Cheat or "Free" Days/ Rewards
JSPictures
Posts: 13
How many of you allow yourselves an occasional cheat (not sure if that's a good word for it but I'm going with that) day? What does that look like for you in terms of what you can or can't eat? Or do you reward yourself once in a while with a treat? How often do you do that and what is your reward?
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Replies
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If it's a cheat day, I never go over on caloric limit. I do, however, pay lesser mind to my macronutrient ratios, such that I don't mind having more carbs.
That said, there would unequivocally be no junk food even after adjusting that. I might opt to have noodles and extra fruit or something.0 -
I don't really allow myself a whole day because I find I will go way over when I do. Unless it's a super special occasion (i.e. weddings. Christmas etc), I make sure I track everything. It keeps me accountable.
Instead, I will allow myself a cheat meal once a week if I feel like I need it. I still watch portions and extras but not as strictly. A cheat meal, as opposed to the whole day, usually keeps me within my calorie goal and allows me to feel like I can still have the foods I love without the guilt.0 -
I just fit stuff that I like (ice cream, chocolate, pies, milkshakes, etc) into my calories and macros. I don't do cheat days because I can do some major damage in 24 hours
There are special occasions like weddings/vacations that I'll slack off a little bit, but its few and far between.0 -
I do not reward myself with food, I prefer patting myself on the back, buying a nice bodycream, going for a haircut, buying a smaller size skirt, getting a facial. All this in order to reinforce what I have accomplished.
As far as having food that are not part of what I eat on a daily basis, I do not stress about that, if ice cream is offered I might take some but in a smaller quantity and work it into my daily goal or I might go for a longer walk.
Definitly I do not view food as a reward, it does not wirk for me.0 -
I basically eat whatever I want within my calorie goal... If I want a piece of pizza I will have one, but just one and not everyday after that. I find it helps me avoid full blown cheat days, and I would never eat whatever for a whole day.. If I do get into a mood where I just wanna stuff my face, oh well I workout almost everyday and it happens, were human. BUT I try to save those binges for vacation, holidays, family gatherings, my birthday.0
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I don't do cheat days because I can do some major damage in 24 hours
Same here!! 24 hours can be dangerous!0 -
I used to give myself a cheat day but I have come to realize that the one cheat day turns into a whole weekend of cheats. So I think its a better idea to allow yourself to eat what you would usually consider a cheat food/meal, but make sure you stay within your daily calorie goal. You may find that those "cheat" foods become less frequent because they take up so much of your calorie allotment.0
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It's a common practice that seems to work for some people. I don't do it because it's contrary to my approach which was and continues to be to stop thinking of food as reward or entertainment. However, there is no food that is completely banned from my allowable foods. Anything is permissible in small amounts that keep me within my caloric and nutritional goals.How many of you allow yourselves an occasional cheat (not sure if that's a good word for it but I'm going with that) day?0 -
About once a month, I'll go over maintenance on a Mexican food meal with a lot of tortillas and chips. I'll probably still be under goal for the week and doing so hasn't stopped me from losing weight.
I don't think of it as a reward, I just think of it as something I really like but that won't fit within a reasonable (daily) calorie goal for me, so it has to be offset in other ways because I'm simply not willing to give it up entirely.0 -
I had a cheat meal yesterday, regret it as now I feel like I have undone the progress I made in the week.
Won't be going overboard again next week.0 -
I don't do cheat days because I can do some major damage in 24 hours
PREACH. :laugh:0 -
I try to never think of food or drink as a reward.
Nor do I think of splurges as "cheating" or "free" (cheating on a lifestyle doesn't make sense to me).
I do splurge from time to time when I really want to. But make sure not to over board.
Splurges, for me, aren't built into the calendar, aren't based on achieving a certain goal. Rather they are naturally occurring indulgences with my family. Pizza night and the like.
I also take pajama days where I do nothing outside the home, and no exercise. I stay in, read, nap, watch netflix.0 -
I don't reward myself with food. I will splurge on holidays or my birthday.0
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I don't do cheat days/meals. If I want something, and it fits in my daily goal, I eat it. If it doesn't fit, I either don't eat it or walk/run it off later. I've gone over my calories for the day on here once in 67ish days.
I treat myself with stuff I want that's NOT food. When I hit 25 pounds lost I bought Dolce, by Dolce and Gabana - it's a perfume that I was lusting after. Next up is a running tank from Nike that I really want.
I don't think having a treat day/meal (I like treat instead of cheat) is a bad thing, it's just not for me.0 -
I had a cheat day, was at a bbq at a friends lake house and it took me almost a week to recover. I didnt over eat but still it wasnt a good food day. I am still in the learning process of this new lifestyle and really dont want to jeopardize my progress so far. If a treat will fit into my day I may have something but no more absent minded eating for me...0
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There are special occasions like weddings/vacations that I'll slack off a little bit, but its few and far between.
this :-)0 -
I also take pajama days where I do nothing outside the home, and no exercise. I stay in, read, nap, watch netflix.
Love, love, love Pajama days! I try to do one every 2-3 months, preferably when it's raining!
As far as cheat days...
If I go way over my calorie goal, I feel like crap,
If I cheat and have a cigarette, I feel like damnit (quit around Memorial Day haven't cheated in a few weeks)
If I drink too much beer, I feel like worthless the next day
So I just don't do that stuff, I still like pizza and beer, but in moderation.0 -
no cheat days for me. my biggest reward is getting fitter and healthier. i wouldn't want to sabotage that with extra calories one day a week that i then need to make up for. or if i have something extra, i keep it within 150 calories of normal and make it up with a brisk walk.
i eat foods i love every day, and that way every meal is a treat and i feel satisfied. i have a half square of sees milk chocolate most days - it's 28 calories, and i let it slowly melt on my tongue. i also have a bowl of cereal, milk or soy milk and 2 tsp xylitol before bed, which for me is a treat and i budget my daily calories so it fits in. some days i have a serving of potato chips as part of a meal. and i've created a guacamole recipe that's absolutely yummy - i look forward to it a lot. i have it with 3/4 of a serving of blue corn chips.
what i'm trying to say - life is too short to eat foods that aren't delicious. make sure that everything you eat is one of your favorite foods and you won't feel deprived or need to "cheat" 0 -
I like my cocktails so one day a week I will have a couple glasses of dry red wine or tequilla lime and diet sprite or gin and diet tonic ect ..... I will also cheat on vacations. I feel it may slow my progress a little but keeps me on track for the long run... which is good as I would rather be heavy then not enjoy life.... I will probably be really bad with the up coming holiday ( the 4th of July) but back on track the 5th.... with no regrets ... its a planned no guilt cheat0
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I used to have two every weekend where I would just eat whatever and never log o_O however now I allow myself one per week but make sure I log (and sometimes I don't even have a cheat day in a week) or on on occasions I will have a cheat day where I don't count at all, however this is like if it is a special occasion like if I go out drinking (I do this like once every two months or something). I have found that it has spurred on my weight loss not having one every weekend but if you do have one then make sure you just pick yourself up because there is always tomorrow 0
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I agree with other posters on here that a whole cheat day can wreak a whole lot of havoc. I also prefer to keep calorie/macro allowances for a piece of chocolate or a cookie if I'm really craving it and save the cheats for special occasions like drinking with friends, weddings, and other celebratory events.
I do however reward myself with a new piece of exercise equipment, like I am buying a kettlebell in a few days and saving for some other more spendygear, that seems to be a win/win for me.0 -
I have found that the longer i watch my calories, the less hungry i get for junk. Or overall, i guess. If i do eat junk, i find I'm usually hungry soon after. But i don't really watch what i eat in terms of not allowing certain foods or whatever. I eat what i want, and i log everything beforehand so i can check where it fits into my calories; if a whole serving doesn't fit, i scale back. On most days, I'm under calories anyway, so on a weekly basis, i could have a couple splurge days and still be under my calories for the week. Some weeks i have splurges, most weeks i don't, because the progress i see is worth much more than going over calories for something i want to binge on.
Edited because autocorrect is hard.0 -
I don't cheat because my my eating habits are not a game, and I don't reward myself with food because it's a trigger for me. However, I do eat treats and I mostly work them into my calorie goal for the day, or I go over my calorie goal once in awhile when there are lots of treat choices and don't worry much about it.How many of you allow yourselves an occasional cheat (not sure if that's a good word for it but I'm going with that) day? What does that look like for you in terms of what you can or can't eat? Or do you reward yourself once in a while with a treat? How often do you do that and what is your reward?0 -
I don't plan my "cheat" days, I just have them as I want them or as occasions arise. I personally don't believe maintaining a rigid diet, because I intend for the changes I'm making to be permanent. I have no intention to abstain from "unhealthy" or calorie-dense food for my whole life, so I'm not going to do it now either. If I go to a birthday party, I'm going to have the cake. If I go to a fair, I'm going to get some cheese curds. Some days I go over my limits, some days I eat sugary or fatty foods. I just do my best to make sure that the majority of the time I'm eating healthy.
Tonight, for example, is the Minnesota Food Truck Fair. There's a bunch of really, really great food trucks that operate around the Twin Cities, and today they're all gathering in one location and having special prices on some of their food. Some of these trucks have some of the most unique and tasty food I've ever seen (for a reasonable price), and there are so many trucks I want to try. I plan on going around dinner time, and I know that I'm going to blow well past my calorie limit. But for me, that's ok, because I know I'm not doing this every day. This is a fun event for me, and I don't want to miss out because I'm trying to count calories.
That's my philosophy on "cheat" days. I don't ever really plan them, nor do I use food as a reward for fitness related goals. I used to, but then the more I thought about it the more I felt like that reinforced the idea that eating healthy was a struggle and that if I struggled through long enough I could reward myself with "real" food. So instead I've started rewarding myself with other things. New running shoes, some flowers, a house plant, etc. That way, I'm not placing so much value in "bad" foods. Food can just be food, while the lasting objects can be lasting rewards.0 -
No "cheat" days for me. But, I do allow myself "maintenance" days as needed (so far, only 2 in the last 2 months). I will gladly allow myself to eat 400-700 calories more on those days, which is generous enough (like, that's a whole meal more, or some alcohol or a luxurious dessert or whatever), but still not "weight gain" territory.
But...I never call it cheating. I know, semantics, but for me, I don't care for the connotation it gives me (like, a free pass to go back to old, fatty fat ways).0 -
I normally don't have cheat days, but I usually have a not so healthy meal on sunday, complete with dessert. Today I went completely overboard and I so regret it now. Too much chocolate. Too many calories.....0
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I've only been working on my appetite re-education program for about 2 months, so maybe I'll change my mind later, but - yes, I'm planning cheat days. I'm okay with calling it anything, but the concept is an eat whatever I want day. I'm doing this based solely on personal preferences and things that have worked or not worked in the past.
The reason this seems to be working for me so far is that I'm better at delaying gratification than at moderation. Some foods can be a little too triggery, and I don't trust myself to have a tiny bit every day. It's easier to tell myself I can have it, but not until X date. And on X date, I can have as much of (whatever) as I want. I'm trying to limit this to every 2 weeks, because when I tried 1X/wk (without MFP) that one day slid from Sunday to starting Saturday evening to Saturday afternoon to Friday.
On the plus side, the longer I control food intake day to day, the less I can consume at one time. Plus, given 2 weeks, the craving for whatever often goes away. And as others mentioned, the longer I eat good food, the less I crave junk. Yesterday was cheat day at a German restaurant. I kept telling myself it was okay to order whatever I wanted, but that wound up being grilled salmon with sauteed squash and German potato salad. And I took half of it home.
At the moment, MFP has me set at 1210 calories to lose 1 lb/week, which leaves very little room for any kind of treat. The weight's been coming off kind of fast, so the daily calories might be a little low, especially combined with trying to stay a little below the recommendation to account for an upcoming cheat day.
Short summary: yes to cheat day by whatever you want to call it, because I'd prefer to tell cravings that "yes, you'll be indulged, but not until X day in the future."0 -
If I'm seeing a friend I haven't seen in a long time, or going to a special event like a wedding, I eat the food available and don't get hung up on it. However, I make sure I stop when I feel full, and I make an effort to do more exercise that week than I normally would.
I wouldn't have a 'cheat day' for the hell of it, there has to be a good reason.0 -
No "cheat" days for me. But, I do allow myself "maintenance" days as needed (so far, only 2 in the last 2 months). I will gladly allow myself to eat 400-700 calories more on those days, which is generous enough (like, that's a whole meal more, or some alcohol or a luxurious dessert or whatever), but still not "weight gain" territory.
But...I never call it cheating. I know, semantics, but for me, I don't care for the connotation it gives me (like, a free pass to go back to old, fatty fat ways).
^^^^^^^ This.
Right now I'm having pause time, basically I've gone into maintenance for a couple of weeks before I kick the last few lbs *kitten*. I dont want to gain anything and I've always thought cheat days are just cheating yourself, I'd rather save calories for things throughout the week and make sure I come in for my weekly total.0 -
"Cheat" meals are any pre-made foods I treat myself to at bakeries, the store, or at a restaurant. Today, I had a "cheat" meal of spring rolls with peanut sauce and steamed custard buns; cheat meals include family meals too because I usually don't have time to eat with family so the days that I do get to eat with them, I'm not so anal with food.0
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