Cheat Days

Transformer711

Hi everyone. I just wanted to see what people thought of the idea of a 'Cheat Day', I've stayed away from them because I want to get used to my lifestyle change, but I'm thinking of adding one in. Currently, I have cheat meals where I have one treat then eat normally for the rest of the day.

What do cheat days actually involve? What can you eat on them? Is there a calorie limit? And do they hinder one's weight loss progress?

Any comments would be much appreciated

SezxyStef

sorry I can't help with this as I pretty much eat what I want when I want it...I just make it fit.

For me Cheat days indicate food is bad...and I don't believe that.

For example if I want pizza for supper I make sure I have room for it. If I want ice cream after supper I make room for it.

If I want beans and cornbread I eat it. I just eat reasonable portions of it.

Francl27

sorry I can't help with this as I pretty much eat what I want when I want it...I just make it fit.

For me Cheat days indicate food is bad...and I don't believe that.

For example if I want pizza for supper I make sure I have room for it. If I want ice cream after supper I make room for it.

If I want beans and cornbread I eat it. I just eat reasonable portions of it.

Not true. Cheating means going over your calorie goal by a lot... you could probably cheat eating a ton of veggies, and I don't think anyone would qualify them as 'bad'.

For me cheat days are just very dangerous. A meal.. fine. Worst case you'll be over by 500 over your TDEE or something... A day? You can erase your deficit for a week easily. So unless it's a very special day (like Holidays), really, it's not recommended. I had one last week end and I was over by a lot, but I still didn't have dinner, so it wasn't a total cheat day (or I could easily have eaten 5000 calories!).

SezxyStef

sorry I can't help with this as I pretty much eat what I want when I want it...I just make it fit.

For me Cheat days indicate food is bad...and I don't believe that.

For example if I want pizza for supper I make sure I have room for it. If I want ice cream after supper I make room for it.

If I want beans and cornbread I eat it. I just eat reasonable portions of it.

Not true. Cheating means going over your calorie goal by a lot... you could probably cheat eating a ton of veggies, and I don't think anyone would qualify them as 'bad'.

For me cheat days are just very dangerous. A meal.. fine. Worst case you'll be over by 500 over your TDEE or something... A day? You can erase your deficit for a week easily. So unless it's a very special day (like Holidays), really, it's not recommended. I had one last week end and I was over by a lot, but I still didn't have dinner, so it wasn't a total cheat day (or I could easily have eaten 5000 calories!).

What's not true?

Cheating means you did something bad...I don't feel going over calorie deficet is bad...

I have gone 1000 over my TDEE on days, 3000 over my goals some weeks...I am still steadily losing.

My point is "cheat" days aren't necessary, just eat food. If you want a burger eat the burger, if you want a piece of cake eat it...just make sure you make it fit.

Laughter_Girl

I don't like the word "cheat". It sounds so ugly. I call mine free days, and I have one weekly to keep me sane on this journey. :bigsmile: My free days happen every Saturday. Below is an outline of what my free days look like.

1. Eat a healthy breakfast as usual.
2. Head to church to get my praise & worship on.
3. Eat a healthy snack after church.
4. Eat a delicious late lunch with family & friends.
5.Stop eating when I feel satisfied.
6. Remember to eat my fruits & veggies.
7. Enjoy dessert if I want.
8. Drink at least my minimum 10 glasses of water.
9. Remember to enjoy the company more than the food.
10. Log everything I eat.

I hope this helps.

_jessicamarie_

The more I keep at this (and I have logged for over 315 days now) the less I feel the need for a whole cheat day. When I have an entire day of unchecked eating, I feel gross afterward - both physically and emotionally. If I absolutely have to have something, I have it, and I do my best to make it fit into my calories. If I go over for the day, at least I logged it all and kept myself accountable.

I feel, for me, having a built in cheat day wouldn't be a lifestyle change because then it would be a "every day but Saturdays when I eat ALL THE THINGS I wish I could Sunday through Friday" lifestyle. Which doesn't seem to me a lifestyle change, more of a diet.

Francl27

sorry I can't help with this as I pretty much eat what I want when I want it...I just make it fit.

For me Cheat days indicate food is bad...and I don't believe that.

For example if I want pizza for supper I make sure I have room for it. If I want ice cream after supper I make room for it.

If I want beans and cornbread I eat it. I just eat reasonable portions of it.

Not true. Cheating means going over your calorie goal by a lot... you could probably cheat eating a ton of veggies, and I don't think anyone would qualify them as 'bad'.

For me cheat days are just very dangerous. A meal.. fine. Worst case you'll be over by 500 over your TDEE or something... A day? You can erase your deficit for a week easily. So unless it's a very special day (like Holidays), really, it's not recommended. I had one last week end and I was over by a lot, but I still didn't have dinner, so it wasn't a total cheat day (or I could easily have eaten 5000 calories!).

What's not true?

Cheating means you did something bad...I don't feel going over calorie deficet is bad...

I have gone 1000 over my TDEE on days, 3000 over my goals some weeks...I am still steadily losing.

My point is "cheat" days aren't necessary, just eat food. If you want a burger eat the burger, if you want a piece of cake eat it...just make sure you make it fit.

We're just arguing semantics. I guess 'cheat' depends on how you look at it. I agree that for me there is no 'cheat' when it comes to food types, but going over my goal is definitely cheating. Does that mean it's going to derail me and stop my weight loss? Clearly not... but it's still cheating. Otherwise, I wouldn't have made a diary to follow in the first place.

Sylvitryinghard

I used to have a cheat day in a week but since Im eating for half of Africa then its just slowing down the progress...

liannexxx

Hey are you doing a cheat day or a cheat meal? I do 1 cheat meal a week but I try not to make it ridiculous x

christa279

I don't really like the idea of a "cheat day". When I've done it in the past, I ended up feeling guilty afterwards and it felt more like a planned binge. I guess it depends on what your overall goal is. If you are dieting so you can lose weight before bathing suit season, then I guess it could work. For me, I am changing my lifestyle so that I don't put the weight back on and I can be more healthy overall.

Currently I don't deprive myself of anything. If I want it, I make it fit. Saturdays I tend to go over the calorie limit set in MFP, but only by 100-200 calories, and I never make a big deal about it. The big thing for me is accountability and as long as I am being honest with myself and logging it, then I am good with it.

SezxyStef

sorry I can't help with this as I pretty much eat what I want when I want it...I just make it fit.

For me Cheat days indicate food is bad...and I don't believe that.

For example if I want pizza for supper I make sure I have room for it. If I want ice cream after supper I make room for it.

If I want beans and cornbread I eat it. I just eat reasonable portions of it.

Not true. Cheating means going over your calorie goal by a lot... you could probably cheat eating a ton of veggies, and I don't think anyone would qualify them as 'bad'.

For me cheat days are just very dangerous. A meal.. fine. Worst case you'll be over by 500 over your TDEE or something... A day? You can erase your deficit for a week easily. So unless it's a very special day (like Holidays), really, it's not recommended. I had one last week end and I was over by a lot, but I still didn't have dinner, so it wasn't a total cheat day (or I could easily have eaten 5000 calories!).

What's not true?

Cheating means you did something bad...I don't feel going over calorie deficet is bad...

I have gone 1000 over my TDEE on days, 3000 over my goals some weeks...I am still steadily losing.

My point is "cheat" days aren't necessary, just eat food. If you want a burger eat the burger, if you want a piece of cake eat it...just make sure you make it fit.

We're just arguing semantics. I guess 'cheat' depends on how you look at it. I agree that for me there is no 'cheat' when it comes to food types, but going over my goal is definitely cheating. Does that mean it's going to derail me and stop my weight loss? Clearly not... but it's still cheating. Otherwise, I wouldn't have made a diary to follow in the first place.

Im not arguing anything you said what I said was not true....so I asked what wasn't true.

Bry_Fitness70

I do occasional cheat meals, not entire cheat days.

Unknown

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Rosannajo88

IIFYM

I dont really understand the cheat day concept. Im not cutting anything from my diet because I LOVE FOOD, ALL THE FOOD, ALL THE TIME.

Also, wine.

If I want a bingetastic weekend then I make sure I work my *kitten* off and earn those extra calories so I can enjoy them and not get miserable with myself because I ate a whole cake instead of a finger of frosting (this has happened and will probably happen again). But then a magical thing happens when you are sweating on the couch unable to move, you think "dude, I just worked so hard for that deficit, I dont wanna waste it on rubbish food".

The best thing to do is to stop thinking your on a diet, you can break diets. You are changing your lifestyle, your not cheating if you just fancy having a naughty day, but its good to know you have earned it.

victoria_1024

The reason I have been loving MFP is because I haven't been feeling any need for a cheat day! I'm still eating yummy foods but reasonable portions. When we get Subway, I still get a cookie because I love their cookies. I just eat ONE instead of THREE, and I just am careful with the rest of my day so I don't go over. I really haven't felt restricted and it's been great!

Last weekend, I went to a party and did decide to be a little lax with my food. So I didn't measure anything and I took dessert and everything. I still tried to log what I ate the best I could, which I know wasn't perfect, but at least I had some general idea of how much I ate. That was as close to a "cheat day" as I've gotten.

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martyqueen52

Hi everyone. I just wanted to see what people thought of the idea of a 'Cheat Day', I've stayed away from them because I want to get used to my lifestyle change, but I'm thinking of adding one in. Currently, I have cheat meals where I have one treat then eat normally for the rest of the day.

What do cheat days actually involve? What can you eat on them? Is there a calorie limit? And do they hinder one's weight loss progress?

Any comments would be much appreciated

Look up IIFYM

justal313

I don't take "cheat" days because I am not on a diet. If I want to eat more than is typical for me, I'll step up my exercise for the day.

Typcially I plan ahead and I can just re-jigger my day to make room for a beer or ice cream or salted caramel cheese cake or that 3rd slice of pizza. If I haven't planned ahead I just get more exercise and if I wind up over for they day, I go easy for the next few and it all balances out.

Thinking you are "cheating" will prompt you eat something "bad" and think since you already were bad that all bets are off for the rest of the day.

Stop thinking like you are on a diet and this all gets easier.

Change "I can't" to "I don't" or at least "I prefet not to" Once you think like that you've cracked the code.

SezxyStef

IIFYM

I dont really understand the cheat day concept. Im not cutting anything from my diet because I LOVE FOOD, ALL THE FOOD, ALL THE TIME.

Also, wine.

If I want a bingetastic weekend then I make sure I work my *kitten* off and earn those extra calories so I can enjoy them and not get miserable with myself because I ate a whole cake instead of a finger of frosting (this has happened and will probably happen again). But then a magical thing happens when you are sweating on the couch unable to move, you think "dude, I just worked so hard for that deficit, I dont wanna waste it on rubbish food".

The best thing to do is to stop thinking your on a diet, you can break diets. You are changing your lifestyle, your not cheating if you just fancy having a naughty day, but its good to know you have earned it.

You kinda miss the point. And, I get a little tired of people saying this. Some people want to eat MORE than their allotted calories. They don't want to earn them, they don't want ANY restriction. They just want a day to enjoy food. This site is filled with foodies. Some people really enjoy eating. They love it. They want it. It's easy for some people to talk like you, but others can't stand being restricted and they want a break from it.

I understand the idea of IIFYM, I practice it. But, some days, I say "*kitten* it. I just want to eat all the food". It happens. I used to have cheat days. Now I have non-logging days. No big deal, I hit my goals. So, pfffffttttt!

Actually I think you missed to point...a lot of us are foodies...and we enjoy our food everyday...not just "special days"

I don't "earn" calories as I am on TDEE so extra exercise doesn't matter.

I don't restrict myself from the food I enjoy and I eat as much as I can while still feeling comfortable..there is no point in eating so much you are in agony that is not a healthy relationship with food.

As for not logging...eh personal choice but you are not holding yourself accountable for those days...which is fine..some of us prefer to be accountable everyday.

Asheea

I don't like the word "cheat day". I use the word Free Meal. DH and I work hard M-S and Sunday is our Free Meal. We grab Sonic or something after church to eat with the kids. It's our family tradition. We have one free meal a week. Dinner is back to clean food.
It helps us stay on track because we're pushing ourselves to eat right so we can be rewarded with bad good food. We haven't quit our "diet" since we've incorporated the free meal. We're happy and have stuck with our diet and fitness journey for 298 days so far.

2013sk

If you want a cheat day - Put one in!!! Why not???

ALOT of people do - I do too, One day out of my week is normally really high - I think well why not, I eat pretty clean during the week, I am going to have one day to have whatever I want - Then I get back to normal, exercise and drink water as usual!

Your look forward to it - : )

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tedrickp

Cheat days, non logging days, free meals...or whatever you call it, are fine if you sustain a long term caloric deficit. All that matters is you sustain that deficit.

- You can follow IIFYM and fit your favorite foods into your macros consistently
- You can follow IIFYM and STILL have days where you go over calories or don't log (aka cheat days)
- You can eat a restrictive diet and have free for all weekends
- You can eat a restrictive diet and have a "free" meal
- Etc...

Don't get lost in the arguing of semantics that comes up EVERY time a "cheat day" thread is made.

You can structure your diet in million different ways, but the goal should be doing it in a way that you can best sustain a long term caloric deficit.

Me for example..

I follow IIFYM. I eat what i want as long as I can hit my micros and macros (Similar to what SexyStef does I assume) YET I still on occasion go out and get my rockstar on, these days I do not log (GuitarJerry style) and I 100% for sure go over my calorie limits, and ignore macros (traditional cheat days).

"Honoring personal preference is one of the most powerful yet underrated tactics for achieving optimal health and body composition --Alan Aragon

Find what best helps you sustain that deficit, and hit your nutrient needs

cookiealbright

I mostly eat within my calories, but if it's a speacil day then I eat the best I can of what I want. Saturday we are going to an event that offers in the price of a ticket complimentary desserts and coffee. I'll have some, but I'm not going to stuff myself. What I'm doing is changing my life not dieting. I have to live my life in a way that makes me happy. I've been at this for over a year and am happy with my results. I know why I gained weight and eating a dessert once in a while wasn't the reason. Good luck to you whatever you choose. :flowerforyou:

Another thing...GuitarJerry is it possible for you to post something without swearing? Jeez, some of us are somebody's mother.

jkregers

Hi everyone. I just wanted to see what people thought of the idea of a 'Cheat Day', I've stayed away from them because I want to get used to my lifestyle change, but I'm thinking of adding one in. Currently, I have cheat meals where I have one treat then eat normally for the rest of the day.

What do cheat days actually involve? What can you eat on them? Is there a calorie limit? And do they hinder one's weight loss progress?

Any comments would be much appreciated

If you said cheat meal, I would think you might still be able to stay within your goal of caloric intake, but a cheat day implies you are not going to reach your goal.

So, to answer your last, and most important question...yes, they do hinder weight loss progress.

tedrickp

So, to answer your last, and most important question...yes, they do hinder weight loss progress.

...or they are a powerful tool to help you to sustain a long term caloric deficit. Really depends how they are used and on personal preference.

PrincessWarior

I agree with cheat days. I cheat once a week name it I have it. Beer, Pizza, candy. Next day back to normal. I have a very active and healthy life and we do this as a family ( have kids). Did stop my six-pack evolution. Don't feel deprive.

jkregers

So, to answer your last, and most important question...yes, they do hinder weight loss progress.

...or they are a powerful tool to help you to sustain a long term caloric deficit. Really depends how they are used and on personal preference.

Saying that it helps you sustain a long term caloric deficit is something that you cannot substantiate.

Hinder - to cause delay, interruption, or difficulty in; hamper; impede: The storm hindered our progress.

A cheat day does indeed delay, interrupt, and cause immediate difficulty in weight loss progress, simply by a function of calories in and calories out.

SezxyStef

IIFYM

I dont really understand the cheat day concept. Im not cutting anything from my diet because I LOVE FOOD, ALL THE FOOD, ALL THE TIME.

Also, wine.

If I want a bingetastic weekend then I make sure I work my *kitten* off and earn those extra calories so I can enjoy them and not get miserable with myself because I ate a whole cake instead of a finger of frosting (this has happened and will probably happen again). But then a magical thing happens when you are sweating on the couch unable to move, you think "dude, I just worked so hard for that deficit, I dont wanna waste it on rubbish food".

The best thing to do is to stop thinking your on a diet, you can break diets. You are changing your lifestyle, your not cheating if you just fancy having a naughty day, but its good to know you have earned it.

You kinda miss the point. And, I get a little tired of people saying this. Some people want to eat MORE than their allotted calories. They don't want to earn them, they don't want ANY restriction. They just want a day to enjoy food. This site is filled with foodies. Some people really enjoy eating. They love it. They want it. It's easy for some people to talk like you, but others can't stand being restricted and they want a break from it.

I understand the idea of IIFYM, I practice it. But, some days, I say "*kitten* it. I just want to eat all the food". It happens. I used to have cheat days. Now I have non-logging days. No big deal, I hit my goals. So, pfffffttttt!

Actually I think you missed to point...a lot of us are foodies...and we enjoy our food everyday...not just "special days"

I don't "earn" calories as I am on TDEE so extra exercise doesn't matter.

I don't restrict myself from the food I enjoy and I eat as much as I can while still feeling comfortable..there is no point in eating so much you are in agony that is not a healthy relationship with food.

As for not logging...eh personal choice but you are not holding yourself accountable for those days...which is fine..some of us prefer to be accountable everyday.

I understand cheat days. That's the difference. IIFYM doesn't address this issue at all and actually has NOTHING to do with it.

You might prefer to be accountable everyday. But, I don't live that way. That's lame to me. I would never enslaven myself to something so incredibly ridiculous and crass. I do what I want bi don't have rules. If I want to eat, I eat.

If you read what I wrote above about cheat days, you might gain some perspective about them.

I don't necessarily have cheat days, nor do I agree with the concept per se, because it means your cheating. You're not cheating on anything, you're just eating food. IIFYM instill rules about macros with a calorie cap. Cheat days are not about calorie caps, so it's stupid to even bring it up, that was my main point. The two things have zero relationship.

If I want some Ben & Jerrys ice cream, I don't want a single serving that somehow fits into my overall plan fir the day, I want to eat the whole goddamn pint. I don't care about my goal or allotment or macro nutrient mix. I just want a giant serving of delicious ice cream. How would eating a tiny micro sized piece of ice cream make me happy and satisfied. It's just a ridiculous argument to bring into the cheat day theme. I totally get IIFYM and I practice it most of the time. So, I know what I'm talking about. What you, and others like you miss, is when some people say "*kitten* the calorie restriction". If you never ever ever ever ever do that, than you are a better human than I.

If you don't want to have planned cheat days, then don't. I lost 30 lbs having a cheat day every Sunday, about 5 years ago. It works really well, actually. So, while I don't do it anymore, I also don't fret if others do it. I just read that Christmas Abbot does a cheat day once a week. Lol. If it's good enough for her, I'm in.

I did read what you wrote. I don't need perspective...I can see both sides I just don't happen to agree with "cheat" meals or days...

I get what people want from "cheat" days and that's is up to them. But if you had read my first post and what I said I don't find them neccesary and find the premise of eating so much food that I am uncomfortable unhealthy. If I want Ice cream (more than a serving) I eat it but I don't eat so much that I hurt afterwards....

I have lost 44lbs without planned or unplanned cheat days. I work within my goals I don't exercise to get more food and I log everything...I have gone over my "deficet" goals on a few occassions such as my birthday but don't consider it a cheat, it is the normal course of living my life...and I say that too because "cheating" indicates you are on a short term diet and need a reward for being "good"...

As I said "cheat" indicates bad...eating food to a feeling of satisfaction is not bad...

And as I said to each their own....

Rosannajo88

IIFYM

I dont really understand the cheat day concept. Im not cutting anything from my diet because I LOVE FOOD, ALL THE FOOD, ALL THE TIME.

Also, wine.

If I want a bingetastic weekend then I make sure I work my *kitten* off and earn those extra calories so I can enjoy them and not get miserable with myself because I ate a whole cake instead of a finger of frosting (this has happened and will probably happen again). But then a magical thing happens when you are sweating on the couch unable to move, you think "dude, I just worked so hard for that deficit, I dont wanna waste it on rubbish food".

The best thing to do is to stop thinking your on a diet, you can break diets. You are changing your lifestyle, your not cheating if you just fancy having a naughty day, but its good to know you have earned it.

You kinda miss the point. And, I get a little tired of people saying this. Some people want to eat MORE than their allotted calories. They don't want to earn them, they don't want ANY restriction. They just want a day to enjoy food. This site is filled with foodies. Some people really enjoy eating. They love it. They want it. It's easy for some people to talk like you, but others can't stand being restricted and they want a break from it.

I understand the idea of IIFYM, I practice it. But, some days, I say "*kitten* it. I just want to eat all the food". It happens. I used to have cheat days. Now I have non-logging days. No big deal, I hit my goals. So, pfffffttttt!

No, I didnt miss the point at all. I just dont see the point in "cheat days".

I am a foodie, I live with a chef its hard not to be.

Alot of people are here to change their bodies and health, I dont see how a designated day for eating badly helps on the journey, unless you are logging it and making up for it the next couple of days or the run up to it.

Im never said you cant eat all the food if you want to, but take some responsibility, earn it and log it. Or else why be here?

Francl27

Soooo you are all saying that you'll never cheat and eat above your TDEE on Holidays/birthdays/special occasions? That's nice. Good for you, I guess.

Some of us do need cheat days. I just don't recommend that they happen too much... but I think you're in denial if you're saying that you don't need cheat days as it's a lifestyle change and you can eat what you want within your calories.

I didn't have a cheat day for like 6 months (50 lbs or something?). Then I felt the need to have one (some things you just can't fit in your diary, unless you have a tiny piece, and some of us don't have the willpower for that). I survived. I've had a few more since (heck I've had 4 or 5 in the last two months).

The only thing is that you have to keep in mind that it will probably slow down your weight loss some, even if it's not very significant, so I think it's best to save them for really special occasions and on foods you really crave.