does anyone do cheat days

mead2006
mead2006 Posts: 10
in Food and Nutrition
was just wondering if anyone does cheat days dr oz says its good to do one once a week what do you all think ?
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Replies

  • suremeansyes
    suremeansyes Posts: 962 Member
    All day Saturday and Sunday.

    Cheat days for daaaayyyyys.
  • RoseTears143
    RoseTears143 Posts: 1,121 Member
    I actually cringed a little reading your post because I can only imagine the mayhem that will fall in here...

    But to answer your question I did do a form of it I guess once a week previously. Then I just stopped actively trying to lose weight for a few months and now that I'm back on it I will do one day every other weekend where I just eat without limiting my calorie intake.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    If you do IIFYM there's no need for cheat days.
  • linkirving
    linkirving Posts: 121 Member
    I find it to difficult to recover from them. I can't just turn it off the next day. So for me, it's better to eat within goals every day unless there is some sort of family function or date night, and even then I compensate by eating less the rest of the day.

    But I'm just starting out. If at some future point I need to start doing something like this to make this change more sustainable for life, then I'll consider it later.
  • rejectuf
    rejectuf Posts: 487 Member
    I generally follow a primal diet, and my 'cheat' days are generally a couple meals out at restaurants that do not meet the normal primal guidelines. I pretty much stick to my calorie limit every day. If I do end up going over it, I don't freak out about it.
  • MissLCWolff
    MissLCWolff Posts: 69 Member
    I don't, simply because I feel gross after I eat a lot, even when I just eat close really close to my calorie limit. I don't think there's anything wrong with them as long as you can trust yourself to keep your eating habits in check the rest of the time.
  • SugaryLynx
    SugaryLynx Posts: 2,640 Member
    I never have. I squeeze things I like in every day, so there's no need. . . As I see it, I am only cheating myself by not logging. So, even if I go over my allotted calories, I log everything
  • Jeffs_Jess
    Jeffs_Jess Posts: 28
    I can't do a cheat "day" because then all day I will load up on sugar, chocolate etc.
    I will do a cheat MEAL, though. And stay on track the rest of the day.
    It's far too hard for me to recover from, if I cheat all day. And honestly, the next day, I feel like *kitten*.
  • giggitygoo
    giggitygoo Posts: 1,978 Member
    I do cheat meals, not whole days.

    Also, I have a personal vendetta against Dr. Oz, so they may invalidate my opinion here.
  • brisingr86
    brisingr86 Posts: 1,789 Member
    I don't routinely plan cheat days. However, if there's a special occasion, I do my best to keep it within my limits (eat less the rest of the day, a little extra workout time that day or during the week), but don't stress about it. Again, I agree with trying to work in the stuff I like fairly routinely so I don't feel like I really need a "cheat day".
  • Jeffs_Jess
    Jeffs_Jess Posts: 28
    Yeah I don't listen to a word "Dr." Oz says.
  • FatOldManMN
    FatOldManMN Posts: 1,116 Member
    You're only cheating yourselves. :wink:
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
    I don't do cheat days. But I also don't put restrictions on what I can have. Tonight, I'm making pancakes! :drinker:
  • AlongCame_Molly
    AlongCame_Molly Posts: 2,835 Member
    You lost me at Dr. Oz.
  • aarondnguyen
    aarondnguyen Posts: 270 Member
    Not anymore. I plan ahead. If I want two slices of pizza, I'll fit it into my calories and macro nutrient allotment. Cheat days in the past often put me in a guilt mentality followed by restrictions the following days to try and compensate
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    You lost me at Dr. Oz.

    Me too....

    But I will still answer. Depends on what you mean by "cheat". Do I go over my calories from time to time? Absolutely. Do I consider that a cheat day? No.

    If you mean something else, you would have to clear up what cheat means for me to answer.
  • __freckles__
    __freckles__ Posts: 1,238 Member
    You lost me at Dr. Oz.

    ^^Agree.

    Personally if I want it, I eat it and fit it into my macros. Nothing is off limits. Heck, I have ice cream pretty much every night before bed.
  • la_vie_est_belle_
    la_vie_est_belle_ Posts: 139 Member
    When they happen they tend to happen by accident. I don't plan for them
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Nope. This is how I live my life. I eat reasonably most days, and indulge more on other days. It all evens out. No cheating. No need for cheating. Same principle I apply to most important things. :flowerforyou:
  • raindawg
    raindawg Posts: 348 Member
    Not during deficit mode, but once I turn to maintenance mode I'm going to try one cheat day a week to see how that works.
  • Kaylaef
    Kaylaef Posts: 194 Member
    I can't do a cheat "day" because then all day I will load up on sugar, chocolate etc.
    I will do a cheat MEAL, though. And stay on track the rest of the day.
    It's far too hard for me to recover from, if I cheat all day. And honestly, the next day, I feel like *kitten*.
    \

    YAY!! Me too :)
  • beachylove
    beachylove Posts: 137 Member
    My husband and I usually will allow what we consider a cheat meal (since we have cut out so much occassionaly we go splurge and get Pizza or a Burger) unless we have a special trip/event which might throw us off we stick to our macros
  • Hansonian
    Hansonian Posts: 78 Member
    I'm not sure about you, but for me cheat days aren't about pigging out - it's about the little things that I miss.

    So if it's my cheat day and I go out to eat, I'll get cheese on my sandwich instead of only meat and veggies (at Subway, for example).

    I wouldn't suggest going crazy and eating whatever you want because it's too hard to go back to eating your healthy food. If I were you, I'd find healthy versions of the things you love to eat and use those as your "cheat day" foods. I LOVE cookies and every so often, I'll make chocolate chip cookies with dark chocolate, oatmeal, coconut sugar, and some cranberries or raisins mixed in (no white flour and very little regular sugar). They taste great and I don't feel bad after eating a couple!
  • MichelleMinus100
    MichelleMinus100 Posts: 101
    Like many others, I find it difficult to recover from a cheat day.

    I do allow the occasional cheat MEAL, like when I'm invited to someone's house for a meal or when I find myself at a restaurant (which is rare for me) or if I find I'm just having some crazy craving that I can't kick. These cheat meals are few and far between now, like once a month or so, but not weekly.

    Recently, I had a meal at a restaurant, so I considered it a cheat meal (because I can eat foods I don't normally make for myself, why have another salad!?), but I augmented my day to accommodate the massive amount of calories. I had a filling breakfast, we had a very late lunch and then I skipped dinner. I had a rich, large portion of delicious chicken fettuccine alfredo and I ate it slowly and even left some behind (it was sooooo yummy). I totally enjoyed this meal and I'm glad the restaurant is 30 minutes away because it was really good! So I had the enjoyment of the food, I probably went over on calories, but I attempted damage control the best I could. I think this is a sustainable way to live for me.

    Since I have a long term mindset, I'm not looking for ways to cheat, I'm spending my energy looking for ways to keep eating healthy. It has taken about two years to develop this mindset as I've been weaning myself off sugar for a long time...I think that has really helped my self-control and decreased my cravings...I just don't struggle quite as much as I used to.
  • mead2006
    mead2006 Posts: 10
    what i really mean is not so much a cheat day like pigging out all day but say i go over my calories can i just call it my cheat day and start fresh tomorrow i feel so guilty when i go over my calories especially when hubby wants to go to McDonalds
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    Some people prefer to watch a weekly deficit - this way you may find yourself eating a bit under on other days to allow for the day(s) you go over.

    This is a marathon, not a sprint. You may not get everything perfectly so right from day one and that's okay. It's also hard to achieve long term success if you cut out any foods you love altogether. Just try to make room for them in your calorie goals.

    But if you allow me to deliver a bit of a mixed message, I'm wondering if you have to go to McDonalds just because hubby does? Could always eat your own dinner at home and see him when he gets back.
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  • wildrosegeo
    wildrosegeo Posts: 27 Member
    I don't feel right about the concept of "cheating" when it is applied to anything, so I don't practice cheat days. It makes me feel dishonest with myself! I would rather just honestly log what I eat, and I allow myself "treat" days from time to time, where I go over my calorie limits but within reason and I still log what I eat.
  • ALNoog
    ALNoog Posts: 413 Member
    I sometimes do one meal off and that throws me into a tailspin.
    I was thinking of doing carb cycling and Chris Powell told me if doing complete off days for days when it tells you to do carb upping weren't good for me .. then to try on those designated days to just to eat a higher amount of what I eat every other day..

    But I have found that complete cheat days are not good for me. It's grader to get back on track and seeing the massive amount of water weight I retain is very discouraging.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    what i really mean is not so much a cheat day like pigging out all day but say i go over my calories can i just call it my cheat day and start fresh tomorrow i feel so guilty when i go over my calories especially when hubby wants to go to McDonalds

    ^^this

    Treating yourself is not "cheating."

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