Inquiry

MeekMeals

Just curious. How many of you all have "cheat" days? For those that do, what food does ur "cheat" days consist of and how bad or good do you do as a result of it????

beethedreamer

I don't have cheat days. I'm changing the way I eat, and having a whole cheat day wouldn't work for me.

however, with that said, if I want something I will make room in my day for it. and if I go a little over calories, then so be it. I won't deprive my body of something if I truly want it. there are not many people that can eat healthy 24/7, 365 days so little slip ups are normal. buy there are people that have cheat days, and I works for them. so do what works for you

Amarillo_NDN

For me, I don’t really have a cheat day, but I know there will be days I will go over, or need to give my body a shake up.

On the days, I know I will go out and possible eat more than that normal meal; I just try to cut down during the morning meals. The one thing I never do is, get pissed at myself if I go over. As long as it doesn’t happen on a regular basis and I continue to lose weight over time, I am happy.

Rynatat

Along with the previous responses: I don't have a set cheat day. If I go over, oh well, if I'm under woo-hoo. The one thing I keep constant is the promise I made to myself when I started my "Change". I exercise, minimum of 5 days p/wk for at least 50 mins (including stretching/warmups). At my age, losing weight is not the only answer, I need to tone and firm and strengthen, so that's what my goal was. The losing pounds is just a bonus
So, if I know we will be going somewhere that I will most probably eat a lot more (like my Mum's home, can't just not eat there since Mum always makes sure she has good food for everyone's dietary needs :happy: ), I'll work out a bit more, or just be a bit more careful the next few days so my body can "detox" on the extra foods/drink.

I'm not punishing myself or kicking myself for going over or eating something that is "not too healthy", if I'm craving something or really want something, I have it (providing it's something I can eat that I'm not allergic to or that sets off acid reflux).

MrsUnderwood

I don't necessarily have a cheat day. Then it'd give me something to plan for/go crazy...and I'm tryin to change my lifestyle. I do believe, however, that you should enjoy yourself sometimes. My husband and I have date night once a week. Usually that is our "cheat day" also as we typically go for dinner and don't mind if we go over our cals a lil bit that day. We still try to make good choices,....and sometimes we just indulge. It's never the same day though.

KimSchnizleinWECHANGED

I actually did have a cheat day ... But I've given them up now. About 2 wks ago I realized that they just made me feel bad ... I just didn't even enjoy them ... I just felt guilty. I've also realized, that for me, cheat days aren't necessary because portion control and moderation are my life change keys! In my experience and estimation it's not so much WHAT you eat, but HOW MUCH of it you eat! I'm learning very slowly that 1 pc of cake (albeit a small piece) won't create havoc and failure for my journey. I just need to think about what I'm eating before I stuff it in my mouth, and maybe do a little more exercise. That doesn't mean that I believe you should exercise for 2 hrs, and then eat all the cals you've just earned .... I just mean that careful planning, and a little bit of thought can make cheat days unnecessary. My cheat days didn't so much affect what the scale showed, but it did affect my mental and emotional state .... So ... I just looked at my situation and figured out what would be better. I have bad days .... I still make bad food choices ... But instead of calling it a "cheat day" ... I just log it all, and then assess the damage, and use my food diary as a learning tool. I hope something I've said helps!

KIM

msbanana

I don't have cheat days. I'm changing the way I eat, and having a whole cheat day wouldn't work for me.

however, with that said, if I want something I will make room in my day for it. and if I go a little over calories, then so be it. I won't deprive my body of something if I truly want it. there are not many people that can eat healthy 24/7, 365 days so little slip ups are normal. buy there are people that have cheat days, and I works for them. so do what works for you

Same here- I've found if I'm craving it and don't give in I will eat everything else anyway so... everything in moderation. There are plenty of ways to fit that "cheat" food into your day once in a while. Here's an example: You know that later in the day you're going to a birthday party/cook out. You know there is going to be LOTS of delicious food and you're going to want to eat it ALL. Have a sensible breakfast, work out a little extra that morning, have a light lunch or a small snack before the party. When you get there make smart food choices and remember your serving sizes. (i.e. a serving of meat is the size of a cassette tape or deck of cards) and then enjoy yourself. If you go over a little oh well! Better choices and more exercise tomorrow!

:drinker:

turbojanem

i don't schedule a cheat day. there are way to many "life situations" that can run me off in the ditch. my Husband and i go on date night once every 2 weeks, so i allow for a glass of wine that night, as well as a few more calories. i have found if we eat at certain favorite places, even making good choices i end up working those pounds off for as long as a week! to me cheating isn't worth the extra work it takes to get those extra calories off.
i do allow myself to work out a bit more when i know we are going to be eating outside of my kitchen...this allows for me to still be in my friends homes, enjoy family/friends, while earning those extra calories first.

MeekMeals

I love the responses! I guess "cheat" day was the wrong word. I do mean days where u may go over ur calorie intake today though. For me i am usually so in control and on point to stay under my calories, which I pretty much always do. But i knew today was gonna be a tough one (it's football sunday). I already completed my food diary for the day (I planned out what i was gonna enoy today) and i'm about 70 calories over, I just feel so guilty!!

Rynatat

Don't feel guilty, T! I go over my cals on most days. The key is that I keep up with my exercises. Maybe try earning a few of those "over-cals" back today by doing a bit of lite exercise: take a walk at a break or do crunches/leg lifts at commercials.

I knew I'd be over last nite since my fiance wanted dinner to be chips n' dip (I make a homemade queso dip from scratch that I've been told by everyone in both our families is the best they've ever had).
So before we ate, we did about a 20min walk with our roommates dog to burn some cals. And today, I did my regular exercises plus I'm cleaning the house to burn some extra cals. I earned my queso dip last nite

MeekMeals

Don't feel guilty, T! I go over my cals on most days. The key is that I keep up with my exercises. Maybe try earning a few of those "over-cals" back today by doing a bit of lite exercise: take a walk at a break or do crunches/leg lifts at commercials.

I knew I'd be over last nite since my fiance wanted dinner to be chips n' dip (I make a homemade queso dip from scratch that I've been told by everyone in both our families is the best they've ever had).
So before we ate, we did about a 20min walk with our roommates dog to burn some cals. And today, I did my regular exercises plus I'm cleaning the house to burn some extra cals. I earned my queso dip last nite

Exactly! I was thinking about going for a walk and earlier i was on my feet for about an hour, washing blow drying and styling my two teenage daughters hair. I'm getting ready to do SOMETHING though!

kennedar

70 calories is nothing! That will not throw off all your progress! I would go for a walk or something to get them back and then forget about it. I do sort of allow myself a cheat day. I exercise and watch my portions extra closely all day friday to allow some pizza for dinner that night. I usually am till within calories. There is usually at least one meal on saturday or sunday which are not in our own kitchen, so I let myself eat what I want within reason. I usually am close to my calories that day, and always exercise which helps. I am not going to give up our dates and meals with family because I am trying to get healthy, I just make sure that it is only once a week and that I not going crazy!