When you say "cheat day", what *exactly* do you mean?

LorinaLynn

I eat whatever I want and log it on a normal day.

But on a day off, I don't care about calories. I usually log everything unless I'm going to a party or something where I don't want to keep track of everything that goes into my mouth. Then I just to a "worst case scenario" guess and add it as "quick add calories."

jewelzz

For me its a free meal on thursday nights wich is date night for me and my fiance.Now I always work out hard that day and its always chicken but its the desert I have to have after the meal.then thats it till the next thursday.I never feel guilty and I dont track the meal.

oddyogi

I haven't taken one in awhile, but when I do, I will consider it a "maintenance" day, and eat around the amount of calories that I would if I were trying to maintain my weight. If it's an exercise day, I will still do the planned work out. It's important to allow yourself small treats every now and then, though. My favorite thing to do is indulge in a piece or two of dark chocolate.

kms1981

I don't call them cheat days but my husband and I eat what we want on the weekend. The thing is once you are in this, what you "want" isn't want you wanted before you lost weight. I don't want fast food, candy and junk...but I might want to go out to a meal and not wonder how many calories I am eating. I work very hard all week and focus on calorie counting Monday - Friday. Saturday and Sunday are my mind off from number. I still exercise though days though.

robin52077

I call it "free day" because it's part of the plan (whereas "cheat day" implies going off plan). Normally it's the day to eat anything without worrying about counting calories. Depending on progress or mood I might take 1 or 2 free meals instead of a whole day. And due to OCD, I still try to log as accurately as possible.

exactly this for me too,
and sometimes its once a week, sometimes twice, sometimes not at all. depends on what I have going on in my life. A birthday party or a catered meeting will be a free day. Nothing "happening" this week? All normal good days, then!
I am in maintenance so I can be more relaxed though. If you feel you can't handle eating like this at your current stage of your journey, then don't! Do whatever works for you. Sometimes "one" day turns into 3 and I have to eat extra clean and low for a couple of days to get back on track.

anubis609

Just eat whatever the heck I want for a day. I still log it all though. That way I know how many calories I need to burn off through exercise during the week.

Nice sig... It's gaining viral status. Bwahahahaha!

MissGeorgiaPeachy

Thanks for all the replies! At this stage, I feel like I NEED a cheat/free/woohoo day just to stick with it for the other 6. I don't have the strongest willpower, but I feel if I allow myself one day or one meal (mine actually varies) I don't get cravings as badly. I just wondered how others measured theirs.

I have seen the results of such days though and I did not like it one little BIT! I'm hoping to work down to none of those type days, but I guess I'm still a work in progress.

craft338

i stay around my maintenance calories and still eat healthy, but i don't log. sometimes i get half way though the day and i'm just like, "u know what? i'm hungry, and i don't feel like exercising, and i need a freakin DRINK!". i usually feel the need for one of these days every 3 weeks or so, and i get right back on track the next day

Laurathabomb

I don't have any specified cheat days. I think that if you have a specific goal in mind, you gotta do what it takes to get there. I am far from perfect, but I don't have any scheduled cheat days because to me, that's just one more day I could have lost instead of maintained or gained. I try to find a healthy alternative to the cravings I am having. It's like retraining your brain from all of the abuse it taken. If I really have to have something, I try to just take a few bites of it and that normally satisfies my craving for the most part.

I think, once I have gotten to my goal weight, I will be able to have cheat days( whatever you want to classify them as) Good luck!

abcwhite10

I love food and I can't have a full "cheat day" or I'd slip too far backwards but my "can't say no" item is cheesecake lol. So when I am faced with wanting to "cheat" or whatever you want to call it I ask myself if it's really worth it? I think "Well what if I eat this chocolate bar/cake/whatever it may be and then a peice of cheesecake comes up? Well then it's way too much bad food" so I hold out for the cheescake lol. I found it did get easier and when I let myself actually have a chocolate bar (loved coffee crisps) it was sickly sweet and I felt terrible after eating it - I thought I was going to get sick to my stomach and it's much easier to avoid now
So I guess the short winded answer is I don't set aside a cheat day and hold out for the really good stuff once in a while, have it and fully enjoy every last bite.

Pebble321

Personally, I don't see the point in "cheating", that's not what this is about for me. Who would I be cheating, me??

If I eat a big, gooey, delicious piece of cake, I log it. If I go out to dinner and eat more calories that I usually would I log it.
If I eat over my calories one day, then I just make an effort to keep to my net cals for the next few days.

I don't think the odd day going over or under will hurt me, I'm not planing to withdraw from life and special occasions for the sake of a "diet". What I am doing, is working on retraining my eating habits to learn about healthy portions and a healthy attitude to food, exercise and me.

suzooz

I have "cheat" days only once in a while (like yesterday!) I do try to log what I eat so that I know approximately how much I went over. I try to put in extra exercise sometime during the week to compensate for the extra calories. For example, I mowed lawn for 2 1/2 hours Saturday, and didn't eat back my calories until Sunday. I hope that my body remembered that I did exercise!

If I know that there's going to be a family meal or if I'm going out, I try to plan my other meals ahead of time so that I can enjoy the day without freaking out too much.

amysj303

I used to think cheat days were going over on calories but I didn't give much thought to the source of those calories. Now, I think of cheat meals as those things that I should consume on a limited basis, like alcoholic beverages, sugars and refined carbs. I think 2 cheat "meals" per week is ok, but I need to get back on track.

hush7hush

I don't have those.
Ever.
Maybe I should.

I have a day once in a while where I'll go out to eat.
But I always make sure to pick something off the healthy-choice menu.
No dessert.

Jillatha

to me a cheat day was where I had saved enough calories/points from the week for have a high calorie high fat meal like pizza or fish and chips with a nice dessert or chocolate bar. I did it once a week and tracked it and budgeted it in but still felt like I was getting something extra though technically it wasn't

LilRedRooster

I think "cheat days" are different for every person, and really, I don't think any one way is wrong.

Mine is Sunday, and it's not a day that I don't log my calories or go hog-wild with everything. I still log them, but I will allow myself things that normally I wouldn't, and in a moderated amount. Like this part Sunday, I had a small slice of cake with ice cream, which put me over my calories for the day, but I didn't worry about it. It was my treat to myself. I also had an extra portion of my pulled pork sandwich, but I didn't pig out. I've found pigging out, for me, ends up negating all the work I've done, not physically, but mentally, because then it's hard to bounce back the next week.

I just allow myself enough to feel like I'm not completely deprived all the time, so I can stay sane.

vdaniela3

I usually have one meal a week (typically Saturday night dinner) where I know I'm going to go over. I still try to make good choices and keep my portions under control, and I always log it, but I don't sweat it when it puts me over for the day. It's often because I'm at a restaurant, having some wine, etc. I will never deny myself the pleasure of good food and good company - otherwise what's it all about? But I try to be reasonably sensible because I'm trying to make a lifestyle change. )

I read on someone else's blog that Weight Watchers gives you a certain amount of "extra" calories per week. Does anyone know what that's about?

WW changes their plans around ever so often. I believe when I started years ago it was 123 Success? Anyways say you got 29 points a day. Well with the new point plan,can't remember the name, but you got 24 points a day and were given maybe 30-35? extra a week to do what you wanted with them. So some people would save those points and use them for a cheat or whatever they wanted. They just took 5 off a day what you were allowed years ago, and made it seem like you were getting something extra, when in reality its all in your allowance based off the older plan. I hope that makes sense.

And I have "cheat" meals about once a week or every 2 weeks. Something I really want for Saturday dinner.

Kolohe71

I don't schedule a cheat day... I just occasionally decide to take one (though, not more than 1 every 3 weeks). On those days I will get up and do a VERY strenuous workout in the AM, and then I will eat and drink whatever I want for the rest of the day. I don't log anything and I do my best to not keep a "Mental Count" of what I am eating. Then the next day I resume as if the previous day had never happened.

ImperfektAngel

I have tried cheat days, as in I cheated the whole day, stuffed myself, resulting in me getting sick at the end of the day lol but I would still lose weight! Now I am doing a cheat meal a week with a dessert and seems to be working for me fine as well

sammys1girly

I have one day a week I don't log, usually either Sat or Sun, when I am going to be eating with friends or have to easy way to track what I'm eating. And usually I don't go too overboard but definitely go over the number of calories I should have, but don't stress about it.