Cheat days

WhyDelilah79

Hi all,

I've seen some people saying that you should have cheat days every now and again.
How often do you all have cheat days.
I was thinking for myself maybe once every three weeks go out for a meal, but still get a good work out in on that day and try as best I can to record what I eat. How does that sound?

Francl27

I don't plan them. I've had a couple cheat meals (days are just a recipe for disaster IMO), and every time but one I managed to keep them within 100 calories of my goal. If you can, do it for breakfast or lunch, it keeps you full longer and you can usually manage to stay under your calories for the rest of the day.

Personally I save them for special occasions though - a meal out with family, or like last night, starving after a hike and not having the time to drive an extra 20 minutes to find a healthier option. It happens. Just got to make sure it doesn't happen very often - really, 3 times total since I started 10 months ago. If I crave something though, I typically fit it in my calories.

KateK8LoseW8

I don't have planned cheat days, but just cheat on special occasions, like anniversary, birthday, or holiday. Once a week I eat fast food, but I stay under my calorie intake, so it isn't really cheating.

lebaker310

I don't plan a cheat day or meal. It usually falls on a day after a really rough work out and I'm craving something and I feel like I deserve extra tasty. I try not to plan for it so it doesn't become a habit.

Mokey41

It's not cheating, it's life. Are you going to spend the rest of your life calculating everything you put in your mouth? Do you think thin people go around worrying about every bite they take? Learn to make good choices 80% of the time and the rest will all work out.

hamminit

I don't plan a cheat day- but when I wake up and decide to have one... most of the time I can fix it on the treadmill lol - I'm not even close to as bad as I used to be since I started MFP. There are some things I used to eat mindlessly that now I just look at and say... that is not worth my calories.

mel4bee

I don't really believe in cheat days. I have cheat food once in a while but I eat small portions of those cheat foods

But yeah sometimes I will have a not so good for my health meal, but hey, it's not the end of the world

Stage14

It's not cheating, it's life. Are you going to spend the rest of your life calculating everything you put in your mouth? Do you think thin people go around worrying about every bite they take? Learn to make good choices 80% of the time and the rest will all work out.

This. I don't understand the "cheat method". I eat within my calorie limit and eat mostly healthy foods. If I want frozen yogurt or cheesecake, I work it into my calories. If I go over a little bit, I don't worry about it. If my husband decides to take me out to my favorite restaurant, I eat whatever I want and log it. I don't consider food bad or going over a self-imposed deficit to be "cheating" on anything. I do the best I can as much as I can, pay more attention to weekly numbers than daily numbers, and don't sweat it. And so far, I'm still losing more weight than MFP says I will with my eating habits. So, it obviously works for me.

WhyDelilah79

Thanks very much everyone. Some days I really struggle to eat all my calories back if I have a big work out, so I might just use them as treat days.

jimshine

I have them about once a week. I try to stay under my maintenance amount, but certainly exceed my goal amount. After doing it by the book all week, eating at the maintenance level seems like a pig out.