Advice on Cheat Days

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jenalderman
jenalderman Posts: 411 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I had a bad day last Friday. I am finally at that very difficult stage of getting those last few stubborn pounds off. I was discouraged after seeing my weight go UP despite a very good diet and exercise week. It so happens that Friday night is my weekly date night anyway and I lost it. I just kind of had a WTF moment and decided to eat whatever I wanted. I probably blew my calories by 1000 for the day. Hard to tell since I too discouraged to even log for the day.

Now, this is the curious part to me..... I jumped right back on track on Saturday... worked hard.... watched my intake.... and voila.... the weight I had gained the week before along with another half pound just rolled off. This really makes me wonder if there is something to this "Cheat Day" theory that I've heard so much about on here. Has anyone tried this? If so, what are your successes/concerns with it? I don't know about anyone else but for me, change is scary. This is especially true for my weight loss journey since it is so easy to get sidetracked. Any advice that any of you can offer would be greatly appreciated.
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Replies

  • jenalderman
    jenalderman Posts: 411 Member
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    Anyone?
  • WhittRak
    WhittRak Posts: 572 Member
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    I always end up hating myself on cheat days. I don't even go overboard with it either.
  • BlueInkDot
    BlueInkDot Posts: 702 Member
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    lol wow, no replies.

    Well there was a forum post the other day with a few paragraphs from a book that advised taking a break from dieting every 4 or 5 weeks.

    Sooooo no experience here, just a book excerpt. :P
  • jhamlin72680
    jhamlin72680 Posts: 2
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    I think a good way to "cheat" is to only do it for one meal instead of a whole day. :)
  • Vyshness8699
    Vyshness8699 Posts: 428 Member
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    Is your Cheat Day eat anything you want for all 3 meals and snacks ? or is it just a meal? For me I allow myself a cheat meal so I dnt feel deprived and it seems to be working I've been losing about 1.5lbs a week.. Before when i would have a cheat day i would eat whatever i wanted that whole day and i would gain between 0.5lb-2.2lb in a week so i realized it just has to be one meal and not the whole day
  • BlackRangerX
    BlackRangerX Posts: 133 Member
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    Personally, I have a cheat day every Saturday. Not only does it keep me sane, but I have benefited greatly from cheat days in the past. I don't log my cheat days, and I eat whenever and whatever I want. One cheat day is not going to make or break your diet, so in my opinion cheat days are golden.
  • maf66
    maf66 Posts: 211 Member
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    I read this earlier today. I'm neither for or against, but more do what you need to do to stay sane :bigsmile:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/UponThisRock/view/spike-day-nonsense-229061
  • Chrissieneave
    Chrissieneave Posts: 99 Member
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    I now have cheat days, after hitting a plateau a while ago, been doing this method now for a couple of months, and its worked for me!!! :) - I love it :)
  • hanna6774
    hanna6774 Posts: 225
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    I don't believe in "cheat days". Most people have cheat days when they are on a "diet". Another word I don't believe in. You've come this far, chosen to eat healthier and experienced the results. If you choose to eat something that will ultimately slow your progress so be it, your choice. Just be accountable and realistic. If you aren't depriving yourself of anything, you aren't missing out on anything, no reason to "cheat" as some put it. It all comes down to what you want more. Good Luck!
  • Karenmm1960
    Karenmm1960 Posts: 19 Member
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    I allow myself a cheat day, but don't go overboard. It helps keep me motivated to not cheat during the week. On my cheat day, I have something outside of the house and don't bring any leftovers with me. Seems to be working to keep me motivated and I am losing weight. Sunday is my day, so I can have a treat with my coffee after church, while visiting with my friends and not feel quilty.
  • jaclyndanette
    jaclyndanette Posts: 46
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    I always treat myself during the week, so sometimes I'll go over my calories.
  • Mira710
    Mira710 Posts: 194 Member
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    I cheat day sounds bad... try a cheat meal instead. And even in your cheat meal, don't go overboard (like downing a large pizza). On days where I allow myself a cheat meal, I exercise to make up those extra calories.
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
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    Personally, I have a cheat day every Saturday. Not only does it keep me sane, but I have benefited greatly from cheat days in the past. I don't log my cheat days, and I eat whenever and whatever I want. One cheat day is not going to make or break your diet, so in my opinion cheat days are golden.

    this....I log it as far as I can thoug, and if I stick to my weekly deficit and eat 2 as much on my cheat day, it still works....
  • Beezil
    Beezil Posts: 1,677 Member
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    I love my cheat days. Gives me something to look forward to, to work towards even. I try my best to eat healthy clean foods throughout the week, but it's nice to know that if I want to, I can go out with my family on the weekend and not worry about what I eat so much. Sometimes I'm over by 1000+ calories, sometimes I don't go over at all. But the purpose of it is just to relax and not worry about calories for one day. :) Also, I don't really do it the same day every week, it just usually becomes the day we go out to dinner, whenever that is. If we don't, I just indulge in something I enjoy instead - like ice cream. :D
  • turbophoenix
    turbophoenix Posts: 152
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    I have to cheat from time to time. That sounds bad but if I don't indulge my cravings on occasion, they just build up and I end up binging. NO BUENO! :noway: So instead, I try to keep it under control by having my little cheats.

    As far as how to do it... I cannot for the life of me remember where I read this but I saw in an article that they suggest you aim to stick to your diet at least 80% of the time. When I did the break down, that meant out of the 35 meals (I include snacks as meals) I eat in one week, I could have "slip ups" on 7 meals or 1.5 total cheat days. That seemed too high for me so I shoot for 85-90% and I typically do cheat meals instead of cheat days. I also set guidelines as to what is okay for cheating but I'm just weird like that :wink:
  • lambertj
    lambertj Posts: 675 Member
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    I live for "cheat day", I can eat healthy and work out weekly for the rest of my life as long as I know that one day a week I can eat whatever I want. PS...Lobster-Fest at Red Lobster rocked this past weekend!
  • hpynh2o
    hpynh2o Posts: 194 Member
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    Weight... Your weight on a day to day basis can change quite a bit. It has more to do with your electrolytes, bowel contents, hormones, etc. So I wouldn't get hung up on an occasional unexpected up/down swing. As long as you're sticking to your program, you're going to see ongoing improvements over the long term.

    Cheat day... I do a cheat day more for psychological reasons. The anecdotal evidence that cheat day is helpful isn't very compelling. Generally once a week I go over 30% or so for the day. For the week, I'm generally always on target even with the cheat day experience.

    My advice on cheat day... enjoy it and then get back to your program!

    :)
  • cyclerjenn
    cyclerjenn Posts: 835 Member
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    personally I do a cheat day on fridays but more to allow myself to indulge on a night out with my friends or family. I now that I do not crave the bar foods/mexican food as much the reast of the week because I know I can get one on friday. I have not noticied an difference in my weight since Friday morning is my weight day and Saturday is my hard workout day.
  • BeeSunny
    BeeSunny Posts: 172 Member
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    I think you should allow yourself a "cheat day" but cal it something else so you do not feel guilty about it, in 2006 when I lost 50 pounds I gave myself a day that I could "eat what I want," grant my stomach had shrunk so I really didn't eat a whole lot, but it actually boosted the rest of the week and I maintained it until 2008. I need to find that same person back in 2006 and warn her not to start eating her new husbands cooking you will gain weight!!!
  • stacygayle
    stacygayle Posts: 349 Member
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    I don't believe in "cheat days". Most people have cheat days when they are on a "diet". Another word I don't believe in. You've come this far, chosen to eat healthier and experienced the results. If you choose to eat something that will ultimately slow your progress so be it, your choice. Just be accountable and realistic. If you aren't depriving yourself of anything, you aren't missing out on anything, no reason to "cheat" as some put it. It all comes down to what you want more. Good Luck!

    I eat what I want also....I just don't eat as much of it as I used to. I can't stay on a diet, but I can change the way I eat a little at a time. I've gained and lost the same 40 pounds over the last 3 years.....I have just decided to eat less and exercise and not worry about whether I am sticking to a diet. I will eat something sweet if I feel like it but I will eat a smaller portion of it and not go overboard. I have been consistently losing a pound a week just eating portion sizes and getting exercise 5 days a week. I can stick with this for the rest of my life. I can't stick to a diet but for a month and then I'm back to crashing again.

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