"Cheat" days....

withchaco

I have my "going over" days, but I don't call them cheat days. My extra calories come from nutritious food, and I go over only when I feel my body needs the extra fuel.

As for not-so-healthy treats, I have them pretty often, as long as they fit into my daily limit!

Dijon360

I "cheat" only on days when I can't help it (e.g. special events or when travelling away from home). I don't give myself cheat days where I consciously decide to eat what I like without counting the calories. If I know I might go over (usually dinner out with friends) I usually try to fit in a way of earning the calories beforehand through exercise. If I can't do it on that day, then I do it the next.

Part of being successful here relies on it being a dedicated lifestyle modification. Ideally you don't want to have 'diet days' and 'cheat days'. Every food/exercise decision needs to be about being healthy and being conscious of what you eat at all times. If want to eat a little more, then exercise a little more. It really is that simple. (Simple does not always mean easy though...)

amkelley

My husband and I have 1 cheat meal a week. I still record whatever it is that I eat. Its usually pizza on Saturday night. Sometimes I go over and sometimes I dont. Every now and then we will cheat lunch and dinner on Saturday. Either way- pizza is something we LOVE and cant get rid of forever!

kapeluza

I don't cheat per say, I just eat what I like whenever. For example, I eat ice cream everyday granted it's only a 100 calorie fudge popsicle but nonetheless I eat it because I want to. I never do complete cheat days where I stuff my face, instead I eat whatever I want on Friday's for lunch. This means instead of my usual lunch I will go to Five Guys or eat chinese. I don't go to the buffet and just stuff my face till I want to vomit but instead eat in moderation and I am still content.

k67808f

Oh cheat days .. How I love you .. Until I overdo it .. Yep, cheat day today and now I feel awful! But I agree, life happens and food is part of life. Loosen up a bit and have some fun, just don't do it too much. :bigsmile:

chevy88grl

Honestly? I don't do cheat meals or cheat days. I eat what I want, when I want it. I make sure that I log it, have enough calories for it, eat the serving size of it and I move on. For me, having to wait for a specific day to eat what I want makes it feel too much like a "diet". This is my life and not a diet. Being able to eat whatever I want whenever I want it -- makes me feel less resentful and has curbed my urge to binge eat.

duckpond11

I don't consider what I do cheating - but I only plan to stay within my eating plan 90% of the time. 10% of the time, I can indulge in a treat meal. That is about 3 or 4 meals a week. If I tried to go 100% I would just give up.

kranda01

I totally have cheat days, my cheat days are right after my weigh in. Its important to have something you enjoy from time to time! You will never gain the weight that you lost in 1 bad day! It takes about 2 solid weeks of eating bad to gain your weight back. But its always important if you are going to eat something bad, make sure you drink plenty of water the next day. If your debating on a cheat day, maybe say to yourself you will exercise twice as hard that day, so you dont feel quilty! But eat away! also remember take the number of hours you are awake in a day and divide by 3, thats the amount of meals you need to have in a day, usually 5-6 healthy meals a day is about right!

froggy15

I indulge every now and then, but a cheat day would scare me. I know I would over do it!

angijunbug

I don't do an entire cheat day or it would trigger me to eat like that too much but I do a "cheat meal" which is not even once a week. If we go out to dinner or order in then I try to make the best choice possible at that restaurant. Today I am having a cheat meal because we are having Olive Garden for dinner (I have a gift card) and I am getting a grilled chicken panini which comes with salad (I get this without dressing), & soup. My hubby & I will share a dessert like the tiramisu Yum! I went over in my sodium & fiber, but not my calories, carb, fat or protein.

cbear017

I have a "cheat" day once a week. I'll count the calories but I certainly don't stay within my calorie limit that's for sure!

I average about 1700 calories every day of the week, except my "bad" day where I usually have anywhere from 2400 - 3000 calories. I've actually found that it's quite effective for weight loss (for me) because it keeps my body guessing. Hahah...I love me some cheat days!!!

Natasha233

I cheat a lot - but then I end up making sure I work it off in the day to "kill" the extra calories. I am starting to watch these habits now though. Seems to defeat the purpose sigh. I think it is a psychological thing. If you simply change your diet to make it a lifestyle change, then you won't feel/care that you are cheating in the first place. Now - off to practice what I preach!

njbooklover

bump

kiesh82

I don't do "cheat" days for a couple of reasons. 1) I want to avoid the "on diet" / "off diet" mentality. I need healthy eating to be a way of life and crap food to be few and far between for life if I hope to keep the weight off for good. 2) Cheat days completely undo my hard work all week. What's the point of only eating 1450 cals for 5-6 days only to consume 3k for a cheat day? Very counterintuitive.

However, if I'm totally craving a specific food I'll have it that once vs. a whole day of gluttony lol.

Bankman1989

I never have 'cheat days', those calories are not worth it to me.

Great quote! I don't cheat really either. I think you can convince yourself that just because you aren't hitting your calories that you are winning. You're not!

I can eat 500 calories of healthy food or 500 calories of garbage. Even if I eat MORE healthy food I will have less body fat more muscle.

I would focus on more discipline until you his your goals. We all want junk food trust me but I decided not to really allow it to interfere with my long term goals!

Bankman1989

I don't do "cheat" days for a couple of reasons. 1) I want to avoid the "on diet" / "off diet" mentality. I need healthy eating to be a way of life and crap food to be few and far between for life if I hope to keep the weight off for good. 2) Cheat days completely undo my hard work all week. What's the point of only eating 1450 cals for 5-6 days only to consume 3k for a cheat day? Very counterintuitive.

However, if I'm totally craving a specific food I'll have it that once vs. a whole day of gluttony lol.

Great point!

uhoh_billy

I don't really *need* cheat days, because if I'm reallllly craving something, I find a way to make it fit into my day. That way I don't feel like I'm on a "diet" but just like I'm being more conscious of what I eat, so I'm not always depriving myself of sweet, sweet chocolate.

That being said, I allow myself 1 day a month (August was bad bad bad... it was more like 5 days) where I do not log anything and I just eat whatever I'd like. I find that I still try to be like "Well if I'm going to have fish and chips for dinner, I should have just cereal for breakfast". But either way, I don't log it, and I allow myself one day a month to just be fat haha.

blonde20fan

I don't have cheat days. I just eat a little bit of something I want when I want it.

alcon79

I don't have "cheat days" but if I go out to dinner - usually once a week, I get what I want to eat so I enjoy it. Going out with friends should be about having good food, tasty drinks and having fun. I just try to avoid the blatantly bad foods (chicken fingers, alfredo sauces).

Football season is going to necessitate a cheat meal every Sunday, though. The sports bar I go to has the greatest wings.

reinach31

A co-worker brought homemade brownies(my fav dessert) ... I was trying to stay way - but couldn't resit! I am still under my calory count(1200) - and going to my bootcamp today - so I don't know if that would be food-cheating!