Does anyone have cheat days?

tausha_k

I do have a cheat day. I work with a trainer with a work out and meal plan in place. My trainer know my love for beer, so once a week I get a free day which includes the beer of my choice. I usually go out to eat on this day and make a pretty healthy choice, always going home with food. Doing this once a week lets me enjoy food and beverage I love. :drinker:

RAFValentina

A cheat day/weekend is a must for me when I was dropping pounds.
It jolts the metabolism and reminds you how awesome healthy eating is!

I still have them now even on a Lean Mass Phase!

Saturday night meal???
1000calories of Greek Gyro with fries please!
I know tomorrow my metabolism will be higher and i'll burn it off in no time.

Now on a daily basis I do enjoy a snack or 2.
My healthy suggestion?
Fig Newton Thins!
140 calories for 3 and they are good for you!
Yum!

BS... it won't change your metabolism so don't think it will and get yourself stuck.

Le_Joy

I don't do cheat days cuz I don't have any forbidden foods on my diet.

CyberEd312

Every Friday night, choose a place to go sit down and eat... I have whatever I want only rule is that nothing gets brought home. Rest of the week is normal lifestyle eating.......

artemis222

I do not have a cheat day. I appraise said food and decide if I can account for it in that day. If not I'll have it tomorrow when I can either exercise more or eat more low value foods like veggies. If neither of these things can be done, I simply find something healthier to substitute what I really want. I am not a fan of depriving myself then over eating on a "cheat day". The only time I have a "cheat day" is the RARE occasion I go out drinking. That's not even a once in 3 month occurrence.

irisheyes42us

Everything in moderation, every day.

^^This^^^
I refuse to give up my favorite foods or entire food groups. I've done that in the past when I was on a "diet" - this time it is a lifestyle change and I'm so much happier. I've lost 35lbs eating whatever I want in moderation.

I so agree with this.... i have lost this way. it is how i managed to make myself keep going!

Mom2Asa

I don't have "cheat days" per say where I eat what I want and starve my body at 1200 cal the rest of the week out of guilt. I NET over 1200 every day but I also calorie cycle or zig zag my calories and I actually loose more when I stick to this vs. when I was strictly sticking to a NET of 1200 or 1300 EVERY DAY.

When I was NET 1200-1300 (after 200-600 cal burn) it was a lot harder to stick to but now that I have started zig-zagging my calories the days I need to or want to eat more I do and the days I don't then I don't but make sure I eat my calorie goal for the WEEK by my 7th day.

Take your daily calorie goal x 7 days = ???? You need to consume that amount each week regardless of when you eat them or what day. Remember MFP already accounts for a calorie deficit per the information you entered setting up your profile. You can do so like most and eat a strict and specific amount every day or you can eat more some days and less other days (ex. 1400 cal day and a 2100 cal day). It works well for me and I do better sticking to it and I seem to loose more. My body likes it a lot better than a strict set amount each day and I don't get upset the days I eat more and have a breakdown because I went over because I know by my 7th day I will have only taken in my cal goal for the week which is already at a deficit for weight loss.

Stacyanne324

I absolutely believe that everything is fine in moderation but I do my best to treat myself within my calorie limits (or limits increased by a lot of exercise). So, I don't have set up anything regular where I get a day a week, month, etc. But, I can say for sure that there will be certain days where I won't be logging and will just live life and enjoy myself. Christmas is one example. I don't want to spend my day logging every single thing and not enjoy the traditions and family life surrounding me. But, I will *try* to not let myself get out of hand.

LastSixtySix

If you are on a diet, then go off-diet, that is cheating. If, however, you are on a weight-loss lifestyle change, nothing is off-limits that will make you healthier, stronger, better balanced. When it's a lifestyle change you are after, you can intend to eat something less healthy but you compensate for it prior to the "intention" and after. Memorize: FOOD IS FUEL not A REWARD. If it's not fuel for you, don't eat it. Period.

Best of strength over the holidays. They are tough, but I just keep repeating that mantra again and again.

-Debra

robinogue

I may have a day that I end up going WAY over on calories but get right back on track the next day. It's okay to do that once in a while.

Me too

I agree!

em9371

I used to eat healthy all week and whatever I wanted on a Sunday, now I eat healthier versions of normal meals, and if I want something 'bad' I have it as long as it fits in my cals. Somedays I do go over, but am on target over the week.
Both ways I lost around 2lb week.

jhardenbergh

I don't really have cheat days where I plan to cheat, but if there is a special occassion like a wedding or say Thanksgiving, I will try to choose the best options and maybe even have some dessert, but I usually push it really hard on the cardio that day, so my calories are within a 100 or 200 of my daily plan. I have only gone over once since I started in January. Everyone's different so if you feel you need it go for it, just obviously don't make it a regular occurrance.

AggieLu

I don't have cheat days. Ever. I have learned to control this lifestyle where I eat what I want in moderation. I don't deny myself anything. It works for me

Natashaa1991

i have them once or twice a week, i go 1500 kcal over my goal. and i'm losing.

skywa

YES. i would go mad and binge on all my fav foods randomly if i didnt hv a day to look forward to, we're i can indulge guilt free!

sagetracey

I decided yesterday would be my first ever "free" day - didn't think of it as cheating because I planned to eat whatever I wanted at a social function. BUT....I went for a huge bike ride and even though I ate heaps at the party, I still didn't exceed my calories. Today, however, I haven't exercised and went to a BBQ for my son's birthday. Despite being reasonably careful, I am now over my calories. But what the heck....it balances out over a few days.

HonkyTonks

Cheat days work well for me, so long as they don't turn into cheat weekends, cheat weeks, cheat months! lol. I try not to deny myself things I want but once a week I usually either get to maintenance or go over maintenance - it still amazes me adding in things like pasta and cream and cheese makes the calories add up insanely fast.

However, I still aim to create a deficit of about 3500 calories every week - I think going over one day a week is fine as long as you are creating a deficit overall.

transfixedtoast

I think it's good to eat everythign in moderation, when you start saying "it doesn't count because it's a cheat day" you begin to lie to yourself and lying to yourself is a really really unhealthy habbit to get into.
I started lying to myself a lot a few years ago and I'm definatly not a healthy person. I think developing a healthy relationship with food doesn't involve feeling confined to restrictions that are to be cheated.

Showgirlbody

I think thinking of it as cheating is part of why so many of us have a problem. If you label a food good or bad, it gives the food too much power. Eat healthy because it feels better. I think cycling is good and an occasional high calorie meal is good, too. I think some posters here are on the money about it working out over a weeks time. I do have to watch that a cheat meal often has become a cheat weekend. When I'm not on a schedule with work and set meals and meal times, I just pick up food when I'm out which has brought me here. I always ate relatively well on weekdays but counteracted it on the weekends.

Jillian Michaels said a high calorie day is good with limits, like don't go over 2000 is what she said. Sometimes you just want to go to a restaurant and enjoy and eat the bread and order something rich without fretting over trying to calculate and figure it out. Work little treats into your daily calories and once in a while, if you are at a party or a nice restaurant, I would just eat and enjoy as long as you know it won't throw you back into craving high fat and put you on a several day binge. That has happened to me. I think "well, I already messed up so this week is shot" lol This is a lifestyle which is what I have to learn. I remember when I really wanted McDonalds a few weeks ago and months ago I would just get it and not log it and then feel bad and decide I might as well have some dessert, too. The day that I logged it and realized that I could still have it and work it into my calories by making a different choice for another meal really helped me not give up. So much of it is a mind thing. I feel like crap if I go several days of eating out whatever I want so that's a good motivator, too.

Helloitsdan

Its the same mentality as someone saying "Do we have to call it bulking???"
Like you eat and suddenly you cant fit through the door!

SmartAlec03211988

Oh yes, I do. Yesterday in fact I went over my calories by 611 because I decided that yes, I WILL eat that extra Whopper with cheese that was in the bag last night.

No regrets! ^_^ I won't cheat again for a while, though.

Saruman_w

I don't have days where I just outright go overboard, but I might grab a little something extra here and there but that's about it.

ADobs

I have days where I eat what I feel like and not what I "should", but I don't call them cheat days becuase that would make me feel like I'm doing something wrong and I'm not. On these days (usually Saturday/Sunday) I just eat what I want and don't really care if I go over my calories. Without these days I would have the urge to binge and that would be detrimental to my maintenance/weight loss so I just allow myself these treat days becuase without them I would go crazy. Besides this is a lifestyle for me and not a diet, so to think that I'm going to go the rest of my life without enjoying chips or cookies, or ice cream, no way!

Laineegrrl

special occasions only. My anniversary, my birthday and now christmas eve. I don't go nuts though.