Cheat Day Frustration

Rai007
Rai007 Posts: 387 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
hi to all

well i consider a cheat day to be 24 hour period during which i ate at maintanence or at a surplus.
if i ate at a surplus then another deficit day is required to balance it.

i dont want to worry about a cheat day if it is once or twice a month.

but still it frustrates me as if it destroyed my whole effort. How to ignore it.

Replies

  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
    Either live with it, account for it, or don't do it...
  • bagge72
    bagge72 Posts: 1,377 Member
    You have to get over the fact that you think one day is going to ruin everything, it is all in your head, and there really isn't much anyone can do to help you with that.
  • chandanista
    chandanista Posts: 986 Member
    Look at your weekly total instead of daily for that week or two week period. It helps, especially if the maintenance/refeed day (I deplore the use of "cheat day") was for a holiday or some family celebration. Don't guilt yourself out of life.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Either live with it, account for it, or don't do it...

    Yep.

    Sounds like cognitively you get it, but emotionally you're still attached to something... maybe hoping for results too quickly?
  • anlu37
    anlu37 Posts: 100 Member
    I don't believe in cheat days. For one thing, the connotation is very negative. I go the by 90-10 rule. I eat within my calorie limits 90% of my meals. If I go over in one meal out of every ten, I tend to not worry too much about it because generally my exercise makes up for the overage. I had a brownie today. I don't feel guilty or bad about it. I tend to pay more attention to my weekly average than my daily goal and that keeps me sane. I have never once gone over my weekly average. I eat pizza, ice cream, hamburgers, fries, chocolate and lots of other things that most 'diets' don't allow for. I don't eat them every day, but I do eat them often enough that I don't ever feel deprived. My food choices are sustainable and I don't need to wait for a monthly "cheat". A few slices of pizza now and again or a small serving of ice cream is not going to destroy your whole effort. I am proof of that. I am averaging 3 lbs a week loss, which means that even when I plateau, I may still be able to maintain a good weekly average. The most important thing is to make your choices liveable. If what you're doing isn't working for you, try something else. Cheat days are great for some. I tried it for months. Doesn't work for me.

    27508099.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Either live with it, account for it, or don't do it...

    this.

    enjoy the food, or dont bother....
  • Hildy_J
    Hildy_J Posts: 1,050 Member
    If it's just a couple of days here and there and you're still losing then that's great. The spike in weight you see afterwards is mainly water weight. It's just a case of whether you're able to ride that storm or not!

    All the best.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    Look at your weekly total instead of daily for that week or two week period. It helps, especially if the maintenance/refeed day (I deplore the use of "cheat day") was for a holiday or some family celebration. Don't guilt yourself out of life.

    This is great advice. It helps to think of your daily goal as an average, and to count calories over the week. There are no "cheat days," only days when you go over your goal and days when you're under it.

    I also set a high weight loss goal of 1.5 lbs./week as an aspiration. Most weeks I don't quite make my weekly goal, but I'm still losing weight at a satisfying rate.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    One day is meaningless in the grand scheme of things...the idea that one day of over indulgence here and there could somehow make me unhealthy and unfit is about as absurd as the notion that If I eat **** and over-consume most of the time but have some broccoli on occasion and go for a run and eat within my calorie requirements then I'm perfectly healthy.

    Common sense....

    Also, you may want to do some soul searching and maybe determine why you have this need to eat at a surplus every week or whatever. I eat at a surplus from time to time, but it's usually a holiday or something...I don't go out and gorge myself just because...there's something else going on there IMHO.
  • Escape_Artist
    Escape_Artist Posts: 1,155 Member
    Either live with it, account for it, or don't do it...

    This.

    And really if you don't feel comfortable with cheat days why not just enjoy the things you like on a regular basis and just count them in your calories?
  • mfoulkebrown
    mfoulkebrown Posts: 94 Member
    Some people just can't do 'cheat days' and I am one of those. It's easy for me to go back to eating really badly when I do it more than every once in a while.

    When I do plan to do it, I actually plan it. I up the excercise/lower the calories that day or for a few days before. That way, I actually stay within my daily/weekly limit and still get what I like.

    That may be to strict for some and I'm envious of those that can be more free with it. For me, this is what works. Maybe someday I'll be able to loosen the reins, but for now I'll stick with what is working.
  • gymgirl3590
    gymgirl3590 Posts: 46
    I would eat what you want but a few things. Don't surplus it, just go to maintain (I think the feeling of backsliding will be less if you know you didn't eat to gain, but to stay the same). Or on cheat days make it one meal. I eat whatever I want, but count calories. So it feels like every day is a cheat day, but no day really is. Also, maybe work out super hard the day before your cheat day so you're sore. I was sore yesterday, so I didn't feel guilty eating dominos.

Categories