Cheat Days????

stacyann1001

Question! Does anyone else do a cheat day once a week, like on the weekend one day?? I've heard through a few people that its good for your body to have a day where its not restricted and you eat more then the low calorie/weight loss days to keep your body from going into a low calorie starvation mode... I've also heard that its good to have these days so you don't deny yourself any foods or things you may have been craving during the week when you are counting every calorie.

Whats does everyone think?? With today being Friday and the weekend approaching I am debating what I should do! My BF says a cheat day is healthy but he is always the driving force in me falling off the "get skinny wagon" and I don't want to do it just because he says its a good idea. I've been religious with me eating and working out this week and don't want to totally ruin it but it would be nice to have a beer this weekend and maybe a side of french fries....

Happy Friday

-Stacy

crunchybubblez

I'm not an expert, but I think as long as you're not going over a net of 1,800 it should be ok to have one "treat" meal.

castadiva

It depends on you, personally. Will a cheat day derail you completely or help you to stay on track? For me, a 'day-off' mentality could be pretty disastrous, but I need small indulgences through the week. I work these into my calorie goals for the day, and add a bit of extra exercise if I need to. I also worry less about the day-to-day calorie levels and more about the end-of-week stats - if I'm a little over one day and a little under another, they usually balance out. A side of fries and a beer sounds like things you could work into your goals for the week to me, if that's what will keep you from feeling deprived and resentful, but it is about finding what works for you. Good luck!

brooksingletary

I do one full day of cheating, as a reward for myself. I indulge in whatever I have been craving that week, to get it out of my system. Not that it is advisable for everyone, but I have lost 26 pounds.

jltother

I have to have a cheat day one a week. I have heard a lot of good things about what it does for you metabolism, but for me it is sanity. I enjoy my wings and fries once a week and don't worry about logging that day. It keeps me from falling off the wagon completely and I come back the next day knowing that the scale isn't going to be great but that it is mostly water weight.

On the other hand if, you can't cheat a day and come back the next day and get back at it, then it may not be a good idea. Some people have to go all or nothing or they won't succeed. Whereas in my case I think it is the ability to cheat and get back to it that has kept me going so long this time. In the past I would make it a week or two of complete denial of anything that I thought was unhealthy and then I would give in to the cravings and hunger and quit altogether.

kmorris246

I've been doing a cheat day once a week since joining this site, and it has not hindered my weight loss at all. I've actually hit my goal weight. I probably eat double my norm cals, which is awful- I know, but it helps to have that one day/week where I can just let loose. Also, it helps me to stay more focused the other 6 days knowing that I have a treat day around the corner.

stacyann1001

I am thinking I am going to do the cheat day this Sunday, my old roommate from college wants to meet up for a fancy lunch in Atlantic City to catchup and I would hate to deny myself of treats when I am with her.... I know I am really dedicated right now to losing the weight and I think its going to help me to satisfy some cravings and then just get back on the calorie counting wagon on Monday morning. I find it so much easier to eat right while I am at work since I bring all my food to work, the going out to dinner on the weekends is the part I struggle with but I know I can do it!

kmorris246, brooksingleta, jltother - I am glad to hear the cheat day worked so well for you! I hope I can do just the same! Congrats on all the weight loss

ishallnotwant

When i'm working hard to lose, I don't do full cheat days, because I know myself and I can do a lot of damage in one day. (And I have a hard time getting back on the wagon after a whole day of cheating.) What I do instead is allow myself 2 cheat meals per week. I don't schedule them, I just use them when I feel like it. This way if I end up going out to dinner or something, and haven't had my cheat for the week, I can use it then and not stress about how to eat strictly while i'm out.

amberrrrh

for me a cheat day doesnt do good for me, but I do allow myself things that I am craving in very small portions so I don't go into binge mode.

strapple

weekends and holidays are free for me but within reason.

loki3981

I do a cheat half day. I eat whatever I want within reason from 2 till bed. Its tonight actually. Looking forward to it.

ChellieIrish

Yes I do a "Treat Day" I do it on the day of weigh in it's nice to have a reward to look forward to at the end of the healthy week for me that is every Friday :bigsmile:

This is for life so I want to enjoy it :drinker:

maryjay51

heck ya i do cheat days!!!! i would die other wise lol... however i really try hard not to over do it and if i can i try to get in some extra cardio because i dont want my cheat to stick to my ribs and hips. so far i been pretty successful with that . i went to a buffet with friends and found i cannot eat the way i used to . with one plate of food and dessert, i got bloated and sick feeling so watch yourself with that

2Bgoddess

I do one cheat MEAL every second week. A whole day would ruin me.

steffihoney

I have one cheat day a week, and it is usually Fridays, because that is the day my 6 year old gets to pick what he wants for dinner. Hard to stay under the calories when it's the fast food night. lol

hope516

If it weren't for treat days, fugedaboutit!!! lol...I couldn't it do without my cheat days!! But you know what I have noticed is that I subconciously (sp) make better choices even on my cheat days. For instance, I drink absolutely nothing but water on my "on" days but I allow myself to drink soda, juice, or whatever on my cheat day...but I have learned to have one glass of soda with dinner and start drinking water after I finish that. I don't feel deprived, nor did I undo a weeks worth of work. Or when I have my restaurant meal of 1200 calories a pop, I naturally eat less...

I think one day of not tracking is adviseable. Although I have gone back and tabulated what I ate just to help me learn just how much calories are in the food I am eating.

HotBodUnderConstruction

I have a cheat meal not a whole day.

skyblue098

For me a weekly cheat "meal" gives me something to look forward to. A whole day to cheat would totally derail me.

raindropwishes

for me a cheat day doesnt do good for me, but I do allow myself things that I am craving in very small portions so I don't go into binge mode.

^ Pretty much the same.

Russellb97

FYI, I'm typing this while eating a cheese danish :happy:

Stop calling them cheat days, they are "Spike Day's"

"Cheating" causes a negative connotation, and they are nothing but good for you. A cheat day spikes leptin and metabolism!

If you read the article "Fat Trap" in the New York Times, you would see they talk about hormones and how they are affected during dieting.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/magazine/tara-parker-pope-fat-trap.html?pagewanted=all

Leptin is the "anti-starvation" hormone and "starving" is simply having a negative caloric balance. If your body is living off of stored energy and is never storing energy, our brain picks up on the imbalance and senses a period of famine.
Leptin levels decline drastically in as little as 7 days of calorie restriction, when leptin levels are low our hunger & cravings increase at a rate connected to the amount of decline in our leptin. In an effort to make us search out food. Also when this happens our brain slows metabolism down to prolong the use of our stored energy.
A diet is really a type of self induced famine and our brain doesn't know the difference.

Now on the flip-side, studies have shown leptin rebounds quickly after a short 12 hour period of overfeeding!

Some people think that having a day of eating higher calories will make them crave it more often, but that just is not the case. Cravings are much less after leptin is increased,

So a cheat/ Spike Day is a solution to the hormone problem dieting creates and it's a huge advantage psychologically having a weekly "day-off"

I've lost over 100lbs and kept it off for several years, I Spike every week, and I exercise about an hour a week. According to the "Fat Trap" article most people in my position (lost a large amount of weight and maintained it) exercise an hour+ daily. There's no way I could do that. Spiking is a much more manageable way to keep the weight off permanently.

brucedelaney

FYI, I'm typing this while eating a cheese danish :happy:

Stop calling them cheat days, they are "Spike Day's"

"Cheating" causes a negative connotation, and they are nothing but good for you. A cheat day spikes leptin and metabolism!

If you read the article "Fat Trap" in the New York Times, you would see they talk about hormones and how they are affected during dieting.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/magazine/tara-parker-pope-fat-trap.html?pagewanted=all

Leptin is the "anti-starvation" hormone and "starving" is simply having a negative caloric balance. If your body is living off of stored energy and is never storing energy, our brain picks up on the imbalance and senses a period of famine.
Leptin levels decline drastically in as little as 7 days of calorie restriction, when leptin levels are low our hunger & cravings increase at a rate connected to the amount of decline in our leptin. In an effort to make us search out food. Also when this happens our brain slows metabolism down to prolong the use of our stored energy.
A diet is really a type of self induced famine and our brain doesn't know the difference.

Now on the flip-side, studies have shown leptin rebounds quickly after a short 12 hour period of overfeeding!

Some people think that having a day of eating higher calories will make them crave it more often, but that just is not the case. Cravings are much less after leptin is increased,

So a cheat/ Spike Day is a solution to the hormone problem dieting creates and it's a huge advantage psychologically having a weekly "day-off"

I've lost over 100lbs and kept it off for several years, I Spike every week, and I exercise about an hour a week. According to the "Fat Trap" article most people in my position (lost a large amount of weight and maintained it) exercise an hour+ daily. There's no way I could do that. Spiking is a much more manageable way to keep the weight off permanently.

I saw this thread and was planning to talk about calling it a 'spike' rather then 'cheat' day but I think Russell pretty much summed it up!