Do you have a cheat day or cheat meal every week?

bobbiedr
bobbiedr Posts: 260 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am thinking of making Friday either a whole cheat day, or have dinner on Friday be my cheat meal of the week. However, I wonder if I do that every week, and I make sure that I am within my calorie budget the rest of the week, if I will still be successfull at weight loss. I figure if I make at least one meal a week a cheat meal, then I won't be depriving myself of anything. (All things in moderation, right?)

Do you guys do this? Does it work for you?
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Replies

  • Cheeky_and_Geeky
    Cheeky_and_Geeky Posts: 984 Member
    I cheat 2 meals a week & lose 2lbs a week
  • brucedelaney
    brucedelaney Posts: 433 Member
    If you burn more calories in the week then you ate you will continue to lose weight. If you want to enjoy a treat, have at it.
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
    I think cheat days or cheat meals are a great idea, helps keep you from driving youself crazy and allows you to enjoy life more, why not splurge on a date or a fun night out or whatever. I also have cheat foods, I am one of those cannot survive without chocolate kind of people so I figured out if I just eat a strait up chocolate bar that is the lowest calorie way for me to get my chocolate fix I need. I just eat it when I can't stop thinking about chocolate and move on, dont worry about it. For me this really keeps me from spurging on cake or something else with way more calories later. You have to figure out ways to diet while still keeping yourself happy because in the end that is what we are all looking for despite a number on the scale or dress size. Just figure out what will work for you to cheat without cheating too badly :)
  • FrankiesSaysRelax
    FrankiesSaysRelax Posts: 403 Member
    I have "cheat days" I guess. I don't plan them though. I eat whatever I want as long as it fits into my calories for the day. As long as you're under your calories, regardless of what you're eating, you'll lose weight.
  • beanrider
    beanrider Posts: 66 Member
    Saturday is my cheat day every week. However, since I am not sitting at my desk at work, I also tend to be much more active. When all is said and done at the end of the day, yeah I "cheated", but with all the extra activity, it ends up not being too much over and generally still within my weekly allowance.
  • chelsea123453342
    chelsea123453342 Posts: 23
    yeah, once a week i have a cheat day
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I try and stay within my calories but eat what I want within them (to an extend, I don't want to be starving either so most of what I eat is filling and healthy, but I have some sort of treat most days).

    Personally, I think that a cheat meal every week would be too much, but I'd probably go 1000 calories over or something if I was to really cheat, and it would slow down my weight loss too much. I've had a couple cheat meals since I started and only went over my calories once, but I had to guesstimate how many calories it was (I had saved my calories for dinner and still picked the healthiest entree, I just cheated on appetizer and dessert).

    So overall I think cheat meals are fine, you have to keep living, but once a week is probably too much, IMO. I'd make it a once in a while thing... and eat what you want within your calories otherwise. Of course it all depends on what you call 'cheating', for me two slices of pizza isn't cheating, for example, I make room for them.
  • MaryRegs
    MaryRegs Posts: 272 Member
    nope
  • madtownjeremy
    madtownjeremy Posts: 249
    Make it fit your macros and you can 'cheat' whenever you want.
  • shellma00
    shellma00 Posts: 1,684 Member
    I have cheat days on Saturdays and Sundays. I am sure on most of those days I am still staying under my calorie goals, but I just do not log them. On the weekends it seems like we do not eat on a regular schedule, because we do all the family stuff together and I do not deprive myself when my family is eating whatever they want. It seems to work for me, I am sure it all evens out throughout the week. :drinker:
  • RipperSB
    RipperSB Posts: 315 Member
    I've said it before, I'll say it again - it's not cheating if you log it. Eat it, log it and live your life.
  • jlanderson_12
    jlanderson_12 Posts: 40 Member
    If you burn more calories in the week then you ate you will continue to lose weight. If you want to enjoy a treat, have at it.

    Agreed! Eat WHAT you want WHEN you want as long as you hit your goals. Eating fat will not make you gain. Eating over your calories and not moving makes people gain.
  • oreyna
    oreyna Posts: 88 Member
    I've said it before, I'll say it again - it's not cheating if you log it. Eat it, log it and live your life.

    Great Answer!!!
  • mmm_drop
    mmm_drop Posts: 1,126 Member
    I eat what I want.

    IIFYM.
  • xX_Samantha_Xx
    xX_Samantha_Xx Posts: 166 Member
    I have a cheat day or two every week. Nothing CRAZY.. but I don't restrict myself. I am very strict with my eating all week and working out also. Sat and Sun are the two days I am more relaxed.
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
    Make it fit your macros and you can 'cheat' whenever you want.
    This

    Cheat days and cheat meals are utterly retarded. Food is food and you can't cheat on it.
  • doctorsookie
    doctorsookie Posts: 1,084 Member
    I've said it before, I'll say it again - it's not cheating if you log it. Eat it, log it and live your life.

    Well said... I started out with a cheat meal a week and a cheat meal a month. I noticed after three months of that that I would eat healthy and then when i had my cheat times I would get migraine headahes and stomache issues. I decided to start eating like i was already at maintaince weight only with a deficit. Now, if I want a treat, I eat it, because I want to get used to eating how i will once i get to my goal weight and not suddenly change the way I eat and put it all back on. Its working so far, I'm happier, I stress about 'bad' foods less and I am still losing pounds and issues. Its all up to you, OP. :flowerforyou:
  • eksero2k
    eksero2k Posts: 83 Member
    Usually just eat what i want, as long as it's within my daily calorie amount, which seems to work out pretty well so far!
  • LittleAngelamj
    LittleAngelamj Posts: 43 Member
    I definitely have a cheat day and depending on the week, I may have two in one week, but its all good.
  • itsscottwilder
    itsscottwilder Posts: 317
    I don't have cheat meals. But about once a week I'll fall off the wagon.

    I typically eat right at my goal weight BMR number. On fall off the wagon days I still am under my TDEE number
  • KittyKitty1991
    KittyKitty1991 Posts: 14 Member
    I have one of two meals a week ^_^ It's the best and keeps me sane, I budget for it by not eating back some of my exercise calories so I have an extra 500-700 to spend on my cheat meals
  • Mceastes
    Mceastes Posts: 303 Member
    I've said it before, I'll say it again - it's not cheating if you log it. Eat it, log it and live your life.

    Yep!
  • dianesheart88
    dianesheart88 Posts: 111 Member
    I use to have a cheat meal each week on Sundays. That did help to know on Sunday I could have something I really enjoy. I've changed that now that I can have that burger or tacos as long as it fits in my intake that day. Obviously you don't want to use all your calories in one meal so you learn moderation, you learn to plan and you'll soon realize that you can be happy with that. I have one chosen food that I stay away from which is any fried foods. I really try not to have them. One thing I realized it that saying those things were completely off limits did not work for me. I felt deprived all the time. Good luck!
  • faithdanyell
    faithdanyell Posts: 30 Member
    I've said it before, I'll say it again - it's not cheating if you log it. Eat it, log it and live your life.
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  • thesophierose
    thesophierose Posts: 754 Member
    No I only do 3 a month, :) strategically placed.
  • schonkreuz
    schonkreuz Posts: 493 Member
    Every Saturday my friends and I go out to eat, mind you I try my best to fit it into my calories for the day (maybe skipping lunch and some snacks along the way). I purposely go over calories maybe once a month.
  • anlu37
    anlu37 Posts: 100 Member
    My dietitian recommended a 90-10 ratio. Eat within my target 90% of the time and don't stress if you have 10% that is not right on. She actually suggested I not even log in that 10%. Instead of a whole "cheat" day, i just have one meal out of every 10 that I don't stress about. It makes those nights that I get pizza for the family not a big deal. Friend's going to dinner for a celebration? Not a big deal! Birthday cake? Not a big deal! I have a hard time not logging, so I log it anyways. I try to reduce my calories the next day by eating lots of veggies, but not going hungry. It calms my anxiety around the 90-10 rule. I am a bit of an all-or-nothing thinker, which when it comes to diet and exercise, can be really damaging. I have definitely benefited by following the 90-10 rule.
  • ailbheoconnell
    ailbheoconnell Posts: 48 Member
    I've said it before, I'll say it again - it's not cheating if you log it.

    this!!^^ i have meals that break my cal limit for the day but they are not planned 'cheat' days or 'cheat' meals. I have on occasion gone over my daily cals by up to 1000, but that's been about twice in 2 months. I don't think you should plan to 'cheat'. Who are you really cheating, only yourself. If you go over your cals log it all - ALL - and move on. Don't try to exercise it off, or reduce your cals the next day to balance it out. That is just frustrating and will only make you annoyed at yourself. But I personally don't agree with planning a cheat.
  • garber6th
    garber6th Posts: 1,890 Member
    Make it fit your macros and you can 'cheat' whenever you want.
    This

    Cheat days and cheat meals are utterly retarded. Food is food and you can't cheat on it.

    This. I don't use the words "cheat" or "good food" or "bad food". Food doesn't have behavior, I do, and I get to make choices as to what I will eat. Different choices might have different consequences but it is never the fault of the food.

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