Does everyone have cheat days?

marystingley

I've read on here about a lot of people having cheat days and thought I'd give myself one (today). I went to a Chinese buffet with my family and now I feel like crap. I lost almost 2 pounds last week and feel like I've gained it all back now. Is this what everyone's "cheat day" is like and does it affect you negatively?

wookiemouse

That's why I don't have cheat days.

I've really never understood that. If you eat food that tastes great and is good for you, why would you purposely put crap in your body? It makes no sense to me. I DO go over on calories on occassion, but it's always with healthy options. I'm ok with that.

KuroNyankoSensei

It won't affect it too much ^^. I went home for a week, and not only did I go to a Chinese buffet, I went to another buffet as well, and in between, a lot of home-cooked meals that filled me to the brim ;x . . . and it only took me a week to get back to my original weight before I went back home ;3! You wouldn't have gained 2 pounds with just one buffet visit, it'll mostly be the sodium holding in water weight ^^.

tequila09

Not everyone has a cheat day. I do though. I use to have one every week but decided that's not the best idea for me. Now I just try to stick to my calories for as long as I can and then if I'm really really craving some..thing bad ill have it. Or if its a special occasion. If you feel gross why not go for a walk or jog? That will definitely make you feel better!

fatty_to_fitty

Some people have spike days where they consume thousands of cals in order to shock their systems but then go back to healthy eating the next day. They are unbelievably disciplined which may explain why this works for them.

If you eat sweets and treats as part of your normal diet (or fast or processed food) I don't believe this would work.

However if what you mean is do we all fall off the wagon and decide to have a little of what we fancy. Hell yeah!

Don't stress about what you just don't let it ruin tomorrow for you. Hope that makes sense and clears things up.

Rylansmommy12

i have cheat days for alchoul does that count? Lol once a month. But hey i use to drink 3X A Week.

emnk5308

I have cheat days so that I don't lose my mind.... You do get really frustrated counting every calorie, and tracking all of your exercise everyday...cheat days are good for the mind, and body! They speed your metabolism up.

Krisstah

I have cheat days.. BUT the cheat has to remain within my calorie in take for the day... on fridays i can have a treat of my choice, last friday i had an ice cream bar for a snack. I also decided to take that day off from working out. But this didn't mean that my other meals were cheats too.

Mind you one day of enjoying one bad meal isnt going to hurt. If its really bothering you though, cause i know i would probably feel the same way if i did it, i would work out extra.. like if i was only supposed to work out 30 min after work, id work out 45 min or an hour instead

Lynn625

I had a cheat day yesterday or more like a cheat meal . I had a Shrimp Platter for dinner. It was way over my calories.
I am back on track today.This is not something I want to make a habit of, but when it does happen as long as I can get back on track, it is ok.

dward2011

I don't have cheat days. I eat what I want and when I want to (keeping calories in check and watch my portion size). I like knowing exactly how much I've eaten each day and what the macros are each day. I feel it keeps me in line. I never feel deprived or binge because I eat what I want. I had beers last night and had dinner at an Irish bar, but I made sure that my exercise calories were stellar that day.

TallyGal97

I have days where I treat myself, but I definitely track it. And it is not a free for all day, just one meal.

marystingley

Thanks for your quick responses! Yeah, I'll probably work out an extra half hour tomorrow or something since I feel so awful. Since I had the buffet for lunch, do you all think I should skip dinner? So I don't go over my calories? After logging everything I ate, I only have 31 calories left for the day and don't want to go over. (I never include exercise calories, I don't like eating them back). Thanks for your advice!

filippi

Cheat days are a good tool in order to help the dieter psycological and physiological.
You can have a "cheat day" (which would be better to be a cheat meal) where you don t count macros, just relax and enjoy, or you could have a structured "cheat day" which is known as refeed where you watch your macros and have a surplus of calories in order to help recovery after exercise.
I recommend you to take a look at Lyle`s McDonald web (bodyrecomposition.com) and his books are good reads all of them

Nanadena

No cheat days here. I chose a lifestyle change.

FuneralDiner

I don't get the point of them. Surely they will only set you back.

If I want to indulge, I'll have a yummy treat once in a while as long as it fits within my calories. I'll exercise for longer that day if necessary as well.

fit4lyfeLisa

I have a cheat meal, not a cheat day.

jadedzen

kinda yes, i will cheat but i avoid food that makes me feel like crap because it's not worth the price of ordering out for how that food makes me feel. I cheat on things like an extra bowl of granola.

BodyByButter

Occasionally I will eat something more decadent (my weakness is Japanese hibachi and if I eat it I do not hold the sauces). But, never a full day and only once or twice a month. I chose a 1 lb/week plan and have a lot of calories available each day. So, I don't feel deprived on a normal day - no reason to feel like I need to "cheat.". I am a creature of habit and in developing good habits it doesn't pay for me to break them every 7th day.

Renee1583

Thanks for your quick responses! Yeah, I'll probably work out an extra half hour tomorrow or something since I feel so awful. Since I had the buffet for lunch, do you all think I should skip dinner? So I don't go over my calories? After logging everything I ate, I only have 31 calories left for the day and don't want to go over. (I never include exercise calories, I don't like eating them back). Thanks for your advice!

Definitely don't skip a meal because you had one bad meal. This will put your body into starvation mode and it will then just hold on to those excess calories you have eaten. My advice would be (as other have said) smash out some cardio which is a good fat burner and then tonight for dinner have salad or vegies with grilled chicken or fish. Something nutritious anyway that will keep your metabolism going, but is still low in calories. Skipping a meal is definitely a bad idea anytime. Also, if you are worried about only having 31 calories left, do 300 calories of exercise for example and you will then have those to use as well. I hope this helps you a little.

amivox

they aren't cheat days, they are calorie spike days, I eat the same, I just eat over my normal daily NET, and its always on my rest day.

miamimanni

After my cheat day I usually feel bad too.

But they say cheat days are actually good for you to some degree. Your body gets use to eating the same thing over and over and over again. So having that cheat day or cheat meal you basically all of the sudden shock the system. So you make it hard for it to adapt to your caloric deficit.

When I feel guilty, I fast the following day after the cheat day. I mean our goals are to usually stay under 1500 calories anyway, so if you eat maybe 3000 calories in one day, you'll burn the excess with a your BMR if you fast.

Manni

bhrodich

I have cheat days I started MFP about 2 months ago. I am down 12-15 lbs ( i dont own a scale and might actually finally get one) .
One of the things that I try and remember when I am having cheat days is to try and cheat with foods that I already consume during normal days. For example. You and I both probably choose low calorie foods so that we can save our calories for either those yummy desserts, or cocktails, or maybe late night snacking. So we already have a wide range of knowledge on what foods taste good, fill us up, and are low in calories. When i "Cheat" I will instead of eating only 1/2 cup cottage cheese ( i LOVE cottage cheese ) Ill east a whole cup and put a little cinnamon and sugar on top and then pile it on to a piece of toast. Or buy fat free Ice cream ( kemps ) from the store and go to TOWN on it. Maybe over doing it by 500 to 800 calories for the day. I thiink that you need to indulge in this once a week so you dont accidentally cheat a little every day and then never loose weight. If you are feeling like you have gained weight back after a binge, go for a walk or a quick 1 mile jog. You will feel SO mcuh better. And then the next day, eat a small breakfast....a late (large) lunch, and a small dinner. Hope this helps!

CarmenSandiegoInVA

Cheat meals are important. It helps reset your metabolism, and it also helps you sleep better. There have been studies done. IT also helps you stay on track. Remember have a cheat meal not a cheat day. It's recommended to do it once a week. But, I limit it to once a month. Sometimes twice a month depending on what is going on.

lemma1968

I feel incredibly guilty if I have a cheat day.
And I generally gain that week when I do cheat. So I make a concerted effort not to now.

camrunner

I don't have intentional cheat days. But that allows me to have accidental cheat days without it being too catastrophic. I feel bad regardless, though. Any day that I eat more than I burn... it's just like, why did I even get out of bed? But I guess that says a lot about the ridiculously high amount of importance I place on weight maintenance.

MaggieMystD

my answer would be dependant on your defination of cheat. I stay within my calorie goals, with or without exercise. I am on vacation and have had a glass of wine almost daily, which I would consider a cheat, and have a few diet sodas, which I also consider a cheat, and have lost 3lbs while here on vacation...

kristinacottle

Everything in moderation. No cheat days. Just stay in the calorie allowance range you're given, and splurge every once in awhile. Who wants cheat days for the rest of their life? It's a lifestyle change, not a diet.

Josette89

I don't plan to have a cheat day. Just sometimes I go out with family (like today) and I end up spending my calories fast. I never intended to "cheat" it just happened. I'm still gonna work my butt off the rest of the day and tomorrow.

ShaunaLaNee

Cheat days do not work for me, because once I screw up, it's hard to come back. I do however eat out once a week on Sundays. I allow myself to double what I would normally eat for lunch. My whole life has been a cheat day...time to make up for it:)

Nfairley

I don't do cheat days, "treats" or anything similar. I watched my mom struggle with her weight - she'd do really good losing it, then mess it all up by "treating" herself to ice cream or something else terrible for her. Every time she did, she'd totally screw herself over. To be clear, it wasn't the single treat or day causing this: it was the fact that she dipped back into old habits and couldn't get away from them. She eventually had a gastric bypass.

I know my personality, I know that even though it would take A LOT of effort to screw my good week with one day that I am capable of it...so I don't even go there. Plus, I always felt very strongly about my mom giving up on her weight loss. I don't want to become that. If I want something "bad" for me, I either plan my cals around it or work it off! Keeps me honest lol.

Pilotgirl86

Don't skip dinner, it will actually make it harder to lose weight. When your body skips meals it starts to go into starvation mode (although this won't happen after just one skip), but it can lead to overall metabolism slowing.

There is no reason not to eat back exercise calories, especially if you have a base of 1200 cals. Eating back the exercise calories will help your body to normalize and regulate your metabolism and to ensure that you have enough energy to properly burn calories when exercising. Although it may sound counter-intuitive, by not having enough calories, you will lose weight more slowly since your body wants to hold on to everything it has.

As for cheat days, I know a lot of people that do them. For me its more of a chance to indulge in something a love, but I usually don't extremely over-indulge. I have cake for dessert instead of fruit, or I have wine with dinner etc. For me a cheat is not about completely over-indulging, but letting myself have a little something extra so that I can enjoy myself sometimes too!

I can't say that I never eat to excess (for example we made thin crust Italian style pizza last night and I had 4 slices and some wine), but I made sure that today I ate clean all day. Don't skip meals, just make sure they are healthier!

Hope that helps!