In defense of the cheat meal
Replies
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I know the cheat meal/cheat day is a hot button topic at times here at the wonderful world of MFP, but I am a firm believer of saving a few calories every day so I can have a treat at least once a week. It keeps me on track and curbs cravings before they're out of control. My cheat day is normally Saturday, and I am having cheesecake for dessert tonight. Love me some cheat day. :drinker:
ETA: I posted this in Maintaining Weight because I am in maintenance. I also lost the weight using the cheat meal strategy, FWIW.
I think the way you explained it makes sense. Save up some calories when you know you want to have something that is calorie dense. I do not believe in deprivation or removing foods you enjoy from your diet. I do believe in planning ahead and/or compensating for calorie dense food choices.
But, I would caveat and say 'free for all' days are kinda a bad idea because I know I can eat a seriously large amount of calories just by choosing calorie dense foods. I could undo a week's worth of effort in one day if I let myself have a regular 'cheat day' to eat as much as I want of anything I want.
I wouldn't sweat vacations though. Unless you treat every vacation day as a 'as much as I want of whatever I want day', you're not going to undo your progress, you'll probably just have bloat from restaurant made, sodium packed food. No big deal, bloat washes away with hydration and time.
Well, three years ago I lost 100 pounds having a "free for all" day every Sunday. I wasn't using MFP and I just ignored what the calorie count was for the day. I'm sure some of my Sundays in that time were 6000+ calories but I couldn't say exactly because I didn't pay ANY attention. Never "undid" any weeks; I lost weight continuously.0 -
I am a firm believer of saving a few calories every day so I can have a treat at least once a week. It keeps me on track and curbs cravings before they're out of control. My cheat day is normally Saturday, and I am having cheesecake for dessert tonight. Love me some cheat day. :drinker:
ETA: I posted this in Maintaining Weight because I am in maintenance. I also lost the weight using the cheat meal strategy, FWIW.
Where is the cheating? You are SAVING a few calories every day. That's not a cheat meal. That's using up calories you saved. Why would anyone have a problem with you doing that?
Personally, I'm not sure why anyone should have a problem with how anyone else eats. Period. Why should anyone care if I chose to eat 6000 calories at McDonalds every day? Yet here at MFP, an awful lot of people do.0 -
I agree... if you feel deprived all of the time you aren't going to stick with any weight loss program.... Indulge once in a while0
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I personally feel like if I use the word "Cheat" I am failing at my accomplishments. After years of yo-yo diets and banishing foods I love completely to forcing myself not to have that one "bad" food until a certain day of the week, I gained...weight and the hate for food, along with a bad relationship with food.
FOR ME.... If I have to incorporate it in my calories if I want something. Over time and past failure, I had to learn to ration the amount and eat with portion control.:happy:0 -
I know the cheat meal/cheat day is a hot button topic at times here at the wonderful world of MFP, but I am a firm believer of saving a few calories every day so I can have a treat at least once a week. It keeps me on track and curbs cravings before they're out of control. My cheat day is normally Saturday, and I am having cheesecake for dessert tonight. Love me some cheat day. :drinker:
ETA: I posted this in Maintaining Weight because I am in maintenance. I also lost the weight using the cheat meal strategy, FWIW.
It's not a cheat though, is it! Cheating is bending or breaking the rules to gain some advantage, to win, beat other people. It suggests deceit, lying, fraud, theft somehow. Openly managing your calories to make choices that are more about fun than health is not cheating! It's the word "cheat" that I don't like. It implies doing something wrong or naughty - but what you're describing is doing something very responsible and to be recommended as far as I can see!
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I know that I, personally, have a much better attitude about the whole thing if I know that there is one day coming up that I can eat exactly as I please. I weigh in on Friday mornings and then the husband and I get donuts and chocolate milk on the way to work :bigsmile: I'll pack whatever sounds good for lunch that day or get take-out and then we go out for dinner after work. Date night!
Whenever I've tried to lose weight before, I was making myself stay perfectly within my calorie allowance 24/7 and I'd get burned out and pissed off after 10 lbs or 3 months, whichever came first. And then I'd get so sick of the whole thing and quit altogether. This time around I've done the "free day" approach on Fridays and stay on track the rest of the week. After the 1st couple of weeks I found that I didn't actually eat as much crap on those Fridays and I think it's because it doesn't feel like forbidden fruit anymore. I'm one of those stubborn types that if you tell me I MUST do ABC then I'll run straight to doing XYZ instead even if I know that ABC is the better choice and XYZ is going to totally sabotage me. Personal flaw...
Yes, this sums it for me as well.0 -
I agree with everyone saying "cheat day" is a negative term. I live by the 90-10 rule. I stay within my limit 90% of the time. On days where there is a special occasion or circumstance like going out with the husby for a nice dinner or having pizza and cake for a birthday, then I eat it. I log it. I don't feel guilty about it. Most of the time, I end up within my weekly goal. It makes life sane and manageable. I don't have a whole day where I eat whatever I want because I find it harder to get back into the swing of things. But it allows for more flexibility in 1 out of 10 meals.
Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Nutrition Facts For Foods0 -
Cheat days/meals is what keeps me sane! :drinker:0
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If I am seriously trying to lose weight, cheating is not a great idea. I personally would wait until I am at least pretty damn close to my goal weight/body comp before considering a cheat, and even then I would try to keep it to just a meal every other week or so.
Once I am at my desired weight, then I let myself cheat as much as I feel like as long as I don't stray too far from my desired weight. I am fairly health conscious, for the most part, so its not a big problem unless they are serving cheesecake in the cafeteria.0 -
Also, you guys might like this article:
http://articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/the-weekly-caloric-method/0 -
I think its great idea, but bearing in mind, it doesnt mean cheat all day, just one meal or you cann blow a months worth of weight loss. If you are a sweet tooth, have a dessert or cake, or savory maybe a burger. I go to Mcdonalds, as I have kids once a month have a snack wrap, small fries and diet coke. I try to avoid fish annd chips or Chinese, very high in calories, but a couple of slices of low carb pizza, or a burger or souvalaki just as good. I would only have the high calorie meals once I am close to my goal weight, as by then I have hopefully got the tools to keep weight off.0
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Thank you for posting this link. It pretty much sums up my attitude to eating, life, the universe and everything (couldn't resist the HHGTTG reference lol).
:flowerforyou:0 -
I don't cheat, I listen to my body. Obsessing over the numbers gets tiresome.
I also eat and drink 'bad' things and that needs keeping in check, but overall I balance everything out with the good stuff like actual nutrients and exercise.
I find if I give myself a day or a meal to go crazy, then I go way off the rails. Everyone is different, so whatever works for you go right ahead and do it. If something's not working, fix it.0 -
Went from cheat days, to cheat meals once a week to no cheat meals at all. I fit everything into my calories. I do indulge on additional 1500 calories, but rarely from junk. I eat bigger proportions of the foods I eat now.0
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I save calories everyday for a treat. I don't consider it cheating, and even if I did, so what?
I am succeeding at this. I will be monitoring myself for the rest of my life. This is my "new" way of eating and it is what I have to do from now on. In order to be sustainable, this is what is right for me. It is why I have a closed diary. It is only my business. When I was morbidly obese, I was cheating myself and not even aware of doing so.
Go for it and live your life! Do what you have to do to make it work for you.
I wish there was a LIKE button on here!! Well said, KT0 -
For me personally, a cheat didn't work and caused weight gain, almost DAILY. Bad for me.0
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I agree with not liking the term "cheat".
Moderation is all things. Do what works for you!!!0 -
The concept of a cheat meal is fine as long as it doesn't become an affair...0
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Can I just say, without being attacked, that I think the cheat meal is my absolute favorite meal!! Enjoy the cheesecake!
Maybe you could use the term "reward day" and people will feel less threatened by it. Hmmm....0 -
Here's how I approach the "cheat" thing. My goal is to eat mostly whole, natural food made at home every day. Some exceptions to that are hummus, Greek yogurt, salad dressing, nut butters, and other things of that nature that are too much of a pain in my butt to make at home. Every day I include a little treat, like gummies or chocolate or ice cream because that's perfectly fine and healthy. Once a week I "cheat" on this by going out to eat instead of eating at home, but I stay under my calories. I reserve the cheat days that most people think of (5000+ calorie gorge-fests) for holidays, birthdays, celebrations, and other special occasions. I don't view any of that as cheating, really. Eating out once, maybe twice, a week is a healthy approach to life. Including small treats into every day is also a healthy approach to life. Not having a panic attack about controlling yourself at a fancy restaurant or a family's house for Thanksgiving and just eating what pleases you is too. It's all about balance.0
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Just once a week? Heck, I do it once a day.I know the cheat meal/cheat day is a hot button topic at times here at the wonderful world of MFP, but I am a firm believer of saving a few calories every day so I can have a treat at least once a week. It keeps me on track and curbs cravings before they're out of control. My cheat day is normally Saturday, and I am having cheesecake for dessert tonight. Love me some cheat day. :drinker:
ETA: I posted this in Maintaining Weight because I am in maintenance. I also lost the weight using the cheat meal strategy, FWIW.
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Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
i dont think its cheating when its planned. when i was losing, i had a high calorie DAY every OTHER saturday... now, on maintenance, my weekends are high calorie, my week is low calorie...0
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I allow myself a cheat meal once a week I find it really helps with my cravings and I don't feel deprived.0
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Keeping a sense of perspective helps keep you sane. Whatever you call it, as long as it helps more than it hurts then I don't see any harm.0
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YMMV. For me, a cheat meal too easily turns into a cheat day, then week, then month, then year, and the next thing I know is that I can't zip my "fat day" jeans.0
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I love cheat day!! My problem is that I often go kinda too nuts on cheat day....ha ha ha. I somehow always expect to wake up huge the next morning but find I wasn't ruined after all and pick up my good habits
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I don't consider it a cheat day/meal at all. I consider it finding balance. If I splurge on a weekend, Mon-Wed may be spent recovering from that. But that doesn't mean I have to restrict myself dramatically or anything. Just enjoy sometimes and be good most others.0
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A treat absolutely! I just don't like the word 'cheat'.0
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