how often do you have a "cheat" day/meal?

missikay1970

Honestly, I used to allow myself a cheat day or meal but now if I see something that I want I eat it. i don't deprive myself and I eat in moderation. Its not an everyday thing, or once a week, or once a month but I dont deprive myself or force myself to wait til that special day either. Do what works for you

i was going to try this method, but honestly, i do better when i completely deprive myself until my cheat-day. if i see a cake, i would rathet not have any than to have a small piece. i just feel better about myself at the end of the day when i've done well. then, the guilt doesn't hit when i go to James Coney Island! LOL

My1985Freckles

To be honest I don't ever deprive myself from what I want. I just balance it out. If I want a piece or cake or something I just make sure do my exercise part to offset it.
that's why at times I say to myself is it worth it and then I just put the cake down and walk away.. just walk away

Same here! Although yesterday I went over by *gasp* 11 calories LOL That was my "cheat day." I didn't really exercise and went to red lobster's shrimp fest. MmmmMmmm!

freew67

Whats the point? If you eat right and get some exercise there is no reason to not eat what you want. I eat fast food but I make better decisions about what Im eating. If I know Im going out that night for dinner, I plan a light breakfast and lunch. Ive been on this site for 6 weeks now with a total loss of 25 lbs. I have yet to go over on my calories. At a starting weight of 340 lbs, that wasnt easy.

I look at the cheat day as 2 steps forward and 1 step back. The thing is, I never want to go back to the way I was.

dad106

I eat what I want when I want.. and so far it's been working for me.

I know that I can not go long stretches eating just healthy food.. I'd get bored. So once or twice a week(or sometimes more!) I'll eat out and let my body have what it's craving. Once that happens and it's over, then it's over.

myfriendamy

I don't have cheat days/meals. if I want something, I budget it like others have said. I went out to Mexican this weekend and had an enchilada with rice and beans... 1010 calories for the meal! yikes! but I walked 4 miles that morning and I stayed under for the day.

but everyone is different. for me, feeling deprived makes it easier for me to overindulge. if I allow myself whatever it is, track it and work it into my calories I feel better for making a good decision... and I enjoy my Mexican food, or chocolate bar, or truffle... or whatever. no resentments, no guilt

missikay1970

I personally wouldn't call it cheating as cheating is not being honest with yourself (you know those sneaky wee nibbles that noone seen so they don't count) I would call it living... So far I've stuck faithfully to it... but that's only because I'm still early stages and I don't trust myself yet lol (but that's not to say I won't)

yes this is so true. and i am honest about everything. i won't even eat a single M&M when no one is looking (example only)
i think you really hit it for me as far as the word cheat. like the other post said, "treat not cheat" thanks everyone for your input!

macpatti

On a 'cheat day', so you go over your calorie goal, or do you mean just eat something you've refrained from eating the rest of the time? I will eat a Whataburger (mainly Texas chain) once in a while and feel like I'm cheating, but I still keep the day within my goal. For me a cheat day would be a day I didn't even think about calories. I haven't done that yet.

kerri007

i do a cheat meal every 10 days. helps me keep focus

engineman312

i "cheat," but i always log my calories, and try to at least go for healthy options. no 6 pack of beer and a whole pizza. i find that even when i cheat, i'm still being good in terms of calories consumed. and if i know i'm going to go to a party or bbq were i will be tempted, then i do a big burn in the morning.

missikay1970

On a 'cheat day', so you go over your calorie goal, or do you mean just eat something you've refrained from eating the rest of the time? I will eat a Whataburger (mainly Texas chain) once in a while and feel like I'm cheating, but I still keep the day within my goal. For me a cheat day would be a day I didn't even think about calories. I haven't done that yet.

a cheat day for me was not going to the gym, not looking at calories AT ALL, and eating whatever i wanted. i've done that once so far. my husband said it's key to his success, because he never feels deprived. he always looks forward to his favorite meal, and doesn't have to log-in calories or worry for that day.

there have been times when i have had to exercise more on a particular day in order to keep under calorie goal/not go over, but i dont' consider that cheating. to me, the original post was about actually eating anything you want, and not logging-it or exercising it off that day.

macpatti

On a 'cheat day', so you go over your calorie goal, or do you mean just eat something you've refrained from eating the rest of the time? I will eat a Whataburger (mainly Texas chain) once in a while and feel like I'm cheating, but I still keep the day within my goal. For me a cheat day would be a day I didn't even think about calories. I haven't done that yet.

a cheat day for me was not going to the gym, not looking at calories AT ALL, and eating whatever i wanted. i've done that once so far. my husband said it's key to his success, because he never feels deprived. he always looks forward to his favorite meal, and doesn't have to log-in calories or worry for that day.

there have been times when i have had to exercise more on a particular day in order to keep under calorie goal/not go over, but i dont' consider that cheating. to me, the original post was about actually eating anything you want, and not logging-it or exercising it off that day.

I haven't done that yet, but I can see why it can be necessary for some. I had a friend who had gastric bypass and would literally fall into depression if she didn't have a cheat day like this while trying to lose weight.

engineman312

On a 'cheat day', so you go over your calorie goal, or do you mean just eat something you've refrained from eating the rest of the time? I will eat a Whataburger (mainly Texas chain) once in a while and feel like I'm cheating, but I still keep the day within my goal. For me a cheat day would be a day I didn't even think about calories. I haven't done that yet.

a cheat day for me was not going to the gym, not looking at calories AT ALL, and eating whatever i wanted. i've done that once so far. my husband said it's key to his success, because he never feels deprived. he always looks forward to his favorite meal, and doesn't have to log-in calories or worry for that day.

there have been times when i have had to exercise more on a particular day in order to keep under calorie goal/not go over, but i dont' consider that cheating. to me, the original post was about actually eating anything you want, and not logging-it or exercising it off that day.

i really feel that you shouldn't do that. even one day can wreck a whole week or more of hard work. stay disciplined, and play like a champion!

teri1956

I don't consider having a treat a "cheat". This is a long term life style change. It has to be sustainable. If I was really strict on myself I would never last. I would just fall off the wagon, give up, and gain it all back.

THIS!

I don't obsess about my food, but I log everything so I know what calories are available and if I will need to add more activity to my daily schedule.

Good luck!

jumcadam

One restaurant meal a month! Followed by a nice long walk.

ninerbuff

At least 2-3 times a week.

missikay1970

i really feel that you shouldn't do that. even one day can wreck a whole week or more of hard work. stay disciplined, and play like a champion!

i won't cheat for the whole day, it's just one meal. and starting now, i'm not calling it cheating anymore. LOL

ajbeans

I don't plan them. If I go over one day, that's fine. If I have an off weekend, that's fine. I just keep it in check, try not to do it too often, and if it negatively impacts my weight loss, I buckle down hard for a couple of weeks. So far though, I tend to lose more after my "off" days.

stuffinmuffin

I go over my calories one day weekly. This is normally for a meal/night out & drinks with friends. As someone said earlier, I'll have a light breakfast and lunch, plus a bit of extra exercise if possible and enjoy. I wont go mad stuffing my face with loads of calorific foods though and will try and make good decisions. I'll always ensure that my weekly net remains under. I do truly believe it does more good than harm and agree this is for life.

One tip I would persuade you on is to log everything, even for these meals/days.

Good luck and go for it! x

katesbeach

I don't plan them out, but I try not to do it more than once a week. But lately, a lot has come up! Late night Mad Men viewing parties, friends' birthdays, a little extra money coming in, and now I have a really bad cold that I can't seem to shake and it's making me want to lie around and eat sandwiches and soup. I barely made it to the gym at all last week, and didn't eat great, but I managed to get in some form of exercise every day and try to eat as well as I could. A less-than-nutritious meal every once in a while isn't going to unravel all your hard work! Just enjoy yourself, don't stress, and get back on the wagon after you indulge! I know I wouldn't have lost all I did if I'd tried to stay super strict the whole time.

HMonsterX

i never have a cheat day i just eat whatever i want as long as i can budget it into my calories..

This is exactly what i do too.

Cheating implies you are doing something wrong. But we all know its good to let the body know that there's till plenty of food coming, keep it guessing.

Huskeryogi

i never have a cheat day i just eat whatever i want as long as i can budget it into my calories..

This is exactly what i do too.

Cheating implies you are doing something wrong. But we all know its good to let the body know that there's till plenty of food coming, keep it guessing.

I agree with this, but also I have one day a week where I eat maintenance calories (+500) and one day a month where I don't worry about calorie counts at all - I do log it once it's over.

Brandicaloriecountess

I don't "cheat" I'm not on a diet! I eat things out of the norm on special occasions. For example, I ate like a sloth the last day of the cruise I went on last month, and I drank a lot. At birthday parites or something I will sometimes have cake, but I just try to work in in my calories, or I work out that day.

I have a wedding on Saturday evening. I am totally going to workout even though it is a rest day so that I don't feel guilty about all the alcohol I am going to drink

charlotte_r789

I don't set specific times that I can cheat, but I'll check my calendar and there's a birthday, wedding, party, etc then I will reserve those occasions as a cheat day. Nobody wants to go to a restaurant and miserably search for the lowest calorie item on the menu, so let special occasions coincide with your cheat days! You might want to be careful if your social calendar is too full because this isn't going to work if you're having cheat days several times a week. Around once every 10-14 days works best for me but of course that varies from person to person. Good luck!

fudgebudget

Once a week or every other week I'll have a cheat meal. It helps me stay on track since I know that all of this is pointless if I don't learn how to handle the foods I love when I go back to maintenance mode.

ImperfektAngel

I have been having cheat days all too often lately :-/
I should only be having them every 21 days. cheat days work best for me, if I have a cheat meal once a week I want to eat bad the whole day. I say if you control yourself to only have a cheat meal once a week, do that, if not try the cheat day every few weeks

hannah1591

I don't consider having a treat a "cheat". This is a long term life style change. It has to be sustainable. If I was really strict on myself I would never last. I would just fall off the wagon, give up, and gain it all back.

Couldnt agree with you more there!!

JaenaM

Once a day (most days) I have a little something naughty. A glass of wine or part of a chocolate bar (dark 70%+ cacao)... Both red wine and dark choc have health benefits in small doses so it's easy to justify a little. For lunch I had a full Mexican plate of tamale, enchilada, and beans but only half of everything so the meal was under 400 cals and I totally felt like the naughty itch was scratched! U just gotta trick yourself but I think a good blowout once a month would be great and I like the idea of planning for it. Perfect!

LorinaLynn

I never deprive myself, but I also don't log my food or think about calories at all on weekends. Saturday morning until Sunday night, I'll have whatever I want. Monday thru Friday, I stick within my calories. Unless it's a holiday weekend.

I started doing that in June when I hit my original goal weight, thinking that would be a way to maintain, and have since lost another 8 pounds.

Granted, I'm not on a "see food" diet, where I'll binge and eat everything in sight, but I'm not afraid of a mixed drink or two or five if I'm at a party, or a piece of cake or brownies, or whatever. And I didn't start doing that until I already reached a size and weight I was very happy with. I knew if I did gain a little eating that way, I could nip it in the bud and take it off again if I had to. So far, I haven't had to.

Cassiopeia00

I do my "cheat" days on Saturdays. I don't look at them like cheat days though... I look at them like it is my one fun-food time per week that rewards myself with a treat I would like for eating very well the other 6 days of the week.

smb0701

i don't actually plan a "cheat meal" i just incorporate it into my journal and i just make sure i don't go over my calories. i don't just eat anything and everything every day but when i do i just count into my log and limit the amount of junk i am eating. it has not affected me negatively at all. you should always eat what is your feelin' like eating i do not believe in depriving myself in the name of "DIET". just self control that's all.