cheat days?

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2

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  • RedWeb
    RedWeb Posts: 108 Member
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    One cheat day can ruin 3 good days i.e. 3 days 500 under followed by one day 1500 over. Four days down the toilet. As long as people remember that. People who do this once a week are effectively dieting for 3 days out of seven. Good luck with that.
  • Jade17694
    Jade17694 Posts: 584 Member
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    I used to do one day a week and found that it started my cravings and snacking off again so now i do one meal a week - usually on a Monday :)
  • rextcat
    rextcat Posts: 1,408 Member
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    one awsome meal, it just lasts all day...lol
  • gatecityradio
    gatecityradio Posts: 401
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    Once a week is a little overboard....stick to special occasions, like major holidays and your birthday.
  • Dustinryan24
    Dustinryan24 Posts: 233 Member
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    i lost 40 pounds in 6 months eating whatever i wanted every sunday.. im a fan of cheat days.. it gives you something to reward yourself with.. plus after a month, your cheat days becomes a cheat meal, and you just quit cheating after that..
  • sniperzzzz
    sniperzzzz Posts: 282 Member
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    One cheat day can ruin 3 good days i.e. 3 days 500 under followed by one day 1500 over. Four days down the toilet. As long as people remember that. People who do this once a week are effectively dieting for 3 days out of seven. Good luck with that.
    Strong statement there, are you speaking for everyone or just yourself?
  • RedWeb
    RedWeb Posts: 108 Member
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    Strong statement there, are you speaking for everyone or just yourself?

    Just stating the science as I know it. One day of 1500 over nulls 3 days of 500 under i.e. 4 days which do not contribute to any calorific deficit. Maybe some people don't realise that.
  • sniperzzzz
    sniperzzzz Posts: 282 Member
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    Strong statement there, are you speaking for everyone or just yourself?

    Just stating the science as I know it. One day of 1500 over nulls 3 days of 500 under i.e. 4 days which do not contribute to any calorific deficit. Maybe some people don't realise that.
    Ok i see your logic, but it doesn't always work that way for everyone.
    Some people cheat all the time, and still make a decent loss at the end of the week.
    I used to do it, until i got to certain % body fat, then i had to tighten things up.
    It really is down to the individual, some will get away with it, others will not.
  • RedWeb
    RedWeb Posts: 108 Member
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    So lets do some math. Lets use a woman who maintains her weight at 2,100 calories. So she's on a 1,600 calorie deficit.
    In 3 days she will have a 1,500.

    So for 1 day to offset this, she needs to eat at her maintenance plus 1,500 calories.
    Friend of mine on here was 1,900 over last Sunday. I checked and it undid 4 days. One day out of seven to eat what you like just seems too much of a risk to me. Once a month, a special event but not one day in seven. Yes, have a treat (i.e. a cake, takeaway) but not a whole day. Just my opinion. As always you must do whatever works for YOU.
  • OregonShell
    OregonShell Posts: 44 Member
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    I generally try to keep it to one meal.. usually if hubby and I are going out to one of our favorite all-u-can-eat chinese or itallian food places... I also try to keep it down to once a week.. Somepeople need to have a planned day or meal where u can satisify your cravings to keep from majorily falling off the diet/ health wagon...
    If it is planned you can also put in a few extra minute of cardio to make it counter productive

    I am amazed sometime how many healthy choices I make even on "cheat days" .. becomes a habit
  • kekl
    kekl Posts: 382 Member
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    I get two days. One day I will eat anything I want but stay within my calorie limit, the other day I will also eat whatever I want but I'm allowed to go over a bit. Usually weekends.
  • jodycoady
    jodycoady Posts: 598 Member
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    I have cheat days on the weekend but honestly, it's keeping me the same weight...no weight loss. I am screwing myself over:sad: ....

    Do you consume more than 1200 calories on your non cheat days?

    1380
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    I dont do cheat days......it impedes your progress and gets your mind in a weak state thinking its ok to not stick to your diet!

    What if the cheat day is called a high intake day and it is a scheduled part of the diet plan?


    CHEAT days are usually considered to be eat whatever you want days.....which includes fatty, high calorie, etc, etc.....I wouldnt confuse a clean food, high intake day as a CHEAT day in the typical sense of the term.

    To me a cheat day is one where I don't track intake and a eat a little above maintenance. I'm not sure why individual food selection would matter given micro/macro sufficiency. Or at least, I don't know why you're bringing that into part of the discussion. Do you seem to think that eating "clean" effects body composition in the context of a controlled intake with micro/macro sufficiency?
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    I dont do cheat days......it impedes your progress and gets your mind in a weak state thinking its ok to not stick to your diet!

    You just said HIIT should be done everyday... now you're saying this. Both are incorrect.


    Your a myfitnesspal "expert" spouting nonsense to others who are ill-informed.

    Maybe you should try bodybuilding.com or muscleandstrength.com but then again your "expertise" wouldnt be able to stand up to reality.

    The actual nutrition section of bodybuilding.com is pretty solid when Alan Aragon and a few other regulars are replying to threads.
  • jsapninz
    jsapninz Posts: 909 Member
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    :noway: You're only cheating yourself.

    Do whatever you want. :grumble:
  • muppetsbear
    muppetsbear Posts: 80 Member
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    Personally, I try to incorporate my cravings sensibly on a regular basis, so there is nothing to "cheat" on. I love chocolate, so I use cocoa powder or chocolate pea protein in my almond milk coffee.
    I will have a serving of tortilla chips with my chili or if I have Mexican food.
    I incorporate things I like every day so I don't feel deprived.
    Occasionally I splurge on a meal, but since I eat nutritious foods otherwise, I don't consider it cheating.

    I'm the same. I eat what I want when I want, that way I don't crave it. I love ice cream and when I can have it any time I want because its in the freezer I forget its there. If I do have a rough day I just ensure I'm more dilligent for the next few days. If I'm going to have to watch what I eat for the rest of my life I need to enjoy it every day.
  • LiddyBit
    LiddyBit Posts: 447 Member
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    I'm not a moderate person, so incorporating treats into my daily diet doesn't work for me. I like cheat days, but usually it's more like cheat meals, and when factored into my weekly diet I rarely go over my projected deficit because other days I may not hit my calorie goal for that day. Yesterday was the first day in 30 days of logging that I straight up did not even log my day, but the only thing I ate that was markedly different from choices I'd make while logging was a big piece of chocolate cake so, I think for me it ended up just being more a break from calorie counting than a break from my diet.
  • sweet110
    sweet110 Posts: 332 Member
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    All this math is giving me a headache...

    I don't cheat. The concept of cheating implies a dieting mindset...which may work fine for you fitness buffs on here looking to lean-out but for most regular-fat people who have been on a zillion "diets", it was that kind of thinking/behavior that helped to get us into the trouble we are in. The "good diet / indulgent mini-binge" dichotomy hasn't done most of us much good.

    But life is for living. So sometimes I have occasional foods. Sweet potato pie during fall/winter holidays. Or occasionally eat more than is good for me...like eating too much of the delicious food my friend makes when I visit her once a year (the food is wholesome, but I eat too darn much of it!) Somebody's grandmother makes a peach cobbler from scratch (In my world, this doesn't' occur very often. Gotta eat it when it happens!)

    But I don't "schedule" them, or look forward to them, or reward myself with them. They are occasional foods. I eat them, on occasion (and I do mean, on occasion). Otherwise, I try to eat food that has enough variety, tastiness, and luxury that I don't have to long for scheduled "cheats."
  • felicia8604
    felicia8604 Posts: 274 Member
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    so what your all saying is dont do it! haha....i didnt realize this would start a debate. anyways i would like to lose about 15-20lbs then gofrom there to see if i need to lose anymore or just tone up. i have been trying to do really good but like someone said i think its all in your head whether you need that cheat day or not or just eat things with in moderation.
  • westdove
    westdove Posts: 174
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    I used to have a cheat day, then a cheat meal, but that was just setting me back on my weekly goals. Now its just seasonal (mothers day, and Memorial day were mine). Even when I do have one, I am way too conscious of food to over indulge.

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