Cheat Day?
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AquaMeow
Posts: 296 Member
How long can you go without having a cheat day (or cheat meal) of your favorite food?
Has going "cold turkey" on your favorite foods ever worked for you?
Let me know below
Has going "cold turkey" on your favorite foods ever worked for you?
Let me know below
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Replies
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cheat day can erase a heck of a lot of progress especially for the last few pounds at 0.5lb/week. i can pack in a ton of calories in a day
if i have a craving for something, i just work in into my meal plan for the week. maybe eating maintenance that day if needed (sometimes it's not even needed with some planning and portion control). i'm usually good if i good after that and it passes.
for special events i try to ensure they are not EVERY week and again, work them in. maybe do a day at maintenance, and planning the week's calories. it's ok to live.
i just do my best to track as best i can.8 -
9 months is my limit
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I didn't cut out anything - I would have felt deprived and given up, in that case! I learned how to work in the foods I love, especially chocolate... sometimes I go over my calorie limit, but I do it knowingly rather than out of ignorance of how many calories are in my treat!
As for "cheat meals", I personally don't like the term. Having a treat, or a higher calorie meal (or day) occasionally, is not cheating, it's called balance.
When I was in my main losing phase, I found that a diet break every 8-10 weeks (eating at maintenance for a couple of weeks) really helped me with both the mental and physical aspects of dieting. I was usually able to time these breaks to coincide with family birthdays, holidays or other special occasions.13 -
I didn't cut out anything - I would have felt deprived and given up, in that case! I learned how to work in the foods I love, especially chocolate... sometimes I go over my calorie limit, but I do it knowingly rather than out of ignorance of how many calories are in my treat!.
oh yes i keep foods i love daily and weekly or monthly for higher cal desserts. i make my own pizza which i can eat almost weekly if i want i tthat often 5 -
Here's an example of how cutting out what you really crave can sometimes backfire...
Sometimes, you should just eat the pie!
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@SueSueDio OMG LOOOOOVEEEE!!!!
OP - when I was on restrictive "clean" meal plans it created a bad association for me to have a "cheat" meal. At first my coach had me eating a cheat meal every 2 weeks then she cut them out and I started to binge in secret hiding (from myself?) behind the fridge and stuffing my face with random crap such as marshmallows - that I don't even like that much anyway.
When I embraced a flexible approach, I no longer feel the need to "cheat". If I am dieting to lose some kilos (I diet up and down) I will have a day at higher calories or an untracked day every week and just eat more because I find that when I start to struggle with hunger it can lead to bingeing, so as soon as I feel that "OMG i'm non-stop hungry" I eat at maintenance or slightly above for one day. That satisfies me and then I go back into the deficit for the next 6 days.
I can go longer, but I prefer not to.
So I now call them refeeds or just call them nothing - higher calorie day, but I don't call it cheating because negative connotations and images of me eating marshmallows from the packet behind the fridge.
Oh yeah - and I still manage to lose weight when I want to even not eating "clean" and having "cheat" meals/days.8 -
What is considered a "cheat day?" If you plan to eat like an *kitten* and give no *kitten*, I guarantee that's not the way to look at it and it will completely derail any idea of progress you have in your head.
If you mean eating at a planned surplus that doesn't disrupt your net calorie intake that still puts you in a caloric deficit, then yes, by all means take the day.
Here's the thing, if you completely eliminate your favorite food(s), it only makes the temptation that much greater to cave in. Granted, some people do better via restriction instead of moderation, but make the restricted food something you have to work for. Say ice cream for example.
Don't keep it in the house and if you need to have some, go out and get a serving of it from your preferred ice cream spot, not a gallon from the grocery that you can take home. Chances are the thought of having to get dressed, get into the car, drive in the heat, walk into the store, wait in line, order, pay, wait for it to be made and served are all going to feel like more of a pain in the *kitten* than just staying home in the air conditioning.
Basically, don't make it easily available and if you want it, go get it, but on conditions, because if you could easily moderate your favorite food, this thread wouldn't exist.5 -
I haven't eaten off plan (sounds better than cheating) since 1st November 2017. It was a little difficult at first as I love pasta but it is not something I can eat without suffering the consequences of abdo pain and bloating and most substitutes just taste bad or weird. I now no longer get cravings.2
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cheat day can erase a heck of a lot of progress especially for the last few pounds at 0.5lb/week. i can pack in a ton of calories in a day
if i have a craving for something, i just work in into my meal plan for the week. maybe eating maintenance that day if needed (sometimes it's not even needed with some planning and portion control). i'm usually good if i good after that and it passes.
for special events i try to ensure they are not EVERY week and again, work them in. maybe do a day at maintenance, and planning the week's calories. it's ok to live.
i just do my best to track as best i can.
You make a very good point, I like that!
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sweetangelkitten wrote: »I never have a "cheat day" I find that to be triggering for me to eat and feel badly about myself. If I really want something, then I have it. I am trying to allow myself to enjoy birthdays, holidays and other celebrations. Even if it's a day that isn't a special "celebration" I allow something I really love. The cheat day mindset is something that makes me feel restricted and sad personally.
Yeah I agree, it bothers me alot too and makes me feel sad and guilty. Especially those Friday nights after a long and stressful work week of eating healthy.1 -
What is considered a "cheat day?" If you plan to eat like an *kitten* and give no *kitten*, I guarantee that's not the way to look at it and it will completely derail any idea of progress you have in your head.
If you mean eating at a planned surplus that doesn't disrupt your net calorie intake that still puts you in a caloric deficit, then yes, by all means take the day.
Here's the thing, if you completely eliminate your favorite food(s), it only makes the temptation that much greater to cave in. Granted, some people do better via restriction instead of moderation, but make the restricted food something you have to work for. Say ice cream for example.
Don't keep it in the house and if you need to have some, go out and get a serving of it from your preferred ice cream spot, not a gallon from the grocery that you can take home. Chances are the thought of having to get dressed, get into the car, drive in the heat, walk into the store, wait in line, order, pay, wait for it to be made and served are all going to feel like more of a pain in the *kitten* than just staying home in the air conditioning.
Basically, don't make it easily available and if you want it, go get it, but on conditions, because if you could easily moderate your favorite food, this thread wouldn't exist.
Yeah I definitely make sure to keep my "favorite foods - mostly sweets) out of the house. Better yet I always take account to not eat alot of it. Like instead of eating a whole package of oreos, I buy the packs with just 6 cookies in it to help with my crave and to not overeat. Baby steps go a long way!1 -
I don't do cheat days, if I want something I eat it, I make sure it fits into my calories. I refuse to deprive myself.9
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I don't really consider it cheating to eat the things I want, so I make sure most of the things I eat every day are things I like. For things that are higher in calories, if it feels like it's worth eating less that day to have something, I have it. If I would rather eat more, I don't have it. I basically go by the rule "is it worth the calories today" when I'm choosing what to eat, even for something as low calorie as broccoli. All foods are the same to me in that regard, but lower calorie food tends to win out more often simply because they're a breeze to fit in and don't require too much planning and re-arranging.3
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What is considered a "cheat day?" If you plan to eat like an *kitten* and give no *kitten*, I guarantee that's not the way to look at it and it will completely derail any idea of progress you have in your head.
If you mean eating at a planned surplus that doesn't disrupt your net calorie intake that still puts you in a caloric deficit, then yes, by all means take the day.
Here's the thing, if you completely eliminate your favorite food(s), it only makes the temptation that much greater to cave in. Granted, some people do better via restriction instead of moderation, but make the restricted food something you have to work for. Say ice cream for example.
Don't keep it in the house and if you need to have some, go out and get a serving of it from your preferred ice cream spot, not a gallon from the grocery that you can take home. Chances are the thought of having to get dressed, get into the car, drive in the heat, walk into the store, wait in line, order, pay, wait for it to be made and served are all going to feel like more of a pain in the *kitten* than just staying home in the air conditioning.
Basically, don't make it easily available and if you want it, go get it, but on conditions, because if you could easily moderate your favorite food, this thread wouldn't exist.
Yeah I definitely make sure to keep my "favorite foods - mostly sweets) out of the house. Better yet I always take account to not eat alot of it. Like instead of eating a whole package of oreos, I buy the packs with just 6 cookies in it to help with my crave and to not overeat. Baby steps go a long way!
I find it INTERESTING that you did not mention these packs of Oreos, and these cheat days, on your thread about how you only eat tiny amounts of fruit, vegetables, yoghurt and lean meat and yet aren’t aren’t losing weight.9 -
This isn't supposed to be a punishment. I don't need to go "cold turkey" on any particular items or restrict whole food groups or make my life miserable with arbitrary and unnecessary rules and regulations. That kind of plan might work for some people, but it's unacceptable for me. No need to make it more complicated than it needs to be. I don't want to end up crashing and burning because I'm miserable and can't keep it up.
Cutting the good stuff completely out of my life seems like a short term solution, not something that can be maintained for long. Since I'm not interested in the short term - this is a permanent lifestyle for me, not a temporary diet - I'm not doing anything I can't maintain forever. I personally won't/can't maintain cutting out my favorite foods. But I CAN maintain eating my favorite foods in reasonable portions that fit within my goals. So I just make sure I eat things in amounts that fit into my calorie goals. And I exercise to earn my treats. I never really need a cheat day, because I eat what I want every day. I guess you could say the few holidays throughout the year are cheat days, since I don't bother logging on those days, but a few days here and there don't seem to do any harm. I don't like the word "cheat" though, because it has a bad connotation. I don't feel like there is anything bad about my eating habits. So I wouldn't call it cheating. It's just taking a day off now and then.
I've been maintaining successfully since 2011, so I know what works for me. I think it's important for people to find out what works for them (because everybody's a little different in their preferences) and then stick with it for long-term results! So cheat days or no cheat days, do what works for you!
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Here's an example of how cutting out what you really crave can sometimes backfire...
Sometimes, you should just eat the pie!
This is very good.
But my problem is the thing that I crave is way more than 900 cals. I can see it in my minds eye almost every minute of the day and its worse when Im reading this website because of course everyone (mostly) is talking about food and calories.
All I can think about - I can see it right now - is a big pizza with cheese oozing off the top, massive thick crust.
A slice just wont do, I would eat the whole thing. More than capable of eating the whole thing. Thats about 4000 calories I think.
I know that if I went for it and ate some, it would set me back in that then I would get the taste for it again and would just keep eating and eating it, buying more, eating them and so on.1
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