Cheat days, yes or no

cookieinbk82

I was thinking of having a cheat day once or twice a month? Would that hinder my weight loss?

watchhillgirl

I don't do cheat days but I do do cheat meals. But I make sure I exercise hard that day to minimize the damage.

DarkArwen

I would say the same as above. I did a cheat day once and regretted it. Now I try to focus on healthy rewards and scrumptious "clean" cheats that satisfy cravings without derailing all my hard work. The hardest thing to outrun is your fork.

meltedsno

I guess that is up to you. I know for myself that a cheat day will send me right back to where I came from. It's been 13 months since I started my journey and any of those "cheat" items are worked into my daily food allotment. If I want it bad enough and it will put me over, then I know I will have to hop on the treadmill for as long as it takes to burn off the excess. I must be doing something right since I am wearing a size 4 for the first time in my life... don't know exact number of pounds I lost since I choose not to weigh on the scale (will some day... just not today)... but I can tell you that I started this venture at a size 18/20 (down from a one time high of size 24)

I say rather than setting aside a day to "cheat" ... work those treats into your daily diary and enjoy every day while learning a little bit about nutrition and behavior modification..

snjohnston

I agree with all the above! Whenever I "cheat", I just workout harder and longer because it messes with my mind when I go over my calories. If you can work it into your calories you will feel much better about it. I will still have some regret, but in the end I'm more concerned about my overall.

tesstcool

Sometimes i cheat by accident (last second bar or restaurant plans, spur of the moment days out etc) but i just try to eat lighter ans work out harder the following few days!

skinny0000

Depends what you mean. If you mean binge on ice cream and cake and don't record it, then NO. If you mean go over your calories until you are completely satisfied and not worry about it too much then YES absolutely!

cookieinbk82

Depends what you mean. If you mean binge on ice cream and cake and don't record it, then NO. If you mean go over your calories until you are completely satisfied and not worry about it too much then YES absolutely!

I'm planning on having 11 cookies. It won't put me over my calories but it will be unhealthy for me.

Boringdoug

I take my marriage seriously so I wouldn't do it, but I don't see how that would affect weight loss.

love8383

no be because sometime they turn to weeks...for me at least..

cookieinbk82

I take my marriage seriously so I wouldn't do it, but I don't see how that would affect weight loss.

Lol

cookieinbk82

I don't do cheat days but I do do cheat meals. But I make sure I exercise hard that day to minimize the damage.

I agree. I ate 11 chocolate cookies today. I worked out a lot this morning. When I logged the calories in I had 1,475 calories for the day including the cookies.

cookieinbk82

Depends what you mean. If you mean binge on ice cream and cake and don't record it, then NO. If you mean go over your calories until you are completely satisfied and not worry about it too much then YES absolutely!

I recorded it. And I'm still worried.

TiberiusClaudis

I have a cheat snack about every two or three days..like banana bread or a small (I mean small) scoop of ice cream. Thing is, I log it in first thing and then work the rest of my meals around it. Keeps me sain.

If I did a whole day, I'm pretty sure I'd gain atleast 4 lbs...really. I have a LOT of pent up cheats in me.

Bottomline: if this keeps you on track the rest of the month...then do it. And enjoy it while it last..then get back on the wagon.

Jazz_2014

Sorry, reply further on. I submitted twice

brenn24179

no, didn't work for me. Turned into too many cheat days.

Jazz_2014

Self control is different for all of us. I couldn't do a cheat day for several reasons. I prefer flexibility in my food/drink choices. I counter balance with exercise. Understandably this doesn't work for some.

nlcs_nickyv32

I would stick with 1 cheat meal maybe twice a month. I wouldn't do days, I still don't do cheat days because I know I can eat over 3000 calories in a single day. That is bad because I'm on a 2500 calorie diet.

cookieinbk82

I have a cheat snack about every two or three days..like banana bread or a small (I mean small) scoop of ice cream. Thing is, I log it in first thing and then work the rest of my meals around it. Keeps me sain.

If I did a whole day, I'm pretty sure I'd gain atleast 4 lbs...really. I have a LOT of pent up cheats in me.

Bottomline: if this keeps you on track the rest of the month...then do it. And enjoy it while it last..then get back on the wagon.

Today I ate a bagel with cream cheese and jelly, two slices of pizza, 11 Milano cookies, and a fruit salad. I'm over the calories that I set for myself but under the calories that MFP says that I can have.

Docbanana2002

I have banished the word "cheat" from my vocabulary, because it represents a mindset that I am trying to change. "Cheat" implies that there is some set of rules being imposed on you and you are sneaking around and breaking them. Or like you are being impulsive and doing something naughty. Or like there is this un-fun "dieting" phase of your life that you follow and then occasionally bust loose and do what you really want to do.

But here's the thing: I'm trying really hard to change what I WANT to do. To change my tastes so the good and healthy stuff sounds good. To enjoy the fruits and veggies that I used to pass over for a mountain of fatty and nutritionally empty food. To get past this dysfunctional "starve, then binge, then starve to make up for it" mindset that got me in this predicament. To develop a balanced and healthy relationship with food where I am in control of my eating and to able eat healthy most of the time yet enjoy an occasional unhealthy treat as a part of my normal life. Where "an occasional unhealthy treat" is just that, a treat. Not a whole bunch of treats. Because eating a whole pile of cookies is not the sort of moderation that I'm training myself to practice.

I'm in the drivers' seat here, making the rules about how I eat and making choices and accepting consequences. Theres nothing to "cheat" on. If I want to eat a cookie, I eat a cookie. If I want to eat a nice meal for some reason of my choosing, then I do that. If I want to have a break from calorie-counting for a day, then I can do that. However, I usually don't WANT to do these things because my weight and fitness goals are more important to me than the temporary pleasure of food. And I'm quite glad of that--it's an accomplishment for me to want long-term health over short-term pleasure, a real change in mindset that I don't want to derail. But sometimes I am willing to eat more calories or less nutritious food and accept the consequences (such as losing less weight, or not feeling as energetic as usual, or potentially triggering cravings that I'll have to fight for a few days). I do this because of a specific food I want to eat, or an occasion I want to celebrate, or because I'm genuinely hungry and want to not be, or because I'm just sick of tracking everything and want a break from it. When I do those things I'm not "cheating". I'm just choosing to deviate from the usual plan for a specific reason that I, as the person in charge of me, decided was acceptable.

If I do decide to do the closest thing to "cheat day"... what I would call "take a break from weight loss to eat at maintenance for a day", I still keep track of what I'm eating and make sure I'm not just impulsively eating whatever my hand can grab. I'm trying to un-learn that unhealthy behavior so choosing to dabble in it on regular intervals sounds counterproductive. I plan my meals, but just plan a maintenance day. I don't do this often or at regular intervals, but just when I'm feeling like it would be a good idea for some reason that is worth the potential slowdown in my weight gain. Like my birthday, or a holiday, or a vacation, or if I'm not feeling well.

I also sometimes take a break from tracking but stay in weight loss mode. I just allot a certain number of calories per meal and then mentally add up that meal. For example, I have 300 calories for breakfast. I eat whatever I want within that limit but try to make it reasonably nutritionally balanced. I'm not writing anything down so I don't know my daily calorie totals, macros, nutrients, etc. Just that I met my budget for that meal (and if I do that all day, I'll be on budget for the day). I might choose this if my usual routine is disrupted (vacation, busy work day), and I don't want to spend the extra time to do the detailed tracking. Or, like this week, because I fear I've become a bit obsessed about meeting all those macros and nutrients and getting it right to the last calorie and it's making me crazy. So I'm winging it a bit this week, just counting meal calories and forgetting the rest.

sarafischbach9

Up to you.

I would occasionally have cheat meals when I was trying to lose, but not very often.

I don't think it hinders weight loss just as long as it fits in within your weekly deficit.

paulawatkins1974

Depends what you mean. If you mean binge on ice cream and cake and don't record it, then NO. If you mean go over your calories until you are completely satisfied and not worry about it too much then YES absolutely!

I'm planning on having 11 cookies. It won't put me over my calories but it will be unhealthy for me.

lol how do you come up with 11?

Ludka13

Nope, because sooner or later accidents happen and I will go over.

amunet07

for me... "Danger Will Robinson...DANGER" lol

cookieinbk82

Depends what you mean. If you mean binge on ice cream and cake and don't record it, then NO. If you mean go over your calories until you are completely satisfied and not worry about it too much then YES absolutely!

I'm planning on having 11 cookies. It won't put me over my calories but it will be unhealthy for me.

lol how do you come up with 11?

I have exactly 11 cookies in my house.

julied0805

No way, I just had a terrible last month. I decided to have a week off the diet (which turn out to be one month by the way) and I gained 4 lbs. Totally screw up my diet, so I wont be having any of those days real soon. Although, I kind of take it easy on weekends, just a little.

Remo_Williams

Figure out your net calories for the week. On your cheat day log what you are about to eat before you eat it. Decide if it's worth wiping out 1 or 2 days of losing. Definitely stop before you actually go over for the whole week.

FitOldMomma

I don't call them 'cheat', I call them treats.
But they aren't crazy, calorie laden whole meals either. I'll have a frozen chocolate yogurt or maybe even a 3 Musketeer's candy bar about once a week. I still log the calories.

smarieallen85

I don't really understand what "cheat" day means. I had 2 tofrutti ice cream bars tonight but I didn't go over my daily 1200 calories. Is it cheating just because it's unhealthy or is it cheating if you go over your daily caloric intake.

Also, I almost always go over 1200 calories if I'm with my boyfriend. Still losing a pound or 2 a week though.

itsbasschick

no cheat days or cheat meals for me - it just triggers me wanting to eat and eat and eat. then i have to white knuckle it till the cravings are gone.

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