Cheat Day

mahopper2008

Do you schedule in a cheat day? Do you find it helpful or harmful to your weight loss efforts?

kansas_km

No cheat day for me. I figure you are going to have "cheats" here and there so I don't need to plan them all in one day. That is just my opinion.

DrJenO

It's only cheating for me if I don't track.

mary659497

No cheat days for me. I am having a hard time getting the scale to move.

magica_

I don't do cheat days. I've tried in the past but I notice I tend to fall off the wagon shortly after.

LucyBzz

I don't schedule a cheat day, but at the same time, I'm not going to beat myself up if I go over my calories one day!
Doing this has made me question everything I eat which in some ways is hard but in other ways is actually quite easy. I have been shocked how calorie-heavy some of my previously frequently eaten foods are, and how low in calories some of my new choices are. Having said that, I will still eat the occasional fried food, chocolate bar or whatever, I will just be more aware of what I am eating! When it was my Dad's birthday, I found that a tiny sliver of birthday cake was plenty & I wasn't tempted to eat more - I also managed to refuse his offer to take some home with me, but I also didn't feel guilty about the spoon of leftover buttercream I ate when I was decorating his cake!

mahopper, you are doing great - little things like thinking what you are going to eat before you go to a fast food place or restaurant is great, but if you overindulge one day just cut back the next couple of days so that over the week you are still under goal.

We all need to realise that our ultimate goal is NOT losing xxlb of weight, it's changing our lifestyles & habits so that in 12 months time we haven't undone all our good work and put the weight back on. I know that I will still indulge in my favourite suet puddings in the future, I will just make sure that I have lighter breakfasts, lunches & probably next day too if I am going to eat something

LucyBzz

Sobus76

my experience is if i plan a cheat day, it turns into cheat days or cheat weeks. so I dont plan them.

StarPlatinumORA

I don't rigorously schedule it, but just if we are having a meal out or something, that's the 'cheat'.

Also it's a bit silly, but I read somewhere about terming it as a "treat" day, not a "cheat" day - we're not cheating ourselves by planning in a treat, in fact quite the opposite!

daynerz

Don't have cheat days. It throws you off and can be detrimental and ruin your goals.

Treat yourself everyday because you deserve it.

Eat your favourites but keep them within your daily calorie limit.


Best of luck Xx

tashnoodle

I only schedule my cheat days for when there's an event (birthday party, wedding, bbq, gig etc), which seem to be way more often in the Summer. I still track what I'm eating and make sure I don't go over 2000, but if I do I don't beat myself up over it. Other than that I don't schedule them, just allow a little treat here & there (which most of the time are still within my cal limit for the day anyway!)

I do actually find them helpful because I'm not completely denying myself the food I love, just limiting it. I can get very down seeing my friends/family eating lots & drinking alcohol when we're out, so I let myself do it and make up for it the day before or after.

snorkizzle

Cheat days infer that you are on a diet rather than making a change to a healthier lifestyle. Rather than planning in a total cheat day have a slightly higher calorie consumption on other days but keep it constant.

Frood42

"treat" days, yes
"cheat" days, no

Every days a treat
.

Debssssssssss

Nope, no cheat days here. If I wanna eat chocolate, I will. I just fit it into my day. Same with going out for dinner, having Icecream, and all that good (bad)stuff :bigsmile:

SrMaggalicious

Cheat days infer that you are on a diet rather than making a change to a healthier lifestyle. Rather than planning in a total cheat day have a slightly higher calorie consumption on other days but keep it constant.

QFT

prestigio

Cheat days -> No. I cannot see how this can be beneficial for you (except for perhaps some slight satisfaction?).
If you want to eat something you like, fit it into your diet and don't do it to often (moderation is key in my opinion).

DR2501

I don't have a cheat day, but I have a cheat meal either every Friday or Saturday night. I still eat normally during the day on those two days but just let myself have a takeaway or something on one of those nights, usually with a couple of beers or wine.

Since Friday and Saturday are both workout days for me (Sunday being my rest day) I don't find that this impacts my progress.

markiend

No need as I don't totally exclude anything from the items that I eat. I find that too restrictive and leads to binges

smaller amounts of what I really enjoy work better for me

marshallexi

I don't have cheat days, but I don't really exclude anything from my diet, I try to exercise moderation as that works better for me psychologically in the long run (previous binge eating issues). I just try to eat as best I can, with occasional good treats thrown in.

HJO1403

I have Fridays as cheat days, meaning every other day I feel I want sweets/chocolate/cake I can say no, Friday is the day.

Then on Fridays I eat well apart from a bacon sandwich in the morning at work.
That keeps me on track

amykr93

I don't 'cheat' on anything, and I've no idea why you'd dedicate a whole day to something.

If I want chocolate or ice cream I fit it in to my calories for the day.
If I am going out for a meal I'll make healthier choices but not deprive myself. Similarly, if it's a birthday or a night out etc I won't eat crap the whole day - I'll enjoy myself when I am wherever I need to be, but for the rest of the day I eat how I normally would. No need to turn something like a birthday into an excuse to eat everything under the sun.

jruby82

I schedule a cheat day once a month, and I usually adjust it to coincide with a special time, like a birthday or a three-day weekend. I've been following the Fat Loss Factor program (somewhat modified over time to fit my needs and goals), which calls for a fasting day the day after Cheat Day. Cheat Day for me does not necessarily just mean eating more than my usual 1,200 daily calories, it means eating some of those favorite foods that had to be cut out of my diet entirely, like dairy and red meat and liquor. Cheat Day for me means burgers and pizza and lots of Jack Daniels. I have also cut out soda and artificial sweeteners, so Cheat Day might mean springing for a Diet Coke. Fasting the day after makes me more grateful just to have a salad when I start eating again, so I'm less likely to return to the junk. If Cheat Day stretches into two days (and it has), then the fasting stretches into two days. Finally, having a Cheat Day gives me a monthly milestone to look forward to, something to think about when I'm chomping that bazillionth mouthful of lettuce or pushing myself to run just a little farther. It really is more like "Treat Day" than Cheat Day.

jruby82

Cheat days infer that you are on a diet rather than making a change to a healthier lifestyle. Rather than planning in a total cheat day have a slightly higher calorie consumption on other days but keep it constant.

To me, a "diet" is a deficit in daily calorie intake in the hopes of losing weight. A "lifestyle change" is shifting away from unhealthy eating and fitness habits, and moving toward a more healthy, natural lifestyle. (And one does not necessarily have to be overweight to need a lifestyle change.) I, personally, am doing BOTH a diet and a lifestyle change right now. I'm not just shorting myself around 800 calories per day, I've also cut out a whole laundry list of unhealthy foods such as dairy, red meat, artificial sweeteners, breads, etc. Even if I can squeeze those things into my daily calorie budget, I don't do it. Just because they're low in calories or because you can "afford" the calories, that doesn't mean they're healthy choices. Once I've lost all the weight I intend to lose, I will no longer need to diet and will return to something closer to a maintenance calorie intake (2,000-ish calories/day), but I will not reincorporate those unhealthy foods into my life (that's a lifestyle change, not a diet). That's what my monthly Cheat Day is for me -- it's a reward for the lifestyle change, not the diet. It's not necessarily a day to go over on my calorie budget or to skip logging my foods, it's a day to indulge in those no-nos so that I don't go completely crazy eating relatively boring foods the rest of the month.

stuffinmuffin

I used to on occasion in weight loss, but they'd generally be for weddings or celebrations where I didn't log and probably exceeded my calories.

Don't ever think cheat DAY though, cheat meal yes, a day can do way too much damage to your efforts.

Edit: Meant to also add that I truly exercised my butt off on the day or near a 'cheat occasion' and would eat lightly until the event (e.g. a small breakfast and a light lunch saving as many calories as possible).

DR2501

As you can see, everyone has their own approach which works for them. I guess it depends on your personality and goals. There's no point having a cheat day and eating back your entire deficit for the week, so if you think this could happen, don't dedicate a whole day to it.

I personally couldn't do the little and often treats thing (especially not where I work! There are treats brought in everyday) as I would lose nothing. But if that works for you, then great.

Trial and error is the best way to approach it, like most things in life!

TwirleySlims

I don't believe in them as you can have most things in moderation. I do go over occasionally but I don't worry, I know my diet is much healthier than it's ever been & that is the main thing

kk_140

I wouldn't call it a cheat day. I eat absolutely whatever I want (within reason lol) on Saturdays and Sundays. Then I eat at a larger deficit during the week to make up for it. I wouldn't say it was a requirement for me, I would actually much prefer to just eat the same amount of calories everyday of the week. But everyone in my family and friends goes out on the weekend to lunch or has a BBQ or throws a family get together. You name it I am there surrounded by friends and family and good food. So rather than skip them all, I just eat at a much larger deficit during the week to make up for it. Even when maintaining I do the same thing now. where I'll pig out on the weekends with my friends and family, then eat 1,500 calories a day the rest of the week to maintain.

Life doesn't cease to be fun and tempting just because I'm losing weight. I'm willing to make sacrifices so that I can be a part of it.

Andaisy1

I don't believe in them as you can have most things in moderation. I do go over occasionally but I don't worry, I know my diet is much healthier than it's ever been & that is the main thing

+1

MSeel1984

I don't think of it as a cheat day. I listen to my body. If I really crave a cheeseburger, I make it a quality burger (not McDonald's) and don't do it too often. I treat myself to one whole donut every 3-6 months.
Most of my diet is pretty healthy so if I crave something less healthy once in a while, I allow myself that. I may try to do a harder workout that day, but I don't like to think of it as cheating.

aneary1980

I have a meal out once a week, but that day I eat less during the day (no snacks) I also save up my exercise cals and work hard at the gym the following day so that my overall net cals for the week is around my goal for the week.

I also try and have healthy things of the menu so I avoid sauces etc.

joflo723

Several years ago I lost 70 lbs on WW. Being analytical by nature, I went back after I had reached my goal weight and reviewed the previous year. What I found was that the weeks that I had lost the most weight were weeks that I had stayed on track every day except for one (I either had a day with extremely high points, or I had completely forgotten to log a day). I didn't completely binge out on these days, but I also didn't worry about the extra calories I was consuming.

I think this helped me on several levels: 1) I'm not a nutrition expert, but my theory is that it gave my metabolism a little kick eating those extra calories one day a week, 2) it gave me a break from obsessing over calories, points, etc, and 3) It kept me from getting "burned out" by feeling like I was missing all my favorite foods I used to eat.

So yes, I do think that a *cheat* day is a good thing. I don't necessarily "plan" mine, but I usually do have a day, about once a week (usually on the weekend) that I just don't worry about it; i.e., I go way over my calorie goal.

followzyzz

**** those cheat days.. they ruin my whole progress for the week. I've decided to not take any cheat days because it can easily ruin your progress for the week if You are really sensitive to carbs or etc.. I'm on a low-carb diet so basically I eat 1 cheat meal per week. My cheat meal includes fruits only.. It really helps me with the sugar cravings.