Does everyone have cheat days?

carld256

I've had one cheat meal since I started. I ate pizza with a friend to celebrate his birthday. A couple hours later the storm came through and wiped out the power for the better part of 10 very hot and humid days.

I take that as an omen :laugh:

lyndall5311

I dont have a cheat day (I find that it leads to more cheat days), so instead I have a cheat snack (not a meal) once a week, usually on a Sunday. This way it helps me be good through the week and I have something to look forward to.

vade43113

I've had one cheat meal since I started. I ate pizza with a friend to celebrate his birthday. A couple hours later the storm came through and wiped out the power for the better part of 10 very hot and humid days.

I take that as an omen :laugh:

Yay, I have someone to blame for the freak storm that hit Ohio... All your fault, .... Just kidding, :flowerforyou:

magerum

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.

I eat a pint of ice cream daily, hasn't hampered my weight goals. You can eat anything you want, as pertaining to weight lose, it's calories in vs calories out that matters.

graelwyn

I was recommended to do a cheat day/meal a week by a personal trainer, while eating clean the other 6 days. It is supposedly better to do this, and keep the less than clean foods to one single day, than to have bits of it daily, but I am not sure why. The issue for me would be stopping once the day was over, and I have already experienced that battle, finding myself craving more of the cheat foods the next day, and then the next day etc.

I think it requires a lot of self discipline, but is a nice idea in principle.

FlaxMilk

I don't plan cheat days because life throws them at me. You won't undo all your progress. I went about a month and a half recently not really counting calories. I "gained" about 3 lbs but then lost 5.5 lbs in two weeks when I went back to a deficit.

saraann4

I have cheat days, so far they have been cheat meals. I haven't ate like crap all day for one day simply because I don't just feel the need. My cheat days may include a meal of my choice, clothes, hair color...whatever.

mccbabe1

not yet... LOL.. but only day 9 for me on mfp.. and ive been under calorie goal every day (with the exercise added cal's) I lost 2 #'s last wk too! (my 1st MFP weigh in) .. but ive heard a lot of peeps on here have cheat days too.. like once a wk.. and ive hears of plans/trainers say to up your calories every4 days or so (once a wk) i was with a trainer once that wanted me to have 1400 cals a day and every 4th day to jump up to 1800.. to 'shock' the body'!...I think in a way it helps you loose.. but yeah you feel like crap now/too full cuz chinease does that anyway.. and your prob not used to eating a lot at ONCE like today.. and the sodium/bloat feelin is sky high in chinease...:sick:

mccbabe1

oh and ps:.. i dont call it 'cheat' days or cheating.. .because im not married to food.. there for it not cheating :drinker:

Tat2dDom624

I have one weekly, and on Saturdays. Sundays i'd rather not do that for the simple reason that if i take in too much sodium that day, that it will affect my weigh-in come Monday morning.

AmyFett

No, I don't. I don't believe in that personally. I have 1300 calories a day, I can eat what I want as long as I plan for it. I'm hypothyroid and been at this for 3 weeks and lost 9 lbs. So for me, doing it this way works. If I had cheat days, one day would lead to 2, then 3, then 4..... Then I'd fail.

hatescows

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!

Agree!

amivox

See, I don't really believe in cheat days. I normally eat 2000-2300 calories per day / 6 days per week, while netting 1450... once a week I rest, and on that day I net over 1450 and eat close to 2000. I just eat like normal, but its on a rest day, so I NET over, but I have lost 36 lbs in a little over 4 months, so its obviously not hurting.

yourenotmine

I eat what I want to eat, because I want to learn how to eat and live and still weigh what I want to. I have no interest in feeling like mealtimes are a battle for the rest of my life. (I'm not saying anything about anyone else - I just mean me and my personal feelings about food. I get very depressed if I feel like I'm never going to have what I want again. Been there, done with that.)

spidertheman

Ok, so I've been dieting ever since I was 256 lbs and now I am around 150 lbs, and I never really had cheat days except on holidays. Now I've been at a platau for about 4 months and I think this whole cheat day thing could help me out. Basically, I'm going to be following something similar to the spike diet.  I will continue to eat at a 3500 calorie deficit each week in order to lose 1 lb a week, and workout as usual (about 4 days a week).  However, instead of logging calories burnt on the day I work out, I will log them under  whatever day my cheat day will be that week.(usually Saturday).  Normally i would eat all my calories burnt on that day, but This way, I can eat to my hearts content and still stay within my weeks calorie deficit.  And I'll also be able to get a break from eating entirely healthy every single day, confusing my body a little, so it won't adapt. Technically it won't even be a "cheat day" since I'll still be staying within my calorie deficit.

For this first cheat day however, I decided to go all out in order to celebrate my hard work so far.   it lasted ALL weekend.  This is my last Saturday cheat day :

Breakfast-  Pancakes, GIANT Hersey bar, and a 6 egg omelet with a ton of cheese.

Lunch- large Calzone(extra cheese,chicken,veggies), chocolate cake, more random candy bars and snacks.

Dinner- 1.5lbs of honey mustard wings!, onion rings, 4 pints of Ben and Jerry's half baked Froyo.

Late snack- I just stuffed my face with chocolate and other snacks all night. 

And now Sunday:

 Breakfast: French toast, waffles, bacon, donuts and other fruit filled Danishes.

Lunch: dominos medium deep dish pizza w/ almost EVERY topping, dominos chicken Alfredo bread bowl, dominos spinach feta cheesy bread, 1 pint ben and Jerry's.

Dinner- extra large calzone w/ extra cheese and chicken,  onion rings, a carton of moose tracks ice cream, a berry smoothie.

Night snack-a frozen  jello Oreo no bake pie, slice of cake, chocolate, and more ice cream.

 Overall, best weekend EVER.  If I didn't care about staying fit I think could go into competitive eating since I wasn't entirely full, haha.  

Now here's the crazy part. It's been 4 days since that weekend and I've lost about 1.5 lbs from what I weighed BEFORE that weekend! This gives me some confidence in my new plan.

Anyone else try something like this? 

mrh0rnet

Nope, I just follow IIFYM and eat what I want to eat everyday. If there's a day where I want to eat something that won't fit into one meal then ill skip one of the others to make it fit. Like, some days I fiend for meat loaf, mashed potatoes and grazy, asparagus and mac & cheese but I know there's no wayI can get that into one meal..well not with the portion sizes I like. So instead of going over, I just skip breakfast or lunch and have one big meal. I don't do it often though since I know that can lead to binging. I'm pretty sure i'm far past the mental stage of being sucked into that though.

wlkumpf

I do! But more of a cheat meal or cheat desert.
Well thought out every week. I may gain a tiny bit that day but it gives me the sticking power during the week, something to look forward too and I usually do it when we go out with friends and then look more human and not like a calorie policewoman.

Sometimes I look forward to it all week and then, when the time comes, I don't need it So, I don't have it! Sometimes I will have a whole day and I jump back on the plan the next day. It doesn't make me feel like such a failure when it is planned

avocado12

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.

This!

I never 'plan' cheat days, no way. I have the odd day where I don't make some not good choices but I'd never plan to go off track as you just let loose - totally not worth undoing all your hard work!

Agator82

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?

I just noticed this thread, I have to say that is the point of cheat days is to show you that if you eat junk you will feel likewise. Now my cheat days are a bit more balances, just keep the pizza away from me.