Cheat Days.

babyoso1086

I had my first Cheat meal last night, and have decided to have one every Friday night, anybody else think this is a good idea or am I setting myself up for failure?

Dave198lbs

I had my first Cheat meal last night, and have decided to have one every Friday night, anybody else think this is a good idea or am I setting myself up for failure?

cheating is cheating....making it a part of your plan is a better mind set. if you want to take your time and arent really that serious about getting to your goal...cheat

NikkiConroy

I have one cheat DAY every week. I work my butt off and don't eat all of my exercise calories everyday (usually have 300-600 left) so it all evens out. Watch out though---sometimes it spirals quickly. Just my 2 cents:)

FORIANN

Bro, I've been reading a lot about how having a cheat meal once a week can keep your body from going into super conservative mode and overall is helpful. It's kinda' counter intuitive to me, but the more I read about it then it makes sense kinda'. Tomorrow I'm eating pizza, which means 90 min on the elliptical tomorrow afternoon. I'm not really sure if what I do is cheating since I make up the difference with longer cardio sessions.

I cheat occasionally...cause it's life...F it. I'm going to enjoy some things while I'm here, but I work hard too so...

MaraDiaz

I'm thinking about adding one calorie spike day a week to my plan. I don't ever want to hit another plateau again, and something like that might help if I don't go too crazy with it.

shasha_84

How severe are you cheat days? I mean a treat every now and then isn't going to make you fail. But if you go out for every meal and binge eat and justify it by calling it a "cheat day" then yes you will fail.
You should never deprive yourself of something. If you want it, have a small portion of it. Everything in moderation. That way it can become a lifestyle change instead of a temporary diet

auntdeedee87

I mix up my 'cheat' meals. And only allow myself one per week.

And even when I 'cheat', it's only for ONE meal, and I still drink water. And I stop when I'm full.

Induldge, but don't sabotage yourself.

I absolutely refuse to deny myself things, because if I do, this will never last.

If I want a brownie, I have just that-- *a* brownie. If I want carbs, I have a few. I just have to stop myself from eating the half the pan of brownies-- which I totally used to do-- and from eating that whole bag of chips--another pasttime of mine.

Listen to your body and don't over-do it, and I think you'll be okay.

Amy_B

I think it's a great idea!

A) It's a lifestyle change, and you need to indulge sometimes.

I have found that I plateaued several times when losing my 100 pounds. I would have a cheat meal (like Red Robin's Whiskey River Burger and onion rings). It got the scale moving again.

C) As long as you know it's just a cheat meal, and you'll get back on track the next meal/day, you are fine!

TMLPatrick

If it keeps you from dropping out completely, its definitely worth it. Cheat meals can be great for morale, and you may decide later that you don't need to cheat... but if it gets you through, its worth it.

auntdeedee87

I don't know about just including a cheat day in your plans, though. If you're jonesing for that chinese buffet this week, then go. But if you're staying strong next week, why plan to indulge when you can do fine without it?

babyoso1086

Thank You All for the advice.

floshideaway

I had a huge cheat day yesterday, lol... I do not do it every week but there is nothing wrong with it as long as by the end of the week you have balanced out your calories intake. I would not recommend cheat days at the beginning of a weight loss program though. Once you have established a good eating habit then I say, go for it .

missbethea

I had my first Cheat meal last night, and have decided to have one every Friday night, anybody else think this is a good idea or am I setting myself up for failure?

I don't think that you are. It depends on who you talk to, though. I have one cheat day a week. I did last time I tried this, and I did fine. (The reason I fell off the diet last time I tried was because I got sick and couldn't go to the gym due to a severe sinus infection and a terrible cold that put me out of commission for nearly three months.) My doctor suggested it, actually. Depriving yourself of things you like is what really sets you up for failure- not setting aside one day a week to not worry about things. Deprivation of things you love leads to falling off the bandwagon and binge eating, usually.

The same plan doesn't work for everybody. Everyone's body is different, and their level of willpower. If you can have one cheat day a week, and you won't turn that into two cheat days- then go for it.

But as others said, all things in moderation.

Even on my "cheat" days I generally only go over by two to three hundred calories. And even then, those are days I don't exercise- so in reality my caloric intake isn't very high. (Around 1400-1600 calories.)

Eventually you won't even crave the junk you used to have, and your cheat days will become less wanted/needed.

2011Babe

I had a cheat day last night as well even though I just fully started with fitness pal on Tuesday but I've been working out since the beginning of January. I don't want to start out depriving myself of everything so I gave myself a little pizza. So if you need a cheat day than take it. You will only hurt yourself if you don't because if you need that - take it - & then get back into it.

Amy_B

Oh, and since it's part of your overall plan, I like to call it a "treat" meal. You've planned it, so it's not like you accidentally went overboard, which would be "cheating" IMO.

ChelseaM18

Personal opinion from knowledge i've gathered together is that cheat MEALS are okay. Cheat days tend to go in the wrong direction. When you have been eating clean for the whole week, (low-carb/fat perhaps) your metabolism is going in a straight line, not up or down, when you have a cheat meal, your metabolism changes momentarily and spurs some more weightloss, however, i believe this only happens with the occurrence of regular exercise throughout the week and a heavy workout the next day to take advantage of the change in blood sugars etc. This is my personal opinion, and i believe it can help you eat cleaner and less-prone to binging or un-healthy snacking such as the 'one bite won't hurt' mindset during the week, knowing that you can have a meal of whatever you wish.

Amy_B

I don't think that you are. It depends on who you talk to, though. I have one cheat day a week. I did last time I tried this, and I did fine. (The reason I fell off the diet last time I tried was because I got sick and couldn't go to the gym due to a severe sinus infection and a terrible cold that put me out of commission for nearly three months.) My doctor suggested it, actually. Depriving yourself of things you like is what really sets you up for failure- not setting aside one day a week to not worry about things. Deprivation of things you love leads to falling off the bandwagon and binge eating, usually.

What she said...

AprilVal

Usually if I do a cheat day, its a small one, and its the day I do my weigh in. So that I have all week to lose it. Some choose more than one, but I dont see what that does for you, if your in it to lose weight you have to change your eating habits completely. Once in a while a treat is good, but after a way that treat makes you feel like crap after you have it. Depends on your personal goals, on what you should do.

shawnuv4

I think mindset is important. I think calling it a cheat day, or cheat meal isn't the best idea. I DO think sometimes it's good to eat something that you maybe wouldn't normally in the course of trying to lose weight. I try to have one meal a week where I don't worry AS MUCH about what it is. I still try to eat well and make good choices because, it is suppose to be a lifestyle change. Just as an example, I went to dinner with a friend for dinner last night and I had the enchildadas mole with chicken (240 cal EACH!) which comes in a plate of 3 with beans and rice. I got mine without the beans and rice. Which saved me several hundred calories and a lot of additional fat.

I wish you the best on your weight loss journey, stay strong!

Ramboz

I think it depends on what you mean by cheat day. If you mean your going to totally forget your on a diet and eat 3000 calories then, yes, your setting yourself up IMO. I lost 40 lbs in 4 months (exercising very regularly) and I did have a cheat day every 7 - 10 days where I went over my calories. Instead of my normal 1200 calories, I would go up to 1500-1600 calories. For me, it seemed to keep my metabolism guessing and helped me lose weight. When I didn't have the cheat days, I seemed to plateau more frequently. I also don't know about having a scheduled cheat day. I seem to have plenty of reasons to cheat throughout the week, ie going to dinner with my wife, birthdays, my mother in-laws cooking, etc. If your cheat day is Friday just because it's Friday you might be missing out on a good time on Saturday when your friends want to go out. Just keep track and don't cheat to frequently.

echandle12

i don't have a cheat day, but a cheat meal. Mine is also friday nights, I weigh in on Mondays. I have had consistent drops in the scale every week.