Cheat meals - OK or a no-no?

LadyL2012

In my diet I plan on having 1 cheat meal a week. The portion won't be over the top, but probably a bit more than I should have. I also intend on having a dessert.

My current plan is no more than 1200cals a day (normally a little less), exercise at least 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes and every meal is portion controlled, low in fat and calories.

Will having one cheat meal a week to keep me sane ruin my efforts?

Do you have cheat meals? Do you think they help keep you going or do you think they have a detrimental effect?

nitronate

I don't ever plan for a dedicated cheat day although I have days when I go over my calorie limits. My whole theory about weight loss since joining MFP has been exercise a lot and make better decisions about what I eat. I don't deny myself anything that I would have had before (with the exception of sugar sodas) I just try to be smarter about it. Saturday's are hard for me as I don't usually exercise because I'm recovering from exercising during the week and I often go out with friends at night. Depending on what I've eaten that day it makes the difference between drinking a craft beer and drinking Miller Lite. Sometimes I go over by a little, sometimes more than I'd like. I don't sweat it.

I don't think you need a dedicated cheat day, but if you decide to use one just be reasonable about it. Don't go super nuts and maybe try to be a little extra good the next day. I give way more credence to my weekly calorie counts than I do my daily ones anyway.

Good luck!

Bobby_Clerici

I have a weekly free day and love it.
It keeps me sane.
And where it was once a 24 hour food orgy, now it's more of a few cheat meals on that special day.
I no longer enjoy certain fast foods as much. I lost 75 pounds doing this, so it works.
There are psychological as well as physiological benefits.
It seems to shock the body and rev up a stifled metabolism.
Works for me; decide for yourself.

PandaCustard

I don't have dedicated cheat day myself either. I'm not on a diet, but I am on a lifestyle change, and this change includes a treat rarely. I started a month ago and haven't had any "cheat" foods yet, but today I'm going to a Chinese restaurant and plan on having small portions and moderate amounts of foods I otherwise wouldn't eat.

LadyL2012

Cool, I don't intend on having a cheat day, just a cheat meal with a dessert.

Also do any of you find major fluctuations throughout the day?

For example I weighed myself this morning and was at 160, then a couple of hours later down to 158, then back up to 161. This was with wearing the same clothes. I thought perhaps it was just my scales, but it does this on others too.

I am only weighing in once a week so I don't know how accurate my weight will be if there are such fluctuations. I always weigh myself at roughly the same time in the morning before eating anything and after going to the toilet.

Capt_Apollo

i think what you have planned sounds pretty close to perfect. a meal you enjoy, allowing yourself an extra serving, and dessert.

i don't actually know your current size or weight, but in my opinion, 1200 calories is the bare minimum you should be regularly eating, not the max. can we please try and make it closer to 1400 a day? please? and eat those exercise calories.

trust me, i've told girls at the bar i'm a doctor.

Briski1411

Absolutely cheat meals are fine in moderation. Remember this is suppose to be teaching you how to be smart in your food choices and LIVE healthy. Not to permanently restrict you from ever eating good tasting fat filled food again. Just to show you how to do it responsibly. If you never allow yourself a cheat meal every now and then, and once a week is perfect, then you will eventually be miserable and wind up giving up on this lifestyle all together. So feel free reward yourself from time to time but be responsible about what and how much you are eating.

Capt_Apollo

Cool, I don't intend on having a cheat day, just a cheat meal with a dessert.

Also do any of you find major fluctuations throughout the day?

For example I weighed myself this morning and was at 160, then a couple of hours later down to 158, then back up to 161. This was with wearing the same clothes. I thought perhaps it was just my scales, but it does this on others too.

I am only weighing in once a week so I don't know how accurate my weight will be if there are such fluctuations. I always weigh myself at roughly the same time in the morning before eating anything and after going to the toilet.

your weight does go up and down through out the course of the day, and the week! thats why most people chose to weigh in only once a week, usually on a friday, after being on point with their food intake for a few days.

LadyL2012

i think what you have planned sounds pretty close to perfect. a meal you enjoy, allowing yourself an extra serving, and dessert.

i don't actually know your current size or weight, but in my opinion, 1200 calories is the bare minimum you should be regularly eating, not the max. can we please try and make it closer to 1400 a day? please? and eat those exercise calories.

trust me, i've told girls at the bar i'm a doctor.

My start weight was 161lbs, I've been on my plan for 2 weeks and after my first weigh in was down to 160, which was disappointing. I am 5ft 4 and my healthy weight is anywhere between 8 1/2 - 10st. I have always been heavier than I am supposed to be, because I have a naturally quite strong build. Even when I was skin and bones after a stressful life period I was still 9 1/2 stone.

I am on 1200 a day because I want to get to my target of 140lb before my holiday at the beginning of September and that is my caloric recommendation if I want to acheive that. I would like to get lighter than 140, but will have to do that after my holiday, because let's face it, holidays are not for dieting!

Jessicaruby

Absolutely cheat meals are fine in moderation. Remember this is suppose to be teaching you how to be smart in your food choices and LIVE healthy. Not to permanently restrict you from ever eating good tasting fat filled food again. Just to show you how to do it responsibly. If you never allow yourself a cheat meal every now and then, and once a week is perfect, then you will eventually be miserable and wind up giving up on this lifestyle all together. So feel free reward yourself from time to time but be responsible about what and how much you are eating.

^^^^ this ^^^^ i tried elimintating all the "bad" and "unclean" foods from my diet to stick to my stict macros. i lasted 5 weeks then decided i would have a cheat meal for the hubbys bday. after a wonderful somewhat healthy chinese meal i proceded to eat 1.5pieces of pie with ice cream and a bowl of ice cream covered in peanut butter ( it was natural PB and fat free no sugar added ice cream but still!!) while i all tasted wonderful i was upset with myself the next day. i thought about my choices and realized i OVER indulged because i didnt kno when i would allow myself to have these foods again. if you are to ristrictive (IMO) you will not stict to the plan and an indulgent meal will turn into a frenzied binge. now if i allowed myself treats and cheats occasionaly i would have been happy with dinner and a slice of pie for dessert becaue i would know that i would be able to indulge again when needed. for me its a mental thing and eliminating foods makes me want them even more

yentess

I think it depends on how well you would be able to control it to one cheat meal. When I first started out I would not have been able to eat one cheat meal and then get back on track the rest of the day. My mentality would have been oh well the day is already ruined I'll just start again tomorrow. And then I would keep saying tomorrow and never get back on track. I didn't have a single cheat for my first month and now I rarely even want "cheat food." If I am going to be eating out or plan to eat something that isn't the healthiest for me, I just find a way to work it into my daily calories so I am still under.

Also is 1200 what MFP set for you? That is a low amount of calories and it might be hard for you to stick with a new plan that is so restrictive. You might want to give yourself 1400-1600 to start with.

Best of luck!

carreen

It was OK for me! I lost 47 pounds doing Weight Watchers a few years ago, and my husband and I went out for Italian food every Friday night during that time where I got anything I wanted.

Of course, that weight is back now, because after reaching goal, everyday became a cheat day
That's a different story!

Bobby_Clerici

i think what you have planned sounds pretty close to perfect. a meal you enjoy, allowing yourself an extra serving, and dessert.

i don't actually know your current size or weight, but in my opinion, 1200 calories is the bare minimum you should be regularly eating, not the max. can we please try and make it closer to 1400 a day? please? and eat those exercise calories.

trust me, i've told girls at the bar i'm a doctor.

Really? When I cross the door jam at Overtime Sports Bar and Grill in Hershey, PA, I go from being a mere business broker to a USMC fighter pilot. Last month I was a sniper!

Renae_Nae

I'm having a cheat day! It's not about eating everything in the house, it's about taking a break. I'm not going to live every day for the rest of my life counting everything I eat. I also figure if I'm good 80% of the time then I'm in line with MOST trainers. (Even Shaun T the creator Insanity says to eat good 85-90% of the time

Tat2dDom624

I know a cheat day has benefited me in the past, and also currently. I also believe it shocks your system, boosting your metabolism in the process. But if i cheat more than the one meal, then i become guilt-ridden, and then that's when i snap out of it and get back on the wagon.

hooperkay

I say no. My coworker has been a weight watcher for the past year and she keeps up with her points. She allowed herself a cheat day a week and was slowly losing weight. I challenged her to a month of no cheat days to see if it was different. She lost 15 lbs. She had lost 35lbs over the year she had been dieting. She was amazed. I think it does matter. When I get to my goal I may have a cheat meal once in a while, but I doubt it.

Mrsbrandnewmeslimandtrim

Bump

LadyL2012

I think for me personally a cheat meal would keep me going on my plan.

I think in my head I know it's Ok to turn down that piece of cake, make that portion smaller, cut out the cheese because I know on a Sunday I get to have a little cheat. I think without it the fact that I can't have that biscuit, or have a huge dollop of mayo ever etc would make it worse and make me more likely to give up if that makes sense.

I get conflicting opinions. My old gym instructor was 'no cheating, ever except on birthdays and Xmas day' whilst another one said ONE cheat meal a week was OK.

Thanks for your opinions guys. I think I'm going to have one cheat meal a week and if my weight is coming off really slowly I will cut them out and see if that makes a difference.

How do you handle it when you slip up and eat that piece of cake or have a big serving? Do you punish yourself later with more exercise or do you have a little allowance for the occasional cheat (cheat meal aside)?

sophiathedss

I do have a so called cheat meal, although I adhere to my no sugar no white stuff....I think when I get to goal I can use my family dinner on Sunday to eat without counting everything, but until then..it's a trigger for me and the guilt the day after isn't worth it....but this works for me. I agree with eating clean 90% of the time...it's a relief to know I can have something if I want to

(A cheat day would defeat my whole purpose...one meal is a different story)


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jillica

I, personally, cannot do a cheat meal. When I do, it starts a chain reaction that is hard to recover from.

jfan175

Don't call it a cheat meal. It's a meal that purposefully fits into your lifestyle change, whether it be for glycogen replacement, hormone recovery or psychological reasons. It shouldn't have a negative label, as you won't feel like you've done something wrong for having eaten it.

spiregrain

Cool, I don't intend on having a cheat day, just a cheat meal with a dessert.

Also do any of you find major fluctuations throughout the day?

For example I weighed myself this morning and was at 160, then a couple of hours later down to 158, then back up to 161. This was with wearing the same clothes. I thought perhaps it was just my scales, but it does this on others too.

I am only weighing in once a week so I don't know how accurate my weight will be if there are such fluctuations. I always weigh myself at roughly the same time in the morning before eating anything and after going to the toilet.

My weight fluctuates up and down in a 6 pound range all day, so I weigh myself daily to get a sense of the average trend. This works for me cause I almost never get freaked out about the numbers, but for most people I think it's probably bad to do. I also try to weigh in at the same time of day each day so that I will have a better chance of being at the same level of extra water weight.

jutymo

I don't. I'm trying to eat as I will when I'm done with weight loss. My caloric intake is the maintenance level of the weight I want to be. So my plan is to eat my goal weight maintenance and when I hit goal, I won't have to change ANYTHING because I'll have been eating maintenance for the entire weight loss period.

If I put in scheduled cheat days, it tells me I can't have things except on those DAYS. I would plan, plot, think about all the possibilities for the 6 days before that cheat day. I am obsessed with food and I've found I can't limit myself. The only thing I deny myself on a regular basis is full sugar soda. And I still have it once in a great while.

In some respects I cheat every day. I find recipes that make me drool and make them and eat them. I put them in my rotation and make them work with my daily caloric limits. Heavy calorie dish? Then skimpy breakfast or lunch so I can have that heavy calorie item. I'm trying to learn how to eat like a normal weight person and I don't think they usually have scheduled cheat days. I'm afraid it would backfire and I'd end up have 6 out of 7 days as cheat days. So for me, I don't do cheat meals or cheat days, at least not on purpose.

taso42

Seeing as you're undereating in the first place, the so-called cheat meal can only help you.

TexanThom

I had three "cheat days" this week. I did not lose my 2lbs. for the week, but I did lose 1 and had some great food and great company. Everything in moderation.

jessicae1aine

I don't know about your height/weight/etc, but are you sure that 1200 calories is the right amount for you? It rarely is for people, from what I've seen. You're best to use your TDEE for your goal weight.

Aside from that, I don't ever schedule cheat days, but my calories do fluctuate - for example, I was about 1000 over on Friday, but over the course of the week it all balanced out so I was a little below my correct calories on average. Having a cheat day is fine, so long as you have the self control to go back to eating correctly afterward.

Brittonloves

Wednesdays are "free" days for me, where I allow myself to go over my usual calorie limit and eat/drink things that are not a part of my diet the rest of the week.
A few Wednesdays ago, my calories for the day clocked in at almost 2,500 OVER my daily calorie limit (thanks to Italian night with family). This past Wednesday, I only went over by 300. So the indulgence of my Wednesdays definitely varies, but knowing that it's coming helps me throughout the rest of the week.
I don't have any bro-science to back up my belief/love for my free Wednesdays, but I have my experience-- I've lost (and kept off) almost 35 lbs since last year and am hovering at my goal weight. So it works for me. If it works for you too-- why not?

Creativeballance

Cool, I don't intend on having a cheat day, just a cheat meal with a dessert.

Also do any of you find major fluctuations throughout the day?

For example I weighed myself this morning and was at 160, then a couple of hours later down to 158, then back up to 161. This was with wearing the same clothes. I thought perhaps it was just my scales, but it does this on others too.

I am only weighing in once a week so I don't know how accurate my weight will be if there are such fluctuations. I always weigh myself at roughly the same time in the morning before eating anything and after going to the toilet.

I find I weigh more on Monday-Tuesday on average. There's a 8lb difference in what I weigh first thing in the morning to how much I weigh before going to bed.
My "logged" weigh-in is Wedsneday morning as soon as I wake up.

...and to the first topic, yes I do have cheat days. Special occasions, celebrations, etc, are too difficult to calculate and be social. I usually do a nice extra long run the next day.

Josephina57

Every third Monday we go to a potluck function. Since it is impossible to have accurate calorie counts on food someone else prepares, I consider this my TREAT meal. I get some of everything that looks good to me and allow myself dessert. One thing, though, if it does not taste the way I though it would, I don't finish it. No more cleaning plates for the sake of cleaning them for me.

EDesq

In my diet I plan on having 1 cheat meal a week. The portion won't be over the top, but probably a bit more than I should have. I also intend on having a dessert.

My current plan is no more than 1200cals a day (normally a little less), exercise at least 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes and every meal is portion controlled, low in fat and calories.

Will having one cheat meal a week to keep me sane ruin my efforts?

Do you have cheat meals? Do you think they help keep you going or do you think they have a detrimental effect?

If it's a Lifestyle Change...why cheat when you can TREAT?! It is not natural to eat the Same amt of calories Every day, so why not BUILD in days where you give yourself a little more or whatever you want. There are days where I KNOW I am eating something sweet or will have pizza...My goodness why do I have to "cheat?" Who am I cheating, or fooling...all you do is PLAN! Use COMMON SENSE in this WALK.

Common sense tells us to do what is Moderate and to listen to our Body and higher self. Foolishness, extremes, our lower self=greed, lust...told us to do/eat as much as possible... It also tries to make us believe that we have to "cheat" in order to SUCCEED. No, you don't have to cheat or steal...to Succeed. Try It, You may like it.

joanneonline

Don't call it a cheat meal. It's a meal that purposefully fits into your lifestyle change, whether it be for glycogen replacement, hormone recovery or psychological reasons. It shouldn't have a negative label, as you won't feel like you've done something wrong for having eaten it.

^^^^^THIS! If you want to make lasting changes, you will learn to healthy most of the time and choose to eat other things in moderation. You may want to exercise more that day, or eat lighter in the morning.....the point is, you'll figure out what works to still make meals like these part of your healthy lifestyle. Then, it's not "cheating" just purposeful eating