Your diet is not a test, DON'T CHEAT!

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Replies

  • mclarkin75
    mclarkin75 Posts: 51 Member
    :smile:
  • DaivaSimone
    DaivaSimone Posts: 657 Member
    To each his own.

    This.

    Cheat day is my favorite day of the week. I cook something great for my boyfriend and me, we open a good bottle of wine that we drink together, outside on the terrace. We talk late ate night and, then, sometimes, we go eat a dessert at the cafe on the corner of the street. But, I make crazy work out on these days so the wine and the indulgences still fit in my macro.

    Well, for some persons, my cheat day is not cheating at all. For others, it is.

    To each his own.
  • MeMyCatsandI
    MeMyCatsandI Posts: 704 Member
    I see a lot of people on my friends list who have trouble with bad eating on the weekends. And it kind of aggravates me. Because they have so much potential and they could do so well with their weight loss if they just stayed on track. Sure, everyone has bad days, but the weekend is not a "get out of jail free" card! You can't just do well all week, and then say "oh it's okay to have a snack today, or it's okay to go to a chinese buffet tonight". I'm not sure what kind of diet everyone is on, but on my diet, cheating all weekend is not allowed. So I stick to the plan, and when my Tuesday weigh in comes around, I always see amazing results. Because this is a lifestyle change. This is my lifestyle change, it has become a habit. It is not something that I cheat on, and it is definitely not a test. I just don't get why you would waste a whole week of good work for one weekend of bad meals because it's what you want in the moment, but it's not doing your body any good.

    It all comes down to one simple question: HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT?

    Idk if i took this post different then others, but there is a difference between having a cheat meal or day then being good all week and then taking those 3 days over the weekend going way over cals and stalling their progress, i definitely believe these are two different things. I took her post as meaning the latter. A cheat meal/day in moderation should not harm your weight loss effort, but i believe DAYS of binging may have you in a vicious cycle of gaining and losing the same few pounds. I dont think she meant she deprives herself of these things all the time. Just my thought lol
    She edited her post since most of us read it.
  • I see a lot of people on my friends list who have trouble with bad eating on the weekends. And it kind of aggravates me. Because they have so much potential and they could do so well with their weight loss if they just stayed on track. Sure, everyone has bad days, but the weekend is not a "get out of jail free" card! You can't just do well all week, and then say "oh it's okay to have a snack today, or it's okay to go to a chinese buffet tonight". I'm not sure what kind of diet everyone is on, but on my diet, cheating all weekend is not allowed. So I stick to the plan, and when my Tuesday weigh in comes around, I always see amazing results. Because this is a lifestyle change. This is my lifestyle change, it has become a habit. It is not something that I cheat on, and it is definitely not a test. I just don't get why you would waste a whole week of good work for one weekend of bad meals because it's what you want in the moment, but it's not doing your body any good.

    It all comes down to one simple question: HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT?

    Idk if i took this post different then others, but there is a difference between having a cheat meal or day then being good all week and then taking those 3 days over the weekend going way over cals and stalling their progress, i definitely believe these are two different things. I took her post as meaning the latter. A cheat meal/day in moderation should not harm your weight loss effort, but i believe DAYS of binging may have you in a vicious cycle of gaining and losing the same few pounds. I dont think she meant she deprives herself of these things all the time. Just my thought lol
    She edited her post since most of us read it.

    I edited after this poster replied though. I remember seeing her reply.
  • xo_Sarah_xo
    xo_Sarah_xo Posts: 308 Member
    Wow, if it bothers you that much then just "unfriend" them!

    Just because you are angry that you are not allowing yourself some slack every once in a while does NOT mean that everyone else doesn't get to.

    I will use my 4 year old's favorite saying..."You are not the boss of me". :smile:

    In all seriousness though, you anger makes me think maybe you either need to loosen your reins a bit or just unfriend these people that you are jealous of.

    I'm not jealous of anyone. I'm talking about the people who fall off the wagon every single weekend, and complain about not losing weight. If you binge, and lose weight, good for you! I don't have a strict diet, and I'm not trying to boss anyone around, but if you wonder why the scale keeps going up and up and up, maybe try fixing your weekend binges. That's all I am saying.

    Cheating does NOT always mean "binging" by the way. I just really find it humorous that you are defending your anger towards these people when all you have to do is "unfriend" them. I see from your profile that you are still a young girl so maybe that explains it.

    You are judging others for doing what they want to do which has caused me to judge you....
  • mclarkin75
    mclarkin75 Posts: 51 Member
    I see a lot of people on my friends list who have trouble with bad eating on the weekends. And it kind of aggravates me. Because they have so much potential and they could do so well with their weight loss if they just stayed on track. Sure, everyone has bad days, but the weekend is not a "get out of jail free" card! You can't just do well all week, and then say "oh it's okay to have a snack today, or it's okay to go to a chinese buffet tonight". I'm not sure what kind of diet everyone is on, but on my diet, cheating all weekend is not allowed. So I stick to the plan, and when my Tuesday weigh in comes around, I always see amazing results. Because this is a lifestyle change. This is my lifestyle change, it has become a habit. It is not something that I cheat on, and it is definitely not a test. I just don't get why you would waste a whole week of good work for one weekend of bad meals because it's what you want in the moment, but it's not doing your body any good.

    It all comes down to one simple question: HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT?

    Idk if i took this post different then others, but there is a difference between having a cheat meal or day then being good all week and then taking those 3 days over the weekend going way over cals and stalling their progress, i definitely believe these are two different things. I took her post as meaning the latter. A cheat meal/day in moderation should not harm your weight loss effort, but i believe DAYS of binging may have you in a vicious cycle of gaining and losing the same few pounds. I dont think she meant she deprives herself of these things all the time. Just my thought lol



    I agree! I can eat what I want. What I want more is not to be fat and unhealthy. For me personally a few binge days turn into a few more and soon enough I have gained back 70lbs(2006lost/2007 gained). I do have ice cream and other treats in moderation but I plan my day so that the calories, fat and carbs fit. As for what the rest of you do. That is your business and if works for you great.
  • gaiareeves
    gaiareeves Posts: 292 Member
    I've lost 40lbs in a little over eight months.

    I'm now a size 4/6.

    I'm also a teenager, which means I like to get drunk off my face at least once a week, grab a slice of cake with my friends on occasion, enjoy popcorn with my movies and celebrate exam results with take out.

    And y'know what? I do fine. Why? Because I've learned moderation.

    I'm not on a diet. I've never considered this a diet. If I was on a diet, I probably would've lost that 40lbs in 5 months. I also probably would've put at least 5lbs of it back on by now.

    This is a lifestyle change. If you 'diet' in a way that involves cutting out every indulgence in your life and sticking to a strict routine, well. That's not maintainable for most people. For me, certainly, I would not be able to do that for the rest of my life.

    I don't 'cheat'. I eat in moderation. If I want cake, I'll eat cake. It's not going to kill me, and it's not going to make me gain a tonne of weight, because I've learned through trial and error that some things are meant to be indulged in every now and then, not every night of the week.

    If eating like utter **** once a week means that someone can eat healthily every other day of the week, then good for them. They're working out what works best for them and their lifestyle, and that's the important thing.

    There is no standard way to lose weight or be healthy that fits everybody. We all have to do what's best for us.

    For some, that's cutting out everything. But for most of us, we like our cake, we like our alcohol, we like our chinese takeaway, and so we're going to work those into our lifestyles however we see fit.
  • WalkingGirl1985
    WalkingGirl1985 Posts: 2,046 Member
    I think I'll just order a pizza today...:laugh:
  • MeMyCatsandI
    MeMyCatsandI Posts: 704 Member
    I see a lot of people on my friends list who have trouble with bad eating on the weekends. And it kind of aggravates me. Because they have so much potential and they could do so well with their weight loss if they just stayed on track. Sure, everyone has bad days, but the weekend is not a "get out of jail free" card! You can't just do well all week, and then say "oh it's okay to have a snack today, or it's okay to go to a chinese buffet tonight". I'm not sure what kind of diet everyone is on, but on my diet, cheating all weekend is not allowed. So I stick to the plan, and when my Tuesday weigh in comes around, I always see amazing results. Because this is a lifestyle change. This is my lifestyle change, it has become a habit. It is not something that I cheat on, and it is definitely not a test. I just don't get why you would waste a whole week of good work for one weekend of bad meals because it's what you want in the moment, but it's not doing your body any good.

    It all comes down to one simple question: HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT?

    Idk if i took this post different then others, but there is a difference between having a cheat meal or day then being good all week and then taking those 3 days over the weekend going way over cals and stalling their progress, i definitely believe these are two different things. I took her post as meaning the latter. A cheat meal/day in moderation should not harm your weight loss effort, but i believe DAYS of binging may have you in a vicious cycle of gaining and losing the same few pounds. I dont think she meant she deprives herself of these things all the time. Just my thought lol
    She edited her post since most of us read it.

    I edited after this poster replied though. I remember seeing her reply.
    Not quite. You edited at 11:02. She posted at 11:17.
  • Restybaby2012
    Restybaby2012 Posts: 568 Member
    One thing I have found here on MFP is that one persons interpretation of a word may not be necessarily yours. That being said I made a lifestyle change 38 months ago and in the process I changed "MY DIET" in accordance to my goals. I eat pretty much on point Sunday- Thursday but on Friday evenings and Saturday I lighten up my DIET and have a few (what I like to call) Cheat Meals. I don't log them, I don't track them, I just enjoy them.... My way may not be your way and that I am perfectly fine with but don't judge me for the way I do things. (OP this is a generalized statement not directed at you or anyone else for that matter) because for me my way has netted me 311 lbs. in weight loss so something is working.... I am not a everything in moderation kind of person, I would rather enjoy a few meals off point on the weekend and stick to my plan during the week... Best of Luck to You....

    ^^^^^THIS^^^^

    ^^^^^THIS^^^^

    ^^^^^THIS^^^^

    .......a thousand times over and Im gonna adopt it..the process, the logic, the meaning, the determination. I WANT IT

    and by the by.....MAJOR kudos for your success and accomplishment.
  • Not quite. You edited at 11:02. She posted at 11:17.

    Oh okay. Well, I edited it because people weren't understanding what I was saying, and they still don't understand.

    Good luck to everyone though :)
  • MeMyCatsandI
    MeMyCatsandI Posts: 704 Member
    Not quite. You edited at 11:02. She posted at 11:17.

    Oh okay. Well, I edited it because people weren't understanding what I was saying, and they still don't understand.

    Good luck to everyone though :)
    I think everyone "understands" what you're saying. They just don't all agree with you. But like I said before, if it works for you, keep doing it. It doesn't work for everyone. And that's the way the world works.
    Good luck to you too.
  • realme56
    realme56 Posts: 1,093 Member
    I don't deny myself, I weigh the benefits, what I want, exercise, and go with moderation. Having a cheat day is great and healthy!!
  • KS_4691
    KS_4691 Posts: 228 Member
    It seems like (for the most part) the people who emphatically agree with the OP still have lots of weight to lose. The people who are disagreeing seem to be closer to their goals. Interesting.
  • desiv2
    desiv2 Posts: 651 Member
    Wow, I think some people took this way too personal!

    Diet: The kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats. So everyone is technically on a diet, other people use lifestyle change, but honestly I find it annoying lately. Diet is a much shorter word! (I'm just joking..)

    I think she is speaking of people who do good all week, then all weekend eat large pizzas, fried foods, and ice cream and end up gaining weight or only losing .4 lbs when they could have lost 2lbs. There is a difference between that and allowing yourself to indulge in more calorie laden foods, if it's within your calorie budget. That's all fine and dandy if you are satisfied with losing it slowly, but don't complain about it.

    So those of you who earn those treats, you aren't cheating, those of you who eat light all week for a day of treats, you aren't cheating. Those who give yourself a day a week to relax and eat what you want, but you don't over do it and stay under TDEE...it's not cheating.

    It's those that say they are trying to change their life then all weekend drink thousands of calories at the bar and eat a fried chicken or two, then come back on Monday and say OMG I GAINED WEIGHT, I GUESS DIETS JUST DON'T WORK! Those people are the cheaters!

    That being said, I think that it is different strokes for different folks. Personally, every time I eat greasy pizza as a treat or a birthday cake.. I get sick!! I think that's a sign that maybe I shouldn't have done it, but I always tell myself.. If I really want something for the whole week and my craving never goes away, then I'll allow myself to have a healthy portion of it. You should have a healthy relationship with food after all, no food is completely off limits, it's moderation. (way over used phrase, i know..)
  • rhonniema
    rhonniema Posts: 522 Member
    Meh, I do what I want.
  • ShreddedTweet
    ShreddedTweet Posts: 1,326 Member
    It seems like (for the most part) the people who emphatically agree with the OP still have lots of weight to lose. The people who are disagreeing seem to be closer to their goals. Interesting.

    Wow, I thought it was the opposite actually...with a few exceptions.
  • xoleanne
    xoleanne Posts: 38 Member
    i cheated today & yesterday :(.
  • It seems like (for the most part) the people who emphatically agree with the OP still have lots of weight to lose. The people who are disagreeing seem to be closer to their goals. Interesting.

    I noticed this, too. Just didn't say anything because people get uptight when other people make mention of sizes in a way that sets people apart. Which is stupid on both ends.
  • dsckrc
    dsckrc Posts: 194 Member
    I calorie cycle to accommodate the weekend treats. It's working for me far more effectively than 'being good' all week as I would inevitably cave at some point through self denial. Allowing for the extra intake at the weekend has finally broken the back of my 3 month plateau.

    this ^
  • isabel88g
    isabel88g Posts: 77 Member
    Ive tried dieting in the past without cheating and to be honest, it doesnt work, you give up... You need your cheat day atleast once a week or a cheat meal... I did this last year and I did lose 50 lbs, so cheating is not necessarily bad, it keeps you from giving up!! Works for me
  • Tymeshia
    Tymeshia Posts: 194 Member
    I agreed with you. I know a lot of people who don't count calories on the weekend. I think you have to keep in mind that we all gained weight by being out of control with our eating habits. We are trying to stop the habit and if you do it every weekend you are not training you body to know its limits. Having a new body and keeping it means changing old habits.
  • Not quite. You edited at 11:02. She posted at 11:17.

    Oh okay. Well, I edited it because people weren't understanding what I was saying, and they still don't understand.

    Good luck to everyone though :)

    Just because someone doesn't agree doesn't mean they don't understand. They just simply don't agree. "It's OK to have a snack today!" doesn't = a binge. Or weight gain. It's a bit hard to take that any way than how it was intended, or else you really have trouble putting your thoughts onto paper (or type, as it were.)
  • xo_Sarah_xo
    xo_Sarah_xo Posts: 308 Member
    It seems the people agreeing with the OP take her post as a discussion on cheating vs not cheating and the benefits/detriments of it. That is NOT what she was discussing...she was discussing how it angers her that people on her friends list have cheat days and then complain about not losing weight. That IS a valid point but none of her business none the less. That is, unless they directly message her asking for her opinion on the subject - which I doubt is what happens.

    I am not trying to bash her here, I just really hope that the OP realizes that the above is what is angering people, NOT cheating vs not cheating.
  • opuntia
    opuntia Posts: 860 Member
    It seems the people agreeing with the OP take her post as a discussion on cheating vs not cheating and the benefits/detriments of it. That is NOT what she was discussing...she was discussing how it angers her that people on her friends list have cheat days and then complain about not losing weight.

    Maybe I'm being dense here, but I've just reread the OP and I can't see anything in it about people complaining about not losing weight. The reason that OP states for being annoyed is 'Because they have so much potential and they could do so well with their weight loss if they just stayed on track.' It seems very focused on the detriments of cheating to me!
  • desiv2
    desiv2 Posts: 651 Member
    It seems the people agreeing with the OP take her post as a discussion on cheating vs not cheating and the benefits/detriments of it. That is NOT what she was discussing...she was discussing how it angers her that people on her friends list have cheat days and then complain about not losing weight.


    I think a lot of the people seem to think she is saying that anyone who eats a 'off limits' food is a terrible person, but clearly as your post states she's aggravated that people spoil their efforts, and then complain about it, yet never change that.

    Read the last sentence of your post, "people on her friends list have cheat days and then complain about not losing weight." That's exactly what I thought she meant.. She did not say, "People ate some pizza, and they are still losing weight and it makes me very mad!" and I think a few people took it that way instead.

    edited for misspelling...
  • xo_Sarah_xo
    xo_Sarah_xo Posts: 308 Member
    I just went back and reread the original post and it is different than it was when I first read it when I originally posted on the first page....she obviously took out a lot of her inflammatory statements. So, before you jump on me you may want to notice that the first few pages are all directed at statements that are no longer there....just saying.
  • opuntia
    opuntia Posts: 860 Member
    I just went back and reread the original post and it is different than it was when I first read it when I originally posted on the first page....she obviously took out a lot of her inflammatory statements. So, before you jump on me you may want to notice that the first few pages are all directed at statements that are no longer there....just saying.

    Who has jumped on you? I haven't seen any jumping - just questioning, and rereading of the OP in the light of what you said.

    It was not obvious to me that any inflammatory statements had been removed - I don't think this is obvious from simply reading the OP. Personally, I was replying to what the OP said, as I imagine most other people were. If she was originally discussing something different and then deleted it, then people coming later to the thread won't know this.

    Out of curiosity, if the OP originally was complaining that people shouldn't grumble that they haven't lost weight, how is that inflammatory? If this is what she was saying, that would actually add more weight to her post.
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
    Do you think there is any chance you are aggravated because it brings up anxiety for you about returning to your own bad habits? I'm not emotionally involved in any of my friends' eating habits, other than worry if someone doesn't eat enough. I'm emotionally invested in them, though. I was trying to figure out why you'd care enough to get aggravated, and it led me back to either your own anxiety, or they are that annoying. If someone binges all weekend and then complains that they don't understand why they aren't losing weight, I'd probably arch an eyebrow and ask them, "Did you go over your goals at some point this week?" and then help them understand the ins and outs of weight loss. If they continued, I guess that would get aggravating, to hear them keep complaining. But the aggravation isn't about what they are doing with their diets but their attitudes about it.
  • losingw8now
    losingw8now Posts: 105 Member
    It has been said but I think it needs to be repeated - many of you have missed the point of the original post and are bringing up things about your saving up calories for your normally off limit foods like pizza, etc. but you earned them and are still losing - that is NOT what she was talking about. She was mentioning people who consistently overindulge all weekend and then wonder why the scale isn't moving or complain about how hard this dieting thing is. In reading people's defensive responses, it makes me think you all are feeling guilty for your own indulgences. If, as you say, you allow this for yourself and account for it and keep losing weight, then why are you so angry at her post?

    I kind of agreed with what she is saying - getting frustrated at people who SAY they want to lose, but don't DO the things to actually lose the weight. And I felt like lately that has been me - I came on here to actually see what was suggested and to be reminded that I can't do day after day of "treats" or extra calorie meals, because then it BECOMES my diet - it's not a "cheat" or a "treat" when you do it so often. And thinking that calories consumed over a whole weekend will have no impact whatsoever is foolish.

    So all of you angry responders to her original post, settle down, she was not accusing you of anything. She was venting about how annoying it is to try to be helpful to people who SAY they want help but keep repeating the same old bad behaviors.

    To the original poster, I say, make sure you are pointing these things out to your "friends" who are doing this. This is a change of mind and behavior that is difficult to make (more difficult for some than others) and it takes a while to make those changes. So help them learn what they need to do - how they can learn from their own diaries, tell them to log everrything, even those binges or "free days" so they can look back and see in black and white why they may not be having the outcomes they want. Help them to learn from your diary, and how you allow yourself a "treat" now and then but how you choose it, what limits you put on yourself, etc. This is a learning process, and that's what this whole "pal" or "friend" set up is for - to help us learn from each other and get the info and encouragement we all need to succeed.