Question about cheat meals and cheat days...

hollakris

Is it still considered a cheat meal if you still eat a lot less than your maintenance calories?
For example, I eat clean for 5 days and on the weekends, I kinda eat anything I want for one or two meals. I try to keep it healthy as possible but after calculating the cheat meal intake, it is usually still below my maintenance calories or right around my maintenance.

Is it still cheating regardless if I go over or under my daily caloric intake?

trogalicious

Eat what you want, hit your macros, keep it within your calorie goal.

problem solved.

2dogzrule

I'd say not cheating if you are under and cheating if you are over. I have a cheat meal once a week too, although, I have to say, this week with the holiday was more than one : )

Chief_Rocka

No, that just means you loosened up on your arbitrary definition of "clean."

ninerbuff

No such real thing as bad food. If one is still in calorie deficit, then weight/fat loss is still being instituted regardless of eating regimen.

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GingerLolita

I'd say you're cheating on your clean eating plan, but not on your diet overall.

BernadetteChurch

The aim of the exercise is to MEET your calorie goals, so technically you're cheating every time you go under or over. As long as you balance out over the week it shouldn't make any difference. Who/what are you cheating anyway?

JesterMFP

Is it still considered a cheat meal if you still eat a lot less than your maintenance calories?
For example, I eat clean for 5 days and on the weekends, I kinda eat anything I want for one or two meals. I try to keep it healthy as possible but after calculating the cheat meal intake, it is usually still below my maintenance calories or right around my maintenance.

Is it still cheating regardless if I go over or under my daily caloric intake?

Why do you need to consider eating as "cheating" in the first place? Just eat. Log. If you're not making progress you want to make, then adjust. Rein things in if you need to. You don't have to label it as cheating. (Unless you actually enjoy that "on a diet" mentality.)

hollakris

Is it still considered a cheat meal if you still eat a lot less than your maintenance calories?
For example, I eat clean for 5 days and on the weekends, I kinda eat anything I want for one or two meals. I try to keep it healthy as possible but after calculating the cheat meal intake, it is usually still below my maintenance calories or right around my maintenance.

Is it still cheating regardless if I go over or under my daily caloric intake?

Why do you need to consider eating as "cheating" in the first place? Just eat. Log. If you're not making progress you want to make, then adjust. Rein things in if you need to. You don't have to label it as cheating. (Unless you actually enjoy that "on a diet" mentality.)

I consider it cheating because the food I eat would be more on the bad side like ice cream, cookies, fried chicken etc compared to the regular chicken breast, oatmeal, nuts etc.


thank you for the response everyone

MB_Positif

I guess if you want to get technical I cheat every day. And it's awesome. And I lost weight. And I've maintained it. I highly recommend cheating a little every day!