Cheat Day - To Count Or Not To Count

Epetz

For those that have a cheat day in their diet - Do you record your calories for reference only with no limitations on the amount or do you not record and just enjoy the day with no way of knowing the total calories? And why?

Retroguy2000

There's no such as cheating. Who are you cheating? You can save some calories in the bank, and spend them later. They're all yours. If you go over your weekly total, you won't hit your goals. And if you're not tracking, perhaps because you don't want to know how high the number is, you've probably blown all your progress from the rest of the week and should look into a more sustainable plan.

lynn_glenmont

I never thought of what I was doing as cheat days, but I had days on which I gave myself permission to go over maintenance, and I always counted. I like having the data, and I wanted to know what to expect at my next weigh-in.

amusedmonkey

I always count when I go over my target calories because, like lynn, I like data, but there are other reasons to count that may apply to you. It's fine if you don't count for a day, but this may open a can of worms, so unless you're sure you are not prone to these issues, it's best to count.
- Will a day turn into a week then into a month? Counting is a way to remind yourself you're watching your food, even when you go over.
- Will not counting make you feel you're "off plan" and doing something wrong? Counting re-affirms that you're making a choice, not doing something you should feel guilty about.
- Will you undo a week's worth of dieting with one day of overeating? This is especially an issue if your deficit is small for one reason or another, like being close to target weight, being inactive, or not being able to create a larger deficit due to sustainability reasons. Counting helps you stay mindful and not go overboard.
- Are you able to consistently lose weight at a pace that is acceptable to you without counting overeating days? If you ever need to ask "why am I not losing weight?" or "do I have a slow metabolism?", tightening up your logging is the first step to take in troubleshooting those issues.

wilson10102018

This is a sad legacy from the fat shaming that calorie counting is supposed to relieve.

Eat what you want, when you want, log everything diligently and if you are in a calorie deficit, consistently and cumulatively, you will lose weight. If you aren't in a deficit, you don't want to lose weight (deep down) and should just get comfortable with your body.

EyeOTS

I think of it more in terms of zig-zag dieting than 'cheat'. The purpose of cheat days or meals is to have some less restricted days. Its too lose of a term to condem completely.

cmriverside

I log everything because I find it helps to be as accurate as I possibly can.

I lost quite a bit of weight many years ago and I've always incorporated big food days. I still regularly exceed my food goals by 70-100% at least one day per week.

I know my numbers though. I know what happens (or doesn't happen.) Years of good record keeping.

wunderkindking

I always record - I am never a precise weigh all the food person, due to my mental workings (I go obsessive pretty easily) but I always record at least rough measures, including 'cheat' days (days I intentionally go over). Because I want to know WHY my weight is doing a thing and the answer is almost always in the food log somewhere.

DoctorMOHSEN

Cheat day is different from cheat meal, because if the entire day you are eating without minding what goes to your stomach that day for sure you will exceed your weekly calories and your plan might be delayed. I'd rather do cheat meal that fit into my weekly calories or daily calories so that cravings are satisfied and you still hit your daily requirements and hola nothing is ruined 😇🔥

ehju0901

I log the rest of my day besides the meal. Usually if I am having a cheat meal, I am eating out and it is more difficult to log accurately anyway.

Even when eating outside of your diet, it is important to be aware of your goals and the impact cheat meals can have. Yes, enjoy those meals, but just be aware.

AnnPT77

In my world, cheating is like Santa Claus (when I'm adult), a pleasant myth, maybe a metaphor.

Sometimes (rarely) I eat below goal, sometimes I eat right around goal (usually), sometimes I eat over goal . . . occasionally way over goal (also pretty rare, but it depends on what the scale is doing - I don't want to drop below my maintenance range lower bound for very long). When losing, it was less common for me to eat much above goal.

While I was losing, and in the early months of maintenance, I logged everything, even if I had to estimate with probably-minimal accuracy. I wanted to know *my* calorie needs, as best I could estimate from my data, not some calculator's estimate of my calorie needs . . . and I knew that the number could be different after being in maintenance a while, even if at consistent body weight. It was good that I took that approach, because both MFP and my (good brand/model) fitness tracker underestimate my calorie needs by several hundred calories daily.

Nowadays (5+ years at a healthy weight since losing), I do skip logging on some higher-eating days, not necessarily because it's higher intake, but when it's something that's very difficult to estimate with even remote accuracy (Saturday's potluck lunch at the rowing club, for example). I no longer need that precision data to understand how much to eat to maintain, and I know from experience that even with all the reins loosened, I'm only going to hit 2 to 2.5 times my daily maintenance calories (OK, maybe 3x if I reallllly push it). With that knowledge, daily weighing, and a trending app, it's not hard to accomplish my weight management goals.

I do usually calorie bank - eat *a little* under my maintenance needs most days, like 100-150 calories, in order to make room for some indulgences less often. That works well for me.

Walkywalkerson

I log everything
I usually go over my daily calories at weekends - sometimes by a massive amount 😬
But logging calories has become a habit now - I enjoy it!