One cheat day a week ?

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haaaleyx
haaaleyx Posts: 83 Member
in Food and Nutrition
My boyfriend has one day off from work a week and we like to go out for lunch or dinner or something like that and when I go out to eat, I want to enjoy going out to eat. Is one cheat day a week really bad ? I mean i'm not talking 5 pancakes for breakfast, McDonalds big mac for lunch then a huge bowl of pasta for dinner. Just like cheating on one meal basically. Just your thoughts on it and if anyone has cheat days ?
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Replies

  • lmknelson
    lmknelson Posts: 2
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    There is nothing wrong with this but the first thing you need to stop doing is calling it a "cheat" day. This indicates an action that makes you feel guilty and guilt can cause some people to eat more or to eat certain "emotion" foods. Just enjoy your meal out without guilt and get back to business afterwards.
    Just my opinion anyways!! :)
  • haaaleyx
    haaaleyx Posts: 83 Member
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    There is nothing wrong with this but the first thing you need to stop doing is calling it a "cheat" day. This indicates an action that makes you feel guilty and guilt can cause some people to eat more or to eat certain "emotion" foods. Just enjoy your meal out without guilt and get back to business afterwards.
    Just my opinion anyways!! :)

    That's a good idea, thanks !
  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
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    i have cheat days - usually once a week.
    i also have no issues calling it a cheat day, i never feel guilty about it.
    however, i always make sure i dont go over my weekly net goal, so its usually just that i use sundays to make up the exercise calories from the week that i didnt/couldnt eat at the time.
  • SteveHunt113
    SteveHunt113 Posts: 648 Member
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    Spike days are actually good. BTW, that's what you call them, you are spiking your calories.

    The idea is it gives your metabolism a kick start. It can also help keep you sane. As long you still have a weekly deficit (and your goal is to lose weight), your good!
  • haaaleyx
    haaaleyx Posts: 83 Member
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    Spike days are actually good. BTW, that's what you call them, you are spiking your calories.

    The idea is it gives your metabolism a kick start. It can also help keep you sane. As long you still have a weekly deficit (and your goal is to lose weight), your good!

    haha okay I'll start calling it that.
  • HotBodUnderConstruction
    HotBodUnderConstruction Posts: 420
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    Most people do really well with cheat days....I don't...I usually end up craving the food even more after eating it and I end up slipping up more times throughout the week than if I completely abstain This is just me personally though. Plenty of people on this site are incredibly successful with their cheat meals...I'm just not one of those people lol :)
  • shaycat
    shaycat Posts: 980
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    I try to make sure I have one "cheat" day a week so I dont feel like I am not able to eat anything good ever.
    Also I try to make it more a cheat meal and if I dont go over my calories that is a plus.
    So NO nothing at all wrong with one nice meal a week :)
  • SteveHunt113
    SteveHunt113 Posts: 648 Member
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    My wife and I have a spike day or meal once each month. We look forward to it. We both still log our calories, but we don't worry about the numbers.

    I'll often time hit the gym extra hard that day just to lessen the blow. Last time I ate half a large round table pizza in 1 sitting! :)

    Edit: When I had the pizza, I wound up losing close to 2 pounds that week!
  • jennieolds442
    jennieolds442 Posts: 5 Member
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    I agree w/ not calling it a cheat week. What I find myself doing is that when I know Im going to eat alot of calories for a specific meal, I try to think ahead and plan my counter meals extremely low cal so I dont blow it. I feel that if I blow it on a day @ say Red Lobster just as I did this past weekend, that it takes longer to get back to where I was before the splurge.... Its just not worth it. So think out your meal. Asian is a great low cal fix if you leave out the rice. Also if you know where your going ahead of time, type in the resturant and get an idea of how much calories you will consume if you eat what you want to eat. Then you can workout hard that day. My goal is to STAY OUT of THE RED :) good luck.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,269 Member
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    I don't call it a cheat because this is a lifestyle change for me... not a diet. As such, I do watch my calories but I will, on occasion, really enjoy myself. I will be doing so on Saturday because it is my birthday. I refuse to give up my favorite birthday dinner just because... that would make me unhappy. I would feel deprived or like I did something wrong and THAT is not healthy either. So, I enjoy my meal and get back on the horse the next day.

    Now, this doesn't happen very often and I usually save it for special occasions, but I find it worth it because it keeps me MENTALLY happy and healthy.
  • Scorpioangel
    Scorpioangel Posts: 951 Member
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    Spike days are actually good. BTW, that's what you call them, you are spiking your calories.

    The idea is it gives your metabolism a kick start. It can also help keep you sane. As long you still have a weekly deficit (and your goal is to lose weight), your good!

    I agree with this and have been told this by many people :)
  • jamiek917
    jamiek917 Posts: 610 Member
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    i dont understand how it can work for everyone except me. one cheat meal- meaning 500-1000 extra cals that day, when there is a good deficit every other day and working out hard 5-6x a week, seems to bring 2 lbs back for me- and it stays. its not fair- its not scientifically possible for that too happen! i know what im eating-im not taking in an extra 7000 cals that week!
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    There is nothing wrong with this but the first thing you need to stop doing is calling it a "cheat" day. This indicates an action that makes you feel guilty and guilt can cause some people to eat more or to eat certain "emotion" foods. Just enjoy your meal out without guilt and get back to business afterwards.
    Just my opinion anyways!! :)
    ^This! And if you plan for your meal, it shouldn't affect your eating habits. Life happens. Restaurants happen. If you eat a large meal, then scale back on the rest of your intake for the day. Or do an extra workout. Don't think you can't enjoy food as a part of life anymore.
  • minadeathclutch
    minadeathclutch Posts: 375 Member
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    i dont understand how it can work for everyone except me. one cheat meal- meaning 500-1000 extra cals that day, when there is a good deficit every other day and working out hard 5-6x a week, seems to bring 2 lbs back for me- and it stays. its not fair- its not scientifically possible for that too happen! i know what im eating-im not taking in an extra 7000 cals that week!

    sodium!
  • jadedone
    jadedone Posts: 2,449 Member
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    My wife and I have a spike day or meal once each month. We look forward to it. We both still log our calories, but we don't worry about the numbers.

    I'll often time hit the gym extra hard that day just to lessen the blow. Last time I ate half a large round table pizza in 1 sitting! :)

    Edit: When I had the pizza, I wound up losing close to 2 pounds that week!

    Most pizza I can stay pretty close to a serving or 1.5. Round Table on the other hand....I love the sauce! I have to abstain. It is way too easy to finish off 6 pieces of Round Table. :P
  • jadedone
    jadedone Posts: 2,449 Member
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    Before I could have some sort of "cheat" meal. Now it is really hard. I feel overly full around 600-650 calories. I guess I could have a cheat meal if it lasted for 3 hours.

    If I know I'll have more than usual, I just try to budget for it for the rest of the day. A little more daily activity, and less food at snack time.
  • PositivelyFlawed
    PositivelyFlawed Posts: 316 Member
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    I have one spike day where I eat to maintenance, which is nearly double my daily. This one day allows me to mentally relax a bit and allows my body to enjoy a change. I do have the few treats, but for the most part i get to that higher calorie level by eating healthily. My spike day is Sunday and Monday morning I am in a great position to start my week. I've been losing steadily since starting a lil over a month ago.
  • zml_mom
    zml_mom Posts: 270 Member
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    I do one meal a week and about once a month I have a full day where I eat whatever I want and its been fine
  • LHAMON2009
    LHAMON2009 Posts: 55
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    I certainly have 1 day a week where I dont beat myself up for going out to eat for a nice meal. This weekend my husband and I are going out to Kobe to eat and believe you me I will not in any way feel guilty about that :)
  • Jpgibbs
    Jpgibbs Posts: 29
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    Definitely nothing wrong with splurging on a meal once in a while. You can actually use that meal to your benefit. Having a meal high in carbs will pack your muscles with glycogen. If you do a workout, particularly one that focuses on a body part that is lagging, a couple hours later you are giving those muscles every reason to develop. Besides, if you've been in a calorie deficit for a significant amount of time its not as if you're going eat a cheat meal and put on a couple pounds. It helps keep you sane and if you can use it to your benefit, all the better.

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