Cheating

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naguilar210
naguilar210 Posts: 88
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi there all,
I LOVE MFP!!
Have a question for all.
What does everyone think about having ONE cheat day out of the week?
I've been doing excellent, and have lost 7 pounds since joining MFP!! Go me!
I don't mean...breakfast tacos in the morning, then pizza then a burger for dinner...
Maybe just one out of the three??
I don't know if this will be good...I know I wont fall off and CRAVE all that food all the time because I have goals to reach...
Anyone have any good advice?
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Replies

  • christina1109
    christina1109 Posts: 84
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    If you're going to indulge yourself once in a while, you can always plan for it and make up the calories by doing a little extra exercise. That way you don't risk going over your calories.
  • lordofultima
    lordofultima Posts: 293
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    There is no cheat day. You should just plan ahead, if you plan on eating some awful food you have to make up the rest of the day by still hitting your calorie goals, doing exercise to accommodate what you ate, etc. Once your meal plan is locked down you can work it around foods that you enjoy from time to time.
  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
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    Its not cheating, I eat normal stuff which sometimes includes pizza etc, I wouldnt do a whole, just eat what you like and watch the portions
  • RedHotRunner
    RedHotRunner Posts: 850 Member
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    I go out to dinner almost every Friday and have whatever I want (within reason, of course). Even a small dessert.

    Then I get up on Saturday morning and work out.

    It all evens out.
  • StephieWheats
    StephieWheats Posts: 88 Member
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    I love the idea!!! I do the same thing. It gives your body a boost actually. And as long as you dont go over your BMR you wont gain anything (except for water weight from sodium) I know some people say that you NEVER should and you should forget some foods and blah blah blah... But the fact is sometimes you have to give your body a little bit of what it craves or you will drive yourself crazy!!
  • inskydiamonds
    inskydiamonds Posts: 2,519 Member
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    If I lose weight on weigh-in day I allow myself one cheat day. My cheat day basically means I don't have to cook dinner, so the boyfriend and I go out to dinner somewhere. I typically still stay within my calorie range though.
    For instance, last night was my cheat/treat. We went to In n' Out (which is a burger joint in CA). I ordered a hamburger and animal style fries (which are super goopy fatty). My meal was about 1030 calories, but I still stayed under my 1640 goal for the day.

    I fell like if you can make good decisions, you can find room to sometimes indulge yourself.
  • TXBlockhead
    TXBlockhead Posts: 169 Member
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    You know what, the most successful that I have ever been on losing weight are the times when I have allowed myself a "free meal". I'm not doing that right now but I was thinking that I might. I usually made it on Fridays and I had it for just that 1 meal. If there was something that I was really craving then I would decide earlier in the week that I could have it on Friday.
  • Melanie1967
    Melanie1967 Posts: 238 Member
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    I don't cheat, I plan for it. I usually try to plan a day ahead that way when there is something I am wanting, I go smaller on the other meals and exercise more so I still stay in my numbers. I have to stay strict on myself with it, not just till I loose the 115 pounds, but even after that. I have found for me, sodium is worse then calories. Everything works different for different people, you have to find what works for you.
  • suzikelley
    suzikelley Posts: 210 Member
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    Actually, having one cheat meal a week is good for your metabolism!! After your body gets used to having a deficit all week long, eating something higher in calories kind of shakes it up a bit! After being on MFP for 2 weeks, I had a Sonic cheeseburger (not a great choice, I know). But the next day, I was a pound lighter!! I thought that maybe that cheeseburger hadn't had time to catch up to me yet, so I was prepared to maybe be a little higher the day after that.... nope - down another half-pound! I don't indulge in things like that very often, and I'd never eat like a whole chocolate cake for dinner... but once every week or two, a cheat meal (within reason) can trick your metabolism into speeding back up! :-) Enjoy!!
  • amysj303
    amysj303 Posts: 5,086 Member
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    I don't consider a day when I meet my calorie goals a cheat-day regardless of what I eat.
    A cheat day for me is one where I am over on cals because I splurged on a something for a special occassion.
    I think cheat days are helpful for a few reasons-they make eating better and lifestyle changes easier to accept, like you can enjoy your favorite bad foods once in awhile so the cravings don't take over and then you fail.
    There's also the theory that a cheat day helps metabolism because restricting cals can slow metabolism, so the occassional high-cal day keeps it up (I don't know, reviews are mixed on this?!)
    you don't want to cheat so badly that you set yourself back in your goals but don't deprive yourself of everything you enjoy.
    I am interested in other responses, what do you consider a "cheat day"? has it helped or hurt your goals?
  • ashleighk2010
    ashleighk2010 Posts: 135
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    Actually, having one cheat meal a week is good for your metabolism!!

    I totally agree & do this, I don't plan on it just every once in a while I let myself go over (by a reasonable amount.) I actually lose more weigh on the weeks where I have one or two days when I'm over as long as I'm under a little all the other days. It evens out. Just be reasonable!! =]
  • TNBird
    TNBird Posts: 5
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    I agree with a lot of the other comments. You can have a cheat day, but it will ad calories to your week. It was the booze on the weekends for me. When I added up almost 3K calories I couldn't believe it. It added back all the calories that I had burned that week.

    So to sum up, cheat day = delicious. Make up for calories = extra hard work :drinker:
  • Cina04
    Cina04 Posts: 609
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    Hi there all,
    I LOVE MFP!!
    Have a question for all.
    What does everyone think about having ONE cheat day out of the week?
    I've been doing excellent, and have lost 7 pounds since joining MFP!! Go me!
    I don't mean...breakfast tacos in the morning, then pizza then a burger for dinner...
    Maybe just one out of the three??
    I don't know if this will be good...I know I wont fall off and CRAVE all that food all the time because I have goals to reach...
    Anyone have any good advice?

    I think having a cheat day is good. I know for myself if I stick to a "healthy" diet that is when I will cave in and over indulge on foods that I have been missing.

    I have mine in Sundays which are my official weigh in days. This is the day that we will go out to eat at a restaurant and I just order what I want. I do though skip on the soda and just drink water (mainly because it's free lol) and I order a lunch dish vs a dinner dish. When I want dessert I go to DQ or Mc D's and get a small ice cream cone if my husband doesn't have room to share a dessert with me =)

    But during the week if I want pizza or something that is considered "unhealthy", I just have it w/ stricter moderation. I no longer go over 2 slices of pizza (unless it is a cheat or I burned alot of cals for the day) but I have yet to eat over 2 slices caue i also have a side salad (Pizza Hut big italy is only 180 cals per slice)

    Cheat days are the days I will also let my husband cook breakfast =)

    Never seen a weight gain the next day because of a cheat day...most of the time i see a lost =)
  • Suedre
    Suedre Posts: 435 Member
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    I always go out on Friday nights and I always eat whatever I want. Turns out, I usually dont want to over-indulge too much. Giving myself permission though really goes a long way for me. I also have no problem noming a random Oreo, small slice of cake, or small chocolate treat. I just keep it in reason. Try it, you'd be surprised how satisfying 50 calories of chocolate can be. :)
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
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    I have to say that if I am in deficit mode, and I go off to eat pizza or a brownie, I find myself lost for a few days. For this reason, when I am eating 1200-1500 calories a day, I stay away from the worst foods.

    Funny how I never miss them until I bite into one!!
  • KarenBorter
    KarenBorter Posts: 1,157 Member
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    See, the SUPER COOL thing about this program is, it's NOT a Diet! I can't emphasize that enough. What this really is, is a way to begin to realize what true portions look like. So I agree with what the others say, if you want pizza, go ahead and have it but in MODERATION and plan on either working out extra that day to accommodate it or the next. This is about a lifestyle change not dieting :)
  • messyhare
    messyhare Posts: 366 Member
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    My mindset has changed since joining mfp. In the past, I would have a cheat day - and it would end up being just that, an entire day of cheating, as if I was never going to see these "bad" foods again. I always felt horrible, guilty & like a failure to myself. Eventually the cheat day became day after day and I would no longer be trying.

    Since joining this site, I no longer feel I need to "cheat". To me, it is that I'm going to plan a not so "good" food but then compensate for that choice by choosing the rest of my day properly AND then adding exercise to offset my choice. I was recently able to enjoy a very nice meal out by spending the wait time - 30 minutes - walking around the area. By the time we were called, I had burned almost 400 calories! By the time I logged EVERYTHING in, I still came in under my calorie goal!

    It's amazing to be in this mindset and I love it SO MUCH!!

    Someday soon, I plan on having a maple bar. I crave em ever so often and they used to be my downfall. The difference with this plan though is I DO have a plan in place. I'm walking to the donut shop with my daughter. It will take us at least 20 minutes to get there and then those same 20 minutes to get back. I will enjoy my time with her, thoroughly enjoy my maple bar and finally feel a bit of control.

    Sorry for the long post - It is just so amazing to have such a different outlook on food!!
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    I don't believe in "cheating" - I think a normal diet* includes some "indulgences" or whatever you want to call it. Very few people would have the willpower to eat perfect all of the time. I PLAN some treats/indulgences/super yummy goodness into my food plans on a regular basis.

    The best thing you can do for yourself, though, is try to find healthier, satisfying treats that you can indulge with, instead of the sugar-laden, unhealthy foods like traditional cookies/cake/soda/etc. For example - I learned to make my own version of nutella as an occasional treat (spread on crackers/bananas/whatever), I also made brownies that had black beans instead of flour (it was crazy good!), and I made soft-serve bananas - which is basically bananas in the consistency of soft-serve ice cream. I eat stuff like this (omemade, all natural goodness!) and don't even miss candy/baked goods and other stuff that is loaded with processed sugars, salt and other stuff I don't want in my body.

    Edited to add: You can apply the above to the foods you talked about too - homemade pizza, burgers, etc. are so much healthier and more satisfying (in my experience) than fast-food/pre-made ones!

    *I use diet to mean what you eat, not some crazy starvation short-term plan or anything like that... lol
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    Actually, having one cheat meal a week is good for your metabolism!! After your body gets used to having a deficit all week long, eating something higher in calories kind of shakes it up a bit! After being on MFP for 2 weeks, I had a Sonic cheeseburger (not a great choice, I know). But the next day, I was a pound lighter!! I thought that maybe that cheeseburger hadn't had time to catch up to me yet, so I was prepared to maybe be a little higher the day after that.... nope - down another half-pound! I don't indulge in things like that very often, and I'd never eat like a whole chocolate cake for dinner... but once every week or two, a cheat meal (within reason) can trick your metabolism into speeding back up! :-) Enjoy!!

    One meal probably cannot affect your metabolism one way or the other.

    Here is some additional detail:

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    Options
    My mindset has changed since joining mfp. In the past, I would have a cheat day - and it would end up being just that, an entire day of cheating, as if I was never going to see these "bad" foods again. I always felt horrible, guilty & like a failure to myself. Eventually the cheat day became day after day and I would no longer be trying.

    Since joining this site, I no longer feel I need to "cheat". To me, it is that I'm going to plan a not so "good" food but then compensate for that choice by choosing the rest of my day properly AND then adding exercise to offset my choice. I was recently able to enjoy a very nice meal out by spending the wait time - 30 minutes - walking around the area. By the time we were called, I had burned almost 400 calories! By the time I logged EVERYTHING in, I still came in under my calorie goal!

    It's amazing to be in this mindset and I love it SO MUCH!!

    Someday soon, I plan on having a maple bar. I crave em ever so often and they used to be my downfall. The difference with this plan though is I DO have a plan in place. I'm walking to the donut shop with my daughter. It will take us at least 20 minutes to get there and then those same 20 minutes to get back. I will enjoy my time with her, thoroughly enjoy my maple bar and finally feel a bit of control.

    Sorry for the long post - It is just so amazing to have such a different outlook on food!!

    :flowerforyou:

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