Cheat Day

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Sorry, I don't do cheat days, I eat whatever I want everyday, making sure it falls within my caloric allotment. If you are going to splurge on a certain day, I would make sure you stay within maintenance level so as not to sabotage the rest of the week.

This. I don't believe in cheat days, because they feel to me too much like binging. Some days I'll go over my goal, but so long as I stay within maintenance calories, I'm alright with it.

I can't agree with these two posters enough. I do the same thing - eat what I desire, within caloric limitations.

When you are in a calorie deficit, I think it is supremely important not to treat it like a "diet" (diets fail), and instead eat the foods you want, but within your caloric limitations. This helps you form and maintain a healthy relationship with food. And it also makes it so you do not feel like you are being denied something you enjoy; you are not being punished.

Eating shouldn't feel restrictive. You shouldn't be cutting out certain macros or generally be made to feel miserable when it comes to fueling your body. Eating should be a pleasant and positive experience.

SLLRunner

Sorry, I don't do cheat days, I eat whatever I want everyday, making sure it falls within my caloric allotment. If you are going to splurge on a certain day, I would make sure you stay within maintenance level so as not to sabotage the rest of the week.

So conveniently enough whatever you want to eat happens to be not enough to go over calories for the day? But for most people, eating whatever they want would take them well over that limit. A better way to put it is to say have something every day that you would have on a cheat day. Something within a manageable amount, basically - satisfy one craving at a time. Cheat days can work, they did for me for a while until I got to about 10 stone. The downside is though eating so much refined sugary food in one day can leave you feeling less than great. Give cheat meals a try first perhaps?

I think her key phrase was "making sure it falls with my caloric allotment". I do the same thing. I cook whatever I feel like making, just in a portion that meets my needs. It's not "conveniently enough" it's how she makes this work for her.

You've just ignored the point I was getting at about being careful how you word something because some might not understand the difference between eating whatever you want in moderation and binging, but thanks anyway.

The prior poster was clear in her point. However....

I think the bold of your posting is also a good point, because when someone asks about a cheat day or meal, I imagine a binge. Loads and loads of extra calories. However, by the same token, cheating does imply you are doing something you don't think you should be doing. I prefer to live a lifestyle of having whatever I want, just in moderation. It's up to me to whip out that food scale, or to think about the consequences of eating too much of that gooey good sweet stuff. I'm in control of food, it is not in control of me.

In looking at my diary, many people might perceive that i cheat every single day. Well, I don't cheat, I simply eat what I want in moderation. Sometimes I go over my calorie goals, sometimes not. I've loss 44 pounds and I have been maintaining for several months, so I think my method must be working.

myrtille87

I would definitely still log everything - means you're less likely to go nuts and eat 2,000 calories above your goal or something.

By logging it, you can look at your weekly average (on the app: nutrition --> weekly --> net calories) and see that although you went over on one day (the bar chart will be red) your average is hopefully still in line with your goal. One day last week I went over by 800 calories (mostly from alcohol) but my average was still under my goal and I still lost weight.

Your calorie intake on any given day isn't that big a deal, it's the overall big picture that matters.


Adding more exercise is a good idea, as is eating a light lunch if you plan on having a more indulgent dinner (or vice versa).


(And yes, I totally agree that you shouldn't feel deprived every day whilst cutting calories - I make delicious food every day. But eating is also a social occasion and on those occasions I like to join in with everyone else and treat myself. So long as it doesn't screw up my long-term progress, I don't see a problem with that.)

Camo_xxx

Cheating can have so many meanings and everybody is going to use the term differently. But having a cheat meal or a cheat day isn't what made us fat, over eating did. So don't let cheating mean over eating and enjoy your new healty lifestyle.

missiontofitness

Thanks everyone for the replies. I am trying hard not to eat sugar, because i think it causes me to actually eat more. Increases cravings/ makes me more hungry. But of course that is hard to do in real life on the weekends at friends houses etc. So, I think I'm going to allow myself to go to my maintenance intake once a week with a sugary dessert once a week. I'll see how that goes. Thanks!

You could also try to make your own homemade sugary treats as well; there's a ton of amazing recipes out there that can satisfy a sweet tooth without blowing your calories. Or, just fit something into your day every day. One of my MFPs has a bar of chocolate every day, and I personally fit a medium caramel iced coffee from Dunks into my macros each day. If you feel once a week is best for you, by all means try it out! But if you find yourself feeling deprived and going overboard on that one way, try out allowing yourself a little each day.

HellaCarriefornia

I found that having a "cheat day" is what made my weight loss unsuccessful. I could really undo a whole week's worth of hard work and planning in just one day. I tend to do better eating whatever sounds good to me on nearly a daily basis - I just make sure my portion size of that food/meal fits into my daily calorie range. Once in a while, I will have a meal that I really want that pushes me over my daily calories, but I try to keep it to only about 200-250 calories over (something I know won't "ruin" my week, but maybe I won't lose as much that week). Then I monitor my "last 7 days" calorie average under the "Reports" tab to make sure I'm not constantly or consistently doing this too often. Just sharing what I found works better for me than a whole cheat day. Good luck finding something that works for you!