Cheat meals

rachelpelucca

This may be a stupid question, but take it easy on me I’m new to this 😅🙃 is one or two cheat meals a week acceptable if I’m looking to lose weight? Not cheat day, just two cheat meals of my choice to help satisfy my crazy cravings lol

lx1x

Meal.. why not.. as long it's not way over the top..

Panini911

weight loss is about calories in and calories out. as long as you take in fewer than you use over time you will lose weight.

so it depends. it depends what you consider a "cheat meal" and where that brings in in the CICO scale. If you eat two days at maintenance then that will slow you down but you will still lose weight if you ate at a calorie deficit the other 5 days. If your your cheat meals are highly caloric then you may erase any deficit you created that week.

I satisfy most cravings and remain in my calorie deficit daily (other do so looking at WEEKLY calories). I fit in smaller portions. cut 100 cals over two days to have an extra few hundred for a special meal or dessert. eat smaller portions.

I also include foods I love daily. I still eat chocolate/dessert daily.

janejellyroll

There's no one set answer to this.

If your "cheat meals" still leave you in an overall deficit, you'll still lose weight. But if you eat too much, you can cancel out your deficit and then you won't lose weight.

I would try to look at the "crazy cravings" and figure out how to manage those. Are you eating enough overall? Are you eating things that you enjoy regularly? Are you on a plan that limits too many of the foods you truly enjoy?

MikePTY

I wouldn't think of things as "cheat" or not. You have a calorie goal. How you get there is up to you. If you overeat your goal, but under eat your maintenance calories, you will still lose weight, just at a slower level. So if you have a day or two you would like to eat at or close to maintenance because you want to enjoy something that doesn't traditionally fit in your calorie goals, that is fine. But make sure to still log it and take into account the calories.

granitepeak1981

If the meal will put you over your calorie limit for the day then you should limit it to one meal a week.

lalalacroix

I'm wondering what you mean by "cheat.". Is it eating over deficit? Or not logging? Or just eating something like french fries or ice cream?

I find the more flexible a diet is, the easier adherance can be. There's nothing wrong with having processed foods sometimes or eating over your deficit. It's even okay to eat at maintenance for periods of time. I highly recommend logging whatever you do eat because it's really the only data that allows us to see what's going on if we stop losing for a while or even gain weight.

patches1975

I think it all depends on the individual. I personally can't because it WILL turn into a cheat month. My friend has to have a cheat meal to stay on track tho

rachelpelucca

Yes I’m under my calorie goal most times by hundreds every day, even the day I have my cheat meal which is usually like a spicy chicken sandwich and curly fries from jack in the box lol I don’t go over the top, just something to satisfy my fat girl self. Thanks for the tips guys!

lx1x

Its not cheat meal then...enjoy it.

janejellyroll

rachelpelucca wrote: »

Yes I’m under my calorie goal most times by hundreds every day, even the day I have my cheat meal which is usually like a spicy chicken sandwich and curly fries from jack in the box lol I don’t go over the top, just something to satisfy my fat girl self. Thanks for the tips guys!

Is your calorie goal already giving you a deficit? If so, why are you under by hundreds each day?

ingridchicks

Check out this article from Muscle For Life - seriously, they changed my life (and how I eat)!
https://www.muscleforlife.com/what-is-if-it-fits-your-macros-and-does-it-work/

They also have a great macronutrient calculator that can help you adjust your MFP goals.

ecmorgan101

I go more by a flexible calorie plan.

I know what my maintenance weight calorie level is and I ALWAYS stay a good bit under it.

I have my daily calorie goal except that one day a week, I add a little to it - still staying well under my BMR. That allows me to not sweat a trip to McDonald's or the Pizza Place with my children when they are over. I still need to be reasonable but because I'm allowing myself a few extra calories, I don't have to worry about a couple slices of pizza or something that might normally do my day in when I'm on my normal calorie goal.

AnnPT77

rachelpelucca wrote: »

Yes I’m under my calorie goal most times by hundreds every day, even the day I have my cheat meal which is usually like a spicy chicken sandwich and curly fries from jack in the box lol I don’t go over the top, just something to satisfy my fat girl self. Thanks for the tips guys!

If your calorie goal came from MFP, with profile settings where you told it you wanted to lose weight, then don't undereat by hundreds of calories.

Rather than thinking in terms of cheat days, I'd suggest that you use weight loss as a time to learn how to eat in a way that makes you happy, and keeps you at a healthy weight permanently once you reach goal weight. That would include figuring out how to eat spicy chicken sandwiches (530 calories without cheese, 600 with) or curly fries (280, 430, 580 calories for S, M, L).

Since the sandwich has a reasonable amount of protein (28-32g), you ought to be able to fit that in pretty easily on a normal day (even with a reasonable calorie deficit) by keeping the other meals on the light side, and being sure to get in some veggies elsewhere along with the rest of your protein. The fries are maybe a little more challenging, but banking calories on other days is an option (save up 72 calories from your daily goal on the other 6 days, and you have the calories to cover medium curly fries on the 7th day).

Don't cheat. Learn. Stay at a healthy weight forever, while enjoying your eating.

whatalazyidiot

AnnPT77 wrote: »

rachelpelucca wrote: »

Yes I’m under my calorie goal most times by hundreds every day, even the day I have my cheat meal which is usually like a spicy chicken sandwich and curly fries from jack in the box lol I don’t go over the top, just something to satisfy my fat girl self. Thanks for the tips guys!

If your calorie goal came from MFP, with profile settings where you told it you wanted to lose weight, then don't undereat by hundreds of calories.

Rather than thinking in terms of cheat days, I'd suggest that you use weight loss as a time to learn how to eat in a way that makes you happy, and keeps you at a healthy weight permanently once you reach goal weight. That would include figuring out how to eat spicy chicken sandwiches (530 calories without cheese, 600 with) or curly fries (280, 430, 580 calories for S, M, L).

Since the sandwich has a reasonable amount of protein (28-32g), you ought to be able to fit that in pretty easily on a normal day (even with a reasonable calorie deficit) by keeping the other meals on the light side, and being sure to get in some veggies elsewhere along with the rest of your protein. The fries are maybe a little more challenging, but banking calories on other days is an option (save up 72 calories from your daily goal on the other 6 days, and you have the calories to cover medium curly fries on the 7th day).

Don't cheat. Learn. Stay at a healthy weight forever, while enjoying your eating.

This so, so much. I have found that I am able to be more consistent by fitting in things I love into my daily calories (I also eat 1/2 my exercise calories) and also working off a weekly deficit. So some days, my calories are slightly lower because I know on the weekend I will have what someone would consider a cheat meal - though I don't call it that.

MeganReid1991

I usually have a cheat meal every few weeks.
But I still enjoy “bad” food all the time just within my calories

estherdragonbat

But food isn't bad unless it's spoiled or you're allergic to it.