Not a fan of cheat days

mountainwoman98

I call it my comfie day cause its usually a comfort food I splurge on if I do.

Sharont213

Hmmm.. I call "a day" .. it's not a cheat, it's not a splurge.. it's a day.. I know that I am making a lifestyle change and that some will be better than others.. It's not a single day that will make or break it .. string too many high days together, I won't be sucessful. But enjoying it once in awhile, that's called living.

liscar

I have one day a week I just eat at my maintenance calorie level ---- that's a 500 calorie bonus, but I don't go crazy with bad choices, I just get to eat more. This day is always on the day that I don't exercise as well to let the body recover.

Wolffeathers

I just call them cheat days. Even though, on days that I "cheat", I end up below my recommendations (not tonight though, that whiskey is calling me )

te2mi4jo

I call it my "free day". I'm super strict during the week, and allow myself to have a nice dinner night on Saturdays. That way, sucking it up during the week isn't so bad knowing I have something to look forward to!

AEB_WV

It's not cheating if you plan for it. Not sure what you would call it....Allowance Day? That's the day you get rewarded for working hard!

imperfectlyhere

free day...

charityateet

I call it the "I ran 10 miles dammit" day!

You rock!!!

My husband calls it my day off. I like that. I make good chioces still but might indulge a little bit. Mostly, I don't stick to my 5-6 meals a day - it's more snacking through the day and bigger main meals.

stacy7533

Seems like for me it's called "Saturday and Sunday" otherwise known as "The Weekend" :blushing:

Me too! Friday night thru Sunday night. LOL.

SortaBadass

Seems like for me it's called "Saturday and Sunday" otherwise known as "The Weekend" :blushing:

Hehe, I love this!

I tend to approach this by asking if I'm on track for the week, not for the day. If I've been good all week then I'll eat what I want, whether it's Friday night or Tuesday afternoon. If not, then I've already been living pretty large and probably don't need more. I just call it life.

knittnponder

Seems like for me it's called "Saturday and Sunday" otherwise known as "The Weekend" :blushing:

Hehe, I love this!

I tend to approach this by asking if I'm on track for the week, not for the day. If I've been good all week then I'll eat what I want, whether it's Friday night or Tuesday afternoon. If not, then I've already been living pretty large and probably don't need more. I just call it life.

Yeah, it is a lifestyle. As long as my good choices outweigh the bad ones in the long run (by a large margin) I'm ok with it. My weekends are never what I want them to be so Friday and Monday end up being a little bit strict for me to offset it. I'm totally on track for my exercise though. Just the food choices weren't what they could have been.

Birthday cake happens! You've just gotta learn how to work it in.

Pebble321

I don't see the need for a name for any particular day. Some days I eat under my calories, some day I eat over, though I try to keep it as close as I can.

Personally I am not "on a diet". I am eating healthy food (mostly!) and watching my portions. Perhaps this is semantics, but it works for me.

Eating a big fat slice of birthday cake, having a few extra wines or eating chips or dessert isn't "cheating" to me. It is eating stuff that I know isn't the best choice, but for one day, I don't care! I certainly don't want to go back to eating a whole block of chocolate at once, but if someone offers me a piece (and takes the rest safely away!) I will enjoy it and move on with my day.

This is a lifestyle change for me, not a short term "diet" that will finish as soon as the scales point to a particular number.

saldridge

Why sweet talk it? You cheat on your diet, that's what you do. If you don't like the "term", don't do the "crime".
This is so "differently abled"

Since you are on a diet and you are trying to stick to a meal plan, if you don't, you cheat. If you want to do it on a regular base, incorporate it into your meal plan and call it a "day".

I am not on a "diet" it is a lifestyle.

if you think of it as a diet, it will always feel like cheating to be like a real human being with flaws. at least thats how i see it!

Well, apparently OP who is considering this a "life style" still thinks it's cheating but just doesn't want to use the real term for it.

I have nothing against cheat days, just call a spade a spade. And if you think cheating is wrong, don't do it.
I have days where I eat more, but I don't cheat - it is just a day with a different meal plan.

And to the whole diet vs. life style euphemism, IMHO this is just about the same blah blah. What you eat is your diet, your activity is your exercise and together (with lots of other factors) it's a life style. Why is everyone so bent out of shape about calling a diet a diet. Look up the meaning of "diet"...it does not mean anything bad as per definition. Now, is people think fad diet, short time change of eating habit or unhealthy lifestyle when they hear diet, that's in their mind. In general, a diet is what you eat - life style or not.

kabullard

I like "treat day" "goodie day" and "splurge".....they're all upbeat!! hehe!! My husband and I have an "off day" once a week (normally a weekend day). It keeps me from craving things during the week! good luck

eme31386

I don't think there should be a day of allowance, cheating or treating...how about just one meal or one snack that is a treat? If you give yourself a whole day there is too much of a chance that the day will become two days or more...what do you guys think?

Elle408

I have 'treat day'... it used to be 'Treat Friday' and all my work colleagues would ask me what was for treat friday... was quite funny! Now it tends to be Sunday... I still stay within calorie limit as that's important to me, but I just substitute some of my good calories for bad ones. Last night I had a magnum temptation... 240cals of chocolate, brownie and ice cream goodness! And not a single ounce of guilt!

cglenden

my cheat days are fridays--- so i call it fat friday!

cglenden

thats exactly as i do.. i stay under goal but ill have mac n cheese instead of rice! lol

Erica9903

Seems like for me it's called "Saturday and Sunday" otherwise known as "The Weekend" :blushing:

LOL, that's cute

shaunshaikh

In general, I try not to plan my "cheating". I don't always eat the best foods, but overall I eat healthy and exercise plenty. I come from a wrestling background where I used to lose 10-15 pounds every week in water weight to make my weight class, so I know all about planned binges and weekly cheat days and all that stuff. To its core, that kind of pattern is bulemic. Where you plan your binges and exercise or diet it off in a cycle. Bulemia doesn't have to be throwing up. JMO.

stormieweather

Once in a while I eat at maintenance, never over. I dont' consider it cheating or splurging or anything unusual. I don't eat fast food, junk food, artificial food or unhealthy food at any time, the only difference is in eating a few more calories than usual.

JennsLosing

i had a treat day today = P i went over by like 300 so not bad anyways

kmeekhof

Why sweet talk it? You cheat on your diet, that's what you do. If you don't like the "term", don't do the "crime".
This is so "differently abled"

Since you are on a diet and you are trying to stick to a meal plan, if you don't, you cheat. If you want to do it on a regular base, incorporate it into your meal plan and call it a "day".

I am not on a "diet" it is a lifestyle.

if you think of it as a diet, it will always feel like cheating to be like a real human being with flaws. at least thats how i see it!

Well, apparently OP who is considering this a "life style" still thinks it's cheating but just doesn't want to use the real term for it.

I have nothing against cheat days, just call a spade a spade. And if you think cheating is wrong, don't do it.
I have days where I eat more, but I don't cheat - it is just a day with a different meal plan.

And to the whole diet vs. life style euphemism, IMHO this is just about the same blah blah. What you eat is your diet, your activity is your exercise and together (with lots of other factors) it's a life style. Why is everyone so bent out of shape about calling a diet a diet. Look up the meaning of "diet"...it does not mean anything bad as per definition. Now, is people think fad diet, short time change of eating habit or unhealthy lifestyle when they hear diet, that's in their mind. In general, a diet is what you eat - life style or not.

Actually I was just curious what terms people use.... I see it posted all the time "cheat days." I don't use the term diet or cheat days. I have always been a fairly healthy person and am using MFP to get back on track. I agree with you a "diet" should just be eating what you eat... whether it be good or bad for you. Nobody is "so bent out of shape," but any person with common sense knows that diet is a term used by people who are eating in a strict way in an attempt to lose weight.