Has anyone lost weight with 'cheat days'?

rubianne1979

I have been losing weight even with a cheat day. I also try to make sure that if I want something I eat it or at least a little bit of it. Because I learned if try to make any food off limits then I start to crave it, even if it is something I don't really like and then I over eat it.

thatguyalex

The honest answer is that losing weight is a math exercise.

If say 1500 would maintain your weight...and you eat 1400 for six days and 3000 on day 7, you'll gain weight (i.e. you are 900 calories over on the week)...if you eat 1200 a day for six days and have 2500 calories, you'll lose weight (down 800 calories/week).

If you want to look at the week as a whole 1200X7 = 8400 calories, then that's fine as long as you aren't literally starving yourself or aiming for something absurd like 500 calories a day so you have 4900 on day 7.

i.e. Cheat days aren't meant to be binges, they are meant to be a chance to indulge but within reason and with reflection on what your weekly calorie budget is. If a binge is 5000 calories then, no, you won't lose weight.

scarrletti_girl

yes it is possible i did it before gotta eat the food you love. and at that low of calorie i think its even more important to have cheat days once a week or else you will either hit a platue or you will slip and slip hard eventually lol. but when you do a cheat day just don't over do it like i do lol

krawhitham

I "cheat" every day. When I want chocolate, I eat it, when I want a shake, I eat it, when I want 3 shots of whiskey, I drink 'em ... they're all logged, and I try not to go over under 1500 cals or over 2,000 cals on any given day.

Just make sure to track everything on MFP and you'll be fine eating things you might think are "unhealthy"

DanaHerro

I have a huge cheat meal EVERY. SINGLE. WEEK. Sometimes it's two cheat meals
I'm almost at my 1 year anniversary and down 66 lbs and I'm 1 lb away from goal

My cheat meal is a huge cheeseburger with fries OR mexican with an assload of chips and salsa 90% of the time hehe. Those are my two faves!

I work out 5-6 days a week and burn about 1500-2000 calories during those workout sessions that I don't eat back so I figure it all balances out!! Hasn't failed me yet.

jasonpclement

As long as you remain in a calorie deficit, over the long term, cheat days don't matter.

If you "undo" your week long deficit with one cheat day, then you will remain the same.


I'd much rather take my cheat day and divide it into my other days, than to put myself through a a caloric rollercoaster, but everyones different. And there are studies showing benefits of cheat days, just like there are studies showing benefits of everything.

perfectflightisbeingthere

I don't believe in cheat days (or meals) but I do believe that you can eat whatever you want so long as your intake and burn are matching over time or in deficit if your aim is to lose weight.

The important thing is to track everything, then if you want the pizza and cheesecake blowout you just have to put the hours in at the gym or whatever to burn it off. Obviously in the long run it is sensible to keep everything reasonably balanced and in moderation. It is only cheating if you don't log it!

Lucinda1926

So to be clear (this is my theory) as long as you work out that day... and stay within your calories that day then your "treats" are ok...?

Thanks L