Do you ever feel forced to have a cheat day?

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Losingthedamnweight
Losingthedamnweight Posts: 535 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm feeling like that and it probably sounds so ridiculous to anybody else, but I'm taking a road trip to visit my mom in June and I almost feel obligated to go out and eat like a pig for a lot of reasons.

One being since we are all going (me, my girlfriend and daughter) and we never go on trips, I feel like we are supposed to have a fun care free time and do fun things like....eating at every new restaurant we come across. Ordering pizza in the motel. Getting some delicious calorie dense breakfast every morning.

I also feel that obligation on my moms behalf because I never visit her and it seems like we need to cram all this fun stuff into two days to make it memorable.

I know it's only 2 days...but part of me doesn't want to stray from my calorie budget at all. Part of me is tempted of coarse, but a bigger part of me feels like this is one of those excuses I make to screw up and binge.

Am I crazy or what?!
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Replies

  • HerkMeOff
    HerkMeOff Posts: 1,002 Member
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    You're crazy.

    Enjoy it.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    Sounds like more than a cheat day. But.... diet breaks can be beneficial. So go eat all the foodz.
  • janiceclark08
    janiceclark08 Posts: 1,341 Member
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    Why not save some calories before and after trip to compensate,like for the weekly totals. That way you wont be feeling so guilty about over eating and going off track.
  • fchammer1
    fchammer1 Posts: 8 Member
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    Think POTLUCK and many, many dishes of food for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, St. Paddy's Day, my birthday, the car club spring picnic,and Easter! Did I go over my allotted allowance of food? Of course, I did; and I know by exactly how many calories because the trick for me was to take only 1/2 cup of each attractive food item and record each. Then, I worked on taking those calories off during the next three days because weight loss is an ongoing process. We're looking for that overall downward trend.

    So you're visiting your mom. Good for you. Enjoy the visit and the food. Knock those extra calories off during the following week. I know you can do it! (and get a new picture.)
  • onefortyone
    onefortyone Posts: 531 Member
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    I totally understand this pressure. My husband's family celebrates/mourns everything with food, PILES of food, like a whole 10lb bag of potatoes for a dinner that only 3 people come to lol. And you get called a picky eater, or eats like a bird, etc. if you don't pig out, or you're made to feel like you're wasting food. And when you're on the road, it's hard to resist, especially if the breakfast is buffet style and the cost is included with the room.

    My advice is, stay strong as much as you can. You can order a pizza, thin crust, topped with veggies, and have a couple of slices. You can go to the gas station down the road for some fruit, yogurts and lots of water. You can log everything at breakfast and pig out enough to skip lunch. You can walk around loads and see the sights. Eat at maintenance instead of a deficit if that helps give you more wiggle room. Think of it as a test - when you're at your goal weight and maintaining, you won't want to be avoiding family fun, but what constitutes family fun might need to change for the better - a family that stays active and eats well!

    Then again, I sure can talk the talk, but I probably could not walk the walk. Like you said, it's tempting to just let it go, but you know deep down inside that's not what you want.
  • Jenni129
    Jenni129 Posts: 692 Member
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    It's not until June.... so by then you can probably afford 2 days of cheating. Might as well have fun!
  • NH_Norma
    NH_Norma Posts: 332 Member
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    It does feel a bit like an excuse to binge and get all off track for a longer period of time, and will include guilt. Can you meet yourself 1/2 way and enjoy new places, have fun, but make better choices than the old days and stop eating when you are satisfied, even if it means throwing out food? Please don't think I'm judging...this is my own voice of experience speaking. As I read your post, I was hit with all kinds of feelings that I could see myself going through if I did that...guilty, hopeless, overwhelmed...you name it. Enjoy your trip however you handle the food! :)
  • Jestinia
    Jestinia Posts: 1,153 Member
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    If you do it, the trick is to end it the minute you get back home. No excuses, no backsliding. That's always the hard part, for me anyway.
  • ibBrad
    ibBrad Posts: 1 Member
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    You've got to listen to your own feelings and do what is right for you not what you think others expect of you.
  • HerkMeOff
    HerkMeOff Posts: 1,002 Member
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    It does feel a bit like an excuse to binge and get all off track for a longer period of time, and will include guilt. Can you meet yourself 1/2 way and enjoy new places, have fun, but make better choices than the old days and stop eating when you are satisfied, even if it means throwing out food? Please don't think I'm judging...this is my own voice of experience speaking. As I read your post, I was hit with all kinds of feelings that I could see myself going through if I did that...guilty, hopeless, overwhelmed...you name it. Enjoy your trip however you handle the food! :)


    If you're feeling guilty about eating while on vacation...or anytime for that mater, you don't have a healthy relationship with food.
  • kjo9692
    kjo9692 Posts: 430 Member
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    It's 2 days, you'll be fine! But yes you need to review your feelings about this. It shouldn't make you feel terrible if you just go and have fun. So you go and have fun! No one is judging you. Just try to have certain limits like stop eating when you are already full, eat slowly so you know when you are full, etc. But have fun, enjoy, and eat what you want. Maybe you can make it a goal to instead of eating at a calorie deficit focus on eating closer to your TDEE (but not over) so you still have more room for more food, drinks, desserts, etc.

    Have fun!
  • MyMalfunction7
    MyMalfunction7 Posts: 61 Member
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    I'm having a similar problem! My birthday is in two or three weeks, and everyone wants to take me out to high calorie meals and get drinks. It sounds fun, and it's what I feel like I should do, but I don't necessarily want to lose track of my calories. I think it might be good just to take a day off, but there is a weird sort of MFP guilt that I feel even when I think about it. So, I definitely feel your pain!
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    I get how you're feeling. One of the things I had to overcome with weight loss is putting my own priorities over other people's expectations...esp. my family.

    Now having said that...if you want to splurge...meh, just get back to it when you get home. If you don't want to splurge, don't. It's all up to you.
  • adorable_aly
    adorable_aly Posts: 398 Member
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    I don't know what it's like for you... But I only get to see my parents every couple of months. Every moment is precious with them, I don't waste my time thinking about going over calories, I just enjoy it, create fabulous memories and get back to it when I get home.
  • evangelene12
    evangelene12 Posts: 196 Member
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    I would just have fun and eat (not just because it's there, but because you like it and want some) and create memories. Years from now what will matter are the memories of these visits and the fun you had. Not the obsession over the calories. Just get back on the program once you are back. :)
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    It's just two days, so if it happens, I think you'll be OK. If you don't want to stray too far, just adjust your calories up to maintenance for the time. You'll maybe have a slight slow down in your weight loss, but you certainly shouldn't gain much more than water weight that will easily come off again when you resume your normal deficit, even if you've eaten surplus calories. Enjoy your vacation! :drinker:
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
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    Hey, don't worry too much about it. If you are engaged in a lifestyle change rather than a temporary diet, you need to make sure that what you are doing includes the life obstacles that come your way. What I mean is... Enjoy these two days. Be mindful of what you are eating but don't go overboard to try to meet your goals these couple of days... If your budget is 2000 kCal then 3000 is ok. Try not to eat the house but if you want a piece or two of pizza, go for it. Yes your weight will increase and probably by 5-7 lbs... Don't let that discourage you... Most of it will go away. That which don't you can take care of later. Balance in all things
  • Mistraal1981
    Mistraal1981 Posts: 453 Member
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    I'm having a similar problem! My birthday is in two or three weeks, and everyone wants to take me out to high calorie meals and get drinks. It sounds fun, and it's what I feel like I should do, but I don't necessarily want to lose track of my calories. I think it might be good just to take a day off, but there is a weird sort of MFP guilt that I feel even when I think about it. So, I definitely feel your pain!

    I have totally got a great way to change what I do for my birthday. Instead of going for drinks I suggest we doing something more energetic, fun, new like rock climbing or paintball. For the older parent types I suggest we go for a spa thing.
  • Mistraal1981
    Mistraal1981 Posts: 453 Member
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    OP, maybe again along similar lines, up the exercise while your away. Hiking etc.
  • crissi725
    crissi725 Posts: 82
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    Maybe just have one of those days as a free-for-all since we should all enjoy food with family and in new places. Take some pressure off yourself for ONE DAY. And then just be up front with your family and tell them that you gotta stay on top of your goals. Nothing wrong with that. :-)

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