curious for those with cheat day..

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  • MiekeJ
    MiekeJ Posts: 139
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    Hi there,

    A cheat day is whatever you want it to be or whatever is a treat for you. As you can see above, a cheat day for everyone is different.

    I usually base my cheat days around food. Mmmmmm FOOOOD! :-D So, I'll usually eat something thats usually off limits :-)

    I have also heard that some people believe that having a cheat/free day helps them stay on track and prevents the sudden binge. Which sometimes, depending on the extent you go to during the binge, can cause more damage than the ocassional cheat day.
  • AngelaCourtneyjones
    AngelaCourtneyjones Posts: 10
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    I have a cheat day one time a month. On this day I eat whatever I want to for one meal and I still do my workout!!! It's been working well for me because if I say I can never eat chocolate or fried chicken again...I would not ever stick to eating healthy for the rest of the month.:tongue:
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
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    For me, cheating is more about the food than the exercise even though it is really about both. See, I can't really get a good workout in when I don't eat right...but I allow myself at least one meal a week where I don't bother with staying in my calorie limits. I also only exercise 6 days a week because our bodies need some time to recover. So, my "cheat" is normally a nigh calorie meal that I have on the day that I wasn't even scheduled to exercise anyway.

    I feel like it has kept me on track when I schedule cheat meals because then I don't have binges and feel totally lost and depressed on other days. It gives me something to look forward to and work hard throughout the rest of the week for.
  • gentlebreeze2
    gentlebreeze2 Posts: 450 Member
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    wow... I can't believe so many people cheat. I wouldn't trust myself. Here's what I do. Tuesday is chocolate day. Chocolate cheerios for breakfast, a hershey's w/almonds sometime during the day and one chocolate vodka drink. I still exercise that day. And I still try to keep my calories around the 1400 mark. Having a chocolate day keeps me focused and not out of control.
  • Mamoonie
    Mamoonie Posts: 328
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    Hi,

    I don't have a "planned cheat day". I eat whatever I like, and try to stay withing my calories, which I almost never manage. I guess most people would say I'm not dedicated enough, but I prefer to just cut portions of everything, so that I don't crave anything at anytime.
    I still loose weight with my system, and that's what counts for me.

    I started with MFP in August, and so far only had one day which I would call cheat day. That day I went out, had big dinner (instead of small one), and desert too and I was over for almost 1000 calories. I don't regret the day/evening nor the meal and desert. Best thing of all: I had a quite bad week and with that day I thought I messed it up totally, but next weigh-in I still had lost over 1 lb.

    So that's my "cheat day"... once in a while, not planned at all, and if it happens, I don't regret, I enjoy and take a new start the following day.

    MM
  • Red13
    Red13 Posts: 287 Member
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    Thanks for posting everyone. Just to clarify I wasn't deciding if I should have a cheat day, or what it should contain, I was just curious. It's interesting to see the differences in people and that people can have a time to relax and not have to think about food and exercise. I kind of have an obsession where I'm always thinking about what I'm eating, going to eat, how long I'm going to work out, what kind of work out I will do and sometimes (usually Saturday) I say screw it, and don't log my food. Good luck to all.
  • FitnessTim
    FitnessTim Posts: 234 Member
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    My wife and I have what we call "rest" days. It is not cheating when you take a break from dieting and exercise. In fact it is important to maintain a healthy weight in the long run. If you exercise, diet and have a calorie deficit for many days in a row you could end up lowering your metabolism and go into what some call "starvation mode".

    I plan on eating more than my recommended calories for at least 1 day out of 7 and sometimes 1 out of 3 days. This gives my muscles a chance to grow and for my body to heal. I'm not advocating going overboard, but if you are down 2000 to 3000 calories for the week, you would have a difficult time gaining that back in 1 day.

    On the days we eat heavy it feels like we are stuffing ourselves but if you stick to healthy foods, it is usually less than 200 calories over.

    REST don't CHEAT :happy:
  • MassiveDelta
    MassiveDelta Posts: 3,311 Member
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    Cheat day means food. Because there is no cheat day for exercise that's a rest day in between hard workouts.
  • onebadrg
    onebadrg Posts: 34
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    I don't like the word "CHEAT" I rather just enjoy a treat once in a while. Dark Chocolate is my treat but in moderation. A single Chocolate Bar can last me one to two weeks.

    What I have done is cut out all of the fatty foods, and replaced them with healthy but enjoyable foods like Salmon, Mahi Mahi, and Halibut...

    The word CHEAT means you are doing something bad, where treating yourself is something good as long as you have the will power to do it in moderation.

    I monitor my food, exercise and weight daily; this allows me to understand what I can and cannot treat myself.

    As long as I am staying within my food categories, fat, carbs, protein......

    I eat those treats depending on my daily goals.

    Cheers
  • wh0a_is_me
    wh0a_is_me Posts: 41
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    Interesting topic!

    I only started this week, but here's my plan: Thursdays I'm in school for nearly 12 hours, so I don't have time to workout, but I eat within my calorie allowance. Saturdays I usually spend with my BF's sister's family, and we ALWAYS end up going out to eat, so that's what I'll consider my cheat day, though I do plan on working out.. I'm sure I'll still be over over calories, lol

    I'm thinking after a while I won't even need the cheat meal/day/whatever anymore - but right now, I was so used to going out to eat maybe once a week (but not eating very good the rest of the week), so it's kind of hard for me to cut it out completely.. so as long as I'm good all week, I'll use it as a reward.. but maybe at some point, I won't even find it necessary.
  • ErinMarie25
    ErinMarie25 Posts: 733 Member
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    My cheat day is on my rest day, no exercise. I still do not go over my calories though. If I do, it's by a small amount.
  • Caitengl
    Caitengl Posts: 1
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    I cheat all weekend. The more weight I lose, and the more used to the restricted calories I get, the less the cheating takes me far past my alloted daily calories (1210). I am still making good progress, faster than I expected. I guess cause I go under with my calories a couple of days a week it all evens out in the end. I have lost 8 lbs in the last month and 11 since the middle of August, 8 more to go by January, I think I can do it even with cheating.

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