IS IT OK TO CHEAT EVERYDAY?

mommy_03

I mean, Im doing fantastic with my calorie plan and eating but I dont wanna feel deprived like I cant have something if I want it. So, I cheat just a little everyday to keep on track. Like yesterday I had a swiss cake roll and today I had 3 peanut butter cookies fresh out the oven. Just wondering if anybody else does this.

DopeItUp

If it fits your goals it's not cheating. I find that most people save a bit of calories for something special most days. Mine is beer, I've had a beer every day for almost 2 years now. I just make room for it in my daily plan.

bufger

That's not cheating at all. I had a gourmet burger and fries tonight but I went to the gym for an hour earlier to offset It! Job done

salcha76

I think it depends on "why" you are doing it. Is it to satisfy a mental need? Is it a bandaid? Is it stress or reward eating? If it is part of your normal diet & within your calorie intake, and your logging it, then i don't think it's cheating. BUT.....ask yourself "why" it's being done. To feel normal? I get it, but the thing is, as we are on here to drop weight & be healthier....I'm redefining my normal. (and now i'm craving a swiss cake roll! ) Good luck to you!

IveLanded

I think it depends on "why" you are doing it. Is it to satisfy a mental need? Is it a bandaid? Is it stress or reward eating? If it is part of your normal diet & within your calorie intake, and your logging it, then i don't think it's cheating. BUT.....ask yourself "why" it's being done. To feel normal? I get it, but the thing is, as we are on here to drop weight & be healthier....I'm redefining my normal. (and now i'm craving a swiss cake roll! ) Good luck to you!

Good thoughts.

If you feel the NEED to cheat every day, you might want to consider stopping it. If you don't change your relationship with food, you're probably not going to succeed. If you feel like you NEED a swiss cake roll to be happy and have a fulfilled life......uhm, that's a problem. And I would say that, no, it's not ok.

peuglow

If it fits your macros you aren't cheating IMO

DresdenMN

If you consider it cheating then it may be cheating.
Although if you are still in your calorie goal and you eat the foods that you consider cheat foods, it's not cheating and there is nothing to feel guilty about. Like Dopeitup said; just make room in your day for it. I have things I will not give up because depriving myself of them will make me binge (potato chips). So I am sure to only eat one serving of the chips or whatever it is that I am craving and have that as my snack.
Don't set yourself up for guilt behaviors by considering it cheating if it is not. Especially if you are an emotional eater. Nothing is off limits as long as you can stay within your goals!
The will power and self control is yours to take and master.

slkehl

By your definition of cheating, I totally do! But to me, it's not cheating. It's enjoying life while staying at a deficit and losing weight!

tmauck4472

Eat what you want as long as it fits into your daily goals.

WendyTerry420

If it fits your goals it's not cheating. I find that most people save a bit of calories for something special most days. Mine is beer, I've had a beer every day for almost 2 years now. I just make room for it in my daily plan.

^^^^ This

I normally eat a dessert every day. That's not cheating; it's living.

Inamourada

While I do have some kind of little dessert everyday, it's usually nothing like 3 peanut butter cookies, which depending on how big they are can be a pretty huge cheat. I like to have a no sugar added packet of hot chocolate after dinner which is only 60 calories, or like a weight watchers type dessert. If I were you, I'd just watch it and limit it as much as possible because that might be okay now but the more weight you lose, the less you can eat so get rid of the cravings while you can. Save something like peanut butter cookies for once a week.

MassiveDelta

By your definition of cheating, I totally do! But to me, it's not cheating. It's enjoying life while staying at a deficit and losing weight!

this...Live your life and reach your goals that is the balance

zaph0d

wear a rubber and don't get caught.

machinegunchristy

I don't believe sweets are automatically cheating. If eating one "treat" each day keeps you on track otherwise, then that's great. If you would rather not eat such things every day, then try aiming for every-other-day instead. But we're all focused on developing sustainable habits to change our lives and health in the long run. If a cookie a day keeps your lifestyle sustainable, then I say go for it.

I, on the other hand, can never eat just one cookie.

DexterDarko

I prefer to stay away from any unhealthy foods, because just 1 can trigger me to eat everything in site. I dunno why :C

In the future once I'm more athletic I might start some "cheat day" sort of things, but right now I got just a couple years to lose all the weight I can so I can be ready to live, so cheating is out of the question.

But like everyone said, if it fits into your schedule and you feel you want to have it, go right ahead.

Mendelianparakeets

I "cheat" every day, and I'm still seeing results.
I eat a cookie at least twice a week, chocolate milk with lunch several times per week, and my Kettle Jalapeno chips about once a week. I just learn how to balance it out so that it fits my daily goal.


I don't see the point in making long lists of foods that are off limits while you're dieting. The goal, I believe, is to make your favorite not-so-healthy foods fit into a balanced diet, in reasonable portions of course. Europeans eat a lot of high-fat pastries and chocolate, but they watch their portions and stop eating when they're full, which is why many of those countries have lower obesity rates.

It takes some practice, but once you start logging it all in, you get the hang of it.

mermer45

I do the alternative day fasting diet.....on Monday, Wednesday and Friday I only eat around 600 calories in the evening.....on thie other days I get to eat what I like....although oddly enough once you are on this diet you end up having much greater control on the 'normal' days too!

Topher1978

My theory is to create a new diet plan for life that you can live with and that will help you to stay healthy…
food is great, why torture yourself with no good food? By all means, work on acquiring tastes that are healthier, but not at the price of misery. That is a set up for failure.

skinnyitaliannn

Like everyone said, DO IT, if it fits your goals, definitely! Its your life meaning you live day to day, and if daily you want a treat to keep you sane (like I do) then do so.

RitaC21

life would be so boring (and stressful) if we felt deprived all the time of the foods we love or crave...for me it eventually just won't work if someone tells me what I can and can't eat all the time...its about portion control and just being aware of what you're putting in your mouth....instead of eating 3 cookies eat one, etc...if you keep track of what you eat you'll get used to knowing how much of a treat you're allowed within your calorie goal and then you can adjust...life is too short to feel guilty all the time!

bahacca

I don't call it cheating at all. To me, only "cheat" is going over your calories. And even that isn't horrible if you do it sporadically. I have pizza, wine, cheese, girl scout cookies, birthday cake, etc. I KNOW if I tried to eat egg whites, greek yogurt, tuna and chicken breast I would NOT last for very long with this. I eat like a normal human being and am slowly improving my choices each day. I'm not going to refuse birthday cake at a party because I am on a "diet". I'm not on a "diet", I'm on a health journey that includes ENJOYING that journey.

ladyark

I notice alot of people saying if it fits in your numbers then its not cheating. Just in my opinion i wont call it cheating but , i dont understand regardless if it fits in the numbers WHY would you want to put garbage food into your body on a daily basis??

To me IMO its not trying to be consistently healthy. A treat ( i said treat, not meal or day) once in a while is ok , or once a week. I dont think anyone should deprive themselves of something they truly want but it seems counter productive to me to do it every day. I think some nice strawberrys dipped in dark chocolate would be a sweet treat and you get fruit and chocolate lol

So no disrespect to the OP or anyone else who answered just my 2 cents worth.

maddmaddie

Just as long as your being honest on MFP and about your calories. Don't let it get out of control. That's how some people gain all their weight back is by letting "cheating" get out of control.

susie769

I allow chocolate in my diet almost everyday. I have always had a severe sweet tooth and I find that giving myself the sweets to fit into my calorie goals, keeps me from stopping and buying that candy bar or shake when that really isnt what I want. If you can eat your sweets and stay within your goals then ENJOY them. This is about changing your way of eating not depriving yourself of the foods you love.

SoDamnHungry

I notice alot of people saying if it fits in your numbers then its not cheating. Just in my opinion i wont call it cheating but , i dont understand regardless if it fits in the numbers WHY would you want to put garbage food into your body on a daily basis??

To me IMO its not trying to be consistently healthy. A treat ( i said treat, not meal or day) once in a while is ok , or once a week. I dont think anyone should deprive themselves of something they truly want but it seems counter productive to me to do it every day. I think some nice strawberrys dipped in dark chocolate would be a sweet treat and you get fruit and chocolate lol

So no disrespect to the OP or anyone else who answered just my 2 cents worth.

Some people just enjoy eating junk, and the only way they can manage to succeed on a diet or lifestyle change is by allowing those foods in. While I try eating a lot more fruits and veggies (and I really do eat more now), at the end of the night, I just want some cheese and crackers. And it won't change. Learning to fit the bad foods into your life is just another way to be healthier. Heck, at least the people who eat them on a regular basis but are in their calorie limit aren't going to be overweight AND eating garbage. They're just eating junk a little smarter.

martintanz

Funny you should mention Swiss Cake Roles and Peanut Butter Cookies. I associate those, and other sugary foods with my old lifestyle. For the last couple of years, I couldn't get through the evening without some sugary empty calories. Except for some cake on my birthday, I haven't touched sugary sweets like that since June. The last time I lost a lot of weight, 8 years ago, the food I associated with uncontrolled eating was those giant cinnamon roles. When I was in law school a few years earlier, I would buy 2 every Tuesday at the coffee shop at the student union and eat one in the morning, save the other as a mid afternoon snack. Packed on some serious weight my first two years of law school eating stuff like that.

Also, despite cutting down on sugar, MFP still tells me I am eating too much sugar. I don't know how you can cheat with cookies or swiss cake roles and not go way over on the sugar.

ladyark

I notice alot of people saying if it fits in your numbers then its not cheating. Just in my opinion i wont call it cheating but , i dont understand regardless if it fits in the numbers WHY would you want to put garbage food into your body on a daily basis??

To me IMO its not trying to be consistently healthy. A treat ( i said treat, not meal or day) once in a while is ok , or once a week. I dont think anyone should deprive themselves of something they truly want but it seems counter productive to me to do it every day. I think some nice strawberrys dipped in dark chocolate would be a sweet treat and you get fruit and chocolate lol

So no disrespect to the OP or anyone else who answered just my 2 cents worth.

Some people just enjoy eating junk, and the only way they can manage to succeed on a diet or lifestyle change is by allowing those foods in. While I try eating a lot more fruits and veggies (and I really do eat more now), at the end of the night, I just want some cheese and crackers. And it won't change. Learning to fit the bad foods into your life is just another way to be healthier. Heck, at least the people who eat them on a regular basis but are in their calorie limit aren't going to be overweight AND eating garbage. They're just eating junk a little smarter.

Dont get me wrong my diary sure isisnt pretty all the time so im not trying to be superior by any means. I guess what i am trying to say is wanting to lose weight is one thing and wanting to lose weight and be Healthy is another . Hard to give up the junk i know. Plenty of times i ate the whole box......or bag etc.. Its a mind over matter thing i think..

victorious27

Honestly, I have a "mini bad snack" pretty much every day. One day it may be a reece cup, the next a handful a chips, or maybe even a candy bar. The thing is though, is that it always fits in my logs. If it doesn't fit, I won't eat it. I don't call them cheats, they're choices. But I'm not going to screw up my weight loss and healthy living to satisfy a craving that won't fit.

However...if it's something that I haven't had in forever and I've been really good, I'll eat it with a smile on my face and not regret it. Regardless of how it fits in my logs

CyeRyn

I go out of my way to make sure I have room for some chocolate. No diet will keep me away from my beloved tasty goodness! Moderation is key and I don't consider it cheating if you have just a *little* bit of this. If you're over-doing it then there's a problem. It's sad though that 5 of my little precious'es calculate to 220cal.

Just log it and fit it into your daily calorie goal. I make a special spot for "snacks" and try to keep it about half the calories of one of my meals.

Sailorwind

Try to stop thinking of it as "cheating". The reason I failed every other time I tried to get healthy was because I was in the mindset that I was on a diet, so desserts and fried foods and such were "cheating". I always ended up caving and then losing morale and giving up. This time I have drilled into my head this is a lifestyle change and NOT a diet. I'm training myself to enjoy eating healthier, but when I give in and eat some junk or eat a ton at a party or potluck (like today), it's not "cheating", rather it's a choice I made. Every thing I think about eating, I ask myself if this food is worth it, if it will help me meet my nutrition goals or if it will keep me full for a while. Once I have consciously decided if the food adds anything to my daily nutrition needs or if it will keep me full until my next meal/snack, then I choose if I still want it. I find this helps immensely with the cravings I get because I see a type of food or someone is talking about it. But if it's a piece of chocolate cake and I choose to eat it anyway, I still don't think of it as cheating. I just acknowledge the fact ahead of time that I will have to make healthier choices for the rest of the day and/or get in some extra exercise. It's definitely not worth eating the chocolate cake if the whole time I'm just going to feel guilty because I think of it as "cheating". Kills any enjoyment I'd have gotten from my choice.

Sailorwind

Also, since making this lifestyle change I've found so many delicious recipes for decadent desserts that actually DO have nutritional value and no guilt associated with them. These are my two favorite sites currently:

www.eat-yourself-skinny.com

chocolatecoveredkatie.com