Those of you who reward yourself with "cheat days"..

maureak

There have been special event days where I knew ahead of time I would probably go over, generally around the holidays. I never thought of it as cheating because to me, 'cheating' makes it sound like I'm doing something wrong. I was just enjoying myself at those events, but with the knowledge that I would get back to my normal routine the next day.

dwarfer22

I don't "reward" myself with a cheat day. I no longer consider food to be a reward, that thinking has caused me much pain in my life and many gained lbs. It's your birthday? Have some cake. Christmas, huge meal. New Years, drink til you spew. If I want a reward I will take the money i am saving on buying plus sized clothes and treat myself to a new hairdo or a purse or something. As for my calorie goals, I do occassionally go over by a cpl hundred cals. I have been trying really hard not to go over by too much. I also try not to keep exactly to my cal goal. If I'm under a bit here, and over a bit there it's fine. But I don't plan days that I will sabotage my progress on, what would be the point?

purplespeckle

I refuse, this time, to reward myself with Taco Bell, McDonald's, Steak N Shake, Applebees, Pizza Hut, chips, cake, ice cream, etc. If I eat these things it will be as part of my day's intake, and I will not feel as though I am celebrating anything.

I agree with this a whole lot. I find that rewarding myself with things I wouldn't usually buy (material things) is much more motivating. For each weight goal I have, I have a reward like some new underwear or a new DVD as I hardly buy either that often.

I agree I would much rather reward my self with material things instead of food

LivingFree

I have tried (and failed) to lose weight numerous times, and it's my hypothesis that celebratory consumption was a main cause of my failure. It's my belief, now, that celebratory consumption should be avoided until you are 100% set in your new lifestyle.

My rewards, this time around, are very different than before. I will be rewarding myself with energy, increased social activity, and, of course, lean mass increase and overall weight loss. I will reward myself with the energy I need to make it through the final 4 years of my education. I will reward myself with the energy to make it through my internships and residency. I will reward myself with a longer life.

I refuse, this time, to reward myself with Taco Bell, McDonald's, Steak N Shake, Applebees, Pizza Hut, chips, cake, ice cream, etc. If I eat these things it will be as part of my day's intake, and I will not feel as though I am celebrating anything.

I quit smoking just over 3 months ago. I wonder where I would be if I celebrated 3 days, 1 week, 1 month, 2 months, or 3 months smoke-free with a cigarette. I thoroughly enjoyed smoking just as I thoroughly enjoy food despite my medical knowledge which told me that I was slowly, but certainly, committing suicide. I believe that had I celebrated quitting smoking by smoking that I would be smoking right now, and I very likely wouldn't have had the drive to get into this new and improved weight loss routine.

I would just like to say that I am ABSOLUTELY and utterly impressed with your response. I agree completely (quite smoking 13 years ago). It is my goal as well to incorporate whatever it is I wish to eat into my daily intake. No more using food as my reward, my hug, my pat on the back etc..
Thanks for the inspiration.

That_Girl

I reward myself with a frozen yogurt 'sundae' (blackberries and tbsp of chocolate chips) Soooo good!

That_Girl

I reward myself with a frozen yogurt 'sundae' (blackberries and tbsp of chocolate chips) Soooo good!

NotAllWhoWanderAreLost

It wasnt a cheat meal, but a rather large portion of cereal i ate last night after a 4 mile run (and 1.2 mile walk) that really opened my eyes.... I needed to eat more to get my net up to 1200 so i measured out my cereal and milk and was shocked that my "HUGE TREAT" that i EARNED doing all that work was about the same size as the bowl i used to pour myself for my bedtime snack!!!! Is it any wonder how i got as heavy as i did?!?!?! ............. I've come to realize, for ME, "cheat days" turn into "cheat weekend" which turn into at least 3 rocky days trying to get back on the wagon. Its so totally not worth it to do a whole cheat day. That said, i budget in most anything i want and make sure portions are realistic (eh hem, except today of course, go figure! :grumble: !)

Nailrep

One cheat meal a week AFTER the first two or three weeks of strict, clean eating. Sometimes your body will need it! My cheat is usually Mexican and Margaritas!!

JenCM

I agree with the statement that I don't reward myself with food. This time around, I was thinking about that and it suddenly dawned on me how utterly silly it seemed to me, to reward my GOOD habits and behavior, with the very thing that got me heavy!
I don't have cheat days, what I do is very very occasionally (a whole 2 times since the beginning of October!!) when I'm craving or wanting something, I go ahead and have it at one meal. But I portion that meal down and add a veggie (and a bit of extra exercise) - For instance, a couple weeks ago I really had been craving a Philly, I LOVE them and since the craving hadn't gone away for about two weeks, I decided to have one. But instead of getting the large one, I got the smallest one (about 4 1/2 inches of sandwich), I split onion rings with hubby and only had a couple and then I got a side of uncooked bell peppers - which I love, and ate them. So I got my craving out of the way, but didn't go nuts and stuff myself and also got a veggie. My one other off meal, was fajitas - which I eat the meat and veggies with salsa like that all the time, but this time I let myself have a few chips, and wrap the fajitas in a couple tortillas.

Personally to me, this time it's all about balancing it out and not looking at it like a reward like I did before. Because oh buddy, trust me I used to be ALLL about the rewards. lol. If I lost 30 lbs, I'd have a cheat day that was unbelievable and usually those days, started to set me back off eating good because cheat day, turned into cheat WEEK and then cheat Month...lol. So now I realize, I can have those foods I love, but only occasionally and only in a smaller portion, alongside something healthier. Or, in a healthier way - I.E. My craving pizza the other day, and I made a healthier version on a low carb, high fiber flatbread, with oodles of veggies and lowfat cheese.

That's just MY take though!

tessjordan88

I refuse, this time, to reward myself with Taco Bell, McDonald's, Steak N Shake, Applebees, Pizza Hut, chips, cake, ice cream, etc. If I eat these things it will be as part of my day's intake, and I will not feel as though I am celebrating anything.

I agree with this a whole lot. I find that rewarding myself with things I wouldn't usually buy (material things) is much more motivating. For each weight goal I have, I have a reward like some new underwear or a new DVD as I hardly buy either that often.

Yes!!!! An awesome pair of jeans will be more motivating AND last much longer than the satisfaction of one meal, or even one whole day of "cheating"!

tifanieb

i don't have cheat days, what i do have is craving stoppers. if i am craving something then i get just a bite of it. i believe if you deny yourself things you want fully then you are more likely to break your diet or go on a bad binge that you regret later. have a little of what you want. not a lot and it will help keep on track while helping you get past the cravings for junk!!!

emchamberlain

I don't believe in "cheat" days...just having a life! Cheating means doing something wrong, and there's nothing wrong with any food in moderation. If I never went over calories or off my "diet," I'd have to give up family dinners, dates with my husband, and taking my kids out for ice cream. NO WAY! A healthy lifestyle should have room for pleasure in it, more than just a few nibbles of chocolate chips or a handful of baked chips.