does anyone NOT have cheat days/meals?
Replies
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That term is not even in my vocabulary. I eat what I want/can in moderation. Including chocolate. I make it work for me, if it doesn't fit in my log, I don't eat it.
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Hi all,
I just started eating really clean couple of months ago. After a few days of eating clean I do not even crave it anymore but I end up having one cheat meal a week of junk food, (just because I was told I should) but after I eat the one meal I crave it so much more and give in. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with them or people who do have them but cheat meals rather than fulfilling the desire only seems to make it worse.
Is it okay for me to NOT have cheat meals? DOes anyone else not have cheat meals/days?
I have free/spike days now and again if that's what you mean, but I don't call them cheat days. You aren't going to live your life never going out for a birthday, anniversary special event, so you may as well get used to dealing with them now and not feel so guilty about it. Just try to fit them in with your lifestyle.
I don't plan them, but if I know there is a social occassion coming up I just enjoy it and get back on track straight afterwards.
for the past 2 weekends I've had a 3000 cal day, and will have one this weekend too.
I've still lost almost 3lbs in the last 2 weeks so they did me no harm.0 -
I like having my spike day
just because I enjoy not calorie watching for a day. 0 -
I "cheat" everyday. I've stayed basically the same weight for the last 25 years because I really never restricted what I ate and therefore never really binged or craved foods I liked since I was eating them anyway. Works for me.
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See as I start to really get into clean eating I start to crave healthy foods...0 -
Congrats on making such positive changes! If you don't crave it, then listen to your body and don't eat it. If you're eating clean, enjoying and not feeling deprived, then stick with it. When the day comes when you're thinking, "holy crap, I must have X!" then have it, enjoy it, and move on. Best of luck to you!0
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Thats in you're head however. Insulin and glucose levels will only change for about 6-12 hours after.
Doesn't mean you should cheat if you don't want, no biological reason. HOWEVER I am saying there is no problem with cheating however, these pictures demonstrate it.
I never said there was
"I'm not saying there is anything wrong with them or people who do have them but cheat meals rather than fulfilling the desire only seems to make it worse for me. " is in my original post0 -
The simple answer is that you absolutely don't have to have a cheat day if it doesn't work for you.
Each of us needs to find a way of eating that let's us get healthy and stay that way.
Do what works for you and don't feel obliged to follow someone else's "rules" - that is just setting yourself up to fail.0 -
I have that same problem -- if I "cheat" and let myself eat whatever, I have a rough time getting back on track. I usually don't plan "cheat" days. I just end up somewhere with the fam and make a bad decision and it throws me off for a couple of days. It's something I need to be better about.0
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That term is not even in my vocabulary. I eat what I want/can in moderation. Including chocolate. I make it work for me, if it doesn't fit in my log, I don't eat it.
^^^ This is me also. I eat mostly healthy foods, but I fit a small treat here and there to keep myself from feeling deprived. The term cheat days/meals sounds like a diet to me rather than a lifestyle. I aim to eat each day in a way that I can live with for the rest of my life and that I enjoy.0 -
You can't really cheat. Yes it is simply semantics, but you can't really cheat. Whatever you eat and whatever exercise you do will reflect on your body.
That said, you are an adult, you can eat what you want. High calorie day, High carb day, chocolate day, whatever.
The goal is to eat responsibly. You can have some junk responsibly.0 -
That term is not even in my vocabulary. I eat what I want/can in moderation. Including chocolate. I make it work for me, if it doesn't fit in my log, I don't eat it.
^^^ This is me also. I eat mostly healthy foods, but I fit a small treat here and there to keep myself from feeling deprived. The term cheat days/meals sounds like a diet to me rather than a lifestyle. I aim to eat each day in a way that I can live with for the rest of my life and that I enjoy.
See thats the weird thing... I actually DO enjoy my food when eating clean...0 -
I eat well 90% of the time. The other 10% I eat that bad things that I crave. I wouldn't necessarily call them "cheating".0
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If a cheat meal doesn't benefit you, don't force yourself to have one. For some people it's the only way they can stay on a diet.0
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I say, if you don't want to have cheat meals/days, don't. This is your life, your diet. If you feel like crap after eating junk food, don't eat it.
I have "cheat" snacks. I'll make a little chocolate cake, but I have the same problem where I crave it more.
It's easier for some people to just make the change and eat clean. A lot of people can't do that, so they have the cheat days. It's like a reward, or something to look forward to at the end of a good week.
I try to treat my "cheat" meals as those days where I'm really busy and get fast food, or eat out with a friend. Otherwise, I spiral back into the bad eating cycle.
Hope that helps :flowerforyou:0 -
This thread caught my attention because I've been eating really clean for 5 weeks now. Yesterday, for the first time, I half caved and went and got a small container of my very favorite, pre-diet-change meal: won ton soup from Chinese takeout. I use to get the large container, so this was a big difference. Anyway, as I ate the soup, it was so completely salty, much, much more salty than I remembered, to the point where it didn't even taste right, it wasn't enjoyable to eat. I realized I wouldn't be craving it anymore, it was no longer my comfort food. It was a surprising NSV for me.
Long story short, I don't believe you have to have cheat days or meals, but if you need one to prove something to yourself, there's also nothing wrong with that.0 -
I don't consider anything "cheating" because the only thing I'd be cheating is myself. If I really want something, I have it...but I never go over my maintenance calories...and most usually that indulgence fits into my calorie deficit allotment. I mix up my meals, eat when I'm hungry, and do lots of other things...so I never really have the feeling that I'm deprived at all...which in turn makes me not have those cravings to "cheat" I guess. Plus....eating is not cheating. We need to eat to live. I had to change my way of thinking about food completely before I was able to make this life change.
I tried to cheat one time a month ago and have a soda. I took a few sips of it and was grossed out by it. Last week I had a piece of birthday cake for mom's birthday. Was it cheating? Nope. It's called living & enjoying life! I ate a little less for lunch that day...and was still in my calories! 0 -
I never understood such day. Why are you restrictive during the other days ?
Where do you want me to begin?
well most of the food i would be eating on said days would have like 1000+ cals per meal.
I feel so much better when eating clean, when I eat junk food now I always feel sick, it really helps my depression and just generally I have more energy.
Thats not being restrictive! Thats being healthy... Im glad you feel better! What could be a better motivator?0 -
I don't have cheat meals or days. That doesn't mean I never cheat, I just don't plan the times I do. If I really feel like having lasagne, or a piece of chocolate, or dessert and haven't had any in a while, I will (in moderation), but I don't see the point in cheating just for the sake of it.0
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I don't have a "designated" cheat day - i don't plan on cheating ever, but sometimes my cravings or whatever get me...i may cave a little with one or two items, but never a whole meal...too much work has gone into this - that's my mindset.0
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I consider eating a little bit nutella cheating. I mean, look how many calories are in two table spoons - 200! :noway:0
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I have a "cheat mea"l whenever I really want it. I told myself when I changed the way I eat and exercise that this isn't a diet, this is my life now, I can't expect to stick to it if I can't eat what I want from time to time without feeling guilty. The thing I have noticed though is I don't crave food anymore, food is just fuel to me now and burgers just don't sound good to me anymore. I have lost 2+lbs per week and lost 5%+ body fat in the last month doing it so I don't see it as a wasted day.0
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I don't have cheat meals. I never got the point. The way I used to eat before was atrocious so I found alternatives to the foods I used to eat which taste just as good, if not better, than the foods I ate before. Which, in my mind, eliminates the need for "cheating".
That's pretty much what I did... I don't really have cravings for the junk food anymore, once in a while, but then I use one of my alternatives. I don't do cheat days or meals really. Occasionally, I have a treat, but only once in a while...0 -
Every day is a 'cheat' day! I eat anything and everything without restricting anything from the menu. I'm just more carefully with how much I want to eat.
As it happens though, I'm not a massive fan of takeaways & processed junk anyway. I started putting together my own bacon & egg muffins rather than eating the McDonalds ones & cooking my own curries. I much prefer my own and I'm sorely disappointed when I do have fast food. Even Domino's pizza (my absolute favourite cheat food of all time) tasted bland and meh when I ordered last week after going several weeks without one.
I suppose I don't really believe in 'cheat' days because I don't believe in a restrictive diet.0 -
I have cheat meals! I do indulge every once in a while, but the key is to get back to the clean eating the very next day.0
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i always go over on friday and saturday because of unavoidable and well-deserved social obligations. for instance, this weekend is 2 birthday parties and a bridal shower. i'll be mindful of what i eat, but it always happens that i go over. the wine doesn't help, but it sure doesn't hurt either! i look forward to my weekends. i let loose and get back at it sunday!
i guess you could say it's a cheat, but i say it's just my routine.0 -
I don't log my calories on Saturdays, but eating healthy, low cal stuff has become a part of my life....so even on my "cheat" day I still eat pretty darn well. I usually have more carbs that day.0
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My husband is only home for 6 days a month and so these 6 days are basically my cheat days! However, I still log everything and try and make good choices but I relax on worrying about staying 'under or at' my allotted calories. As long as I don't gain weight over those 6 days I'm happy 0
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I don't have a cheat day or a cheat meal for the purpose you stated. I have a really hard time just making one day a good day and I know how easy it is for me to start eating something and not stop. In some ways everyday turns into a bit of a cheat/meal day to an extent with me even though I try not too
so an official cheat day would just make it worse since that would just pile on more junk that I don't need. I just take it each day at a time. 0 -
I had a cheat week while losing the bulk of my weight. I was on a cruise with my extended family during the week of Christmas. I didn't log, but I didn't get too carried away. I had desert every evening and gained one pound that week. Otherwise, until recently, I avoided cheat days. Now that I'm where I want to be, I cut myself some slack. I log almost every day for accountability, but I know what I have to do if I gain more than a couple of pounds or if my new clothes start getting tight.0
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That term is not even in my vocabulary. I eat what I want/can in moderation. Including chocolate. I make it work for me, if it doesn't fit in my log, I don't eat it.
^^This.0
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