Does anyone have cheat days?

matchbox_girl

I'm considering having one day out of the week where I can exceed my calorie limit and not document it....does anyone do this? Is it successful or a bad idea?

iqnas

I do it! It allows me to not feel so restricted all the time with a calorie intake. It also allows me to have one day of the week that I look forward to eating whatever I want.

iqnas

And I should also mention, it has no effect on my weight if it's only one day a week, and only up to 500 calories more.

zaithyr

I do splurge every now and then but I still document it best I can in order to stay in the habit and keep myself accountable. Typically if I'm going to have a day like that I plan ahead for it and eat a little less on the days surrounding it and/or throw in an extra walk. It's really more about your calorie intake/burn throughout the week rather than just one day anyway!

TexanThom

I do...But I log EVERYTHING anyway. Makes it harder to do it to often.

picimadar

Nope! That just encourages binge eating and perpetuating the mentality that you deserve to reward yourself with food. Try rewarding yourself with something else you love instead, and stick to eating to live, not living to eat.

grnice

I have a cheat meal. I stay on track all week and eat whatever I want on Friday nights but then back on track first thing Saturday morning.

F1uffy2

I usually have 1 or 2 days where I eat, drink and be merry! I do log everything though. I try to save my exercise calories for the week for these days. That way I still keep a nice steady weight loss, and because when I look at the bigger picture I've not gone over, I also keep on track!x

kimmy0811

I do....1x per week! We work so hard to maintain the healthy lifestyle, we deserve a cheat day!

Beckas2012

I do have cheat days but I still record it. Only so that I dont go toooo crazy lol good luck.

Josie_lifting_cats

Sometimes I document it, sometimes I don't. And my "cheat" days are usually over my TDEE. I consider my BMR and TDEE a range - not less than 1,400, not more than 1,880..... and then over 1,880 is a cheat day.

That said, now that it's summer I think I'm being far naughtier than I was a month or two ago. But I'm also somewhat close to my goal, not going to lose weight quickly, and I want to enjoy summer.... smores, grilling, etc. So it's okay with me. :-)

giantsr1

I read Bob Harper's book Skinny Rules and one of the rules is to have a cheat meal once a week. Just one meal and you aren't supposed to go bonkers and eat fast food but allow yourself a treat or extra something if you want it. I think it helps keep me motivated. Good luck to you!!

rae_84

I often have unplanned cheat days... oops.

Promqueen_74932

Hey honey!

When I was heavier I did take a cheat day, and I mean a whole day! Now that isn't so good for me to reach the goals that I've set for myself. I do still have a cheat meal, and with an eating disorder I do not deny or restrict myself from anything. I just eat a serving size of the "bad" food. We're all different with our eating habits, nutrition, and fitness, so I think it would just depend on your goals.


I hope this information helps. :-)

Sara

dalygirl_2010

My husband and I have one meal a week where we can eat anything we want. We normally go to a buffet....Eat till we burst... BUT I log EVERYTHING!!! And rarely go over my calories.... It gives me some feeling of normalcy. Funny the longer I have been on this new lifestyle the less I eat we we do go out....

Kooraloo

I have a full on cheat -3 -days. It used to just be a cheat meal but progressed into something worse... I say don't do the cheat days. Just do a meal, but watch yourself. I'm struggling to get out of mine.

gmichaelguy

I think a regular cheat DAY is too much for me. But I certainly will have a cheat meal or a cheat snack once or twice a week. On those days I usually make sure the rest of my day and activity level are in order.

delilah47

Why would you do that? All it does is slow you down. Why not fit whatever you want into your day's meal plan? If it's too many calories to do that, it could cause you to stall for a day or two on weight loss. That way you could have a little of whatever is driving you crazy without guilt instead of having a big gob of something you know isn't healthy. You may as well learn to plan ahead or you will end up in the same boat you are in now. Leave the "cheating" to once-in-a-blue-moon so you don't make cheating part of your meal plan. If it fits in your meal plan it isn't cheating.

Edit: And, if you don't document it, you will find yourself leaving stuff out on a regular basis. Then you will complain you aren't losing weight and you just can't figure out why. Mm-hmm. :huh:

nylitak

Log it anyways! My diary on the weekend looks terrible. It's so easy to get off track if you stop logging for a day or two.

laneydawn

Mine is today! And you know what? It wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be. I had envisioned pigging out on all my favorite foods that I haven't eaten, but I just didn't feel like it. I had a slice of black forest cake and some pasta. That was my cheat day - the rest of the day was as usual. That being said, I think its important to have a day to allow ourselves to eat whatever and not feel bad about it. I picked Saturday as it is my weigh in day, so I have the rest of the week to burn off the cheat day.

wild_wild_life

Do it! But document it. You can get a lot of valuable information out of it, like awareness of what you are really eating (don't judge, it's a cheat day) and how different calorie or macro levels affect your weight or mood.