Does anyone have cheat days?

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  • kshiraakshara
    kshiraakshara Posts: 119 Member
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    I have a cheat meal once a week, but I still log it to keep things in perspective.
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
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    I have days where I go a couple hundred over, but I log everything. That way I can always look back and see if I need to change things. Keeps me from going over the top with cheats too. If your not writing it down, your body is still counting so who are you fooling. A full on no logging cheat day for me could wipe out 3 days deficits. Lol. I need to keep myself in check! X
  • dawnmarie57
    dawnmarie57 Posts: 53 Member
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    It works for me. I usually don't do a "day" of it, just a meal and maybe a snack. Something that's really a treat-an ice cream (baby cone) or piece of candy. But I do track it. Keeps me on the right path. Good luck!
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
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    I don't plan them because life will throw them my way here and there anyway. That said, I am taking this weekend off from calorie counting, because I am a tad bit burned out. I'd rather take a rest for a couple of days than be struggling for weeks.
  • piinchi
    piinchi Posts: 172 Member
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    The plan I try to stick to allows for one cheat day, but I find I don't really take it. Its more like a "cheat meal" and even then, I make a healthier choice than I used to. I feel better when I eat well, but I do find that the one meal/day hasn't hampered my weight loss... if anything, the shakeup of adding more calories than usual seems to wake my body up a little and jolts it out of its usual state! It is working for me, but everyone is different.
  • kdetmar
    kdetmar Posts: 13
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    Personally, I recommend a cheat meal rather than day! You can do some damage like I recently found out! I do cheat meals because if I dont' I feel deprieved and then binge. I was doing no sweets and cheat meals which lead me to a 4 day binge and 10 pound weight gain! Never again, I will be using my cheat meals on sundays! Take it day by day hunnie!! Lifestyle change, not diet!
  • OnMyWeigh464
    OnMyWeigh464 Posts: 447 Member
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    I sure do. Usually it's a cheat meal or cheat snack...I use to cheat the full day away but was feeling really gross when I went to bed at the end of cheating so now I limit it. And I pick depending on my mood...somedays I just really want dessert so I'll eat great all day and allow myself a piece of cake or pie or whatever...
  • Karen5732
    Karen5732 Posts: 64 Member
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    I do... normally on a Friday or Sat... Fri is my weigh day and I know that if I go over my calories at the weekend then I have all week to make up for it with extra exercise or slightly go below my calories
  • ProjectTae
    ProjectTae Posts: 461 Member
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    I take full on diet breaks I'll diet for about 6-8 weeks then eat at maintenance for a full week, but occasionally I'll splurge and will eat something like fast food etc, while staying within my calorie limit.
  • nlawing
    nlawing Posts: 36
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    I do it, at least once per week.

    It helps me in a lot of ways.

    1. It keeps my body guessing on the amount of food it will receive.
    2. The human body isn't 100% energy efficient, all the extra calories won't be stored as fat.
    3. If I overeat enough, it guilts me into doing really well the next day/week.
    4. It helps keep my sanity and cravings in check.
    5. It's rewarding. I think to myself that I EARNED this.
    6. I'm not a body building or fitness competitor.
    7. I won't live forever and what's life without the small pleasures?

    Hope this helps.
  • mmurelli
    mmurelli Posts: 26
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    i haven't yet but i'm going to vegas in a few weeks and if you've ever been to vegas you know what i mean. the gym i belong to has lots of facilities in vegas and i do plan on sticking with my workout schedule though.
  • Ashley_Panda
    Ashley_Panda Posts: 1,404 Member
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    No, my husband and I are monogamous.
  • CWSpiegel
    CWSpiegel Posts: 114
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    IMAO,

    Cheat "days" are what kill my progress every time. I've been on here for over a month, and I always end up screwing myself over because I think I can have a cheat day because I was so good throughout the week. It always ends up becoming more than one day, and it becomes even harder to get back in the swing of things.

    Example was this weekend. Worked out every day til Friday morning, stayed under my calories, but decided to go out for a diner breakfast with the gf. After stuffing my face with pancakes, hashbrowns, and cornbread, I didn't make i to the gym that night, ending up eating gyros for dinner, and continued the binge with fries and a chicken wings last night. Only when I felt bad enough about myself did I get back on track.

    Some people have posted saying that a cheat meal works. It doesn't for me. It turns into a cheat weekend. If you have better self control than I do...go for it. But I always end up hating myself in a few days....
  • Lize11e
    Lize11e Posts: 419
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    I don't do cheat days. Every so often I will find myself in a situation, mostly with friends or my husband, that social etiquette suggests going with the flow. I still log the splurge and forgive myself for it. Sometimes you just need to have a beer and dig into some appetizers. I don't make it a regular thing though.
  • tkeech
    tkeech Posts: 5
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    Nope- i Record everything- and if im over my calorie count for having a splurge i ensure that the next day i behave- i rarely splurge but if i do i ensure i also burn it off the next morning. i think not calculating it is like cheating but your only cheating yourself- you learn how many calories you can eat and how it affects you. if you choose not to continue even on your bad days then why do it at all?? because you will end up stopping all together. Dont get me wrong i still eat really anything i want- but if im having say fish and chips for lunch- then its a simple salad for dinner- this keeps me below my calorie intake- but i have been over it to- when i decide to have a drink - so its work out hard the next morning for me lol and i havent seen a change with my weight even when i am naughty as long as i work it off the next day :-)
  • txlissa62
    txlissa62 Posts: 128
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    I don't schedule cheat days. I want healthy eating to be a permanent lifestyle for me, and it's become second nature. However, there are times when I know I'll be eating out, so I plan accordingly. For instance, next weekend I'll be going out to dinner with friends. I won't obsess over the calorie count, but I'll know beforehand what I'll be ordering, and will plan the rest of my day's meals to allow for the splurge.

    I usually have pretty much anything I want anyway, as long as it's in moderation. Therefore, I don't really feel the need to have a cheat day, because I don't feel deprived the rest of the time. We rarely eat out, so when we do, that is the time I need to be careful. Otherwise, I carry on as usual.
  • Kitzey
    Kitzey Posts: 214 Member
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    I don't do a cheat meal or day this is a lifestyle change, I try to eat as healthy as possible but I do indulge occasionally if I have the calories. If I am craving something I will wait a day or two before caving in so I can fit it into my daily caloric intake.

    This journey for me is all about being able to maintain a lifestyle that I can live with.
  • jenbridges
    jenbridges Posts: 213 Member
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    my hubby and i like to go out to dinner, but with my diet and being gluten free, it can be difficult. We have found a restaurant that we love, but of course it is not the healthiest place we can go, since i always order the pizza! so when we plan to go, i consider it a treat and try to tailor the rest of my meals and exercise so I can splurge on dinner and dessert. i might still go over a bit, but i know it is only one meal, on one day and that is ok, as long as i don't make it a daily thing. you have to live a little and be flexible, but just get right back on track and don't punish yourself for your cheat.
  • KeKy4
    KeKy4 Posts: 62 Member
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    I have cheat days but they definitely would not equate a bad eating day I would have had before. So I might allow myself a couple of oreos or a gelato. Today is a family birthday party and while I plan to indulge, I will still be smarter about what/how much I eat.
  • MrExcessive
    MrExcessive Posts: 61
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    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.



    I agree with you 110%!!!!!!

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