Cheat days do not work!

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  • DakotaKeogh
    DakotaKeogh Posts: 693 Member
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    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
    adjones5 Posts: 938 Member
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    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
    AliciaBeth78 Posts: 437 Member
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    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
    Cakepiebeer Posts: 392
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    Have a cheat meal instead. It makes more sense

    Also, workout so you can cheat more often

    simple
  • Elzecat
    Elzecat Posts: 2,916 Member
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    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
    EricMurano Posts: 825 Member
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    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
    GreatSetOfBrains Posts: 675 Member
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    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
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    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
    Elzecat Posts: 2,916 Member
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    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 :smile:
  • JediMaster_intraining
    JediMaster_intraining Posts: 903 Member
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    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!
  • ProjectTae
    ProjectTae Posts: 461 Member
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    I plan to have a cheat day but it will not be once a week I believe that is way to often (for myself) I love fast food but i only generally get it once a month i.e. my cheat day :) mine was actually last week I went 1500 over goal but worked out and still lost weight so as long as you don't over do it you can have a successful cheat day!
    BTW: Eating until you are sick does not sound healthy I am not a doctor or anything but a couple of years ago a girl i knew died because her stomach burst because she would eat until she was literally sick! I do not know how often she did this though. Not trying to scare you or anything just want you to be a little safer!
  • wildkatt7
    wildkatt7 Posts: 163 Member
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    calling something cheating is the problem... I never cheat, I simply eat whatever I want within my calorie intake allowance. when you mentally tell yourself it is a "cheat" you make it out to be as though you are doing something wrong. If you body craves chocolate, eat the chocolate... don't feel bad about it, just make sure you adjust your calorie intake to allow for it. Eating healthy and balanced in a way that honors your body every day is what matters. In just 44 weeks I have lost 70 pounds with a commitment to honoring my body, its cravings, and feeding it with whole food versions of that which I crave (yes I make nearly everything from scratch).
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
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    What is a "cheat meal"? How is it cheating if you're sticking to your daily calorie deficit?
  • Bellyroll
    Bellyroll Posts: 316
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    I think it really depends on the person. Cheat days have worked for me and never really killed my weight loss. But my cheat day is not aggressive. Something I do is I log everything.
  • carrie_eggo
    carrie_eggo Posts: 1,396 Member
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    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.

    I need cheat days for #1.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    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.

    Lifestyle change is different than calorie restriction to lose weight. Cheat day means eating at or slightly above maintenance instead of eating at a deficit, in order to keep your hormones in balance.
  • havalinaaa
    havalinaaa Posts: 333 Member
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    Cheat days don't work for YOU, but they do work for some people. Diets are very individual, what works well for one person might be a disaster for another.

    Cheat days work well for me, but I only eat 400 over my goal at the very most. Usually I do this by having one item I might not normally have, a larger portion of something I would have eaten anyway, and an alcoholic drink or two. I don't have them on any sort of schedule, but try to have no more than 4 a month. I usually 'save' them for days when I'll be going to a party or to a special restaurant.
  • TrimThinTonedTight
    TrimThinTonedTight Posts: 69 Member
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    cheat days don't work for me either. I'm working on eliminating them after Christmas completely with exception of 4 days per year.

    For some people they can manage weekly cheat days. I'm just not able to because I tend to mindlessly eat. The only cheat days I will give myself is: my birthday, Canada day, Christmas eve, and New Years eve.
    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.

    I feel the same way when I eat "bad" food now too. I'm kind of glad however because it's an added incentive.
  • Le_Joy
    Le_Joy Posts: 593 Member
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    You described uncontrolled binging. That is nowhere near the same as a cheat day.

    This!
  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
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    i think cheat days work great for me. i do one a week where i eat at maintenance instead of my deficit. sometimes its healthy stuff, sometimes its a burger at red robin, or something like a night time trip to the gas station for nachos. when i actually stick to my calories the rest of the week, i lose my 2lbs a week. this month has been rough but it has nothing to do with "cheat days" - more just holiday treats and stressful times

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