Cheat meal

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d0900
d0900 Posts: 30
in Health and Weight Loss
How often do you allow yourself to cheat with a meal..for example chinese food. I find whenever i cheat i feel so guilty and all i can think about is how i'm going to gain weight!!! can one bad meal technically make you gain some weight...?

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  • d0900
    d0900 Posts: 30
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    How often do you allow yourself to cheat with a meal..for example chinese food. I find whenever i cheat i feel so guilty and all i can think about is how i'm going to gain weight!!! can one bad meal technically make you gain some weight...?
  • lisabeavers
    lisabeavers Posts: 115
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    maybe once every couple of weeks at lunch. its easiest to contain then. but i try not to limit myself too much if i really want something.... part of this is learning that its okay to love a lasagna --- it's not okay to love the whole thing in one evening :)
  • Hannah_Banana
    Hannah_Banana Posts: 1,242 Member
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    I actually feel better if I don't cheat... Whenever I cheat, I feel terrible afterwards - physically and mentally. My stomach just feels really full and icky and I go 'Now WHY did I just eat all that?' Often times whatever I ate wasn't as fantastic as I thought it would be, so I feel like I just wasted calories :laugh:

    I doubt that 'little cheats' in moderation would seriously affect any weight loss goals. It actually helps many people stay on track when they don't feel like they are being deprived :smile:

    For me, its exercise... I have a tendancy to skip exercise, rather than eat more. I think I'm the only person in the world that truly hates it, and finds nothing rewarding or pleasurable about it :grumble:
  • plantlady99
    plantlady99 Posts: 1,338 Member
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    maybe once every couple of weeks at lunch. its easiest to contain then. but i try not to limit myself too much if i really want something.... part of this is learning that its okay to love a lasagna --- it's not okay to love the whole thing in one evening :)

    I'm such a slow learner, I am finally learning not to love the whole lasagna. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

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  • raincloud
    raincloud Posts: 405 Member
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    In the 5 months and 1 week I have been doing this, I have cheated twice. However, the first cheat lasted 4 days and the 2nd one lasted 3..... :grumble:

    So, I don't allow myself to cheat. I cannot trust that I just won't go crazy like the other two times.

    However, I never deprive myself and I will eat what I want within moderation. Except for pizza, I think it's my "trigger food" and I don't know if I'd be able to stop eating it, and not continue eating it for days.
  • Toni1071
    Toni1071 Posts: 12 Member
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    I do have a cheat meal every week. I found it keeps me from cheating any other time during the week or going off my diet. I found that when I implemented the cheat meal, I started losing more weight. The reason I think this happened is because if I want something, rather than cheating, feeling guilty, falling off the wagon and gaining, I just tell myself that I can have it at my cheat meal. Since I plan my cheat meal, I do a big workout that day and eat a light breakfast and try to plan my meal for the afternoon (around 2-3pm) so that it covers lunch and dinner. It reduces cravings and keeps my metabolism up. They have a cheat meal on The Biggest Loser which is where I got the idea.
  • Hannah_Banana
    Hannah_Banana Posts: 1,242 Member
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    I do have a cheat meal every week. I found it keeps me from cheating any other time during the week or going off my diet. I found that when I implemented the cheat meal, I started losing more weight. The reason I think this happened is because if I want something, rather than cheating, feeling guilty, falling off the wagon and gaining, I just tell myself that I can have it at my cheat meal. Since I plan my cheat meal, I do a big workout that day and eat a light breakfast and try to plan my meal for the afternoon (around 2-3pm) so that it covers lunch and dinner. It reduces cravings and keeps my metabolism up. They have a cheat meal on The Biggest Loser which is where I got the idea.


    Oooo, excellent idea. I may have to start implementing that one when I think of things I really want. Thanks for the tip!
  • gnicolecan
    gnicolecan Posts: 293 Member
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    Yep I have a planned indulgence meal EVERY Friday night. We go out to mexican for dinner most of the time. I try to "keep it real" and chose chicken fajitas, or something like that. Sometimes I bring my chips f rom home, sometimes I drink margaritas, sometimes we go for lowfat ice cream after. My daily target is 1500 cals,andd this usually puts me at 2000 for that day.

    I have been working at this for a little over a year now, and I need to have a scheduled and controlled way to indulge in the food that I love. P

    For other stuff, I try to stick to very small portiions and just work it in to my daily intake.:glasses:
  • Mangoaddict
    Mangoaddict Posts: 1,236 Member
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    Once or twice every weekend. I try to remain near my calories though. I workout that day also.
  • natashak
    natashak Posts: 67
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    so guys, i cheated today, im so mad at myself, and i left for work this morning at 7 and i just got home at 10. I ate lunch at a chinese resturant with coworkers then had dinner at a pub with coworkers, horrible horrible day and I feel like crap, I wish i ate a salad, at least once today how horrible of me.
  • bonnykate
    bonnykate Posts: 123
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    For me, its exercise... I have a tendancy to skip exercise, rather than eat more. I think I'm the only person in the world that truly hates it, and finds nothing rewarding or pleasurable about it :grumble:

    oh, you are definitely not the only person who hates exercise -- i do to.:drinker:

    as far as "cheating" is concerned, i don't think of it as cheating - if i plan ahead for or around those high calorie foods, i think of it as CHOOSING how i spend my calories for that day. however, if i do go over, i don't beat myself up about it -- i can do better the next day. the important thing is not to let EVERY day be a "i'll do better tomorrow" day, and you'll be fine. that, and make sure to exercise, get enough sleep, and commit to being "calorie aware." don't worry so much, and good luck!
  • Wynnie
    Wynnie Posts: 225 Member
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    I hesitate to call it "cheating" which implies some sort of ethical goof. I like to call it "indulging".

    So, how often do I indulge? Less and less.

    When I first started trying to lose and then control my weight loss, I had a LOT of days when I just went nuts. But I found the longer I keep eating right, as a lifestyle and not as a short-term thing, on those occasions where I do go back for something I used to like, I don't enjoy it as much, and sometimes it even makes me feel lousy, so I am having fewer and fewer urges to go for "bad" food. Example - I stopped a few weeks ago for a BK "dollar" burger, which I used to love! It tasted all right, but I felt sort of crummy for a day or two.

    Oh and your other question - I tend to pick up a pound or two on the days when I indulge and slip back into my former diet. No fair, huh? Weeks to lose a pound - one cheeseburger to get it back. Sigh....
  • kelhun1
    kelhun1 Posts: 183 Member
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    so guys, i cheated today, im so mad at myself, and i left for work this morning at 7 and i just got home at 10. I ate lunch at a chinese resturant with coworkers then had dinner at a pub with coworkers, horrible horrible day and I feel like crap, I wish i ate a salad, at least once today how horrible of me.

    Well, I wouldn't weigh yourself for a couple days. I don't think you will gain any significant weight from indulging today, but Chinese food is VERY salty and you'll probably hold onto water for awhile. Save yourself the heartbreak of watching the scale bounce.

    And, don't beat yourself up too much. I figure in order for this to be a true lifestyle change, I have to be able to eat "real" food...and I don't consider it cheating. I enjoy it, and then just adjust for it later. I am never going to be a total granola girl. I enjoy healthy foods, but I also love my "junk".
  • Sweettart
    Sweettart Posts: 1,331 Member
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    When my bf or I don't want to cook or once of us is craving. McDonalds is our spot and depending on the day and how many calories I have left is all on what I order. I pick between cheeseburger or plain hamburger happy meal with diet coke or double cheeseburger combo with diet coke which I have to confess was tonight!!!!
  • happy_feet
    happy_feet Posts: 175 Member
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    I usually cheat on weekends... not every weekend always, but surely once in two.

    I am a non-veg lover but i dont get to eat non-veg on weekdays( office pantry-VEG :grumble: dinner with room mates who are vegetarians again...) So on weekends I party on non-veg(usually just chicken and mutton once in a blue moon)

    The weekend stuff counts as a cheat meal just because I eat in at some restaurant and not home made..so u know, its not 'clean' food...

    waitin for the weekend now :tongue:
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
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    If I've burned a boatload of calories and have no energy to make myself food, I'll get chinese. But I get the good stuff...brocolli with chicken and white rice, maybe one egg roll, wonton soup. That also requires extra money so it rarely happens. :tongue:
  • JenniferMann24
    JenniferMann24 Posts: 293
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    I have been going to a doctor for various reasons. He is a Phy. and nutritionist and he always told me to allow myself to do it every once in a while and don't feel guilty about it. I just bump up the exercise the next day and go on. I do it about once every two weeks. Not planned, thats just how it works out. I allow dessert every three days.:love: dessert. Its ok to have the things you want every now and then. We are workin hard and deserve to get what we want. I just don't go overboard.:flowerforyou:
  • Phoenix_Rising
    Phoenix_Rising Posts: 11,417 Member
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    I cheat mostly on the weekends, but I don't deny. If I do, I'll binge and then feel sick AND guilty.

    I try to portion control while indulging in my cravings.
  • mbb8682
    mbb8682 Posts: 262 Member
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    I cheat on the weekends all the time which isn't good but its hard im not in a routine on Saturday or Sunday.

    But tonight is my cheating night,
    I am going to have wings at Butch Cassidys which is a little bar & grill in town and I will still drink my water.
  • Renae_Nae
    Renae_Nae Posts: 935 Member
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    I don't "plan" on cheat meals...although I end up having one every few weeks when we're with friends and we get the munchies so we pop some wings in the oven then the next thing I know a girl is ordering pizza! :sick:

    I eat, don't let myself eat til I'm sick, and start over the next day!

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