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

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  • GmeB
    GmeB Posts: 70 Member
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    I joined mfp in late June,I had already lost 14 lbs., and I haven't taken a cheat day yet. Went over calories a couple of times. Here's why, going to the beach on Labor Day,for a full week of fun and relaxation. No cheat day, cheat week! If I gain some,so be it,but that's one week I've promised myself to not worry about it. When I return,it's back to gym,and consiencious eating, then in Oct.,flying to Vt. to visit my daughter for 4 days. Again,cheat couple of days then. In January, my husband and I are going to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic to celebrate our 35 year anniversary. Cheat time then. Odds are, I won't be planning to overindulge by much,but I also am not going to have my nose to the grind stone. After all that, back on track. I've lost 100 pounds 3 times in my life,and by far,mfp is the very best tool I have ever used. total of 32 lbs gone, and will be sure to be more confident at the beach than I would have been without even this drop in the bucket for me. I lost both my parents,8 months apart last year,and I've vowed to enjoy this process(most of the time),and incorporate in into my lifestyle.Life's to short to fixate.Enjoy,then get busy!
  • michalspainting
    michalspainting Posts: 6 Member
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    This is a good question...I've been thinking about that too. I have to say that I ALWAYS log my food, even if it's cheating, I just cheat by allowing myself one food item a week that I've been craving, like last week it was Gelato. I don't necessarily pick one day out of the week (ie. Saturday) to cheat, I just try to keep it down to 4 times or so a month (just not all in a row!)

    Generally one 'cheat' item doesn't affect my diet too much, especially when I exercise a little harder on that same day.

    :happy:
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
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    In the past I'd often try and do the 'reset metabolism' with days where I ate more like 2500, though still fairly 'healthy' stuff.
    It turns out calories are calories and since talking in depth with a friend that's just passed a human biology degree (and is in to all this stuff too) I have kept the diet to reasonably consistent daily calories and achieved my goals quicker this time.
    I only started using MFP when I achieved my initial goals and decided to carry on as I'd always wanted to and aim for a decent low body fat figure (around about 15-16 now.)

    So far my only particularly bad 'cheat day' involved an Indian (being social more than anything), then a big bag of Minsterals (just silly, but heck if you're going to be bad...)
  • shariguymon
    shariguymon Posts: 245 Member
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    I don't say "cheat day"
  • toaster6
    toaster6 Posts: 703 Member
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    I've only been on MFP for a little over a month and I haven't really done a "cheat" or "free" day. If I want something that isn't the healthiest for me, I'll have it but I'll make certain that I only eat a reasonable amount of it (one or two cookies instead of five, one slice of pizza instead of two-- things like that). For myself, the point isn't to go on a specific diet and quit once I reach my goal weight, it's to learn to eat correctly and make better choices. I feel like if you're miserable on your diet, you'll not be able to keep the weight you lose off.
  • epmck11
    epmck11 Posts: 159 Member
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    I go out to eat roughly once a week. When I'm eating out, it's damn near impossible to track my calories because I don't know what's in what I'm eating or what type of proportions they're using, and my best estimate could still easily be several hundred calories off. So on these days, when I eat out, it's my "cheat day" since my calorie logging isn't accurate and likely went above my limit. But I don't just pig out and eat whatever the hell I want one day a week.
  • happypath101
    happypath101 Posts: 534
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    I mean, I'm not going to do anything "exactly". ;o)
  • thistimeismytime
    thistimeismytime Posts: 711 Member
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    The thing about that free day is that once you start eating right and exercising you really don't want the things you once did.
    This.

    Not true for me. I've been pretty darn dedicated to healthier eating and training for the last 7 months, but.....I still love food and want to eat ALL of it. :tongue:
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
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    I am just curious as to how those who have an all out 'eat whatever the hell I want' day each week, as in, over 3000-4000 calories, manage to maintain or continue to lose weight. I am guessing they are eating at a deficit for the rest of the week, that balances it out basically, as I am pretty sure if I had an all day binge once a week, and ate at my maintenance the other 6 days, I would certainly not maintain. The excess calories have to end up somewhere.
  • spidertheman
    spidertheman Posts: 38 Member
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    I am just curious as to how those who have an all out 'eat whatever the hell I want' day each week, as in, over 3000-4000 calories, manage to maintain or continue to lose weight. I am guessing they are eating at a deficit for the rest of the week, that balances it out basically, as I am pretty sure if I had an all day binge once a week, and ate at my maintenance the other 6 days, I would certainly not maintain. The excess calories have to end up somewhere.

    I don't know hoe to explain it to well either. I just tried it and it actually worked. i recommend giving it a shot before shooting it down. its a great way to curb cravings and stick to your diet.
  • VeggieKidMandy
    VeggieKidMandy Posts: 575 Member
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    ill eat my favorite food. So i guess I dont really have a cheat day, but more of a Treat Day, If im good throughout the week I pick something I normally wouldnt eat ( pizza for me ) and have a slice or two without guilt and then eat the rest of the day normally.
  • lbeaty77
    lbeaty77 Posts: 6
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    If I have a "cheat day", I will basically eat what I want for one meal and possibly have an extra snack. I try to make sure that I stay moving or exercise a little more on that day. I allow myself to have a not so-healthy meal about once every 2 weeks or so and only if I've really been craving it. Good luck!
  • samhigh
    samhigh Posts: 86 Member
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    I go bat **** crazy on cheat days. I literally eat until I feel sick, then take a short break, and repeat. Not uncommon to consume upwards of 7/8k calories on those days.

    This is not recommended however. Better to have a cheat meal than an entire cheat day or weekend.

    If you want to minimize damage on cheat days, check out Tim Ferris' 4 hour body for some helpful hints.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
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    The thing about that free day is that once you start eating right and exercising you really don't want the things you once did.
    This.

    Not true for me. I've been pretty darn dedicated to healthier eating and training for the last 7 months, but.....I still love food and want to eat ALL of it. :tongue:

    Agreed..... I have lost 311 lbs. and have been on this new lifestyle for 38 months now and still prefer to indulge in some good food on my cheat day... Normally have that day on Saturday's.... I don't log that day, I don't track anything... It is my day to take a break from my normal weekly routine... Then Sunday morning I wake up and get right back on point.....
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
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    The last Friday of the month is our cheat day which just means we order take-out -- hoagies, pizza that kind of stuff. It's a little strict but we were eating this stuff three or four times a week for dinner and we needed to break the habit so we went with one cheat day a month. At first we looked forward to our cheat day, now it's a nice surprise when the last Friday of the month rolls around.

    The rest of the month we just eat delicious, this-doesn't-taste-like-diet-food home cooked meals. I'll go over my calories up to maintenance any time I feel hungry though -- which is almost never now -- but it has to be our normal healthy food and not a junk food binge. Some might consider that cheating but if I'm hungry I'm not going to spend my time playing mind games with myself, drinking water or whatever. I'm going to eat and enjoy it knowing that this is for life and the scale is still moving in the right direction.
  • Kezzaangry
    Kezzaangry Posts: 9 Member
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    I call it my "eat fat day" LOL and I do it on a saturday the day of weigh in. So i weigh myself first thing in the morning and then enjoy food for the rest of the day. I still make sure I eat a carb for breakfast and protein snacks during the day. I treat myself to what ever I've been craving that week. So it might be as simple as a white bread sandwich! or fish and chips for dinner. My biggest crave is potato chips so I also have a small bag of those too. It is still about moderation - not over doing it. Its also a good idea to use your "cheat day" to go out and have a nice meal. Good luck.
  • thistimeismytime
    thistimeismytime Posts: 711 Member
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    I am just curious as to how those who have an all out 'eat whatever the hell I want' day each week, as in, over 3000-4000 calories, manage to maintain or continue to lose weight. I am guessing they are eating at a deficit for the rest of the week, that balances it out basically, as I am pretty sure if I had an all day binge once a week, and ate at my maintenance the other 6 days, I would certainly not maintain. The excess calories have to end up somewhere.

    I guess everyone is different, but I only have a big-calorie (3500+) day about once every 2 weeks. The rest of the time I eat 1800-2000 cals. I lost all the weight I've lost eating like this. Not saying it's for everyone though...

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