Cheat Meals/Days: Are they worth it?

Psychedelicately

The only cheat days I take are holidays or birthdays. I can't handle a regular cheat day, once I have bad things I begin to crave them more.

arendiva

I find that if I don't track on my cheat days it can lead to continued bad behavior but if I do track than it stays just one day and I don't do as bad. I think it helps to set parameters for a cheat day too. Like rather than being a free for all maybe just give yourself 1000 calories more than you usually have. That way you are still keeping track of what you eat, you are still being accountable to yourself, and you don't feel guilty because you are working within your plan.

Seanb_us

Well, I must say that I screwed up.... kind of. My husband and I had a planned anniversary get away to a place that's known for good food. It was for 2 days and nights. I planned on splurging but carefully. I watched my portions and we walked and walked and walked and I even went swimming. Still, I gained 4 pounds back in those 2 days. I cant believe how fast I gained it back. I must be super susceptible to gaining weight. So, I guess I will be digging my heals back in hard. BTW....our weekend was so fun and I think it was sort of worth it. 20 years with my husband is worth a pound or two

To put on 4 pounds of fat, you would have had to have eaten 14000 extra calories in those 2 days.

What you are seeing is water and glycogen. Drink a healthy amount of water in the next couple of days, and those 4 pounds will disappear.

This happens to me almost every weekend. I'll jump up 2 or 3 pounds on Sunday, and then it all goes away (plus my 2 pounds to lose) by Friday. I eat saltier food and drink less water on the weekends, typically.

So, how does drinking excess water get rid of water weight? Can I count coffee, there's water in that? I see 3lb. swings some days that cannot be related to what I ate.

Curious.

Sean

GatorUA

If I have a cheat meal/day I'm more likely to continue to eat things that aren't good for me. Plus, then I'll have to work harder to burn more calories to get back where I was before the cheat. Why should I do that to myself? Even though we usually go out one evening during the weekend, I still try to make good choices and come in around my calorie goal by planning ahead of time what I'm going to eat and drink. Even if I go over, I still think I make better choices than if I blow my calories completely.

And sometimes those cheats make me crave crap even more. Last night I had an Italian ice, pure sugar I'm sure, but I had the calories for it so I ate it. Today I'm craving sugary things. Usually I don't have a problem with those cravings when I don't eat a lot of sugar. So even with the calories to spend yesterday, I'm still suffering today. No, not worth it.

Lindsayryk

I can't do cheat days. Sometimes I can do cheat meals, but the guilt is overwhelming and not worth it. I find myself using unhealthy ways to try to compensate.

LaLaVee13

If you don't have the willpower to jump right back on track the next meal/day you should probably not cheat yet! Eventually, though, you wont be used to 'cheat foods' and they will make you feel sick if you eat them so you wont want to cheat anymore

GatorUA

Sean, do you weigh yourself at the same time each day, preferably first thing in the morning? You'll have the least water weight swing then. But don't let the difference bother you, it's all about the downward trend. That's why a lot of people only weigh themselves once or twice a week.

The water helps make all of your organs run more efficiently and with good fiber, helps to make the food go through you more efficiently. If I don't drink the water, I won't lose as much weight, and I don't feel as good. I did Weight Watchers (successfully) years ago and our group leader used to have a formula for how many "points/calories" over your goal you were, and how much water you had to drink to help drag the food out of you by the weigh in. Sounds silly but it actually worked. I can't remember the equation though.

ashleyjohnstonn1

I take Jillian Michaels advice! Eat healthy 80% of the time, and eat whatever you want 20% of the time. I don't have a specific cheat day, I just fit in a little treat whenever I feel like eating it. If I go over, no big deal. I just try to keep in mind that I am STILL eating wayyyyyy healthier than I was when I gained all the weight.

starsandowls

I've tried a variety of "cheat" options. Giving myself a whole day off is bad news for me - it led to binging and giving up on trying to change.

Personally, I manually set my net cals to 1300, and what I actually aim for is 6 days in the 1200-1400 range and one day in the 1200-1800 range, each week. That's basically a small dessert once a week or going out for a burger and fries instead of soup or salad and fruit bag lunch.

I think learning how to handle days when your calories fluctuate is important, and I don't call it a cheat day. I don't like the implications of the word "cheat" because it implies that there is restriction the rest of the time. Life happens: holidays, birthdays, work lunches, etc. Learning how to work in higher calorie days without going crazy is important to making this a true lifestyle change. Good luck!

asdowe13

cheat/tʃit/ Show Spelled [cheet] Show IPA
verb (used with object)
1. to defraud; swindle: He cheated her out of her inheritance.
2. to deceive; influence by fraud: He cheated us into believing him a hero.
3. to elude; deprive of something expected: He cheated the law by suicide.
verb (used without object)
4. to practice fraud or deceit: She cheats without regrets.
5. to violate rules or regulations: He cheats at cards.
6. to take an examination or test in a dishonest way, as by improper access to answers.

So how does your eating style correlate to "cheating"?

I eat everything I want in moderation on any given day. I don't want to "cheat" myself out of foods I enjoy!

hkristine1

So, how does drinking excess water get rid of water weight? Can I count coffee, there's water in that? I see 3lb. swings some days that cannot be related to what I ate.

Curious.

Sean

My understanding (although admittedly, it could be wrong) is that there are certain foods that dehydrate the body (e.g. salt) and when your body feels like it doesn't have enough water, it will hold onto water to stay alive. But, if you're giving the body plenty of water, it won't feel the need to hold onto water and will allow it to flush through the system.

It's sort of like when your body goes into starvation mode, in terms of calories - the body naturally slows down the metabolism so that it's not burning the few calories you're giving it so quickly - so that your heart doesn't shut down, etc... so, counter-intuitively, you actually need to eat more calories to lose weight.

These are just natural body defenses to death from dehydration/starvation.

bonniejessen5

I allow my self to eat what ever I want on Saturdays. Whenever I get a craving during the week I promise myself that I can have it on Saturday. What I found is that I don't want it, the grease and processed food just doesn't taste all that great. I find myself craving vegetables. I am working toward an overall goal of eating healthier long term. So 1/2 pound or 1 pound a week is fine. But for me the minute I tell myself you can never eat what you want forever, that is when I get frustrated and give up.

Seanb_us

Thanks! I try to weigh myself 4 times a week, always first thing in the morning before my body manufactures that extra weight that shows up later out of nothing

Sean, do you weigh yourself at the same time each day, preferably first thing in the morning? You'll have the least water weight swing then. But don't let the difference bother you, it's all about the downward trend. That's why a lot of people only weigh themselves once or twice a week.

The water helps make all of your organs run more efficiently and with good fiber, helps to make the food go through you more efficiently. If I don't drink the water, I won't lose as much weight, and I don't feel as good. I did Weight Watchers (successfully) years ago and our group leader used to have a formula for how many "points/calories" over your goal you were, and how much water you had to drink to help drag the food out of you by the weigh in. Sounds silly but it actually worked. I can't remember the equation though.

brattygurl89

I don't have scheduled cheat days. If I want something, I eat it and just work it into my macros. Every once in a while I may eat out, have a few treats, snack a bit more and go over, but I jump right back in the next day. Cheating implies I'm doing something I shouldn't, and I don't think that enjoying a treat is a bad thing. Besides, this isn't a diet for me, but a lifestyle change. However, if it's very easy to fall off the wagon, I suggest eliminating tempting foods out of the house. It might make the journey easier.