Why a Cheat Day is a misnomer
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I also hate the term. I have my high days, I have my low days....all within my calorie budget. I go out to dinner, drink beer, etc. It's part of my eating plan and something that I personally can live with long-term. That's all there is to it.0
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I disagree. Cheating is important for staying on the road on down the road. I've been at this for a year and some change. You cannot be perfect all the time and days when you cannot resist the chip craving are going to be there. What are you going to do, call your friends and family and tell them holidays are canceled this year because you are on a diet and cheating is so horrible for it. Don't be ridiculous. Beating yourself up for indulging in that is going to make you less likely to stay on program, then forgetting about it and starting over the next day. If I beat myself up and made myself feel bad about every cheat day I've had, I would have been long gone by now. I cheat about two to three times a month, yet I still lose 4 to 5 pounds. At the end of the day we are all human and if it takes us a little longer, so be it. We did it. That's all that matters.0
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So, those of you who embrace cheating, what other parts of your life to you have regular cheat days?? If it is good for your body, should be good everywhere else too right?
So, in your world it's all black and white? No gray areas? If you cheat here, you must cheat there? Sounds pretty silly to me.0 -
So funny....
Start a thread to voice your opinion which is written as law not an opinion...
spend rest of thread trying to belittle everyone into agreeing with you...
and if they arent buying it...point out that your vocabulary and comprehension is better than theirs..
gotta love the forums
This!!!!!!0 -
Shouldn't be more like a cheat meal not cheat day? Anyone who has entire cheat day is an idiot... that being said I had entire cheat weekend...
(raises hand) Idiot here, have a entire cheat day once a week and yet i'm still a loser :laugh:
This!
Usually once a week I spend the day making awesome food with my mother and I enjoy it, without guilt, all day. Doesn't make me an idiot especially seeing as I have lost around 15 pounds in less than 80 days.0 -
I have to agree b/c my "cheat day" last week turned into cheating "just a little" every day! No more.0
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I think many of you didn't even read my original post. Or perhaps you don't know what the word "misnomer" means.
Misnomer: Definition, A small unmarried female gnome
This thread is starting to get douchey...
You sure haven't added anything of value.0 -
I kind of agree, but then I don't, but then I do :huh: lol I confuse myself too
What some people might consider as cheating, I consider it as living.
I will eat what I like, and delete the things I don't need from my diet.
with this said, if it fits in my daily goals, then I'll have a serving of it
it works for me. my main goal on this whole journey has been to find a way of eating that is good for weight loss and sustainable for a normal eating life0 -
I don't call 'it' anything. But if I had to put a label on it, I'd call it a sanity day. It helps me regain my sanity after I've been so good the other days. It allows me to 'let loose' (not LOSE) with my tastebuds so that I can easily reign in my eating and get back to the plan that works for me.0
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So funny....
Start a thread to voice your opinion which is written as law not an opinion...
spend rest of thread trying to belittle everyone into agreeing with you...
and if they arent buying it...point out that your vocabulary and comprehension is better than theirs..
gotta love the forums
I've been here since 2010 and it's pretty much the same *kitten*, different day lol.
Love this!!!!! Everybody loses a few pounds & then want to beat everybody up cuz they want to have a "cheat day"! I thought MFP was a learning tool to help us realize what the heck we putting in our mouths? I didn't know it turned every successful loser into rocket scientist!
I don't pretend to be a rocket scientist or try to preach to anyone on here. After seeing tons of people and fads come and go, I've come to the realization that everyone is different and what will work for them is based on their food and exercise preferences. Live and let live
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I cheat at solitaire - does that count?0
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Yeah, I was calling them 'cheat days' until I realized that I was using that as an excuse. Then I decided there would be no more excuses. So the cheat days went away.
It all depends upon what the person wants in their lifestyle change. I don't get too hung up on what others want to do as far as their diet goes or what they want to call it when they splurge on calories for a day. For me, it is a lapse. That is all, but that is because I know what I am capable of doing. If I don't do it, if I don't stick to my healthy eating style and go over my calories, I call it what it is - a LAPSE. No shame about it. That is called being accountable for what I have done.
I just feel that if I am not accountable - not willing to call it what it is - those days will occur more and more often. It would become an excuse for me to eat over my calorie allowance. So I no longer have 'cheat days'.
I am speaking for myself here, so don't go jumping all over me. What I do is what I do. What you want to do is what you want to do. What works for me might not work for you and vice-versa. I don't judge those who have cheat days; I just no longer have them. :happy:0 -
So, those of you who embrace cheating, what other parts of your life to you have regular cheat days?? If it is good for your body, should be good everywhere else too right?
So, in your world it's all black and white? No gray areas? If you cheat here, you must cheat there? Sounds pretty silly to me.
I am fairly certain that at no point I have stated anything about my beliefs or practices. I was just trying to ascertain where this notion of a cheat day is derived from. My suspicion is that it is a term constructed for justification.
I will say something about myself, in response to your comment. I do not eat corn or anything with corn in it. However, I do allow popcorn once a month given that it's organic and I make it myself with just coconut oil. This is not a cheat. It's a planned exception that from my research has no negative nutritional consequence to me. I log it and move on. I don't post something like "OMG, I ate popcorn! I better run 12 miles tomorrow and eat cucumbers all day!".0 -
What I call a 'day off' is what many others call their 'cheat day' as far as I can tell. It is the day I am more lax, which for me means I make sure I eat back all the calories I exercise off. Usually I don't. For example, this week I will make a yummy shrimp stir-fry for dinner and something with strawberries for dessert. I watch my salt, keeping it under 1500 and don't eat pre-packaged or processed foods. Next month I plan to go out to eat..I have until then to browse their menu and nutrition info but really I am only concerned that I don't go over my salt intake.
Yes, all this considered, 'day off' and 'cheat day' are misnomers.
I don't believe people are actually boasting about gorging or backsliding. Then again, perhaps I simply haven't seen it.0 -
So, those of you who embrace cheating, what other parts of your life to you have regular cheat days?? If it is good for your body, should be good everywhere else too right?
So, in your world it's all black and white? No gray areas? If you cheat here, you must cheat there? Sounds pretty silly to me.
I am fairly certain that at no point I have stated anything about my beliefs or practices. I was just trying to ascertain where this notion of a cheat day is derived from. My suspicion is that it is a term constructed for justification.
I will say something about myself, in response to your comment. I do not eat corn or anything with corn in it. However, I do allow popcorn once a month given that it's organic and I make it myself with just coconut oil. This is not a cheat. It's a planned exception that from my research has no negative nutritional consequence to me. I log it and move on. I don't post something like "OMG, I ate popcorn! I better run 12 miles tomorrow and eat cucumbers all day!".
It must be a blast hanging out with you at a party.0 -
So funny....
Start a thread to voice your opinion which is written as law not an opinion...
spend rest of thread trying to belittle everyone into agreeing with you...
and if they arent buying it...point out that your vocabulary and comprehension is better than theirs..
gotta love the forums
I've been here since 2010 and it's pretty much the same *kitten*, different day lol.
Love this!!!!! Everybody loses a few pounds & then want to beat everybody up cuz they want to have a "cheat day"! I thought MFP was a learning tool to help us realize what the heck we putting in our mouths? I didn't know it turned every successful loser into rocket scientist!
I don't pretend to be a rocket scientist or try to preach to anyone on here. After seeing tons of people and fads come and go, I've come to the realization that everyone is different and what will work for them is based on their food and exercise preferences. Live and let live
I wasn't referring to you momma I was referring to the person who started the post.0 -
Does losing a sense of humour count towards weight loss?0
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It must be a blast hanging out with you at a party.
... says the person with Homer Simpson as their avatar.0 -
Well said. I like your reference to winner.
I look at this as a race.
You either see it in black or white = to win or to lose
or you see it in grey = I did my best
I say go for the win!0 -
I suddenly feel the need to go make a big tub of buttery popcorn and cheat on my diet while re-reading this thread.0
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I don't really have cheat days. I have weak moments. and I will call it whatever the hell I want.
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Does losing a sense of humour count towards weight loss?
I sorta doubt it...but not getting invited to parties must make avoiding cheat pressure easier. I also hear douching can help a fella lose weight. The OP is selective in his trashing...he's ignored the sensible comments and attacked only those that have helped this thread to turn into a flame war. Since this is clearly his thread he's set the terms to the debate and by the color of his responses it's clear he's in the mood to rail, not debate or learn.0 -
Is this thread really happening? I thought we were all in this thing together.
Time to eat my feelings...
CHEAT DAY!!!!0 -
It must be a blast hanging out with you at a party.
... says the person with Homer Simpson as their avatar.
Judging a person by their avatar is a great measure of character. Using the numbers he's lost twice the weight you have and 50% more in terms of percent original body weight.0 -
I assume that the use of the word "cheat" related to a diet came from the same way we use it in the context of relationships: being unfaithful, straying, etc. "Cheating" on your wife (or your diet) certainly doesn't fit the OP's definition of "taking a shortcut to win or finish first".
That said, who cares what people call it? It's the practice of ignoring (or just relaxing, depending on your approach) the normal restrictions of your diet for a day. It works well for many people, myself included, to control cravings through the rest of the week without a seriously negative impact on weight loss. You're still keeping a deficit each week, just the distribution of calories looks different. In my case, I try to eat roughly my TDEE on my "cheat day", instead of my normal 500-700 calorie deficit. I could call it "maintenance day", if I actually cared that someone out there was getting their underwear in a twist over the word "cheat"... but I don't. 0 -
Is this thread really happening? I thought we were all in this thing together.
Time to eat my feelings...
CHEAT DAY!!!!
It looks like you're about to eat your cat. Do you know how many calories are in him/her?0 -
Is this thread really happening? I thought we were all in this thing together.
Time to eat my feelings...
CHEAT DAY!!!!
:laugh: Love it! And I agree, I thought this place was for positive thinking, and helping each other reach our goals, supporting one another.0 -
. I was just trying to ascertain where this notion of a cheat day is derived from. My suspicion is that it is a term constructed for justification.
It always seemed obvious to me that people meant they were going off their regular diet for a day. Like playing hooky from work.0 -
well said! i've never understood why people celebrate "cheat days"0
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I am pretty tired of seeing the term cheat day. People act like throwing out that term magically justifies, well, anything! I drank a fifth of vodka last night, cheat day! I ate 2 bowls of ice cream, cheat day! And everyone is like "Yeah, that's awesome!" or "LOLZ".
"Cheat day" should not even be a term used here. I mean, do you even know what it means? Or is the herd just falling in line.
From my 35 years of experience, cheat usually means taking a shortcut to win or finish first. It means doing something you shouldn't. It means you don't brag about it, you hide it hoping to not get caught. It means you lack the knowledge or will to complete a task with integrity.
But when you cheat on your diet, you only fall further behind.
It should be called a "regress day" or "lapse day".
Regress:
1. To go back; move backward.
2. To return to a previous, usually worse or less developed state.
Laspe:
1. To fall from a previous level or standard, as of accomplishment, quality, or conduct
Perhaps we would be less cavalier about our cheating if we acknowledged what we were saying.
I love your post so much I want to hug you.
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