*Cheat Weekends* - Can they ruin your entire week? (3 Q's)

Irish_eyes75

I guess I don't understand why you would work so hard all week just to eat like crap on the weekends? I don't care about the biology of it, it's no way to live if you truly want to lose weight and maintain. I'm not against "cheating"; however what you described for your weekend is, in my humble opinion, excessive!

zaph0d

but weight loss isn't as simple as maintaining a calorie deficit.

I guess this is the part you have fundamentally wrong. You can still succeed, but it's harder with unnecessary handicaps. :flowerforyou:

mschichi26

Hey guys,

I know a lot of you don't like the term *cheat* but as we all understand what it refers to whether we agree with it or not, I'm going to use it to ask

Say I eat extremely well all week and heavily watch my nutrition, ensuring I am not getting over my daily sodium/carbs etc. etc. and I am under by approximately 400-500 calories a day....
If I were to hypothetically end up being 3500 calories UNDER my weekly goal by the saturday.... Then I go to my boyfriends house, and he buys us pizza, and we have pringles/twisties/shapes whilst watching a movie together, and share chocolates from a box of cadbury favourites and then the next day we get up and have a McDonalds breakfast and a large chocolate thick shake with a doughnut for afternoon tea (all hypothetical) - Would that completely ruin anything I did during the week? Even if it now equalises my calorie goal for the week...?

It is my understanding that foods with a higher sodium content store as fat cells straight away (PLEASE correct me if I am wrong) but from there I gather, it doesn't matter what you eat to get your calories as you will possibly still lose weight if you are under - however if you're only eating things high in sodium you will ultimately be storing it all as fat, and when you do work out your body will reach for the limited protein or muscle building nutrients you have, before reaching for that massive clog of sodium you just had....??? Is that true???

Sorry for the huge amount of questioning..... If anyone could answer any of my questions that would be great.

I think it really comes down to overall calories in vs calories out. eg if you maintain a deficit of 500 calories a day for 5 days, then eat 3000 calories surplus on the weekend, you might cancel the work you did out. If you eat at a deficit of 500 calories a day for 5 days, then on the weekend you eat at a surplus of 500 calories, no big deal.

Also I think it's a good idea if you do "indulge" over the weekend to avoid the scales for a few days. Much of the weight gained after a "cheat day" is water weight due to increased sodium and carbohydrate intake. This will disappear after a few days.

gissalm

I agree with some of the peeps here they say that we are on MFP to change our eating habits, so "cheating" is just that excuse that brought us here to begin with.

I know its hard specially if you just started to leave behind those days when you ate whatever you feel like at any time so if i really really have to eat something i know its not healthy i eat a smaller portion and i always log it (it helps me to control my intake) i also try to only do it for one meal not the whole day for the whole weekend and only on weekends i do very good during the week.

one weekend like the one you describe, will ruin your week because all the good things you did, will go out the window and you wont lose any weight you could even gain.

If you are close to your goal weight then I guess you could indulge on some, but just remember that is so hard to lose a pound and so easy to gain one... best luck to you!

onedayillbeamilf

If you're going to have a cheat day, cheat with protein and fat instead of carbs. Enjoy your weekend :-)

I second that. Eating under your maintenance level for the whole week reduces your BMR. An insulin overload in the weekend will make your body store a lot of what you eat as fat.

I would try to eat things like beef jerky, domino's low carb meatlovers pizza etc instead of high carb stuff.

Dominos makes a low carb pizza? I'm both intrigued and disturbed by this. Is it good? Or does the crust taste like communion crackers?

Well first consider how nasty Dominos pizza is to begin with. Can it really get any worse? It's like maximum-bad already.

This is very true. I'll stick with good stuff.

banshishi

There is a difference between, a cheat day, and a binge day...I have a cheat day, but I still try to maintain a certain amount of control, for instance if I opt to eat out, I will go eat somewhere that cooks real food, carvery, or steakhouse, instead of fast foods like burger and fries I will order steak and extra veggies and then I will have whatever dessert I fancy off the menu, I will indulge in a cheese salad as cheese is a real weakness for me, or a large carvery lunch, where I now pack the plate with all the veggies instead of the stuffing and gravies, I will also enjoy my wine, but I wont go near the salty snack junk like pringles etc or gorge out on chocolate, I just find it makes me feel sick and bloated anyway. I find that it might slow me down a little but it means if I spot something thats way out of my calorie goal in the week I can add it to my cheat day list, which stops me craving it til I give in and mess up my day, usually I find by cheat day I have forgotten about it anyways.. right or wrong, it works for me.

deadliftfan

If you're going to have a cheat day, cheat with protein and fat instead of carbs. Enjoy your weekend :-)

I second that. Eating under your maintenance level for the whole week reduces your BMR. An insulin overload in the weekend will make your body store a lot of what you eat as fat.

I would try to eat things like beef jerky, domino's low carb meatlovers pizza etc instead of high carb stuff.

I think a lot of incredibly lean and fit people here who swear by carb heavy cheat days would beg to differ, as would quite a few personal trainers.

A personal trainer is also going to use up all those carbs. Unless the OP has a very high activity level, they're going unused. It's not about calories..it's about insulin regulation.

So do you think that eating "high carb" while still in a calorie deficit will inhibit weightloss? Because that seems to go against the laws of thermodynamics.

You don't need a "very high" activity level per se. You just need a TDEE that is greater than your overall intake.

Thermodynamics lol. You are assuming that the rate of metabolism stays constant regardless of your calorie intake/macros.

deadliftfan

If you're going to have a cheat day, cheat with protein and fat instead of carbs. Enjoy your weekend :-)

I second that. Eating under your maintenance level for the whole week reduces your BMR. An insulin overload in the weekend will make your body store a lot of what you eat as fat.

I would try to eat things like beef jerky, domino's low carb meatlovers pizza etc instead of high carb stuff.

Dominos makes a low carb pizza? I'm both intrigued and disturbed by this. Is it good? Or does the crust taste like communion crackers?

I've only had it once (too much sat fat, cholesterol) but it tastes quite good. It's a thick crunchy crust made of flaxmeal, soy flour and sesame seeds. They also have a low carb chicken pizza that might be healthier than the meatlovers one.

dalgirly

For me, I say enjoy life!

I am one who does want to lose weight, but not at the expense of never enjoying my life or always having to say no to dinner with friends and family and what not. Which is why I will probably never lose the last ten pounds and I'm cool with that!

I have lost about 30 lbs so far (not using diet, just exercising). And now for me, my take on things is eat healthy and well during work days or days you have no plans with friends. And when going out with friends, just have fun and enjoy!

I haven't found cheat days make a difference.

Julzmusic

Thanks for all of your responses guys,
It's interesting to see all of the different angles people come from on this topic

For those out there who question what on earth I'm bothering dieting at all for, keep in mind it was definitely a hypothetical / unrealistic situation I listed, and quite excessive... But I was trying to make a point, so I thought I'd make it as bad as I could think of. I personally love what I eat during the week and I love eating healthy, I don't intend to eat crap food, but I've noticed it slipping back in to my diet on the weekends....... It's not that I *Only eat to binge* as some have implied.
It just so happens, that I'm noticing a pattern I do not like, and I'm asking how much it is actually affecting my week........ So thank you for those answers, especially the *intolerance* ones I didn't think of

If I am at home on weekends I don't go out, i still maintain my gym routine like i do during the working week and I eat just as healthy as I would during the week. The variable that seems to change things is, when I see my partner and we organise to go out/socialise etc. etc. it becomes increasingly hard to monitor my food intake, and I know I visit him every second weekend.....

I don't want to be religious on weight loss - I was religious 12 months ago for the better part of 8-9 months and I lost more weight than I thought I ever would.... I know if I take a weekend program to my boyfriends house for food, he'll think I am obsessive, and I won't have much of a chance to disagree... So, yeah I just wondered how much these weekends were affecting my progress, though I am still losing weight, I wanted a more scientific explanation / Calorie Deficit explanation - which I got so thanks guys!!!

bullisnn82

I didn't bother reading all the other comments (so if this is redundant, I apologize) but a pound of fat is roughly 3500 calories, so if you spent your whole weak creating a deficit of about that much, but eat it in two days of weekend "cheating" you'll make no progress. That would be about like walking a mile a little at a time, then jumping on a bike and riding two miles back toward the start line - you'll get nowhere fast. If your "cheat" weekend isn't a ton of extra calories and it helps you stay on track through out the week, well, if it works for you great! Things that work for one don't necessarily work for someone else. What motivates one person discourages another, so ultimately, you'll have to decide if it works FOR YOU.

Julzmusic

If you're going to have a cheat day, cheat with protein and fat instead of carbs. Enjoy your weekend :-)

I second that. Eating under your maintenance level for the whole week reduces your BMR. An insulin overload in the weekend will make your body store a lot of what you eat as fat.

I would try to eat things like beef jerky, domino's low carb meatlovers pizza etc instead of high carb stuff.

Dominos makes a low carb pizza? I'm both intrigued and disturbed by this. Is it good? Or does the crust taste like communion crackers?

I've only had it once (too much sat fat, cholesterol) but it tastes quite good. It's a thick crunchy crust made of flaxmeal, soy flour and sesame seeds. They also have a low carb chicken pizza that might be healthier than the meatlovers one.

I've not had Dominos - Infact I have only had pizza 2-3 times in 2012.... So it was probably a shocking example for me to use.... I'm hoping people really did pick up on the term *hypothetical*

PayneAS

From my own experience, and the reason why I've put myself on a low sodium diet, is that yes, it can ruin a good week. But it is because of water weight. I can eat with my deficit, have a horrible weekend (still maintaining a deficit), and balloon up because of the water retention caused by the sodium. Then I have to spend an entire week shedding that stupid water instead of losing real weight.

MissCarter79

I would pick a cheat day and add 400-600 calories of something I'm craving. This way I don't find myself giving up and going nuts on all the things I crave but are not that good to eat all the time.

I think this seems smart. I've noticed what seems to work for me is planning a day and eating as good as I can and then having something I really like. For instance Saturday, I plan on having a few drinks and eating something I've been wanting, but I'm going to get my fruits and veggies in first and still work out. That way with exercise I may be a couple hundred calories over, but I'm not going nuts and eating everything in site.

Julzmusic

I would pick a cheat day and add 400-600 calories of something I'm craving. This way I don't find myself giving up and going nuts on all the things I crave but are not that good to eat all the time.

I think this seems smart. I've noticed what seems to work for me is planning a day and eating as good as I can and then having something I really like. For instance Saturday, I plan on having a few drinks and eating something I've been wanting, but I'm going to get my fruits and veggies in first and still work out. That way with exercise I may be a couple hundred calories over, but I'm not going nuts and eating everything in site.

This is what I have done today - I am happy and able to workout and still put good food into my weekend diet.... and I am trying to be extremely aware of what I'm eating..... But sometimes, like with pub meals and alcohol.... It can get a little more relaxed than I'd like.....

ChLoE1130

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