To cheat, or not to cheat?

miam4nia

How does everybody feel about cheat meals? Or just treating yourself occasionally to something you love (even if it's unhealthy).

MsBaby117

I feel that if you don't "cheat" every now and then you will drive yourself crazy...Just don't go overboard but I think it's perfectly OK to occasionally treat yourself...

vickyplum

Hi

Its not cheating if you count it in!!
I have a day off every week I find that if I do that I dont get
bored or feel like I am working

I still go out for meals with my family and friends but I work to cover it!!

hope this helps
Vicky x

mallorybriann

Cheat days are necessary for me. As long as you keep in mind somewhat healthy eating habits when you do it, you'll be ok.
You shouldn't deprive yourself alll the time

shrekk218

How does everybody feel about cheat meals? Or just treating yourself occasionally to something you love (even if it's unhealthy).

CHEAT it will help you keep your sanity.

chewpop

I have one meal a week I I eat and don't count...gives me something to look forward to!

tinkerbella01

I think you have to allow yourself cheat foods once and a while, completely restricting thesefoods will make you crave them more. At least that's what happens to me. So, if I have a cheat food/meal once and a while, I dont feel as restricted.

DeeJayTJ

i dont cheat anymore.

i dont cheat on my workout or cardio, so i dont want to cheat on my diet anymore either because the way i eat and workout all go together.

Elle_Jamaicangirl81

you have to.... well i think so anyway.

We get cravings once in a while but if we resist it all the while, they'll be a day when you gonna crack and binge.

We have to realistic in this effort here.

kassied09

I am both for and against it. While other times cheating has led me to stray for days and then weeks, sometimes I think you need to let yourself eat what you want. By doing so every once in a while I think that you can hold off eating crappy until next week and the food you do eat is like a treat. I hope that helps! I recently ate 1/2 a pizza after dieting and exercising for a little over a week and I was amazed that it was so painful to finish it. Usually that amount of pizza is easy to put down. It did taste delicious and it motivated me to do well for the next week...until my next treat!

sc1572

Once a week I allow frozen yogurt or a treat out to eat. Every night, I have something small.

lcoreo5

there is nothing wrong with splurging every now and then. so long as you dont make a habit of it. whenever i eat something i shouldnt, i still make a smarter choice. if i go to a restaurant, i choose a healthier alternative or i only eat half and take half home. if i want a sugary treat, i eat a smaller portion. then the next day i am sure to eat even better and try my best to get some exercise in.

during my past weight loss attempts, i found that when i restricted my diet completely, i wanted "bad" things more and fell off the wagon very easily.

good luck!

smithskiman06

The most important part of weight loss is creating a calorie deficit. Now don't get me wrong. You SHOULD eat as many healthy meals and whole natural foods as you can.

BUT in our modern world this is difficult as there are so many tasty things to eat!

I say eat mostly healthy meals but as long as you stay under your caloric requirement go ahead and treat yourself to something a bit unhealthy every once in awhile.

This way you will continue to loose weight and it won't feel like such a drag.

babersbh

I have one cheat day a week..usually on the weekend...where I can eat whatever I want (just smaller portions than I used to of it). This way I don't feel like I am missing out and go into "binge" mode.

dedication6

I do it every now and then and yesterday was the day!!! But I went over board and now feel really heavy and regretful. So yes, have a day, but don't over do it!!

genxrider

Just log everything. I enjoy ice cream, sweet potato pancakes, etc. No one can eat tuna salad every day for the rest of their lives.

Valechka

I usually Sat or Friday as my Free day but still count everything... force of habit I guess

lisacandoit1965

You really do need to cheat once in a while. It helps you stay motivated and have something to look forward to, as long as itdoesnt become a habit (every day) you will be fine

lcoreo5

I have one meal a week I I eat and don't count...gives me something to look forward to!

i still like to track my cheat meals. i like to see what that food actually did to my calories and such. makes me want to make a smarter choice the next time.

msaap

I am all for a cheat meal/snack. Every two weeks I allow myself to have something that I normally don't eat. It can be a piece of cake, fried from Five Guys, a bag of potato chips, a piece of chocolate, etc. This has worked for me. I think everyone has to figure out what works for them. I know some ppl are totally against cheat meals/days, but I love them. I still work out, I still log it, and I have yet to go over my calorie count with a cheat meal. I am better now at preparing meals throughout the day. Before I started allowing myself cheat meals, I found myself having binge days because of how restrictive I was being. Now, every 2 weeks I treat myself to a naughty meal or snack.

CJK1959

I think just allowing yourself to cheat makes you not want to cheat, if that makes sense. Just knowing that I can if I want to gives me that little sense of control that makes it easier to try and eat right. Not that I am all that good at eating right, but I'm learning that eating right doesn't mean having to give something up forever...knowing that makes it somehow easier.

So cheat? An unequivocal....YES

wedjul05

I think everyone needs a cheat meal/treat. I feel it keeps you sane.

Victoria2448

I am all for a TREAT (I refuse to use the word cheat,LOL)

I feel a treat meal is fine if:

a) it is planned in advance...too many people just eat badly and call it their "treat"

b) You stick to your clean eating nutritional plan at least 6 weeks without, to get the ball rolling so to speak. I work with a few people who think just because they exercised they can treat themselves...UM NO!

c) You don't go HOG WILD

suzikay

Just ask who you are cheating if you cheat...
There are times when it's hard to stick within the calorie guidelines for losing weight, but you can make up for it in some respects by more exercise and cutting back on other days.
Oh holiday we had a number of meals out, but I was walking way more than usual which helped, and I tried to make healthier choices. I found I had continued to lose weight while away, even without being able to weigh out my foods or weigh myself there. I'm losing more now I'm home and in my kitchen again, though!
You can have your treats occasionally, or your meals out. It's up to you how you eat and down to you what you eat (and how much of it). I personally wouldn't call "relaxed diet days" cheating but I would call it that if I was eating foods and not counting them in, and I know I would be cheating nobody but myself.

surfinbernard

The way I see it the only person I'd be cheating is myself. I prefer to try not to see food as the only pleasure, the only reward and the only 'treat' because I could reward myself with something other than food and stop struggling to control my weight!

rossi02

I don't see it as a "cheat", I think by making it off limits or "evil" you give whatever that food is, power over you. I'm trying to be of the mindset that if mainly stick to a healthy diet and excersie.. it's okay to splurge every so often, but recognize the fact that it's not an everyday or every week type of food.

pa_jorg

This is a lifestyle change for me, so I allow myself treats. I don't like to use the word cheat. It implies you are doing something wrong.

VeganGal84

CHEAT!!!!!!!!

Only don't call it that.

I incorporate treats into my daily menus, including everything from chips to pizza to oreos, etc. Just everything in moderation!

nsimportant

Hmm that reminds me of 5 mc donald cheeseburgers,2 apple pies, mcsundae and half a bottle of vodka.
Ill do that again but on my legs day .

MikeSEA

Pizza is kind of my downfall. Thick, deep-dish, horribly greasy, will kill you one day, pizza. I don't eat it anymore. Instead I'll order thin crust with a relatively lean meat and veggies. So I treat myself to that every now and then, but I don't really call it cheating.

SueInAz

I don't have "cheat" days because this is a lifestyle for me. My lifestyle includes dinner out on Friday nights with my family and a couple of beers afterward while hanging out at the casino or whatever. I have the built into my overall plan. If I don't lose weight as fast as some others, it doesn't really matter to me. I'm doing this for the long haul, to be smaller, fitter and healthier for the rest of my life and not for some arbitrary number on the scale. Which isn't to say that I won't celebrate when I hit that number goal, but it won't be the end of my new lifestyle, either. Just the beginning of a different phase of it.