Cheat Day/ Go over day

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  • stubbysticks
    stubbysticks Posts: 1,275 Member
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    I started heavy weight training & carb cycling in December & I'm down over 20 lbs since then. I eat low carb 6 days a week & high carb 1 day to create a calorie surplus. I've found it to be very effective in getting through the mental struggles of long-term weight loss for all the reasons Bruce mentioned.

    In general I feel very strongly that even though I'm committed to my weight loss effort, I need to enjoy my life. And if that means taking an extra spike/carb up day in a week & being willing to accept I may not lose that week, that's totally fine with me.

    I track my weight daily & although there are spikes in my weight after every spike day, the pattern is the same & the overall trend is still downward like I want it.

    If you do start incorporating cheat days, you should know what to expect on the scale. If daily weighing freaks you out, go to weekly weigh-ins & do them on the morning of your cheat day before you start indulging. That will be your lowest weight of the week. You should also be aware of how you react to it mentally...some people can't do it because it triggers too many cravings & they have difficulty getting back on track afterward, or they can't limit it to a 24 hr period. For others like Bruce & I, it's a good fit.

    I'd say try it & see if it works for you. I LOVE it...I ate my body weight in noodles & sushi at the Japanese buffet yesterday, followed by an unforgettable tryst with Ben & Jerry. For me this doesn't make me want to keep eating that way. Instead I feel like "now that I've got that out of my system, let's get to work!" My weight this morning was over a pound less than my post-spike weight last weekend & I lost 5 lbs through the week eating low carb, so it's looking good for this Friday in my world. :) Best of luck!

    EDIT: One last thing...did I mention that planning these indulgences leads to guilt-free eating of all the foods I love the most? I may think of or crave things through the week that don't fit my low carb targets that I can't wait for forever to eat...but I can wait 6 days. What ends up happening on spike day is that I eat only my favorite yummy things all day. It is heavenly. Now I'm off to run 6 miles & because I'm fully loaded with glycogen, I'm gonna ROCK IT. ;)
  • jessashcher
    jessashcher Posts: 155
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    I don't think there is anything wrong with it, but if you up your exercise for that day you probably won't be going over, Last Friday was a very busy day and I ended up grabbing some food from a fast food place, I thought for sure I would've gone over my calories but because I burned more calories that day, it evened itself out and still left me with a few extra calories that evening.
  • swimmermama
    swimmermama Posts: 526 Member
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    I am planning on going over my calories today, too. My challenge to myself is to do it without eating much junk - only good protein, whole grains, and lots of fruits and veggies.

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