One cheat meal is not going to hurt you

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  • ataylor89
    ataylor89 Posts: 3
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    I cant do moderation. I find calorie counting is the best method for me. I also can't do a cheat meal either because I end up feeling crushingly guilty about eating that its not worth feeling that crappy about.
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
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    I cant do moderation. I find calorie counting is the best method for me. I also can't do a cheat meal either because I end up feeling crushingly guilty about eating that its not worth feeling that crappy about.

    Even if it's planned for in your diet?
  • atjays
    atjays Posts: 798 Member
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    I'd have to disagree with the throw one day out the window mentality,especially weekly. Doing that greatly slows your progress because people then indulge in all of their cravings, ignoring lables and they throw away half or more of their progress for the week.

    I do agree in giving in to a craving here and there, but its important to isolate it to one meal and make sure you still stay on track that day.

    Getting on the scale the day after a binge and seeing it up 3-4 lbs is horribly defeating, especially if you worked weeks to get that off. To ultimately be successful and fit, you have to show you have control over what you eat and demonstrate it. Otherwise you're one emotional day from throwing in the towel and robbing a McDonalds....
  • bizgirl26
    bizgirl26 Posts: 1,808 Member
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    This is the one reason I have been successful this time around! I swear by it!

    Agreed. The main thing is not getting hung up on it and getting back to eating healthy. I think depriving yourself all the time can lead to failure. I dont have a set day but I always find that something comes up where I want to indulge or it is really hard to eat healthy so I just enjoy myself. As a rule I dont weight myself the next day like I used to but wait 1 day. It has never gone up. Its about lifetsyle changes you can live with. Tonight I am indulging because it is girls night and the alcohol calories are going to put me over for sure.
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
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    I'd have to disagree with the throw one day out the window mentality,especially weekly. Doing that greatly slows your progress because people then indulge in all of their cravings, ignoring lables and they throw away half or more of their progress for the week.

    I do agree in giving in to a craving here and there, but its important to isolate it to one meal and make sure you still stay on track that day.

    Getting on the scale the day after a binge and seeing it up 3-4 lbs is horribly defeating, especially if you worked weeks to get that off. To ultimately be successful and fit, you have to show you have control over what you eat and demonstrate it. Otherwise you're one emotional day from throwing in the towel and robbing a McDonalds....

    I eat very low calories throughout the week so that I can have a monster meal that I actually enjoy once a week. It's not slowing my progress any.
  • MinkyMoo13
    MinkyMoo13 Posts: 354 Member
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    Sometimes i do have a cheat dayusually a friday but recently i dontwant to go over my cal limit. I find if i want chocolate or something i will wait until Friday and i enjoy it even more knowing i waited for it and hadn't splurged each day. Fridays tend to be pizza and wine and maybe chocolate but i exercise on that day to make up for it and it's also my housework day so i burn calroeis back from that too.

    I think a cheat day is a good idea if you still continue to lose or maintin. if your putting on it's probably an idea to reasses it but hey everybodies different.. I do belive in the 'Everything in MOderation' theory.
  • Fieldsy
    Fieldsy Posts: 1,105 Member
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    I'd have to disagree with the throw one day out the window mentality,especially weekly. Doing that greatly slows your progress because people then indulge in all of their cravings, ignoring lables and they throw away half or more of their progress for the week.

    I do agree in giving in to a craving here and there, but its important to isolate it to one meal and make sure you still stay on track that day.

    Getting on the scale the day after a binge and seeing it up 3-4 lbs is horribly defeating, especially if you worked weeks to get that off. To ultimately be successful and fit, you have to show you have control over what you eat and demonstrate it. Otherwise you're one emotional day from throwing in the towel and robbing a McDonalds....

    Everybody is different. You can never go off, have one meal, have a cheat day, etc...just as long as you make progress!
    Getting on a scale after a bad weekend encourages me that playtime is over and there is work to do. Again, if you create a good plan of attack, you never have to say goodbye to the foods you love, and you can eat them every week.
  • kitinboots
    kitinboots Posts: 589 Member
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    Its good motivation to exercise. Since I no longer do cheat days, if I know I'm going somewhere or doing something special or even if I simply crave pizza, I'll have a really good workout beforehand so I earn it. Sure chocolate cake might not be clean eating but if I've worked hard for it then its guilt free.
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
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    Having is cheat day is really the only thing that has ensured my success up to now. No other diet has ever worked, but fitting in a cheat day is great. Not only a cheat day, but when I first started, a cheat day was all out. Even though I did that, I still lost weight. So, I am a strong proponent of it.

    Having said that, i have recently not allowed cheat days, and instead, might just randomly cheat. So, it's not planned out, it just happens. I find by doing that, cheating is less frequent. I'm really having a hard time losing the last 5 lbs. So, I'm seeing if cutting out planned cheat days will help.

    For maintenance mode, cheat day is absolutely mandatory.
  • funkycamper
    funkycamper Posts: 998 Member
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    Since upping my daily net, I can have splurge meals/treats without showing any increase on the scale. I also have days that I don't eat my net if I've had a big calorie exercise burn so I bank those calories to spend another time on treats. I really look at my overall calories for the week, not my daily. So I can splurge quite a bit and usually have no problem staying under/at my target calories for the week.
  • cheryladamseve
    cheryladamseve Posts: 17 Member
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    I also do a cheat day but I find that I feel really bad the next day almost like my body does not want all that stuff in it anymore.
  • muddyventures
    muddyventures Posts: 360 Member
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    I'm really trying not to see anything as cheating, but just trying to be honest and live life where I'm at..sometimes we go out or sometimes we have a dessert. I just want my over all weeks to even out.
  • arcticfox04
    arcticfox04 Posts: 1,011 Member
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    I learn to manage a cheat meal 2-3 times a week into my Log w/o going over calories/fat/carbs. I just plan it out the day before. I eat enough during the day so I don't feel hungry and I could go for the bad meal w/o having to cheat.
  • peasantgirly
    peasantgirly Posts: 173 Member
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    I don't cheat...I EAT. I do not understand this cheat thing. What exactly is one cheating on... Do people plan on going the rest of their lives without eating out or eating cake or whatever else. That is why diets fail. You need to work these things into your lifestyle. All things in moderation. It works.

    I couldn't agree more. I don't like the concept of a "cheat" day, either. Just the name encourages a person to feel guilty about what they eat that day, and guilt is never a good emotion to have about food. I strongly feel that if I want a food that is not part of my normal daily food plan then I simply have to earn the extra calories for it.
  • matchfitin5
    matchfitin5 Posts: 19
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    I'm always strict with what I eat during the week but on weekends I eat what ever within reason. Since I have soccer games on Saturday and Sunday I won't eat anything fried but if I want ice cream, damn it I'm eating ice cream!
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
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    I would see an established Cheat Day as the thin edge of the wedge. I prefer to try to stick to my default calorie goal every day. Of course there are days when I go over, but I don't want to develop the mindset that it's OK.
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
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    I don't cheat...I EAT. I do not understand this cheat thing. What exactly is one cheating on... Do people plan on going the rest of their lives without eating out or eating cake or whatever else. That is why diets fail. You need to work these things into your lifestyle. All things in moderation. It works.

    I couldn't agree more. I don't like the concept of a "cheat" day, either. Just the name encourages a person to feel guilty about what they eat that day, and guilt is never a good emotion to have about food. I strongly feel that if I want a food that is not part of my normal daily food plan then I simply have to earn the extra calories for it.

    Agreed. Besides, I like my eating regime, but I'm not married to it. It and I are striving for peaceful cohabitation.
  • Fieldsy
    Fieldsy Posts: 1,105 Member
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    My calorie goal sun-fri is 2300, 3000 on fri and 3700 on my cheat day. If I am really bad Fri then Ill switch to 3000 on Sat.
  • chrystee
    chrystee Posts: 295 Member
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    For some people, it can cause a binge to begin though.. You have to know yourself..
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,012 Member
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    I dont have cheat days........Cheating is what causes binges.......I "cheat" every day.

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