Does anyone do a cheat day?

neverstray

I'm a big proponent of a once a week cheat day.

Athijade

I don't do "cheat" anything. To me, that implies I am doing something "bad" or "wrong". I do splurge days where I allow myself to not really even think about it. Sometimes I still come out at calories, sometimes I go up to maintenance, and other times I don't even log. I have yet to have a day like that impact my weekly weight loss.

I am also a "everything in moderation" person so I still eat pizza, cupcakes, burgers, fries, ect on normal days. I can have pizza any time I want as long as I take it into account in my calories and the like. A homemade hamburger isn't all that bad especially when you only eat one and you have a huge salad with it.

Faeriegirl74

I "cheat" every now and again... I just practice the motto of "if it passes my lips, I will log it"

KatKatatrophic

I do "treats". If I workout, and burn 1,000 calories, I give myself something sweet. I drink a soda and have half of cookie or maybe even one. But that's only...2-3 days out of the week when I go to volleyball games.

momma3sweetgirls

I eat what I want, log it, and try to stay under my calories for the day. No specific day to eat junk, I eat it everyday!

JenAiMarres

I try not to cheat but Fridays are usually bad days food and alcohol wise...I feel derailed usually and wish I hadnt!!! But maybe it keeps me sane?!?!?!?

alyson820

I don't schedule cheat days, but when I'm going out with my friends I'll let myself indulge.

loftislover

Well, I did have a cheat day for all of my diet. And I did lose 47 pounds on doing it, BUT, I found my 1 cheat days turned into a cheat weekend. You do need to find something you can live with, and not completely cut everything good from your life. I think that I am just going to quit having a cheat day because I found that if I diet all week and eat unhealthy meals that I have been craving on the weekend, then I never really get over my cravings. I have been on this diet for a couple months now, and I still crave the bad foods on the weekdays, maybe because I eat it on the weekends. SO yeah, cheat days can't be for everyone.

imasaf

Yes... I am watching calories and exercising and eating healthy (no unnatural sweets... Really as little sugars as possible... Homemade meals... No coffee/caffine). I used to eat cupcakes, candies, drink 2-4 cups of coffee each day so its hard to just give them up completely...so on sundays, i let myself have a cup of coffee or some sort of caffine if i crave it and have me some pancakes and such. Its something i get to look forward to each week. I do still find ways to stay within my calorie allowance... typically I just exercise more or eat smaller portions of the unhealthy foods on sundays. . I think everyone should have a cheat day or as i like to refer to it a REWARD DAY for all the hard work and restraint we had during the week.

GinGinSweden

I lead a weight loss group and during those yrs I always skipped dinner and after my group was over would go for a veggie slice of pizza from my fav pizza spot , now I am back to my dieting ways I will do something once a week again but I always made sure it was with in my calorie count what ever it is

textlikekisses

I do a "spike day" where I intentionally go over my calories once a week. I usually will eat one "bad" meal and the rest basically healthy. I only go over my calories a bit though. It seems to help my metabolism stay on it's toes. Its different for different people though.

stuffinmuffin

About once a week I'll have a cheat MEAL and it will be spent with friends going out for drinks and/or a meal. However I tend to save up exercise cals during the week to cover it and I also try not to go totally mad. I also write everything down to stay accountable and to stop myself from going overboard. Never allow it to make you go over WEEKLY NET cals, but I'd say it's a good thing to do, kept me sane and it hasn't hindered my weight loss or maintenance and plus I don't feel like a social leper when I'm out eating with friends.

wisebadger53

I never think of any day as a "cheat" day. If I know I am going to eat more (or less healthy) because of a party or going out with friends to a restaurant, I just make sure that I hit the gym that morning and the morning after as well. I never seem to have any problem burning enough exercise calories to make up for my indulgences. That being said, I always do my best to make the best choices that I can in any given situation so I don't go crazy with carbs, fat, or sodium as a result of what I ate.

achampionsheart

I can't speak for everyone, but I don't do any cheat days. If I want to go above my allocated calories, I spend some extra time in the gym. If I plan on going out that night, that might mean an hour and a half of cardio.

I find it's also helpful to do this cardio before going out so that I earn it before I use it. It keeps me from saying, "I'll just work it off tomorrow". All it takes is one time of not following through, and I've undone a few days of progress. Not worth it in my opinion.

i have a weekly cheat day.....i alternate sat. or sun....i agree with doing cardio before going out.....that way im not feeling guilty for going out and then the next day is my rest day of no exercise, but i watch what i eat and drink

Jade17694

my cheat days are saturdays (yesterday was my second) but i didnt want to over eat or go mad, i think i had 2 rock cakes and pancakes, nutella and ice cream as a treat (didnt log them-they did cause me to go over my calories but oh well!) but i think im gonna give it a miss next week as i dont think i need it, i dont crave anything anymore

SalishSea

Nooooooooo. Part of my problem in the first place was not knowing when to stop. Or not being able to stop myself.

adavis59

I allow myself a cheat day towards the end of the week. I try not to go hog wild in eating. I just go over by a little in my caloric intake, and still keep in mind that I have to log in what I eat and that my diary is public. That kinda keeps me in check with my cheat day.

nyprdiva

This is a great way to look at it and go about it.

I can't speak for everyone, but I don't do any cheat days. If I want to go above my allocated calories, I spend some extra time in the gym. If I plan on going out that night, that might mean an hour and a half of cardio.

I find it's also helpful to do this cardio before going out so that I earn it before I use it. It keeps me from saying, "I'll just work it off tomorrow". All it takes is one time of not following through, and I've undone a few days of progress. Not worth it in my opinion.

ajmu

Cheat days are recommended. You just have to be careful with how you cheat. What you have to understand is that even when you diet, your body gets used to it. Essentially your metabolism slows down. Eating cheat meal (once a week or once every 2 weeks) kick-starts that metabolism again. I know for some people its hard to watch their cheat meals but its all mental.

I have a cheat meal. I need them beacuse of the way I diet and because of the way I work out. Some people might not need them depending on their diet and on their workout routines.

If you are just getting into all this dieting and exercising it would be best to give your body 2-3 weeks and "experiment". See what works for you. Everybody is different.

FitnessDynasty

Sunday is my "cheat" day. And by "cheat" I mean I get to have an extra piece of dessert or something of that nature at Sunday dinner. Do I go double my allotted calories? No, I still track what i eat and try to stay roughly around my allotted calories but on Sunday I'm just a little more liberal with my calorie intake and make sure to work a little extra harder on Monday to kick my butt into gear for the week and start off the week with a really good workout.

ArtGeek22

I havent risked a cheat day yet. I am afraid I will fall back into old habits. Many people do them and think they are great. Im just scared. :blushing:

^^This^^!!!!

DataBased

It's a really interesting question, isn't it! What I'm after is a lifestyle change rather than a "diet" I have to follow XX days a week or month. So, in that respect - no, I dont "cheat" because I want to work into my lifestyle enough fun to be sustainable without sacrificing my greater goals. In other words, I don't want to give up what I want MOST just to have something I want NOW.

With that said, I plan on finding that balance of when I can have something that''s a treat and how much I can have while staying within the boundaries I set for myself. I haven't found the perfect balance, but it's a work in progress.

I do understand the psychological value in calling a treat a "cheat" - but in the new mindset I'm adopting, I can't think of it that way, personally. :-D

OpheliasPath

I honestly think that it is "good for you" to cheat every once in a while.
Maybe not for your weight loss, but definitely for your mental health!

Not that there is anything wrong with being hardcore and following your plan strictly either, of course.

mramsdell

Well, I cant say I actually have "cheat days" but I do eat pretty much what I want sometimes, I just make sure that I dont overdo it and that I count the meal. I also will do some extra cardio if that happens. I love chinese food, and had some the other day. The problem was that I didnt realize how many calories that would be. So I just worked out a little bit longer, and still stayed under my calorie count for the day. The real problem, for me, is that it is salty and I do tend to retain fluids really bad when I use salt. ...and I LOVE salt..I try to do these days after my weekly weigh in (which I actually will start tomorrow since I just joined this site) so that I have the week for the fluid to go away and not get me completely discouraged.

DAMNCHARLIE

Since I have been cheating for the past few years, I wont do one just yet ( I have only been on here or a week), my bday is June 10 I may have a cupcake (I love bday cake, I can eat the whole damn thing). I will see how I feel when I get almost there 3lbs in I am not really thinking about that. I you do slip, just do extra excersices and get back into mode. Good luck.

tatya317

No cheat day for me..or it will be a cheat week..LOL.. I'm not very good with cheat days ..

Contrarian

I don't consider anything I eat "cheating". I just don't stress if I have a day that's above my calorie goal. I log it and don't let it bother me. In fact, I am secretly proud of it.

Silver_Star

im not ready to cheat yet... my cheat days are "not going to the gym" days... which is usually a friday or a monday. Im to scared to scarf it all down and completely blow it.

i feel the exact same way.

mamagooskie

When I was big I used to have one cheat day a week and it would boost my weight loss. Now that I am 10 lbs from goal I try not to have them because they hinder my loss completely and quite often I gain or stay the same with no benefit. I try to stick now to cheating on special occasions or working out extra hard to earn the calories I want to eat and that is actually working in my favor.

dinosnopro

I do seven cheat days