Cheat Days

AlsDonkBoxSquat

I don't have cheat days. I try to eat "clean" all day, and if I have some extra calories at the end of the day I do whatever I want with them. I find that if I do cheat days those days are completely off the charts, it makes me feel gross to do that to myself all at once.

Spitfirex007

I will say the same thing here as I do in every other post about "cheat days" I think the term is stupid. I am not on a diet. This is a lifestyle change. However, I will not go the rest of my life without eating unhealthy food. If I want a bowl of ice cream, I eat it! If I want pizza I eat it. Some days I will go over my calorie goal. Other days I will not. That doesn't mean I will pig out whenever I want or anything. But it's all about finding a nice healthy balance.

KatyFace9801

I totally have cheat days! my trainer said to have one once a week. So, I do!
This works for me because if I want something really bad I can usually tell myself "you can have it in 2 more days". As someone who needs boundaries & has problems with moderation on, this is the best.

mrblaze211

I posted a question like this one this morning and also got some pretty good answers the way I have been useing my " cheat day" is on saturdays not logging just eating what I wanted just not going crazy with it but on the down side on Monday when I weighed my self I have been up a pound or two but work that off by midweek and come down another pound . So what I have decided to do now is keep my Saturday open but still log to keep a better handle on my cheat day intake. I also don't really exercise on Friday or Saturday I should most likly exercise one of thoses days

lilyinlove

I have a spike days following Spike 84...and guess what I have lost almost 20 lbs in 40 days.

jbeauchamp1

I am strict with my food Monday-Saturday. I weigh in first thing Sunday morning and I take the day off of exercise and calorie counting. Do I go crazy with food....no but that is the day that if we have a family dinner or an outing I don' t have to stress about it. This has worked for me my entire journey thus far. This is also why I do not eat my exercise calories so I can make sure I make up for anything that was out of the norm that I ate on Sunday. Works for me but as you see not everyone agrees with it.

ivikatasha

It is better to have cheat days/meals rather then restricting yourself so much that you go a little crazy and eat a ton of junk food.

My last diet I was craving Wendy's Spicy Chicken a lot! I just kept saying no to myself instead of just simply having one. I ended up falling of the wagon really badly. Took a few weeks to get back on. Now, if I crave something I will just eat it, and it would be a cheat meal for me. Also since I don't really say no to the cravings, I rarely have them.

kmcrey87

If I want something, I eat it! I will just work out extra hard the following day to balance it out. I can't diet...luckily my food habits are pretty good! It seems that the people I know that stick to very very strict diets always gain the weight back. Finding the balance to be healthy, but also live can be tricky.

awelch79

I think how hard I have to work to loose xx number of calories...a cheat is only cheating myself and I have to work damned hard to neutralise it.

For every calorie you burn off to eliminate your cheat, that's one less calorie you've burned off towards your weight loss.

"Cheat day" is a nice way of calling an excuse for poor eating.

and being overly strict is the fastest way to burn out, being flexible with your diet is better for both your sanity and adherence

Well said....I totally agree that you HAVE to give yourself some wiggle room or you will burn out. Example: This weekend was my daughters 5th birthday. I let myself have cake (granted I made one with diet pop instead of the eggs and oil to compensate-but I used real frosting), a scoop of ice cream AND potato chips! :blushing: Yes, the scale hated me on Monday morning, but you know what? I hopped back on the wagon, got back into my routine. Its Wednesday and Im back to normal on the scale. It didnt kill me and most importantly, I had a great time at the party and wasnt obsessing over what I could/couldnt eat.

I exercise enough that I can eat those things that other may not, but I know to keep it to a tolerable amount (sometimes less than a serving). I could never have gotten this far without allowing myself "cheat days" but I also agree with a previous post that said "cheat" is a bad name for it!

spyork

A cheat day is good.................but.................you still have to kinda be good, everything is good sometimes but a big blow out one day a week can do more harm than good, my cheat day usually had a veggie pizza and a small cake but i felt so bad i'd have to hit the weights harder the next day so a real cheat day is a thing of the past for me.

Hope this helps

Scott

SkateboardFi

Cheat days have screwed me over before. Cheat days begone.

that's really how i feel about it also

unlockthebox

I read n found it true that elevating your calorie intake once pet week increases the weight loss! Your body adjust for reduced calories over an extended time frame but by having a cheat it never adjust and allows an increase in fat burn off!

happymayda

All i got 2 say is....Cheat days= Happy days hehe

shorty458

I think everyone is different on how cheat days work for them. They personally work well for me. I don't even eat the healthiest quite yet - I am just watching my calorie intake. However, I know myself and if I am craving something that is high in calories - I will want it and want it until I have it to settle my craving. So, I give in. However, that day too I also make sure to do more exercise or take a longer walk!