Cheat Days????

Frappuzzino

If you have control, I think cheat days are fine.

yoshi91610

Some people do great with cheat days! Personally I'm not one of them. I have learned that if I can't limit myself to stay under my calorie goal then I am not going to eat it. (like pizza, I seriously eat half of a large pizza because I love it that much, so the only time I have pizza is if I make it at home, using low-fat cheese, turkey pepperoni and whole-wheat pizza crust) But I do "crave" something that I know if I don't have I'll just eat a bunch of my "healthy" food resulting in a binge, I just have it, calculate it and move on.

MamaLuvsDJ

I am sooo scared of cheat days or spike days whatever you want to call them. I have been doing so good so far and I just don't want to ruin it. It's only my first week though....maybe I am overthinking it. But I figured if I ate a cheat meal that its about 500 calories, as long as I burn 500 calories it wouldn't hurt right?

Suziq2you

I don't call it a cheat day, but I do bump up my calories to maintenance once or twice a month. I also workout on those days and eat those calories as well.

Russellb97

I am sooo scared of cheat days or spike days whatever you want to call them. I have been doing so good so far and I just don't want to ruin it. It's only my first week though....maybe I am overthinking it. But I figured if I ate a cheat meal that its about 500 calories, as long as I burn 500 calories it wouldn't hurt right?

Many people are scared of this, so I totally understand. Some are worried that it will make them crave more "bad food" but physiologically the opposite happens. There is a definite difference between emotional hunger and physical hunger. Physical hunger caused by leptin decline is the hardest to overcome. Spiking actually rids us of our physical hunger, and emotionally it's a nice break to have what you want.

I wrote a couple of short past blog posts that you might want to check out.
One bad day won't make you fat.
http://spikediet.blogspot.com/2010/08/one-bad-day-will-not-make-you-gain-fat.html

The Importance of Spike Day
http://spikediet.blogspot.com/2010/08/importance-of-spike-day.html

Facts are; low leptin increases food cravings and slows metabolism

Studies show that in as little as 7 days of calorie restriction our leptin can decline drastically.
To combats this, 12 hours of spiking does the exact opposite and spikes leptin levels back up.

spiralated

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!

I do this too. Its a motivator for me to get out and do some exercise so I "earn" my extras. On the weekends I usually go for a strenuous hike so I can have a beer or two that evening!

siabevis

i dont