Cheat meal/day???

cdegler1
cdegler1 Posts: 3 Member
in Getting Started
Hi, I wanted to know what people think of cheat meals/days? What about only one cheat day per month max? Will this derail my progress?

I want to eat 1200 cal per day to lose weight, but I also want to enjoy certain holidays, like Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

Will having one cheat day per month max to accommodate those holidays derail my progress? Thanks
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Replies

  • NoHookUpZone
    NoHookUpZone Posts: 1,531 Member
    I don't count/track for 1 day a week. Usually Saturday or Sunday is my freeday. I do allow myself junk I may not eat normally on that day, but never in excess. I'll eat my usual breakfast and lunch but come dinner time that's my freebie. I don't gain, and I honestly believe it's kicked my plateau issues to the curb. My weight has been dropping like crazy doing it this way. Saturday my dinner was a cheeseburger with traditional deep fried garlic fries, and still dropped almost 3 lbs this week and that was starting Sunday. That amount of weightloss isn't A-typical but I'm still fairly large so it's still dropping fast.

    Nothing wrong with a day off as long as you don't over do it.
  • dianahajen1
    dianahajen1 Posts: 19 Member
    edited September 2019
    I have a "cheat day" once a week. Usually on a sunday. I don't binge but I do watch. I keep track of my calorie intake every day even on Sunday. I do consider it like a normal day... I know we are not suppose to call it a "diet" but who are we kidding.This is my lifestyle...watch everyday but indulge a little once in a while.I found doing it this way I don't have cravings..I reward myself on Sunday. I have been losing an average of 2 lbs. a week..
  • yelliezx
    yelliezx Posts: 633 Member
    I don't have cheat days but I do allow myself to have maintenance days on the weekend if I want them. I always log everything though.
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,464 Member
    edited September 2019
    I have a cheat or treat meal occasionally when I need it. I started with one planned once a week. I could never fit fried chicken, biscuits and gravy into my “diet”, so in the beginning, that was often my treat meal. I didn’t go crazy. Had a salad/no dressing first. One piece of chicken, maybe 1/2 or 1 biscuit. Probably went 200 to 300 calories over that day. I don’t think it hurt one single bit. I think it made it better. I didn’t know how to have a reasonable amount of fried chicken. Now I do. I didn’t know how to say to myself, I can’t have everything I want every day, but I can have some of what I want someday, without going crazy. That’s a very important lesson.
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    I don't eat the same calories each day. Weekdays I usually eat lower calories, usually under goal. I kind of bank these calories for the weekend when I spend more time with family and am more likely to eat out.
  • peachvine29
    peachvine29 Posts: 400 Member
    BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »
    I don’t believe in ‘cheat days’ at all, I don’t actually see the point of them, as I think the whole mindset around the concept is counterproductive.

    The concept of cheating, or treating, suggests deprivation the rest of the time, otherwise there’d be nothing to ‘cheat’, right?

    Losing weight is not just a short term project that once accomplished can be figuratively put in a cupboard and forgotten. If I’m to be successful then I need to change my understanding and expectations around food and portion size etc, otherwise I’m just going to put it all back on again. It’s about long term sustainable habits and if you feel deprived whilst making those habits it’s by definition not sustainable.

    If there are foods you’re denying yourself that you feel you have to ‘cheat’ in order to eat them, then I say you’re doing it wrong! Budget to include them if you simply must have them or accept that whatever it is isn’t actually worth the calories it contains and just don’t eat it.

    This 1000%!!!
  • Danp
    Danp Posts: 1,561 Member
    edited September 2019
    I don't have a cheat meal ever. That's not to say that I never indulge or treat myself, only that I refuse to classify enjoying my life occasional as 'cheating' like I'm doing something wrong or breaking some rule. Forget that self judging, moralising nonsense.

    So I stick to my calorie target the majority of the time and if an occasional situation arises that I think is worth taking a minor dent to my progress I'll enjoy myself fully and entirely guilt free. Weight is lost and gained because of what you do every day, not because of what you do once in a while.
  • elfin168
    elfin168 Posts: 202 Member
    I dont think it will do any harm as long as you are eating 'normally' on that day and not binge eating. You would therefore be effectively dieting on 6 days out of 7 and maintaining on the 7th, I would be concerned about your calorie goal tho as 1200 is pretty low. Mine is around 1400 and to be honest i probably eat around 1500-1600 some days. if i get tired or sore i might have the occassional day off tracking. weight loss should be sustainable so the occassional day off wont hurt. but if you binge it will. if you are eating enough during your 'dieting' days then you should be okay. to anyone who doesnt believe in days off and mentions deprivation...dieting is deprevation to a degree. we reduce our calorie intake to below the bodys requirements in order to make the body use its fat and some muscle stores for energy. it can get tiring over time and taking an occassional day off is sometimes necessary or healthy
  • BlancheandSmooshyface
    BlancheandSmooshyface Posts: 67 Member
    (sigh) I know about cheat days. After 6 months of eating low carb, and avoiding breads of all kinds, I woke with the need for pizza. Being Italian, pasta and pizza were probably my first solid foods after being weaned. Needless to say, I made a personal pan pizza this morning and ate half of it, going waaaay over my carbs. Fortunately, now that my need has been sated, it's back to counting carbs and calories again.
  • moonangel12
    moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
    Realizing that tracking foods is a lot like the financial budgeting we (hubby and I) have been doing for over a decade, I feel the freedom! I can have whatever I want, within reason, I just need to plan for it, account for it, and not lie to myself about it.

    My husband’s cute new habit? At night after supper he will come up and ask me “how many do you want?” - I smile, hold out my hand, and he counts up by 10 as he drops each peanut M&M in my hand (roughly 10 calories each) - they are from his personal stash <3:) A nice, sweet treat from my sweet, guilt free.

    Last night? I had a LOT of calories left, like 800. Not sure how that happened... so while I planned out a sewing project I had a creamsicle. And some almonds. And part of a bagel with butter. I was hungry :blush:

    It truly is freeing if you have the right mindset, like a financial budget - you can focus on all the things you can’t have on a day to day basis and pout about it, or you can make the conscious decision to say hey, this is what I need to do to make changes! I am going to cinch it up, make a conscious effort, and at the end of the week I will have a brownie... one... not a whole pan.

    Halloween? Instead of gorging on candy, enjoy the mini size and space them out for the next 6 months.
  • LyndaBSS
    LyndaBSS Posts: 6,964 Member
    Or keep a bag of candy in your freezer. You'll have to wait to eat most frozen candies. By the time it's thawed, you'll be satisfied with a small amount.

    I keep a small bag of Hershey dark chocolate kisses in the fridge. I've had the bag for months. 😉
  • denjan333
    denjan333 Posts: 158 Member
    Meh - I really hate the idea of "cheat" meals. That implies you're doing something WRONG, or you've FAILED some kind of test.

    If you want to enjoy a higher calorie day once in a while, that should not derail anything. My husband's birthday is coming up this weekend. I'm going to make a good healthy dinner, and I'll eat my usual amount, but will probably have a very small piece of cheesecake (that's what he wants). No big deal.

    Think of it this way - or in this scenario: Personally, I'm looking to lose 2 lbs per week. I am 5'3" and weigh 252, and my maintenance calories would be around 2,300 per day. To lose 2 lbs per week, I must 1,000 calories per day, so eat an average of 1,300 calories per day all week. Woo! But, say on Sunday I want a whole piece of cheesecake, say, for an extra 500 calories. In a week. Is that going to derail anything? NOPE! I might only lose 1.8 lbs. Not a huge setback. Even if I decided to eat at maintenance that day, the whole 2,300 calories. Still not going to make any noticeable difference. Might I gain a tiny bit of water weight from the extra carbs? Sure. But that will be gone in a couple of days.

    The MAIN thing to remember is that you are working on life changing, long term eating habits. You can't never eat over calories again. It's going to happen. We just have to remind ourselves that it doesn't mean we are cheating, or bad. It's life. And most times, the extra calories we ingest are going to get us somewhere around our maintenance calories. For one day.

    I would even highly suggest that everyone take a break at least every 6 months and do two weeks at maintenance just so you don't go nuts with all this. Keep logging. Make sure it's planned. But look at the long term. If you never allow yourself some leeway, that's the real recipe for failure.
  • Emmapatterson1729
    Emmapatterson1729 Posts: 1,296 Member
    edited September 2019
    This is my second time losing weight, this time weight gained with illness, and first was after injury that made me immobile for over a year. I never did cheat days or felt the need, because I never denied myself anything I wanted or craved.

    I did exercise portion control. If I craved sweets, I would allow myself to go to bakery and buy one or two doughnuts or cupcakes (never a dozen, but one for today, maybe one for tomorrow). If I craved a burger, I would allow myself to get a double patty cheeseburger-all the way-from Five Guys (usually one burger would last me two days). Same with Chipotle burritos (3 meals off one). If I wanted pizza made low calorie homemade pizza with lavash crust, canned sauce, cheese and veggies... And reward myself with one of these treats after a 30-40 minute cardio workout.

    As long as I don't deprive myself, I don't need a cheat day. I lost almost 100 lbs eating what I wanted and what I loved. Just watched portion sizes and timing (for me always after workout for high calorie, high protein, and/or high carb treats/meals).

    Good luck to all.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,089 Member
    cdegler1 wrote: »
    Hi, I wanted to know what people think of cheat meals/days? What about only one cheat day per month max? Will this derail my progress?

    I want to eat 1200 cal per day to lose weight, but I also want to enjoy certain holidays, like Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

    Will having one cheat day per month max to accommodate those holidays derail my progress? Thanks

    I agree with most of the comments above.

    If you want a more specific, direct answer, you need to tell us what your maintenance calorie level is (or your height, weight, gender, age, and activity level so we can figure it out), and what you mean by "derail my progress". Do you mean will it send you back to where you started? (Unlikely, unless it leads to many unplanned "cheat" meals.) Do you mean will it stop you from losing any more weight? (See previous answer.) Do you mean will it slow your weight loss substantially? (It depends on your maintenance level and how much you eat on your cheat day, and what you think is substantially slow.)
  • Satisfiedwithbetter
    Satisfiedwithbetter Posts: 970 Member
    People lose weight all the time and have cheat days. The choice is yours. “My choices either get me closer to or farther from my goals.” It’s that simple. Learn to love the process, and make sure your plan is realistic and sustainable, and deprivation isn’t a factor and you will be successful.
  • gallicinvasion
    gallicinvasion Posts: 1,015 Member
    Like some others above, I think mindset is really important here, so I don’t call anything a “cheat day.” I am trying to create a way-of-eating that is INCLUSIVE of the wonderful treats that life offers you (during holidays, special occasions, and opportunities to try new things). If I made a way-of-eating that dictates “no treats! If you have a treat, you are CHEATING and doing the wrong thing, but once in a while is okay I guess,” then that’s not setting me up to feel good about my eating habits, and it’s not realistic because life should be full of celebration, yes, sometimes celebration with food!

    My mindset is more like “let’s create a way-of-eating for my Ho-hum regular day-to-day life that is reasonable and sustainable and lets me hit my goals, and when super special occasions come around, I’m going to enjoy them without guilt.” If I am eating to my calorie target on 350 out of 365 days a year, I am going to make awesome progress (a tiny bit slower than if I stuck to it for 365, but eating to one calorie target for 365 days a year is super unsustainable and unrealistic). And I don’t have to miss out on enjoying celebrations with food once in a while, so I won’t get burnt out/depressed/fed-up with over-restricting.

    Some days that I consider super special? Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Thanksgiving, my birthday, a friend’s wedding, vacation days, and rarely, a random day where I might just need a big bowl of mac n cheese.
  • nighthawk584
    nighthawk584 Posts: 2,023 Member
    my ultimate "cheat day" is coming up. Thanksgiving, or should I say CHEAT WEEKEND! I will bank many calories a few days before and then just enjoy a sampling of all my sister's delicious homemade food and desserts. It will be the first time since I started in April that I will do something like this. Come the following Monday, back to strictness :)
  • cdegler1
    cdegler1 Posts: 3 Member
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    cdegler1 wrote: »
    Hi, I wanted to know what people think of cheat meals/days? What about only one cheat day per month max? Will this derail my progress?

    I want to eat 1200 cal per day to lose weight, but I also want to enjoy certain holidays, like Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

    Will having one cheat day per month max to accommodate those holidays derail my progress? Thanks

    I agree with most of the comments above.

    If you want a more specific, direct answer, you need to tell us what your maintenance calorie level is (or your height, weight, gender, age, and activity level so we can figure it out), and what you mean by "derail my progress". Do you mean will it send you back to where you started? (Unlikely, unless it leads to many unplanned "cheat" meals.) Do you mean will it stop you from losing any more weight? (See previous answer.) Do you mean will it slow your weight loss substantially? (It depends on your maintenance level and how much you eat on your cheat day, and what you think is substantially slow.)

    My stats are:
    Height: 67inches
    Weight: 160lbs
    Female
    30 years old
    Lightly active: 30 min cardio 3-5x per week

    I only want to have one cheat meal per month, usually on a holiday. Take Thanksgiving for example. I would eat healthy and very little all day, but then not worry about what I eat at Thanksgiving dinner. I wouldnt stuff just because I could, but I also wouldnt worry about it either. After the meal, I would be done eating and return to weight loss calories the next day.

    If I had to guess, I would take in no more than 3000 calories on that day, more lokely 2000 or 2500.

    So im wondering if 12 days a year like that could halt my progress? Would I expect too not lose that week? Would I gain that week?
  • cdegler1
    cdegler1 Posts: 3 Member
    gallicinvasion wrote: »
    Like some others above, I think mindset is really important here, so I don’t call anything a “cheat day.” I am trying to create a way-of-eating that is INCLUSIVE of the wonderful treats that life offers you (during holidays, special occasions, and opportunities to try new things). If I made a way-of-eating that dictates “no treats! If you have a treat, you are CHEATING and doing the wrong thing, but once in a while is okay I guess,” then that’s not setting me up to feel good about my eating habits, and it’s not realistic because life should be full of celebration, yes, sometimes celebration with food!

    My mindset is more like “let’s create a way-of-eating for my Ho-hum regular day-to-day life that is reasonable and sustainable and lets me hit my goals, and when super special occasions come around, I’m going to enjoy them without guilt.” If I am eating to my calorie target on 350 out of 365 days a year, I am going to make awesome progress (a tiny bit slower than if I stuck to it for 365, but eating to one calorie target for 365 days a year is super unsustainable and unrealistic). And I don’t have to miss out on enjoying celebrations with food once in a while, so I won’t get burnt out/depressed/fed-up with over-restricting.

    Some days that I consider super special? Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Thanksgiving, my birthday, a friend’s wedding, vacation days, and rarely, a random day where I might just need a big bowl of mac n cheese.

    Thank you! This answers my question perfectly! I didnt want to feel deprived on special occasions, and ive always tried to diet on those days in the past, which has become very frustrating. I just want to enjoy a holiday once in a while without worry. I just haven't done that before so I wanted to know how it could affect my progress.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    cdegler1 wrote: »
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    cdegler1 wrote: »
    Hi, I wanted to know what people think of cheat meals/days? What about only one cheat day per month max? Will this derail my progress?

    I want to eat 1200 cal per day to lose weight, but I also want to enjoy certain holidays, like Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

    Will having one cheat day per month max to accommodate those holidays derail my progress? Thanks

    I agree with most of the comments above.

    If you want a more specific, direct answer, you need to tell us what your maintenance calorie level is (or your height, weight, gender, age, and activity level so we can figure it out), and what you mean by "derail my progress". Do you mean will it send you back to where you started? (Unlikely, unless it leads to many unplanned "cheat" meals.) Do you mean will it stop you from losing any more weight? (See previous answer.) Do you mean will it slow your weight loss substantially? (It depends on your maintenance level and how much you eat on your cheat day, and what you think is substantially slow.)

    My stats are:
    Height: 67inches
    Weight: 160lbs
    Female
    30 years old
    Lightly active: 30 min cardio 3-5x per week

    I only want to have one cheat meal per month, usually on a holiday. Take Thanksgiving for example. I would eat healthy and very little all day, but then not worry about what I eat at Thanksgiving dinner. I wouldnt stuff just because I could, but I also wouldnt worry about it either. After the meal, I would be done eating and return to weight loss calories the next day.

    If I had to guess, I would take in no more than 3000 calories on that day, more lokely 2000 or 2500.

    So im wondering if 12 days a year like that could halt my progress? Would I expect too not lose that week? Would I gain that week?

    I'd calculate your cals factoring that day in every 4 weeks. So if your normal cals are 1600 and you want 3000 every 4 weeks and not to change rate of loss, you could do the math as follows:

    28 days at 1600 cals = 44,800 cals. Subtract one 1600 day and add a 3000 day and you have 46,200 cals. Average that over the 28 days and you have 1650/day, so it's not going to really affect your loss at all.

    But if you want to still average ay 1600, you can eat about 1550 on the other days and you will. 27x1550=41,850 + 3000 = 44,850.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,089 Member
    You say you're taking in 1200 cals a day on non-cheat days, which based on your stats must be at least a 500 calorie deficit (MFP doesn't use exercise in determining activity level). Having 3000 calories in one day would likely wipe out deficits for 2 to 2 and a half days, so maybe you only lose a half pound for that week, and depending on how close the cheat day is to your next weigh-in, you might actually see a temporary gain on the scales due to water retention and extra food in digestive system.

    You can't expect that eating hundreds of extra calories will have zero effect, especially in the short term, even if it's extremely minor viewed over the entire month or year. Heck, it was the "extra" days that I got fat from. My normal days were at or even below maintenance; there were just too many occasions that I could justify to myself were "special."

    That's not to say that there's anything wrong with having 3000 calories once a month. I would even say it's good to find a way to enjoy celebrations, have a social life, etc. Most people will not stick with a weight management approach that makes them miserable.

    You just need to realize that those calories count in the same way that the calories you eat on other days count. Considering the "cheat" day and the days whose deficits are needed to counterbalance the "cheat," you're roughly slowing your monthly progress by 10%, based on the most pessimistic interpretation of the numbers you provide. It's up to you to decide whether that's a big deal, but for me, I wouldn't consider it to be.
  • windra06
    windra06 Posts: 50 Member
    'cheating' is part of life, if you ever want to maintain you will always have times you need to go out and enjoy yourself. To do that you just need to ensure you balance it out. That means that if your on 1200 cal, if you want to splurge go ahead but you need to ensure you eat down for a few days to balance it out. For example I fast every Saturday so I can eat a big dinner, glass of wine and some pudding. I'm still under my 1200 daily goal. When I need to eat out I try and ensure my weekly average is still on track. I went to a food festival last week and ate approx 2000 cal, so I skipped a few breakfasts and did a fast the day before.
    Just be sure you know truthfully how many cal you need to eat to lose weight as everyone is different.

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