Feelings after a cheat day?

Cindyinpg

I don't consider any foods in groups of good or bad... I eat whatever it is that I want and fit it into my day. If I know I am going out for Pizza and Beer (which we are heading to the bar at 3 for the OSU game) then I will have a light breakfast and a small snack for lunch, got a good workout in this morning and save my calories for this afternoon so I can enjoy so Pizza and Beer and maybe a few wings.... Nothing worse than demonizing food, I eat alot of Lean meats, veggies, and grains but I also enjoy my ice cream, Pizza, and whatnot....... . Best of Luck...

This 100%. I have whatever I want pizza/ice cream/fast food, I just plan for it, fit it in and I never need to feel deprived or guilty. :drinker:

ebr250

For some reason i was craving pizza after a very long time so i gave in and i ate the whole large three cheese pizza all by myself.
Now i feel guilty and angry at myself for wasting all my calories on pizza!
Pizza was what made me fat in the first place, i loved it but after eating it today i didn't enjoy it as much as i thought i would...
I guess having cheat days and eating junk doesn't make me feel good anymore, i would have enjoyed a salad or a nice healthy vegetarian stir fry...

Does anyone else feel bad after eating unhealthy and what do you do to make you feel better?

I think what a lot of people in this thread are overlooking is that you identified the food wasn't as enjoyable as you remembered and it made you feel bad. There is so much harping on this site about continuing to eat all foods and not "being deprived," but why eat food that you don't like?? If you don't find a food that enjoyable or don't like the way it makes you feel (whether that is a physical or emotional feeling) don't eat it.

OP, I'm in the same camp you are. Sometimes I eat something unhealthy thinking I really, really wanted it and end up not enjoying it very much. To feel better I chew peppermint gum, take a walk or do a workout DVD and eat extra veggies the next day. I also try to catalog the feeling of "ugh, why did I do that?? what a waste!!" so I can bring it up next time I feel tempted. Don't listen to all the hype of "everything in moderation!!" Eating foods that make you feel bad is so not worth it!

Articeluvsmemphis

Does anyone else feel bad after eating unhealthy and what do you do to make you feel better?

problem is, I feel bad, but not enough to not do it again. tastes too good, lol

solution: eat what you like, not everyday, but allow it, control it, count the calories and continue with better choices

alyhuggan

I had two poptart today...and yesterday and the day before that too! Yum! Whoever invented flexible dieting is my hero!

change_21

I eat what I want to eat in moderation and that's what works for me. If I had a cheat day usually it would turn into a few bad days and then I'd lose a lot of progress.

I agree that bumping up your calories one day a week is a good way to kick start your metabolism and help prevent plateaus, but only if that works for you.

The guilt is the worst though.

One thing I'm trying to do is not impulse eat - instead if I want something, I will walk away and think about it. Ask myself 3 times how bad I want it before indulging.

It sounds like your taste for food is changing - your body was in conflict with your mind. Your body says that it didn't really want the pizza but your head said you do.

You have to try to follow your body and not your head.

floop1207

i eat pizza almost every week. if i didn't, i would feel miserable and probably end up eating what i'd planned instead PLUS pizza. my weight loss is slow but its coming along. in the beginning i was impatient and wanted to lose weight quickly like i'd see so many people do but now i'm just concentrating on making the bigger me into a smaller me over time. i realised that if i denied myself the foods i really like, i wouldn't stick to it for long and i want this to be my new way of eating and being accountable for what i eat rather than a 'diet'.

don't feel bad about eating your pizza.

Mongognom

I had one of those days last week. I went out with a friend and had a cheese and steak sandwich, I ordered without the fries, but it came with it and I ate the entire thing. Even though I had decided to skip the fries and skip half the bread I found myself eating the rest of the bread even though I wasn't hungry and feeling so guilty for it. And then I had desert.

For me, when I have bad days I try to accept that it happened, identify my triggers and try again tomorrow. Personally cheese is one of the things I don't buy anymore, because I simply can't eat it in moderation.

Was it the pizza itself? Or the topping? Can you make a healthier version that you can eat without feeling so guilty or order smaller?

HexyleneGlycol

Dont let that get you down. Just work out for an extra 10 or 15 mins or more the next day, you will feel better. You wont ruin your whole program just by cheating once. I think one cheat day a month is okay. Just dont continue to do it everyday. If you get yourself back on track the next day you will feel better and work even harder. I ate a whole container of whipped cream all by myself and some pumpkin pie around thanksgiving, I dont let it get e down I just work out harder the next day.

Iwishyouwell

I used the language of "falling off" and "cheat days" for nearly 2 decades, ever since I was a kid, including all the shame, guilt, and anger that came along with it.

No more. I've come too far, gotten too damn strong after years of trial and error, to keep looking at food that way. Yes I eat in a healthy way, that feels great, the majority of the time. But if I have days here and there that I want to truly go overboard, I do, and I do so without guilt or remorse.

thursdayswoman

It depends. If I decide deliberately to eat something, and accept that it's going to put me over my calories, then I feel okay. But most often I don't, and then I feel stupid while I'm eating, and even worse afterwards. Both mentally and physically sick.

SinomenJen

I used the language of "falling off" and "cheat days" for nearly 2 decades, ever since I was a kid, including all the shame, guilt, and anger that came along with it.

No more. I've come too far, gotten too damn strong after years of trial and error, to keep looking at food that way. Yes I eat in a healthy way, that feels great, the majority of the time. But if I have days here and there that I want to truly go overboard, I do, and I do so without guilt or remorse.

^^^^ this ^^^^^^^^^^^^

ash190489

I did the same thing 2 days ago! A whole mushroom & cheese pizza followed by icecream & brownie lol it had been ages for me too! But that's exactly it, it doesn't happen often at all so the next day I just just got back on the healthy wagon & gymed! It's okay,, just move on ????

eelehr

Yesterday was a cheat day for me. I was in an all-day meeting with lunch provided. It is really tough to diet in such a setting, so I let go of it.

I felt really bad, but got back up on the horse today and will move forward.

orczombie

I cheated yesterday and I didn't log it for the shame, but other than not wanting to see the large red numbers, I don't feel bad about it. I was out with my friends, and I wanted beer and pizza, too. At this point, one day isn't going to ruin all the progress I've made. As long as I go right back to being disciplined the next day, I don't beat myself over slipping on isolated days.

FlawlessMusic

I went way over on calories yesterday and don't regret it. It was a fun night out with friends and ramen and froyo isn't too wild, though it was in bigger portions than I should've had. I averaged it out over the week and found that it wasn't too bad. I'm back on track today, and I feel good about that.

redladywitch

I don't have cheat days. I eat food and work pop tarts, cheesecake, ice cream, pop corn, etc. into my daily caloric intake. I'm just not into giving myself guilt trips. You should shrug it off. Tomorrow is another day. It's going to be alright.

ItsAnIllusion

Another thought - I don't like the term "cheat day," as if I'm breaking rules set by some outside force. I choose what I eat, and some days I choose to eat more. I don't feel guilty about it.

jonnythan

Barbonica

Excess in moderation. Log it, at the end of the week you might feel less guilt when you see that you ate for the week at or near , maintenance. I sometimes find this and always feel more in control when I log it and track it. Start again the next day or next meal.

BlueBombers

I have cheat meals and no I don't feel guilty. I workout hard so I earn those treats in my opinion. Just fit your splurge into your day.

chelseascounter

i only feel satisfied. it's not like i'm going to gain 10 lbs overnight or going over cals every night. once a week doesn't hurt me.

massivediet

What I do about pizza is go out to the pizza buffet once a week. I have a salad and then gorge myself on as much pizza as I want. The slices are small, about 250-300 calories each. I started out at 8 slices, and now usually 5-6. It's great! You don't take home any leftovers, you eat all the pizza you want, and depending on what your goal calories are and whether you must have two more meals that day, it might not even be a cheat day.

auroranflash

I want pizza now. ..

I don't get 'not logging because you don't want to see red numbers' ...Just log. It's just information, the more you have the better you can figure out how to better plan in the future. If you were hungry enough to eat a whole pizza, I'm gonna guess you haven't been eating enough in general, or your food has been very bland and low calorie, or 'healthy'.

You're supposed to be able to live your life, enjoy a slice or three of pizza and a decent beer on occasion and not feel guilty. Just log honestly, add more activity to your days when possible and go for a weekly average. Don't stress the day to day stuff.

Hezzietiger1

pizza causes the scale to go up 4-5 lbs for 4-5 days for me lol. Love it, but it is bad news for me.

Carol_Magee

I don't like calling it a cheat either. Call it a bonus or free or earned or reward - anything but cheat. Cheat just sounds like you've done something "bad" and who are you cheating anyway?

maryrx59

bump

webb50

Forgive yourself and go on.I think we all need ONE cheat day. After that day, get back on track. I had my cheat day today. Was blown away at the calories I took in,sure wasn't good for my blood sugar either, but I needed that cheat day, I've been craving a burger for three days,I got it and feel satisfied . I forgive my self, tomorrow is a new day.:happy:

karmahead

I think you've done a good job recognizing that you don't feel good afterwards and that maybe you didn't want that pizza after all. We all have "slip ups". The next time you feel like eating a whole pizza, think about how you are feeling right now.

NRSPAM

I know what you mean. If you love pizza, you have to allow yourself to have it once or twice a week, so you don't overindulge, like you're never going to see it again! Lol. If you wouldn't have gone so long without having it, and you knew you would be able to have it again in a few days, would you have still ate the whole thing? I doubt it. You have to work those things in to your calorie goal. You can always do some extra exercise on the days you know you'll be having more calorie dense foods.

happysherri

I had pizza and breadsticks today and stayed under my calories. I logged it, gasped and then went for a 50 minute Power walk!