Thoughts on "cheat day"

ellyloo

cheat day/meals scare me.
My trainer used to say "you can't get fat in a day!"
but... I'll WANT more.

i'm not a 3 tablespoons of icecream kind of person.
I do that, and I'm thinking about choco sauce and whip cream in an hour.
I can't keep it in my freezer, because it'll be gone in a day.

I can't plan on indulging myself, because I'll want to do it more and more.
BUT: i won't kill myself if i have a cookie with my coffee at church...or some fun snack with my niece and nephew while babysitting....stuff like that happens, whatever.

victorious27

I don't necessarily have a "cheat day", but on the weekends I do not exercise and I don't watch what I eat as closely...though I do still log my calories and be conscious of how I am eating, I don't take as much care as I do through the week.

deniseearheart

I do one night a week :-) I still exercise that day though

sugarlips1980

I've not been planning on cheat days as such, but ended up having a treat and either going over my daily cal allowance or saturated fat allowance one day a week. Still lost 10 Ibs in 3 weeks. But now trying to have treats within my daily allowances by looking for alternatives to make them just a bit healthier. E,g. Instead of eating 4 slices of my boyfriend's Domino's pizza and regretting it once I log it and see how much fats in it, I've made my own pizza base with olive oil, frozen them, and made up a topping in a Tupperware box that's ready to go (no cheese, but marinated tomatoes, olives, basil, olive oil, mushrooms and peppers). Delicious! But won't beat myself up if I go over my cals one day a week, or may try to contain it to one day a fortnight. Absolutely agree we can't feel too deprived or its hard to keep up. Especially important when you've got a lot of weight to lose, that's gona take time. Good luck!

cbirdso

You need to structure your diet in a way that can be sustained long term, not thought of as being "on" and "off".

Structure your plan so that you can indulge in what you want sometimes, in moderate amounts.

^^^ This. I don't ever actively plan to go over calories, although of course I do sometimes - mostly by accident - then I just forget it and move forward. I do plan in advance for special occasions like birthdays and special dinners out and eating where I can't even guess or control the food like vacations. I do this by zigzagging my calories during those times and eating a LITTLE less in the days before and after and making sure I stay within portion sizes - like ONE piece of cake, not two, ONE small cocktail, etc. Also, I do believe you can't out-exercise a bad diet, but I work out a little harder or longer for special occasion eating. This has worked for me.

Tracepa98

I trick my body into thinking its a cheat meal or snack because I either work out or eat light the rest of the day to fit it in. This way I don't feel compelled to fall off the wagon. If I cant fit it into my day...it will have to be postponed or eliminated altogether.

Ive been on here for a month and have lost 16lbs doing this. '


I will say this that everyone is different and you have to trust your instincts and willpower.

momshorses

I am a big fan of a cheat day! It really helps me to get through the week knowing that I can anything I want, 1 day a week. I did Body For Life which incorporates the cheat day, and consistenly lost 2 lbs a week. When I do use one I am VERY strict during the week. (when I do them, anything goes!)

I had similar results using that program. I found it helpful to know that one day a week I could "indulge" in the other foods I really enjoyed and still get the results I wanted. It makes it easier to eat clean throughout the week knowing I could eat what I want guilt free another day.

teletubbie87

I do have days, (mainly Family Sundays) where I tend to eat a meal that is not healthy,
let's say hit the movies and have some nachos, or maybe get yogurtland... however
I do not plan this day, it could be any day during the week... I say don't deprive yourself
from foods you enjoy, just make healthier choices. If you need to go out with your hubby
or family, get a healthier option, maybe eat half of what you normally would before
and I'd recommend to choose water as a beverage. It tends to fill me up more, I drink a lot of
water when am out.

For me, I log in my food as I eat throughout the day so I have a better idea of how many
I have left, etc. I log it on my phone which makes easy access on the go.

dsjohndrow

I just changed my life style and I work extremely hard to stay within the caloric intake on MFP.

I also eat little or no fast food, junk and avoid unhealthy foods at every corner. Life is full of holidays, parties, and unintended meals where we can't control anything but our portions, save your splurges for those.

leeanneowens

I have a cheat day. It makes the rest of the week easier for me. So far I've lost a pound or two each week. As long as I keep losing, I will keep my cheat day.

xiofett

I don't "cheat", I eat what I want. I just focus on eating less of it and don't sweat it if I go over from time to time.

^^^ This. I'm not "on a diet", I'm just trying to make better eating choices. Ergo, there is nothing to "cheat". So if I feel like having that greasy double cheeseburger every now and then, I have it. I log it, see exactly how bad it was, then try to make up for it with the other meals or by taking a longer walk. But I never feel bad about it. Well, unless it makes me physically ill.

healthybodyhealthymind

Cheat days don't make sense to me. If you're serious about losing weight and being healthy why would you do such a think to yourself? There is a different between "everything in moderation" and flat out having a cheat day. In the end you'e only cheating yourself.

Going4Lean

why not just eat anything you want in moderation, but staying within your calories.

roycruse73

Cheat day... Cheat meal... Who are you cheating? Only your own progress.

I really can't understand the mentality of rewarding your progress by undoing it!!!

If you want to eat more. Get off your *kitten* and do some cardio and earn the extra food intake. It really isn't that hard to burn an extra 500 calories or more.

I have gotten real fat again after loosing a lot of weight a few years ago. This time Im sticking to my net calorie goal. If I want to go and munch my way through a Pizza Hut buffet, I'll damn well go and do 2 or 3 hours on my bike and earn an extra 1000+ cals so I stay under my goal.

WeekndOVOXO

I'll have a cheat meal once a week. To boost the metabolism and not cave into any cravings. I'll usually eat a lot lighter throughout the day and with my cheat meal included I like my calories intake to be 2000-2500. I do sometimes add a sweet along with my meal.

katevarner

I do not have cheat days, but I do allow myself to have stuff that I want. I am in maintenance, so I have space. I allowed myself to have "cheat" stuff when I was losing, too, tho. I just made sure that it fit in my calories and macros for the day. That was possible because I was eating 1650 per day even during weight loss, more like 1900 now, so there was/is space. I make sure to log it all, tho. Read somewhere that Jillian Michaels recommends that you get at least 80% of your calories from healthy/quality sources then allow yourself up to 20% as a treat. I figure that makes it ok.

KeriW626

You need to structure your diet in a way that can be sustained long term, not thought of as being "on" and "off".

Structure your plan so that you can indulge in what you want sometimes, in moderate amounts.

This. why would you want to "Cheat" on new dietary habits, meant to be a LIFE change????? and if you are needing a "cheat day", you should readjust your eating habits accordingly.

lifebalance8

I would choose a certain amount of calories that you plan to eat and then workout to burn those calories first. I would not choose a whole day or even a meal, but 1 item or a certain number of calories. If you give yourself too much leeway, you will blow everything that you have worked for and you will be frustrated and have to start all over again. This is a lifestyle, not a diet---a new more mindful way to approach eating so that you are in control. If you workout ahead of time, then you can enjoy what you choose to indulge in and also not "promise" to work it off later. Guilt free and doesn't counteract all of your hard work. Good luck!! You can do it.....the trick is FOCUS. All the time, plan and focus on your goal.

obnurse123

ok so I gained 1 lb this week and i didnt do amything different. I didnt go over calories for the wk and i even did a 3.5 mile race this weekend!! Someone help! I am so mad!!