cheat day once a week????

krystal0927

Hey!...so I just started a little over 2 weeks now, and I have 2 cheat days, so once a week. I didn't count any calories! and I alwayyssssss goo off.
Am I suppose to have cheat days where I dont count cal or eat food that I wont normally eat...so confused.
Is MFP giving me the right cal intake? 1200

Mr_Knight

Why would you not count?

If your daily deficit is 500 calories and once a week you go 2000 calories over, you're basically spinning your wheels.

Unknown

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Kenazwa

For me, cheat days become weeks and then months and then years and then decades and then ..........

Want a healthy life? Don't cheat yourself.

Tigredia

I have one cheat day every other week. I still write everything in my journal. I don't go crazy. Stay about 500 to 1000calories over. For example, today I had some tortilla chips and salsa. For dinner I had a piece of pizza and some dark chocolate. This will satisfy me now. I will do a deficit in calories the next couple days to equal what I ate over my normal calories. I think it is important to log everything. You have to accountable for what you eat.

timodawson

I have a cheat "meal" once a week. Normally it's pancakes on a Saturday morning but could be going out to dinner. I also try to make sure I am doing some sort of workout that day to counter the extra calories. Even with that meal I am typically under my calorie goal for the day or slightly over, still way under for the week. The only cheat "day" I've had since changing my eating habits was super bowl Sunday.

I still keep track of my calories that day even with the cheat. It helps me make better decisions throughout the rest of the week.

SLLRunner

Hey!...so I just started a little over 2 weeks now, and I have 2 cheat days, so once a week. I didn't count any calories! and I alwayyssssss goo off.
Am I suppose to have cheat days where I dont count cal or eat food that I wont normally eat...so confused.
Is MFP giving me the right cal intake? 1200

I have a different perspective to offer you.

Let go of the diet mentality that you must deprive yourself 99 percent of the time and then have all out "cheat" day one percent of the week and step into the new revolution where you can eat whatever you want while staying within your calories goals.

What this means is you don't have to "cheat" and "go off" in order to enjoy your food.

In fact, I'll be what you are doing is killing your calorie deficit.

Also, accountability means logging every single thing you put in your mouth.

Everybody goes over calorie goals sometimes, just like we go under sometimes. In fact, it's a rarity that people are exactly on their calorie goals all the time.

The best of luck to you.

SLLRunner

Why would you not count?

If your daily deficit is 500 calories and once a week you go 2000 calories over, you're basically spinning your wheels.

This is right on.

mandasauruss

I usually have cheat meals, and I still log them and try to make sure I stay under my daily calorie goal. Also, instead of cheating, I have learned to pick out something healthier than what I'm craving. Still close, but way better calorie nutrient wise. Or possibly even just getting a smaller portion!

liftingandlipstick

I am absolutely of the mentality that "cheats" are necessary, but I don't like to call them that- it feels like gaming the system that way, but you're the only one who loses! I prefer to think of them as splurges or indulgences. I don't schedule them, but I DO log them. And if I can fit them into my daily allowance, so much the better. If I go over a bit, oh well. It'll even out.

Ex.: I had fish fry for lunch yesterday. Ouch, 1100 cals down the drain. BUT- I logged it. And I worked out before hand, and I ate a very light dinner to make up for it, and still came up under goal for the day. (My goal is almost 2,000 as I have a lot to lose- your milage may vary.)

debbiesats

I tend to eat and drink over target at the weekends not for the sake of cheating but because that's when we have a big family meal and that's when I'm likely to have a bottle or two of wine in the evening and I have least opportunity to exercise if the kids are competing.
Logging helps me keep on track and I tend to average on target across the whole week.

mitchiejo

I don't believe in cheat meals/days. I just try to eat healthy most of the time. You can't deprive yourself of certain foods. This should be a lifestyle change not a diet. Just log everything you eat. Some days are better than others.

autumnblade75

I am perfectly capable of eating the entire weeks deficit in a single meal. I log it and move on. Any day that I'm over by less than 500 calories is still a weight loss day - just slower than I've set up for. This week, I've had a day that I wasn't very hungry and I net 851 calories for the day (how in the hell did THAT happen?) and one where I happily munched through 3 buckets of popcorn and came in a 3040 for the day (yum). But if I eat my allotted calories for today in a reasonable way, I'll have an average for the week of 1750 calories per day. And I'm pretty damn pleased with that.

mrsl90

I have a cheat day once a week where I go over my daily limit by up to 200 calories, so I can enjoy a nice meal with wine with my husband. I still log everything I eat. But I always make sure I have used that amount less during the week. So I guess it's not really a chest as much as a redistribution.

krystal0927

wow, thanks for the advice guys!!! really appreciate it