In defense of the cheat meal

Options
1235

Replies

  • happysherri
    happysherri Posts: 1,360 Member
    Options
    If I want or crave something I try to plan for it. Meaning, if I know I'm going to the movies I know I'm going to eat butter popcorn. SO, I work my butt off that day to 'earn' my exercise calories and thus stay under my calories. I don't do that too often, but yep gotta have it.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Options
    I think it would be better to have them with people that do not know how you are dieting, and not say a thing. Let them wonder, "How do they eat like that and still stay that size?" That is worth it right there. You don't have to tell them what you are doing on all the other days. If they ask how you can eat like that, just tell them you love food.

    I say it's a genetically fast metabolism. :wink:
  • Lindymae1
    Lindymae1 Posts: 9 Member
    Options
    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! :heart:

    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...

    I have a coworker who will completely derail herself if she allows herself to have even 1 bad snack or meal in a day. It all boils down to what works for you. What works for and makes the best sense for one person is going to be the thing that wreaks havoc with the next person. We're all different and that's ok!
  • blacksuburban
    blacksuburban Posts: 2 Member
    Options
    I have those days when I feel "HANGRY"... And it's time to feed the beast. I usually have those days after I am extra active and it's my body telling me to eat. So I listen. I don't go crazy with too much unhealthy stuff, but an extra helping of healthy food seems to do it.
  • Mcgrawhaha
    Mcgrawhaha Posts: 1,596 Member
    Options
    when i was losing, i had an entire cheat day, once every other saturday. i still lost 95 pounds in just under 1 year. now im on maintenance, and i continue to eat at a deficit during the week, and then have what i want on the weekends. its working great for me, i love it, and im even still losing a bit...
  • cherrybomb_77
    cherrybomb_77 Posts: 411 Member
    Options
    I don't really like the dichotomy of "good" and "bad" foods, so it follows that I don't care for the phrase "cheat day." I generally eat a certain way because it makes my body feel good. But if I want something, I have it. Normally I try to make sure it fits into my daily calories/macro goals, but if occasionally it doesn't, I don't worry about it. A slice of cheesecake doesn't make you fat or give you high cholesterol. It's repeated overindulgence combined with a sedentary lifestyle that does that (generally speaking).

    FTR, I'm coming from a lifetime of disordered eating and thinking about my body, which has a lot to do with why I reject that terms and labels.
  • spookiefox
    spookiefox Posts: 215 Member
    Options
    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.

    The only reason I don't believe in cheat meals/days is because I don't believe it's "cheating" to eat things you enjoy that aren't good for you occasionally. "Cheating" implies some kind of dishonesty. The only ""cheating" that gets done around here is when people say they never desire anything that isn't healthy anymore.
  • spookiefox
    spookiefox Posts: 215 Member
    Options
    LOL this makes no sense!

    The hot button is ACTUAL cheat days, in which you go wild in fast-food land, and sometimes don't even log it. 3-4k calories that you can't "even out" with the other days.

    Just redistributing your calories over a week or two to fit in a slice of cake is not cheating, is brilliant!

    OMG! OMG! You mean actually eat whatever you want to all day and not keep a record of it!?! Once in a while! OMG! You can die from that, right?

    Geeze. So what? The world doesn't end if you skip a day of paying attention to every bite you put in your mouth occasionally. It just doesn't. Relax. You only get one life. Try to enjoy it as much as you can.
  • spookiefox
    spookiefox Posts: 215 Member
    Options
    I think cheat days are fine if you are at your goal weight. If not, you just fooling yourself.

    Way to make it a diet rather than a lifestyle change.
  • gabbygirl78
    gabbygirl78 Posts: 936 Member
    Options
    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 agree! If it were not for a day I get to have what I wanted I would throw in the towel because I feel like I'm depriving myself. Cheat day = Treat day.... reward yourself!:drinker:
  • spookiefox
    spookiefox Posts: 215 Member
    Options
    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.
  • spookiefox
    spookiefox Posts: 215 Member
    Options
    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.
  • FancyPantsFran
    FancyPantsFran Posts: 3,687 Member
    Options
    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 while
  • amoffatt
    amoffatt Posts: 674 Member
    Options
    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:
  • Camera_BagintheUK
    Camera_BagintheUK Posts: 707 Member
    Options
    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! :smile:
  • PaulaS1220
    PaulaS1220 Posts: 61 Member
    Options
    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! :heart:

    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.
  • anlu37
    anlu37 Posts: 100 Member
    Options
    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.

    27508099.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Nutrition Facts For Foods
  • Ivey05131980
    Ivey05131980 Posts: 1,118 Member
    Options
    Cheat days/meals is what keeps me sane! :drinker:
  • robot_steve
    robot_steve Posts: 12
    Options
    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.
  • robot_steve
    robot_steve Posts: 12
    Options
    Also, you guys might like this article:
    http://articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/the-weekly-caloric-method/

Categories