). Already being at a normal BMI range though, I'm aiming for .5lb a week loss instead of a pound a week. Since you don't have a lot to lose and are already at a normal BMI, I'd suggest aiming for .5lb-1lb loss each week instead of 1-2lbs a week.

As for your original question-when I'm actively focused on losing weight I do not have cheat meals/days. Instead I incorporate a serving every day of a 'treat' food (right now I'm on a Wheat Thins kick for some reason lol), and work it into my calorie allotment.

eta: reading your follow-up comment, it's perfectly fine to incorporate a higher calorie meal once in a while-just account for the calories when you're planning your day (and if you go over a bit it's not a big deal-it would be a maintenance day then). When I hear the word 'cheat day' I think of someone who's going totally crazy and not tracking/being mindful of food choices. Definitely not what you're doing

Christilynn78

One cheat meal a week. Nothing crazy just whatever I’ve been craving for the week.

namelesshere

You should not call them cheat days because you are not on a "diet". You may have days when you CHOOSE to eat a little more depending on life's circumstances. Because the CHOICE to do so id yours alone, YOU are still in CONTROL. Log it and enjoy.

tarcotti

I've been here on MFP since 2012. I've read the message boards a lot and I've noticed that veterans here consistently agree that 1200 is pretty much too low for any human. Even though MFP suggests it, it is just a calculator in the end. The best way to find out your intake is to consult a doctor or nutritionist. There are lots of articles online that talk about how 1200 is the minimum to stay healthy...to get your nutrition in on a daily basis. So by doing 1200, your just sitting on the healthy-unhealthy line. I don't think its safe to do that. And I've done it! Like I said, I've been here since 2012, and I haven't successfully maintained. And last year I figured out why. Everyone here was right! It is because I wasn't doing a sustainable diet . I ate a ton of protein to fill me up at 1200/day and I was still hungry a lot, not sustainable at all. I looked forward to my cheat days, which you are already asking about. If you have a higher daily goal, you don't have to worry about cheat days! Like everyone has said, you can add that food you want in. Or maintain at least.

I'm now doing 1600 a day like my doctor recommends. Sure the weight is coming off slower, but I'm able to stick to this longer than I ever have before. Plus, you can always exercise to give you a higher deficit that you want.