Does anyone else NOT do a "cheat" day?

SadieToughLady

I don't have "official" cheat days. If one day I so happen to end up eating more, then so be it. I work out regularly and eat a low calorie diet so I can have what I enjoy that isn't the best for me (in moderation) with little consequences. It is al about balance. I think declaring a day a "cheat" day opens up Pandora's box and many people go overboard.

randomartisrgirl

No cheat day for me, a cheat day is just that - cheating. Cheating myself, cheating my diet. I find it better for me to learn to bring the things I want into my diet with moderation. It feels sooo good to go out and buy an item that I would have binged on before, and eating a small portion of it and saving it fr later. It really makes me feel accomplished about what I've done with my life. A cheat day is just a dy to go crazy. Why would I want to prolong what could have been a great day for tomorrow?

PShep17

I don't do a cheat day. I tend not to eat back exercise cal's but if I know I'm having a rich dinner or some wine I make sure I earn enough calories to deserve them!

aschoot

I id not know we could respond to stuff like this, but no I dnt do a cheat day. I work it into my calories, and yes if it is a lot of calories I exercise again. This is a lifestyle I want to eat like this forever so I am trying to learn when I crave sweets to fit it in instead of doing a cheat day where I will pig out lol.

dbickel5

No cheat days for me, I tried doing it once last month when we went out to dinner. That one cheat day (actually cheat dinner) turned into a cheat week.......... Im best off staying away from any type of cheating and just double or triple up on the exercise before getting that questionable food i desire.

fiberartist219

I'm not even sure I understand what a cheat day is. Is it just when you go over on your calories and pretend like it's ok?

FlittyGetsFit

I took 3 days "off" over Easter, and found it really really hard to get back into the swing of things. Since then I've not had a cheat day at all. Tomorrow we're having a big meal with all the family, and I've scheduled extra exercise to compensate for the extra calories. And that's pretty much the way I do things now. If I want a food treat that would put me over my calorie goal, I'll work out more to make up for it.

thinsoundsgood

i really only have cheat days when it's holidays/birthdays/ or just a night out with my friends. but i give myself a rest day from exercise on sunday to give my muscles a rest. so far it's been working for me!

LoveAustralia

Nope. I work it into my daily calories if I'm really craving something. I do this because I'm ashamed to admit I went on a fad diet and lost all the weight but put it back on why? because on that diet it was extremely restrictive BUT I had a cheat day on the cheat day I would BINGE badly worse than I had ever done before but the weight still came off. Once I'd reached my goal I just forgot about the diet and everyday was a cheat day it wrecked my foodometer I had no idea about moderation I had completely forgot what it meant to eat normally. before I went on the diet I had the occasional treat my problem was meal sizes but when it came to my free day I would eat as much 'junk' food as I could get my hands on. It was a horrible cycle for me so calorie counting is a way to train myself how much I can have without being excessive. And I don't want to wait until saturday while craving the whole week and then overdo it and make myself sick. So for me I cant do 'cheat' days but if you have better self control then me it's really about what works for you in the long term.

andreamkelly

I just started my current diet... oops not a diet, but a new way of life. Today will be my first opportunity to 'cheat' since I'm going to a crawfish shrimp boil at a friends and I won't know the calories for anything. Tomorrow will be worse, Mother's Day Brunch at an Italian Restaurant. Anyone know the calories for lobster bisque??

fiveohmike

I am having a "cheat day" today. Gonna be eating Frog Dog's (Big *kitten* Turkey dog in a hollowed out sourdough roll), beer ect.

at a race track

that I will be walking up and down hills and walking over 10+ miles over the course of 14 hours....so maybe not really cheating lol

fatmom51

I really like the posters who have talked about incorporating less healthy eating into their regular eating plans -- "indulgent," "casual," and "treats" -- are going to be part of our lives. I've only been doing this for two weeks, so I've been trying to keep pretty close to what MFP says I need to lose 2 lbs. a week, as I'm looking at a 100-lb. plus journey.
As someone who has kids with busy schedules who need transportation, there have been occasions where we've had to do fast-food. (Don't tell me that I could have planned better -- our schedule REALLY does have us out of the house from 4-ish until after 9 some days, with few breaks to cook, sit down, and eat.) That said, I've been trying to make a healthy choice when I hit the fast food places, even if it is the kid-sized burger and a small fries. (But I write it down and account for it, trying to get in an extra walk while my kids are at practice, walk around the halls during my breaks/lunch at the school where I work, etc.)

This weekend may be a little more indulgent, only because I'm going to be at a swim meet all weekend, where the food choices are pretty limited and sometimes higher in calories than I would choose (bagels and muffins in the morning, as opposed to wheat toast or low-fat waffle and some yogurt; pizza or hot dog at lunch, and then dinner out with the team) But I'll still write everything down and then try to compensate.

On a "regular" day, I'll indulge, like others here have said. But I'll count it. A handful of jelly beans, or two squares of Ghiradelli dark chocolate are roughly 110 calories. I can do that! Heck, it's only a 20 minute walk and I can make that up marching in place or doing the stepper during commercials on TV!!

Great site!! This is fun.

onceabyrne

I've gone up and down with my weight all my life and I'm back at it again. What I have to learn is this is a lifetime thing - eating healthy and become more physically fit. The other times I've lost weight I was pretty black and white about it, I'd follow an eating plan pretty religiously without deviation. That isn't very realistic for the long-term and leads to binge days... or months in my case, lol. This time around I'm trying to do more in moderation. I try to exercise every day and stay within my calorie range. If I want something, I look up the nutrition first and then decide if it is really worth it and will it cause me to overeat later. I try to stay away from trigger foods (pasta, pizza, etc.) since it is hard for me to have just one slice of pizza (who does that??). My daughter loves China Buffet. I went there with her last Sunday for dinner. I had two plates but tried to avoid the really really bad stuff (rice, fried stuff). I really had no clue how many calories I ate, but listed is as 1,000. I had exercised that day but still went over my calories. But, I didn't feel guilty about it because I knew I made better choices than other times. And, I've still lost 3.5 pounds this week so far. It isn't realistic to think I won't ever eat there again, or have pizza, or pasta. I know I just have to make better choices when I'm not eating nutritionally balanced meals so I don't beat myself up about it later.

iwantahealthierme13

none here, but I do eat pretty much whatever I want as long as it fits into my day

(very little soda, very little chocolate/snack food)

I'll have some pizza, fried fish -- pretty much anything, just smaller servings.

If it's not realistic, it won't work.

nill4me

I don't. It's all about balance and sustainability for me. I eat ice-cream nearly every day.

This is how I like to work it as well. I am not going to ban myself from the things that i love. I am working very hard to be healthy in a sustainable way. Just the word CHEAT implies guilt and makes it sound as if you did something awful...I refuse to punish myself for having something that I trule love. Like ice-cream

wookiemouse

I don't have a cheat day.

I used to, and it would take me half the following week to get over the cravings. So now I just don't do it. I eat clean anyways, so whatever I'm craving and is in the house is good for me and ok to eat - no "cheating" necessary!

HMonsterX

Cheat on what? I'm not on a diet or something!

Eat what i want within my macros and cals, its all good.

carld256

I don't have a cheat day either. The idea just seems counter productive. If I really want something I'll eat it and account for the calories. I don't think I've gone over MFP's alloted calories + exercise yet.

saraann4

I do, but it's more like a cheat meal. My first cheat day so far, I just splurged on dinner. I was miserable afterwards so I plan to tone it down the next time. It's all about making healthier choices so hopefully one day, I won't call it a "cheat day"

Papillon22

No cheat days for me. I eat what I want, burn it off if I can, and if not, I move on.
I've also changed snacks, like a chocolate bar for 2 squares of dark chocolate, so the healhy alternative makes me feel good.