Cheat Days: Necessary or Inappropriate

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  • NorthCountryDreamer
    NorthCountryDreamer Posts: 115 Member
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    Life events come into play. Father's day was a great example. I ate pretty lean all week with the hope of reaching a certain weight. Not only did I eat lean but I did a lot of different activities to burn calories. After weigh in I let loose a bit. I enjoyed some larger portions and I ate cake. I drank a few beers. Beer doesn't seem like food to me but the calories really add up. In the long term, in order to permanently keep the weight off I will need to manage these social settings where eating dense foods and drinking are the norm. So I don't plan for "cheat days", but I do have to deal with the mentality of increased calories and eating and then return to "food as fuel" versus "food as fun".
  • endermako
    endermako Posts: 787 Member
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    I follow IIFYM, no need to 'cheat', you can fit a bit of pizza or a doughnut in your cals and macros if you plan a little.

    ^^^This!

    I had chocolate and a pumpkin muffin with Nutella on top yesterday. It was delicious and I was still under my daily goal.
  • MinimalistShoeAddict
    MinimalistShoeAddict Posts: 1,946 Member
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    This past year I have made big strides to get to my goal weight and am well on my way. Whenever I speak to other people who are dieting or trying to lose weight, I always get mixed reviews about cheat days.

    ................

    I do believe that once a week you should have that greasy slice of pizza with stuffed crust.

    I feel about the same as you do. Only instead of one slice I eat an entire pizza, usually more than once a week.

    I don't consider it cheating because I still hit my calorie/macro targets every week and have been at my ideal (long distance running) weight for well over a year.

    If you want to consume more calories, just exercise more to compensate. I am not a big guy, but I exercise enough to eat like one:)
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
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    I don't call them cheat anything.. it's just eating.. but here's my answer anyway..
    It's individual.. cheat days for me turn into cheat weeks... I can't do it. That's not to say I can't have 1 cookie while I am out if I want one.. but it's way way way to easy for 1 cookie to turn into the entire box. Yes I know.. only get 1.. but it's easy, since i'm adult with a debit card, to go out and get more.. So.. i try my best not to have them. Once I start it takes a lot to stop. I'd rather avoid all that
  • nicolemtracy
    nicolemtracy Posts: 301 Member
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    I don't really have cheat "days", but I go ahead and plan for treats so I don't feel deprived. Sometimes it's air-popped popcorn, sometimes it's a serving of real ice-cream (1/2 cup ;), but I don't think it should ever be an entire day. Too much craziness can happen in a day. Have a treat a day after lunch or dinner or something and call it good. :)
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    I just have a hard time with the idea of "cheat"

    I hate when people ask me "oh are you having a cheat meal?"
    no- I"m having effing dinner. It just so happens it's delicious pizza and beer.

    I definitely do a lot of chicken/veggies/yogurt and what not- but I get down with my bad self and my cookie after lunch- and then a pizza on the weekend- or all you can eat brazillian steak house. It's food- it must be consumed.
  • sympha01
    sympha01 Posts: 942 Member
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    Neither necessary nor inappropriate. If they help a particular individual stay the course long term, sure go for it. I don't find them useful because my diet plan includes enough food and treats every day to keep me happy.
  • missylee117
    missylee117 Posts: 66 Member
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    I don't call it cheat days, I just exercise and eat whatever I like to eat and account for it in my diary, if I want a donut for 400 calories I have one, or oreos or pizza, I track it all,. If you call it a cheat day then I feel your not being honest with yourself, so here Ive lost almost 80 and still eating junk food. :drinker:
  • Glowiie1
    Glowiie1 Posts: 85 Member
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    I agree with everyone on here. My diet is called "put down the fork." No gimmicks here! I get to eat whatever I want, but it has to fit into my calorie budget. During the week I eat at a deficit, and on the weekends, I try shoot for maintenance calories, and I'm averaging -2 lb/week. This means I can have a small 100-150 cal treat every afternoon and stay within the limits. I bake every weekend so I have delicious treats at the right portions to eat everyday. Probably not for everyone, but it works for me!

    An unexpected side effect: If I can eat whatever I want as long as it fits the calories, you'd think I'd be binging on cheetos and burgers, right? Oddly enough, that never worked. Whenever I did that I blew my cal limit because I was hungry all the time. It actually forced me to change my diet to lean meats, whole grains, and tons of veggies because nothing else would keep me full on 1400 cal/day. ha ha Now I'm eating delicious food, losing weight, and eating healthy. Who'd have thought I could have it all? :-D

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