Having a cheat day every 2-3 weeks

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kathleenbritting
kathleenbritting Posts: 16
in Food and Nutrition
I've been reading about adaptive thermogenesis and rapid weight loss with excessive skin. When l was loosing 3 years ago I used to have what I called Cheat days. I would eat anything I wanted for 1 day, every 2 to 3 weeks. I had lost 40 pounds but had no trouble with loose skin. Now granted it's 3 years later but, I'm thinking of doing the same thing. Any thoughts?
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  • Amykins2828
    Amykins2828 Posts: 31 Member
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    I lost 100 lbs pretty rapidly and I do have a problem with loose skin. Its been 3+ years but I still have it. I'm kind of an "All or nothing" person. I have a hard time with moderation. If I eat bad, I tend to eat REALLY bad.

    My new mentality though is the 80/20 rule. If I eat well 80% of the time, its okay to eat what I want 20% of the time. That's not necessarily the best way to go about losing weight, but it helps me be kind to myself and not to beat myself up when I eat poorly. Cheat days happen!

    The year I lost the 100 lbs though I never cheated. I was very rigid with my diet and did really well. My chiropractor said that loose skin will eventually "Go back to how it was before"... To which I thought to myself "It was never small before!"

    I think if one cheat day every 2-3 weeks helps keep you from going overboard, its a good thing! I'm not sure it has any effect on loose skin though. (I typed an awful lot to get to that point!) :)
  • JaxDemon
    JaxDemon Posts: 403 Member
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    Instead of having a cheat day every 2-3 weeks why not have a cheat meal (Starter/Main/Dessert/Drink) every 7 days?

    If I had a cheat day I could easily go over 20k calories compared to a cheat meal I rarely hit 2k
  • _noob_
    _noob_ Posts: 3,306 Member
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    the proper new age, participation trophy generational, don't hurt my feelings, term is "refeed".
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
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    the proper new age, participation trophy generational, don't hurt my feelings, term is "refeed".

    ^^
  • SouthernCountryGirl
    SouthernCountryGirl Posts: 195 Member
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    the proper new age, participation trophy generational, don't hurt my feelings, term is "refeed".


    I'm slow, what the hell does that mean?
  • kathleenbritting
    kathleenbritting Posts: 16
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    Just one meal is a better idea. Your right. It would be way too easy to go way overboard.
  • kathleenbritting
    kathleenbritting Posts: 16
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    I'm not sure what you are telling me. Are you saying that a cheat meal is called re feeding?
  • mkrz
    mkrz Posts: 5 Member
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    I would say probably to avoid having a full day of cheat but consider this:

    80 20 rule

    It means 80% of the time you eat really well and you make all the proper and best choices you can. I follow canada food guide and a calorie limit set by my nutritionist, but I allow 20% of my food to be not so healthy.

    For example, most of the time I eat fresh vegetables (raw, you don't have to go this far though, I do it because it's fast), a 3 ounce piece of meat, I get my grains and dairy in. But on fridays, I allow myself to have something like pizza or a burger for dinner.

    I also try to plan ahead, so I eat less grains earlier or meat/alternatives earlier in the day. I don't put the pepperoni on my pizza, but some days if I want to still save calories but enjoy pizza, I don't put bacon on it. I double up on the vegetables on it, etc.

    You can still enjoy your foods but you want to avoid extremes in either direction. I use the 80 20 rule as my motivation as it is what allows me to have my 20% and enjoy it. I definitely might have a day where I'm higher in calories but I have a day where I am lower too. It should balance out at the end of the week and never be an extreme. You want to build healthy habits for life and find something that works for you.

    Overall I find this helps me control my eating and keep portions proper as well as have something to look forward to. I no longer feel like I'm never going to have something I enjoy again. I enjoy every meal now and everything is balanced!

    Maybe this will work for you :)

    I was introduced to this 80 20 rule by my nutritionist and it has proved to be amazing.
  • Amykins2828
    Amykins2828 Posts: 31 Member
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    I was wondering the same thing :O
  • TuDominicano
    TuDominicano Posts: 120 Member
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    80/20 flexible dieting it. eat 80% clean and 20% dirty. enjoy something late in the evening. ice cream, a snickers bar, whatever just watch for the calories, carbs, and fats though.
  • TuDominicano
    TuDominicano Posts: 120 Member
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    Thumbs up
    I would say probably to avoid having a full day of cheat but consider this:

    80 20 rule

    It means 80% of the time you eat really well and you make all the proper and best choices you can. I follow canada food guide and a calorie limit set by my nutritionist, but I allow 20% of my food to be not so healthy.

    For example, most of the time I eat fresh vegetables (raw, you don't have to go this far though, I do it because it's fast), a 3 ounce piece of meat, I get my grains and dairy in. But on fridays, I allow myself to have something like pizza or a burger for dinner.

    I also try to plan ahead, so I eat less grains earlier or meat/alternatives earlier in the day. I don't put the pepperoni on my pizza, but some days if I want to still save calories but enjoy pizza, I don't put bacon on it. I double up on the vegetables on it, etc.

    You can still enjoy your foods but you want to avoid extremes in either direction. I use the 80 20 rule as my motivation as it is what allows me to have my 20% and enjoy it. I definitely might have a day where I'm higher in calories but I have a day where I am lower too. It should balance out at the end of the week and never be an extreme. You want to build healthy habits for life and find something that works for you.

    Overall I find this helps me control my eating and keep portions proper as well as have something to look forward to. I no longer feel like I'm never going to have something I enjoy again. I enjoy every meal now and everything is balanced!

    Maybe this will work for you :)

    I was introduced to this 80 20 rule by my nutritionist and it has proved to be amazing.
  • _noob_
    _noob_ Posts: 3,306 Member
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    the proper new age, participation trophy generational, don't hurt my feelings, term is "refeed".


    I'm slow, what the hell does that mean?

    Cheat is a word with a negative connotation. Refeed implies purpose to overindulgence.
  • VeinsAndBones
    VeinsAndBones Posts: 550 Member
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    Or eat nothing but full fat dairy, ice cream, pudding, pizza, fresh Serbian loaf <3, black pudding, cheese and strawberries to lose weight! C'mon, pull me!
  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
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    Instead of having a cheat day every 2-3 weeks why not have a cheat meal (Starter/Main/Dessert/Drink) every 7 days?

    If I had a cheat day I could easily go over 20k calories compared to a cheat meal I rarely hit 2k

    Instead of having a cheat meal every 7 days why not eat stuff you love every day and call it IIFYM and be happy while still losing weight?

    This. I eat what I want, when I want, and have lost weight. It's about moderation not deprivation.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
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    Instead of having a cheat day every 2-3 weeks why not have a cheat meal (Starter/Main/Dessert/Drink) every 7 days?

    If I had a cheat day I could easily go over 20k calories compared to a cheat meal I rarely hit 2k

    Instead of having a cheat meal every 7 days why not eat stuff you love every day and call it IIFYM and be happy while still losing weight?

    This. I eat what I want, when I want, and have lost weight. It's about moderation not deprivation.
    pfff... stop making sense.
  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
    Options
    Instead of having a cheat day every 2-3 weeks why not have a cheat meal (Starter/Main/Dessert/Drink) every 7 days?

    If I had a cheat day I could easily go over 20k calories compared to a cheat meal I rarely hit 2k

    Instead of having a cheat meal every 7 days why not eat stuff you love every day and call it IIFYM and be happy while still losing weight?

    This. I eat what I want, when I want, and have lost weight. It's about moderation not deprivation.
    pfff... stop making sense.

    I know right?!?1 What was I thinking?!?!?!
  • kathleenbritting
    kathleenbritting Posts: 16
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    So I guess I used the wrong words when I asked my question. I am pretty happy with the way I'm eating now. My loss is slow an steady . What I was wondering was, if you have a day every 2 to 3 weeks that you eat more calories than your baseline to loose, do you think this might decrease the amount of loose skin that stays behind after a quick and large weight loss? The whole eating more to loose and resetting your metabolism.
  • JaxDemon
    JaxDemon Posts: 403 Member
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    Instead of having a cheat day every 2-3 weeks why not have a cheat meal (Starter/Main/Dessert/Drink) every 7 days?

    If I had a cheat day I could easily go over 20k calories compared to a cheat meal I rarely hit 2k

    Instead of having a cheat meal every 7 days why not eat stuff you love every day and call it IIFYM and be happy while still losing weight?


    Because..

    A: Crap food is more calorie dense
    B: You're more then likely to binge after due to crap food not filling you up
    C: Nutritional values in processed crap junk food are of hardly any benefit to you.

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