Cheat Days Bad?

RebeccaBecca26

Is having a day set aside for a cheap day bad? I feel like it defeats the purpose of eating healthy, and changing your life style. Its like saying to someone on drugs (Because food is like a drug to me) you can have one day where you can cheat and do drugs....

What does everyone think about "Cheat Days"

Thank You All.

csuhar

It's hard to say, because people have different definitions of a cheat day. Some people consider it a cheat day when they don't log their food. Some of them consider it a cheat day when they log, but don't worry about the goal. Some consider a cheat day to be the day you get to eat that special treat you absolutely love but cannot afford to eat on a regular basis and still loose weight.

Generally, when it comes to weight loss, as long as you're not eating so much that you undo your defecits, it's not going to be a problem.

ETA: I had a "cheat" day last week. I was passing through New Orleans, which is where I went to college, and I stopped by 3 different restaurants that I'd come to love over those 4 years. I still logged what I ate as accurately as I could, but I didn't let knowledge of how many calories I consumed change my food choices.

Mokey41

You don't need a cheat day and can totally blow your efforts doing so. Don't restrict all the things you like, make them fit your budget and you don't need to cheat. Really if you think about it you're the only one you're cheating.

Since you've only been at this a week it really isn't time to start thinking about how you can cheat on the process.

jacksonpt

There really isn't a good answer to this question.

Cheat days mean different things to different people. For some, it's a chance for them to eat "dirty" foods while still staying within their calorie goals. For others, it's a chance to eat without restrictions. For still others, it's an excuse to jump off the wagon.

If your goal is weight loss, then cheat days may or may not have a meaningful impact. It depends how far over your calorie goal you go on your cheat day compared to what deficit you maintain on not cheat days.

If your goal is "healthy" eating (i.e. "clean"), then it's really a matter of personal preference as you can't really calculate the impact of a meal on your health.


I tend to feel like cheat meals/days are for people who either

A) Haven't figured out how to balance foods/meals in a way that allows them to eat things they like and still hit their calorie/macro goals

or

People looking for an excuse to eat as much as they want of whatever they want.

MissKitty9

If food is like a "drug" to you, then I'd advise not to include cheat days until you're more accustomed to eating healthy.

And I agree with everyone who says cheat days are different for different people. For me, it's usually one day of not logging. I'm probably still eating around goal, but I don't have to deal with the micromanagement of logging (i.e. I'll throw a little extra olive oil on my sandwich, I don't need to measure, I'll eat out without worrying about finding the caloric equivalent of my meal to log... etc.)

StarFit4Life

When I first started, I didn't have a cheat day for two weeks. And then I realized my addiction to food was worse than I thought. So I decided that if I was going to stick with this, I would need a cheat day. But when I saw the pounds come off, I didn't feel like cheating as much. I still cheat but I am so used to making good choices and eating healthy that I don't really crave the unhealthy foods like I did. If it wasn't for my cheat days, I might have given up. Then again, I really want this bad!!!

RebeccaBecca26

Thanks guys, I guess almost everyone agrees that its a personal choice... For me I think fitting in what I like, and not having a cheat day for it makes more scene to me...

Domane1963

I started my journey back in May and reached my target nearly 3 weeks ago. I have never been able to maintain my weight loss before so I'm in uncharted territory and it is scary. The fact that this time I totally changed my eating habits AND took up running, put me in good stead for remaining on the straight and narrow this time, but there is still a large part of me that is quite frankly terrified that I will fail.

Earlier this week I had my first "bad" eating day. I normally allow myself 1600 cals per day and I went over by about 400. I ate a portion of chicken casserole with some mini dumplings (they were deeee-lish!) At the time I felt awful.... guilty, fat and frumpy and because I retain more water when I eat carbs, I wasn't surprised to see the scales up by a couple of pounds the next morning. At the time I hated the fact that I'd lost my resolve.... having not cheated once since May, I felt like I was on the slippery slope and scared myself. Of course, the next day I was strong again and the day after that the water retention had gone and I was back to my usual weight.

Looking back now, I realise that I over-reacted and that just because I had ONE weak day, doesn't mean that I'm going to give up completely. And of course, rationally, an additional 400 calories really isn't THAT big a deal.... it just felt a lot to me..... but I can see now that that is a GOOD thing....

As others have said, I think you have to put it into perspective with your own personal plan.

cwolfman13

I tend to feel like cheat meals/days are for people who either

A) Haven't figured out how to balance foods/meals in a way that allows them to eat things they like and still hit their calorie/macro goals

or

People looking for an excuse to eat as much as they want of whatever they want.

QFT...