"Cheat Days"

enfermera88

Wondering what is your general feeling about "cheat" days? I have mixed feelings. I believe they help your body since it is a change in the normal routine, but I feel so guilty about it that I end up pychologically beating myself up for eating what I did. And what good does that do? Do you have "cheat" days? What is your "cheat" diet? Thanks for any replies!

njauatin

I don't have cheat days, im afraid it's going to throw me off. I do have cheat meals though maybe one meal every week or so.

watermanswife

I totally cheated tonight for dinner. I was running out the door for baseball practice and everyone else had dinner while I ran around. You know , typical mom...I had 9 chocolate chip cookies...fresh from the oven. Talk about cheating!! I guess tomorrow is a new day!

enfermera88

:laugh: Thanks for that! Chocolate chip cookies sound awesome right now!

sassyt1206

I don't purposely have cheat days...however i have had my days where i ate some things that i probably shouldn't have..i dont beat myself up about it, it's just an old habit trying to creep back in..i pick up the next day and i never look back, changing your lifestyle is a big event...some people use it as an excuse and fall back into old habits...others use it as an eye opener and keep pushing...


good luck

IPAfan5

I don't have cheat days because honestly I really enjoy all the foods I eat on my cut. If I did have a cheat day though it would be a chicken burrito bowl with black beans, no rice, corn salsa, and guacamole from Chipotle which is still fairly healthy besides the amount of sodium and slightly high amount of calories for 1 meal.

RetroGlitzDiva

I think a small cheat is okay here and there but I try to make them still fit into my calories with a little extra exercise. A whole cheat day would totally throw me off track. I hate the cravings so its worth it to keep myself away from processed crap and refined sugar as much as possible.

blueandigo

I have a cheat day every week, but sometimes I forget about to be honest. But the thing aboot my cheat days is that I exercise to much that when I do decide to eat that whole pizza it fits into my calories lol

lsg0204

I have heard it helps to stay on target and avoid binge eating if you give yourself one day to eat whatever you want. My experience is it is better to begin after you are having some success and momentum. It is interesting how over time you don't either crave the "bad" foods or eat much less of them.

CarlyRobbinsGilbert

I cheat every weekend, Saturday and Sunday. I eat anything I want, often until I don't feel good so by Monday I'm ready to eat well again. For me, since I count carbs (try to) it's something like an unhealthy version of "carb cycling." I only weigh on Fridays because if I weighed myself right after, I'd probably freak out. Good luck!

BreatheSelina_

Every single time I have a cheat day, I get thrown off. I swear, I have been in the 180's for far to long. I was 208 when I first started. My boyfriend was around 240. We started the same day. He never really cheated, and now he is 194. Me, on the other hand cheated like no other! I am at 184. I don't want my boyfriend to weigh less then me! Ugh. But today I cheated... On a boat load of stuff. Waaaah. But I will not let it get to me! I would feel like a failure if my boyfriend weighed less then me... I really honestly would. So, NO MORE CHEAT DAYS! Bad idea... Ha :b

cherse

Thanks for asking this - I was wondering what others do too! To be truthful, I am still eating chocolate and treats, just in much more moderate way and I make sure all the other things in my day are good for me... hopefully it works. Only time will tell, I guess.

AmberFaith90

I have a "cheat meal" every week. It keeps binges at bay. Even after my cheat meals, I make sure I'm still under/at my calorie goal. If I'm not, I'll workout to burn some off.

2fabfromfat

I have cheat meals not a whole day... Or a cheat evening... Like a dinner that I won't normally eat and allow myself a snack after dinner, which I don't usually allow for myself either! I am doing Weight watchers, so I don't go over my weekly points for that cheat evening, but as long as it fits in and I want it I'll eat it!! I feel like it works for me because it helps me do really, really good all week to know that if I'm craving something specific I can have it on Friday night!!

BuckeyeLife

I do cheat days, "liberally." But when I cheat it is usually a small thing here/there. I have NEVER believed in a super strict diet, I feel too restricted. Also, when I do cheat, I know I am going to work my butt off to make up for it, and I kind of think that helps motivate me sometimes to really go hard. Basically I don't mind cheats, I actually like them to throw curve balls at my body, I'd encourage them, but you have to have discipline and be willing to kick your own butt. Its like working, if you want something you work or get a 2nd job for extra money to get it. Same thing. I only take REALLY big cheat days when I have worked hard. Tonight I went way over on fat, not happy at all about it. But I have REALLY worked hard this week and felt it was time to treat. I did manage to stay under my calorie count as well. I also am 90% likely to run tomorrow, which was a planned rest day, because I want to work off the damage I did. I likely will not use this cheat meal again because I didn't know it was THIS off balance with fat, but what is done is done and I still would take this meal in a much smaller portion.

For me cheats require very strong mental discipline and a hardcore work ethic to balance it out. Interval training for your metabolism(and I don't care if that isn't even remotely accurate way to put it!) So far doing this I have lost 17 lbs and counting, pounds are coming off 4-8 lbs a week right now, I'm happy and I feel better each day.

I forgot to mention, cheat restrictions need to be tighter/more reasonable as you get closer to the "maintain" level for yourself. When you're heavier like I am, I can cheat more because it is easier to "undo" the damage in a sense. As I get closer I will have less cheating. This just falls under my evolution of my life changes anyway, most of my cheat items will be gone by then.

Toddrific

I've heard a lot about a cheat meal as a sort of release. The idea is that if you don't purposefully cheat, one day you'll just go all out. Supposedly you can plan your cheat meal in advance and it can be a reward to yourself for behaving the rest of the time.

I have Oh fark it days. They definitely set me back.

sathor

I think that would be today. My lunch was about 100 Calories more than my daily target, plus the 430 from breakfast and the 790 from dinner. (450 of which were Fazoli's breadsticks.)

Every Thursday, I take my 3 year old to Pizza Hut for the buffet. I actually just use one of the more calorie heavy pizzas (pepperoni pan) and count that x the number of slices. I know a fair number were thin crust, etc, so I may not have really been over by as much if at all, and I did nuke a bit over 800 in exercise today. (I didn't ride as much as I could have, I wanted to try to get a new top speed, which I did going down a steep hill that is also a state route. I crossed 32 MPH on my bike for only the second time, and was 3/10s of a MPH faster than my previous best.

Then again, I did create a spreadsheet on my tablet that tells me how many of various items I can have for dinner. We have a place here that my fav item is nearly 800 Calories, and my second fav is over 350... I tell it how many remain, and it tells me what I can order.

daisyverma

I have cheat 'moments' really..

It really depends on you and how you handle 'cheating'

some people ending up binging while others can eat a few bites and walk away (I just recently learned to do this)

since I am looking at a lifestyle change and not a diet, I do have a few treats here n there, every few days, but its a 'healthy' cheat..ie 100 calorie dessert or something...yes it does have high sugar and fat but no dessert with 0 fat 0 sugar and 0 calories exists nor will it taste good.

this is my personal way of managing my cravings and not feeling deprived and depressed. I have lost about 10 lbs pre MFP and now an additional 4 more because this works for me

you will have to find what works for you through a bit of trial and error and experimenting

Hungry_Tuna

I have a "cheat meal" every week. It keeps binges at bay. Even after my cheat meals, I make sure I'm still under/at my calorie goal. If I'm not, I'll workout to burn some off.

Right on, that's my mentality too.

SweetSammie

I don't have cheat days because honestly I really enjoy all the foods I eat on my cut. If I did have a cheat day though it would be a chicken burrito bowl with black beans, no rice, corn salsa, and guacamole from Chipotle which is still fairly healthy besides the amount of sodium and slightly high amount of calories for 1 meal.

I've been making burrito bowls at home... they turn out pretty healthy, even with a Tblsp each Guac and Sour cream. I just load up on the veggies... lots of lettuce, tomato, salsa and sauteed onions and peppers. I usually have 1/4 cup each brown rice, black beans and corn. TOTALLY tasty.

funsiiz

I do have cheat days...so far working just fine for me.I feel cheat days keep me from feeling deprived. I don't cheat all day on those days (Friday & Saturday) I stay pretty active on these days. I don't recommned cheat days because they dont work for eveyone, but I do believe you have to allow yourself a little indulging :}

ictowns

Before I started using MFP and I was working out with a trainer, instead of a full cheat day, he allowed to me have cheat hours. One day a week, he wanted me to eat whatever I wanted, how much ever I wanted from the time I woke up until 2pm and then it was back to normal. This actually worked out great for me although even though I had until 2pm, after I pigged out for breakfast, I didn't want anything else to eat until after 2pm (I ate breakfast late on my cheat day...@ 10am), so it really only worked out to a cheat meal once a week.

liftandcycle

I have a cheat day once a month.. the curious thing about it is that I gain like 5 lb... (its all water weight btw).. the very next day I'll go backt o my normal routine and by the next week I'll lose the 5 lb I gained plus 2-3 lb more... so having a cheat day for me.. works amazingly well..

embclark

I don't have cheat days, but at the end of each night I have one serving of Cadbury mini eggs. I know that if I cut out candy all together I would cheat. So 12 mini eggs are put into MFP first thing in the morning so that I always have the calories for them!

In the past I probably had cheat days, but with my thyroid and celiac restrictions, there isn't much I can "cheat" with!

BrienJD

Haven't had one yet...too chicken, oh but soooo WANT one though! I just can't decide what I'd like to have, need to make it an event if I'm going to do it....sorry chips, or candy ain't gonna do it, maybe cake and ice cream though Either that or a real splurge at a resturaunt! Olive Garden maybe (but I STILL won't eat the salad!) I better quit..........

textlikekisses

I eat what I want in moderation. I also feel like spike days are good (for me) to keep my metabolism on its toes - but on those days I don't even get near 2000 calories (my daily is set at around 1370). The key is to not beat yourself up over it - enjoy it when you have it and then I find that you don't want it for a while. Everything is different from person to person. Just find out what works for you.

juicyfruits72

I definitely believe in cheat days. I mean, come on, once you've reached your weight loss goal I'm sure you'll have days where there are sweets available, somebody in your family might make brownies or have fast food for dinner, and sometimes you just can't avoid it. I think as long as you try not to have a million cheat days, maybe like once a week you can allow yourself to go over your calorie limit by 100 or so, or you could have take out for dinner once every couple of weeks? As most people say, everything in moderation!

BrienJD

I have a cheat day once a month.. the curious thing about it is that I gain like 5 lb... (its all water weight btw).. the very next day I'll go backt o my normal routine and by the next week I'll lose the 5 lb I gained plus 2-3 lb more... so having a cheat day for me.. works amazingly well..

Now THAT is encouraging!

Christine1110

Depends what your cheating with. Once you start eating crap ( sugar & fat) you don't want to stop....you keep thinking about it, or eating it. I gave it all up with no cheat days. I only eat clean....I can't say I will for ever, but I want to be thin, and there is only one way for me to do it. I have never felt better.

ahubbard134

I underestimate my activity level and exercise, and overestimate portions.

Then I give myself leeway within my deficit. If I really want an evening snack, I get it, no guilt.

If I cheat big time, I log it, and then I have to wait for that spike to move off of my Nutrition bar graph. (A terrible punishment, I know!)

hnguthrie

Some people do better by having an indulgence now and then. They can have that candy bar on Saturday and ease their pain until next week. I am not one of those people. I am thoroughly incapable of eating just one sweet. If I start, I will eat at least half the package in one sitting. The last time I had a weekend getaway and ate junk for a couple of days, it took me over a month to stop craving sugary, processed food. I'm better off avoiding it, or else it gets me in trouble. For some people, it's salty or fried food. If can have a cheat day and get easily back on track the next day, by all means. However, if you can't, don't even open that can of worms.