Cheat Days - yay or nay?

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  • babyblake11
    babyblake11 Posts: 1,107 Member
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    i dont believe in cheat days i believe in changing your diet to something you love and can stick with.
    i still have a bulla frozen yogurt once a week and a lerice once a week. i love them but theyre not that bad for you. you should change your lifesttle not just aim for quick weight loss
  • xjlishey1
    xjlishey1 Posts: 286
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    yes...I have cheat day..It is good to have that way you do not deprive yourself of the things you like and will most likely succeed on your weightloss journey
  • rosieposie24
    rosieposie24 Posts: 1
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    I have cheat meals. It may some times have more then one in a week depending on what's going on. But really I'm more about a lifestyle change then about dieting. If you don't have "bad" food once and while you are going to start wanting and when you get your hands on it there is a chance that you are going to binge. Everything in life is about balance. If I am going out for the evening with a couple of girlfriends then I watch what I eat all week or that day to balance whatever I will be doing that evening. If I want a piece of cake, I'll have a piece of cake.
  • 3LittleMonkeys
    3LittleMonkeys Posts: 373 Member
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    Nay
  • Neek170
    Neek170 Posts: 8
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    I agree with some of the previos posts...This should be a lifestyle change for you and in the early days of the change we are still learning how to eat...I like to eat mostly healthy foods and I like to stay under or right at my calories...I do however have some days where I will go over my cals but not too far over... I personally don't think its healthy to cut out completely one group of food...its all about moderation. I like to stick to the serving size or half of, as you will find it helps to keep you on track...Ultimately you have to do what is correct for you and your change...
  • lmelangley
    lmelangley Posts: 1,039 Member
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    I don't like regularly scheduled cheat days because my life isn't that predictable. But, I like the sporadic cheat day - anniversary dinner with my husband, holidays, last minute get togethers with the "girls" (only 3 - 4 days a year). Generally, try to cheat calorie wise only once a month or so, and I still log my food. But, also give yourself some flexibility - my mother in law was hospitalized and I didn't track food for a couple of days. Didn't really hurt my progress because I was committed to getting back on track as soon as the crisis averted.
  • caroline150
    caroline150 Posts: 53 Member
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    I've employed a "free day" once a week since I first started. There's a twofold benefit: 1. psychology - you never have to feel like some particular food is off limits for the rest of your life; 2. metabolism - after 6 days of calorie restriction, if you go over for a day, your get a little boost and your body is less inclined to hold on to the fat.

    To those who think a free day leads the end of your diet - get over it. You wake up the next morning and it's back to the routine. Simple as that.

    Ding, ding, ding!!
  • knightke23
    knightke23 Posts: 1
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    Wednesdays for me. Cause I have gym in the morning, soccer training in the evening, plus i have to run to and from soccer cause I don't have a license, so super exercise day allows me to splurge a bit without going over the limit. In fact usually I still have a couple hundred calories that i'm still 'allowed'!!
    Oh and my spurge item: BANANA MILKSHAKE WITH EXTRA ICE CREAM mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
  • lmelangley
    lmelangley Posts: 1,039 Member
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    I agree with some of the previos posts...This should be a lifestyle change for you and in the early days of the change we are still learning how to eat...I like to eat mostly healthy foods and I like to stay under or right at my calories...I do however have some days where I will go over my cals but not too far over... I personally don't think its healthy to cut out completely one group of food...its all about moderation. I like to stick to the serving size or half of, as you will find it helps to keep you on track...Ultimately you have to do what is correct for you and your change...
    :flowerforyou: Absolutely agree with this!
  • sarahliftsUP
    sarahliftsUP Posts: 752 Member
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    I like to follow the 80/20 rule. Eat healthy 80% of the time, and for the rest of the 20% treat yourself. For example, this whole week I ate healthy so I allowed myself to have some of my mom's home made blueberry crisp. I find that this is helping me out mentally, and maybe even physically because it's keeping my metabolism up.

    THIS!

    And I hate the thought of the word 'cheat.' You can't look at food that isn't 100% nutritionally sound as a 'cheat.' Because that's when you might feel guilt for eating it, or put yourself down for having a cookie or a piece of cake. It's okay as long as it's within your alloted calories for the day. If you have to run a little extra on the treadmill or do an extra workout video for a piece of pie, then it's all okay! If you don't treat yourself once in awhile, you will feel restricted and then are more likely to binge.
  • zoodalia
    zoodalia Posts: 294
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    Yes, yes and YES.

    I've done 'I'm cutting everything unhealthy out until I'm thin' plans and I would give in every second day. Whereas now I have Friday each week and eat what I like, and I'm actually finding that due to my diet I'm eating less and less on my treat days anyway. It means I am happy, losing weight and still eating all the foods I love.

    Good luck!
  • kjnicol
    kjnicol Posts: 198 Member
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    BUMP
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
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    Nope - I never 'cheat'. :-)

    But... I do plan indulgences/treats into every day. Whether it's a donut on Saturday morning (like today), or a couple pieces of pepperoni pizza or a dish of peach ice cream after dinner, I always make room for foods I enjoy.

    I'm working on losing weight slowly, so my daily calorie goal is higher than many other MFP members. But, it makes it easy for me to lose weight without deprivation or dieting. And so far, it's working really well! I've lost over 25 pounds since April 10th.
  • ninpiggy
    ninpiggy Posts: 228 Member
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    I end up cheating and completely falling off the wagon, so to speak. I can't cheat because I can't stop, but then again, I seem to only be able to sustain super healthy eating for two weeks until I get burnt out and want something chocolatey or salty. :(
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    Once I hit my initial goal of 135, I stopped logging on weekends. I don't think of it as "cheating," just "normal living." And normal living for me includes pizza, boneless wings, alcohol and sometimes a donut or piece of cake. Some weekend days, I know I go way over my calories. Some weekend days, I'm way under, if I'm crazy busy active and/or have no appetite. It balances out.

    I don't WANT to count calories the rest of my life.
  • stevwil41
    stevwil41 Posts: 608 Member
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    I tend to relax a bit on weekends. I still try to stay within my limits but about every other Sunday I get together with friends and we eat out. If we go to a buffet I try to keep very small portions and sample a lot of different foods. I still eat too much but I've found that if I have a salad and a good size portion of veggies that a couple bites of mashed potatoes or mac and cheese will take the edge off any craving I have. I also plan ahead when eating out. We tend to go to chain restaurants so their nutritional info is usually online. I find that I can enjoy my meals more as long as I'm aware of what I'm eating. I also excercise a little more on my relaxed days. 30-45 minutes of walking or bike riding takes the edge off of any guilt that may be lurking:)
  • Jennwith2ns
    Jennwith2ns Posts: 296 Member
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    I do a cheat meal about once a week, maybe twice. I don't plan it, simply because there is always something coming up where I need to eat out, happy hour, birthday party, etc. So I wait until that arises, or like this week when I have a day where I am just DYING for something.
  • MedievalFreak
    MedievalFreak Posts: 55
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    I cheat once a week. I'm not exactly a vision of health right now, but when I was on WW a few years ago, I got down to my goal weight, and for a whole year I had Monday after Weigh In be my cheat day. I actually learned that if I didn't cheat, my metabolism would burn out and it became extremely difficult to lose weight.

    So, cheating once a week, and going over my calories has always worked for me. I think it's called caloric cycling, and can be beneficial to healthy living. On the flip side, no matter how bad I am, or how much beer I drink, I log EVERYTHING. Seeing what you're putting in your body is the key!
  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
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    I'm a fan of cheat days. Some people are not. It gives me something to look forward to, so that my diet doesn't seem so miserable. I like having things to look forward to, whether it's food related or not. You do what works for you. However, I would not suggest a cheat day this soon. I build in cheat days once or twice a month. But cheating for me knocks me out of ketosis on my low carb diet. So it's a pretty big deal to decide to cheat, since it will be a few days before I'm back in it again.
  • SusM321
    SusM321 Posts: 141 Member
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    Nope. No cheat days/meals here. I eat what I want, when I want it. I truly believe it helps me feel like this is more of a lifestyle change than a "diet". I also don't feel resentful when I see someone enjoying something I like too. I think it helps with binging (sp?) because I don't have to wait for a certain meal or a certain day to have whatever I want. I've learned to eat serving sizes of things - everything in moderation. :)

    Chevy,
    I feel the same way. For me the word diet = denial, I just can't deny myself or I will binge! I grew up the "skinny kid" never dieted, don't plan on starting. If I have the urge to splurge, I try to counter balance that splurge with exercise (of which I have been way to lax on over the years). What I am doing/want to do is change my lifestyle and that's why I am here on MFP. Logging helps me keep on track and be accountable and eat responsibly. Thanks to MFP and all the wonderful folks on here it's working for me. Thanks to all you amazing people!!

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