Cheat days do not work!

PlomkChocho

Hi:) i just wanted to make a topic about cheat days. an advice from me is to NEVER have cheat days. Last month i started having cheat days.2 cheat days per week. on those days i ate like crazy! i eat and eat and eat till my stomch gets full and i get sick. and then when i try getting back on the wagon it was really hard for me. I gained 2-3lbs just having those cheat days. So AFTER christmas im going to stop having cheat days.if i have any junk food cravings, i well eat 1 serving of it per day (. but Not on saturdays and sundays. because on those days mom makes alot of homemade cooking (moroccan food) and i dont know the calories. so on those days i well have no junk food and try eating as less as possible of the homemade cooking mom makes.

MaraDiaz

I think they might work for some people, but the one time I tried a weekly 'free' day, I ruined all my progress from the rest of the week and then some. I can really put away a lot of food in a very short amount of time.

Nos150

i thought that they were rest days? where you give time for your body to recover from the exercise and other such things?

Agito

I've noticed that I don't need any cheat days if I eat my exercise calories. I'm still losing a pound or two a week and I never feel hungry or have to miss out on anything.

Sidesteal

I think cheating can be a great tool under certain circumstances.

1) If you can have 1 cheat day per week at most, and get back on track the following day and resume your plan without fail.
2) If you can cheat to the tune of a small surplus (I'm talking a few hundred over maintenance, not an 8k binge).

Then I think cheat days CAN be very productive and healthy.

servilia

2 cheat days of eating until you're sick could be enough to derail all the progress.
But why eat until you're sick??
Just eat at maintenance or a little over. Why do that to yourself?

ansonrinesmith

Cheating, does not mean BLOWING the diet.
When I cheat, I may have a sweet or dessert and go over my calories by about 500-1000 calories.
I do this once a week.

_Bro

It's not cheating if its part of the overall plan.
Works for me... Your mileage may vary!

carrie_eggo

I think it would be more accurate for you to say, "cheat days do not work FOR ME." Cheat days DO work for a lot of people. It's good that you recognize that it is not working for you and can correct it. :flowerforyou:

bigwill5

I have done the cheat day thing in diets past and it seemed like a good idea at the time but really it did not support a true lifestyle change. I gained all of the weight back and then some. This time around I am changing my relationship with food and that means not seeing it as a reward for 4 or 5 days of good behavior.

annabellj

I think cheating can be a great tool under certain circumstances.

1) If you can have 1 cheat day per week at most, and get back on track the following day and resume your plan without fail.
2) If you can cheat to the tune of a small surplus (I'm talking a few hundred over maintenance, not an 8k binge).

Then I think cheat days CAN be very productive and healthy.

this! your so smart!
just keep it more controlled and dont call it a day, call it a meal or snack, only a few hundred

chickybuns

I don't really have cheat days, maybe cheat meals. But I log everything and if I eat too much one day, I'll make sure to go under the next. I also try to burn a lot of calories on days I know I will be eating a lot.

Qarol

Two cheat days PER week? uhhh, no.

downsizinghoss

I just have one meal a week where I can pick what I want. But just that meal, not even the whole day. I usually save it to go out on.

DannyMussels

I think cheat 'meal' would be more appropriate...an entire day of bein naughty could easily reverse the entire week.

One bad meal would only really set you back a day, if that.

NightOwl1

I think it's all about how you cheat. If you use a cheat day as an example to have every horrible food product known to mankind, then know, it won't work. But I think for a lot of people having their favorite meal or two that has some extra calories is helpful, since it makes it easier to stick with the diet if you can still eat some of what you like.

mego07

Still have to cheat within moderation. Those days i allow myself a little extra sugar and heavy italian meals. yum! I typically only go over 500 cals on those days as well.

Lyadeia

Depends on your definition of "cheat days." I personally have 1-2 days per week where I go over my stated calorie goal on purpose. I don't necessarily have high sugar or high fat foods, I just more calories of healthy stuff that I would have anyway, like calorie cycling.

And I've been losing an average of 1.25 pounds per week since the week before Thanksgiving.

I've had things like apple pie and cupcakes, but my body doesn't like them anymore. Sure they taste amazing and I love them, but my body just feels rundown and "icky" after consuming them. So I don't bother anymore unless it's a small piece of something on a special occasion. Now if you meant "cheat days" by having that kind of food all day, then I wouldn't do that. It would make me feel icky and not want to exercise and thus derail anything I was trying to do as I would be more motivated to eat more and exercise less.

tigersword

Hi:) i just wanted to make a topic about cheat days. an advice from me is to NEVER have cheat days. Last month i started having cheat days.2 cheat days per week. on those days i ate like crazy! i eat and eat and eat till my stomch gets full and i get sick. and then when i try getting back on the wagon it was really hard for me. I gained 2-3lbs just having those cheat days. So AFTER christmas im going to stop having cheat days.if i have any junk food cravings, i well eat 1 serving of it per day (. but Not on saturdays and sundays. because on those days mom makes alot of homemade cooking (moroccan food) and i dont know the calories. so on those days i well have no junk food and try eating as less as possible of the homemade cooking mom makes.

You described uncontrolled binging. That is nowhere near the same as a cheat day.

veganbaum

2 cheat days of eating until you're sick could be enough to derail all the progress.
But why eat until you're sick??
Just eat at maintenance or a little over. Why do that to yourself?

This. Sorry, but what you do is not a normal cheat day - eating until you're sick?! Really? Cheat days don't work for you because you are blowing your weekly deficit on those days. As servillia said - eating at maintenance or a little over should keep you in check, or even just adding 200 or 300 calories for that one day!

RahBuhBuh

I am not sure that i understand the point of cheat days. I try to save my junk food for times I can't avoid it, like birthday parties and special dinners. Eating healthy six days a week and then having one day a week where you eat poorly seems contradictory.

DakotaKeogh

I don't believe in cheat days at all. If the philosophy is "this isn't a diet, it's a life style change", then cheat days don't make sense. They suggest you get to walk out on your life once a week. That's ridiculous. It means you don't really buy off on the change. You're just hanging tough to get to the next cheat day. I'll take the life style change and stick to it, thank you.

adjones5

I used to have 2 cheat days a week without logging anything and that did not work for me at all. Now, I have one cheat day a week, log everything, and work out really hard on that day and it works great for me. I also eat desert every night but make sure to stay under calorie goal and it works great to prevent me from going crazy on cheat days.

AliciaBeth78

I think cheat 'meal' would be more appropriate...an entire day of bein naughty could easily reverse the entire week.

One bad meal would only really set you back a day, if that.

^^^^ This

I usually have 1 cheat meal a week and i use it to kill my sushi obsession. I've still lost over 26inches since starting here though (and only 3lbs!) - oh second thought, maybe listening to me is a bad idea haha

Cakepiebeer

Have a cheat meal instead. It makes more sense

Also, workout so you can cheat more often

simple

Elzecat

I think cheating can be a great tool under certain circumstances.

1) If you can have 1 cheat day per week at most, and get back on track the following day and resume your plan without fail.
2) If you can cheat to the tune of a small surplus (I'm talking a few hundred over maintenance, not an 8k binge).

Then I think cheat days CAN be very productive and healthy.

Well said.

EricMurano

Cheating, does not mean BLOWING the diet.
When I cheat, I may have a sweet or dessert and go over my calories by about 500-1000 calories.
I do this once a week.

Too right! I used to let a cheat meal become a cheat day then it was a cheat week!

Also my idea of cheating was to stop recording for that day. While I want to be able to not record yet have a healthy diet ONE DAY, right now I need to record food to keep on track. The moment I start eating food that's too hard to track is the minute I let the entire day go!

GreatSetOfBrains

After I get back on track, damn school, I'll continue my "cheat" night. I try to see a movie on Sunday's and allow a small popcorn and soda to share with husband. It works for me!

Sidesteal

I am not sure that i understand the point of cheat days. I try to save my junk food for times I can't avoid it, like birthday parties and special dinners. Eating healthy six days a week and then having one day a week where you eat poorly seems contradictory.

For starters:

1) Mental health.
2) Dieting longevity.
3) Hormone levels.

Elzecat

I think it would be more accurate for you to say, "cheat days do not work FOR ME." Cheat days DO work for a lot of people. It's good that you recognize that it is not working for you and can correct it. :flowerforyou:

very diplomatically stated

JediMaster_intraining

i think a cheat MEAL once a week is fine. i usually have one or two a week and i lose weight pretty steadily. i love food! i don't want to give up everything! moderation is key! or at least it works for me!