how to save up calories for a cheat meal?

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  • lambertj
    lambertj Posts: 675 Member
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    I have a cheat day every single Saturday. You can either earn extra calories through out the week through exercise or by eating a little less every day. I start Saturday off with a huge calories burn and a healthy breakfast. From lunch until bedtime I have whatever I want and as much as I want. Yes, the scale shows an increase for a few days, but it all evens out in the end. I could not stick to eating well from Sunday to Friday if I didn't have my Saturday "cheat day", but yes everyone is different. The key to the cheat day or cheat meal is to keep it confined to the time period allotted and to get right back to the plan as soon as it's over.
  • curtnrod
    curtnrod Posts: 223 Member
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    Cheating is for cheaters LOL
  • apj79
    apj79 Posts: 23 Member
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    First of all great for you to be 124...I too am 5' 2 and would love to be 124 but I think at my age I'd be happy if I could get down to 127..... I am struggling big time and I'm sure I am older too which plays a factor. I've thought about the cheat meal and it just doesn't work for me... I need to stay away from certain foods no matter what and how tempting...
  • brichinthecity
    brichinthecity Posts: 4 Member
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    I don't have any research to back my theory but that makes sense to me, thanks for sharing. I look at my calories day to day as well. If I know I have something coming up then my plan of attack is to eat less calories for prior meals AND get in a cardio workout to burn the calories. For example, if I have a wedding to attend on a Saturday, I may get out for a very early run. I mostly "save" calories by earning them through a good burn;-).
  • ebony__
    ebony__ Posts: 519 Member
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    I have a cheat day every single Saturday. You can either earn extra calories through out the week through exercise or by eating a little less every day. I start Saturday off with a huge calories burn and a healthy breakfast. From lunch until bedtime I have whatever I want and as much as I want. Yes, the scale shows an increase for a few days, but it all evens out in the end. I could not stick to eating well from Sunday to Friday if I didn't have my Saturday "cheat day", but yes everyone is different. The key to the cheat day or cheat meal is to keep it confined to the time period allotted and to get right back to the plan as soon as it's over.

    Your profile pic is killer.
    Id love to look half that good!!
  • newmooon56
    newmooon56 Posts: 347 Member
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    I've read some here in the message boards about saving calories for a cheat meal. What does this mean, exactly? I've been on MFP for a while, but I don't really understand this concept.

    Thanks,
    Shannon

    to keep it real simple -- cheat days undermine what you are trying to do. You want a "bad" meal you know shouldnt be part of your diet on the daily? Have it- dont eat the whole thing if thats an option and eat well leading up to and after it. Workout - extra if you can - but you should be anyway. Then dont make cheat meals a regular thing. The regular thing should be proper meals. Life happens and when it does - enjoy it- just go right back to whats REALLY right as soon after as possible.

    Ive been logging on for 50 or so days- no cheat meals- opportunity has not yet been there to think about it. However- I have a wedding next week and will plan accordingly- and wont over indulge- but either way I will work out all weekend and choose carefully at the dinner. May or may not have dessert - if its blah wedding cake- skipping- if its good- I just may have some sweets for the first time in 2 months.

    Just my thoughts on the the whole cheating thing - but others feel differently and you have to do what you feel you can do for the long haul or this will just be another 'diet' that ends and eventually all the weight sneaks back on.
  • benich3043
    benich3043 Posts: 252 Member
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    One day of dieting is not going to help you lose twenty pounds. One day of going over is not going to ruin your routine.

    Some people go day to day and others week to week. It is not necessarily saving calories for one day out of the week, it is just eating and being healthier overall. If you wanted you could track by any means you come up with- hourly, bi-weekly, by the lunar cycle if you so choose.

    Making healthier choices and exercising more is all you really need to do to have the "cheat" day. Just don't have a cheat day every other day and you should be fine. I choose to have mine on Friday or Saturday. If I do slip up throughout the week, I make sure I punish myself in the gym for it later.
  • SPNLuver83
    SPNLuver83 Posts: 2,050 Member
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    It's the idea of eating below your net goal during the week so you can apply them to a cheat meal at some point during the week, evening out the week's net goal.

    You don't HAVE to do this though to have a "cheat meal".
  • Anna800
    Anna800 Posts: 637 Member
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    Weight Watchers advertises that you can save your points for the weekend. So during the week I only eat back half of my exercise calories so when I binge on the weekend I never gain any weight.
  • JessicaSunflower
    JessicaSunflower Posts: 38 Member
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    listen, your human. Your gonna want to eat a big bowl of pasta one night.. so do it. If you have been strict like crazy for a long time.. then I say pig out for 1 meal, what I do if just make sure I do a lot of exercise that morning/afternoon so by the time its dinner and i pig out my metabolism is already fast and burning through the extra calories.
  • GaryRussell123456
    GaryRussell123456 Posts: 87 Member
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    People who say "never cheat" are just not being realistic. We can't all be pillars of virtue.
  • bluefox9er
    bluefox9er Posts: 2,917 Member
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    if you work hard and exercise regularly and eat right, then it's not " cheating" to splurge occasionally .it won't harm you or do any irreversible damage.

    this is a lifestyle, not a jail term.
  • tami101
    tami101 Posts: 617 Member
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    I "save" calories a couple of days before a "cheat" meal. It works for me. Maybe saving the calories doesn't really work and it is just coincidence that I have lost weight. However, I think it works and I get to go out to eat every Sunday with my family and I never have to worry about the calories I am consuming during that meal. Win! =)
  • AnneC77
    AnneC77 Posts: 284
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    Like someone else here stated. I don't see this method as a cheat day. I eat what I want, but work out my eating around it. So if I want a meal that night, that I know will be 1000 calories, I eat less calories during the day so I don't go over and if I want more, I exercise so I can have that little extra. This is a LIFE change and I for one, don't plan to eliminate all the foods I love for the rest of my life. That is simply unrealistic! Kudos for those that can, but I can't.

    Edited for typo error.
  • fkeehnen
    fkeehnen Posts: 9 Member
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    hahahah
  • KilikiMom
    KilikiMom Posts: 237 Member
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    if you are gonna do it just do it...its not going to kill you....its not going to ruin you....this is a lifestyle change not a diet.....me and my husband are actually going out to eat on friday....and honestly i do not call it a cheat....its more like a treat to me! i just enjoy it log it and move on to the next day....its not like one meal is going to put weight on me....i'd have to eat 3600 calories PLUS like 1900 in maintenance to even gain 1lb of fat so that is over 5000 calories not going to happen in 1 day even with eating out...again just do it, log it, and move on. dont stress over it, dont feel guilty about it....its not like its an every day thing.....
  • DeMarraDontStop
    DeMarraDontStop Posts: 342 Member
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    Before I started working out again I had to do this once in a while, if I was craving , let's say pizza for instance and I wanted to keep within my 1480 calorie goal I would not eat until pizza time. A lot of people are going to come on here and start pontificating about that's evil, wrong, dangerous, unhealthy, blah, blah, blah, but I satisfied my craving without blowing my eating plan and then was ble to get back into my routine the next day sans craving. Didn't happen often but sure did the trick when I needed it,

    I thought about doing something similar, eating small during the day like fruit and splurge at one meal!
  • emlou13
    emlou13 Posts: 10 Member
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    I hate using the word cheat so recently I have started counting my calories by the week.

    How do I check weekly calories? I have a set work out pattern so I get deficits and peaks all over the shop, I'm hungry the day after a 10 mile run but all the surplus calories are still in the day before! Yes yes, I know the calories don't disappear at midnight... it would be interesting to see an overall weekly intake. I've only been doing this two weeks properly now. I've replaced my obsession with eating food with a new obsession for scanning food! :smile:
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    I have saved up calories before. I have also done the reverse when I went over on calories. Basically, you can just not eat a hundred or so calories each day until they add up to what you need for the splurge meal. I look at everything a week at a time. They say 3500 calories is one pound, so you need to stay under your TDEE by 3500 calories each week. You can do it a variety of different ways, so long as you keep it at 3500 calorie deficit, you're good.
  • Chaunte1
    Chaunte1 Posts: 1
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    I have to tell you I appreciate your comment and will most likely try your option. One thing I find the hardest about dieting, changing your eating habits or however you want to refer to it, is that there are so many horrible feelings about "slipping up" or "cheating". At least in my case there is. I don't want to feel bad about myself if I eat a slice of pizza. So thank you for your suggestion.

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