IS IT OK TO CHEAT EVERYDAY?

2

Replies

  • Mr_Bad_Example
    Mr_Bad_Example Posts: 2,403 Member
    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.

    Yep, totally cool to do that. It's all about learning how to enjoy food in moderation, not cutting out the things you love forever.
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
    I have something sweet every single day. For a while, I had smores every day. My current obsession is 321 cake. I plan for it every night, and it's the last thing I eat for the day so it's something I look forward to all day. It keeps me from binging, and makes it much easier to turn other sweet things down during the day since I already have one planned.
  • ladyboss650
    ladyboss650 Posts: 5 Member
    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.


    I totally agree! I make sure to fit in a Healthy Choice 100 calorie Chocolate Ice Cream Bar and either some fruit/nuts that are included in my daily allotment of nutritional values. I know my old mentality of "a little bite of this won't hurt," which is why I'd gain weight back in the past (after eating WAY MORE that a bite or two)... It's not happening this time!!! Everything we do is a choice... and I think long and hard of what I'm choosing to put in my mouth. Wish I would have thought this way years ago!!!
  • DOElston
    DOElston Posts: 102
    As others have said here - I think its vital to have BALANCE. If you feel deprived and punished, you're not going to succeed. It's best to eat as healthy as you can simply for good nutrition's sake but I believe having something every day that's a treat is important. The key is to ensure it is counted in your daily calorie count and doesn't put you over.
  • kmard81
    kmard81 Posts: 212 Member
    I think its okay, I have been allowing myself one sweet thing a day and honestly I dont even crave the junk as much anymore. I think the most important thing is portion control. Have a cookie, just dont eat 5 of them. Have a swiss roll, but just eat one instead of the two that normally come in a package. I read something one time that said a craving is satsified within the first three bites. So after three bites, your palate should be satisfied, but we continue to eat just because its there.
  • KAR1959
    KAR1959 Posts: 4,351 Member
    I consider this a lifestyle change not a diet. So I try to make for an occasional treat in my daily allotment. There's certain things I'm not going to give up. Think portion control and moderation.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    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.

    I will say that I don't care for Little Debbies the way I used to as a kid. However, since being on MFP and learning more about nutrition, I have completely changed my opinion of so-called "junk food." Little Debbies are basically fats and carbs and protein, the same as many other foods. It has no trans-fat, so I don't see them as garbage at all. However, I would much rather bake my own chocolate rolls, or better yet, pumpkin rolls, because of taste.

    Nutrition summary:
    Calories 270
    Fat 12g
    Carbs 39g
    Protein 2g

    Est. Percent of Calories from:
    Fat 25.2%
    Carbs 71%
    Protein 3.7%


    For low carb people, it would be very difficult to fit this food in your macros, but for someone like me, it's pretty easy to fit a daily treat like this into your daily diet and still hit my macros spot-on.

    "One person's garbage is another person's treat" (paraphrased :laugh: )
  • nellyett
    nellyett Posts: 436 Member
    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!! I make sure to have enough calories left over for chocolate every evening after dinner! If I want something, i have it. I pay attention to portion control, and balance the rest of the day out while trying to stay within my calories and paying attention to my macros. I'm set at 30% protein, 40% carbs, and 30% fat.
  • Martykl7
    Martykl7 Posts: 1 Member
    I try to build in something I really like every day. I look for low-calorie, low-fat treats. Read the labels. I have chocolate chip biscotti, oatmeal raisin cookies, and/or ice cream that I can factor into my daily allowance. It is better not to feel deprived and keep going. If you slip, don't give up. Get back on track. Make small goals -- rather than big ones. It is easier to lose ten pounds than a hundred. I am at -62 now, since January 1 -- 57 lbs to go. Goal for October is to lose 5 lbs. Anything more is a gift! "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels!"
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    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??

    By the same token, why would someone want to read, for instance, 50 Shades of Grey, instead of a book on quantum physics? Why put that junk in your brain?
  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
    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.

    ^ beer :heart:
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    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??

    By the same token, why would someone want to read, for instance, 50 Shades of Grey, instead of a book on quantum physics? Why put that junk in your brain?

    :laugh:

    That's a good one! I am not reading either though. I just started NROLFW for knowledge and "The Island of Dr. Moreau" for sheer entertainment.

    But it basically boils down to preferences.
  • ChitownFoodie
    ChitownFoodie Posts: 1,562 Member
    I "cheat" every single day. My cheats aren't actually cheating by most people's definition. I don't partake in ice cream, but I will have Greek froyo. I have dark chocolate all the time. I snack mindlessly at my desk, but still keep it at maintenance or a little higher (trying to gain). I go out to eat almost every single day, and I don't get a salad. I just make sensible choices.
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
    Isn't that just a normal, manageable diet? Mostly good choices with a little junk thrown in...
  • EA1604
    EA1604 Posts: 61 Member
    If you do it everyday it is not a cheat, it is a habit. Treats/cheats everyday are easy ways to rack up sensless calories. Try to slowly wean yourself off. If on the other hand you are not worried about going over your calories, diabetes, eating clean, or HFCS then keep it up as long as you are not going over your calorie goal.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    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.

    I allow myself a small bowl of extra dark chocolate chips (about 20 chips) and a 1-ounce jigger of whiskey or a 5-ounce pour of wine every night for my late-night dessert. I fit it into my calorie/macro goals and for the most part I'm meeting my goals reasonably well and it works for me.

    I guess the important part is not offsetting so much "good" food in your calorie allowance that you are unable to get your complex carbohydrates, good fats, and proteins in, in addition to your important nutrients. If you are allowing yourself a couple hundred calories a day for a treat and still meeting all the goals for good nutrition, then great, that should work fine.

    If you find yourself allowing your "cheat" and you are struggling to meet your body's proper nutritional needs on a regular basis, then you may need to re-evaluate your approach. Not feeding your body properly means you may be losing weight, but you'll probably be hungrier than you could otherwise be, and/or you could be burning off lean body mass at a faster rate than you want to be, which means long-term your diet is going to get a lot harder and you aren't going to be as happy with the results.
  • marieautumn
    marieautumn Posts: 928 Member

    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.

    this^^
    you need to change your habits or you will not see results/be able to maintain results
  • emilydmac
    emilydmac Posts: 382 Member
    If it fits into your calorie goal, its not cheating. BUT- if it is actual cheating, then no, not if you want to lose weight.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    If it fits your goals it's not cheating.

    This.

    If you're not enjoying what you eat, you won't sustain it long term. Better to find a way to balance the foods you like/want with those that work with your goals than it is to limit everything you eat all the time.
  • cici1028
    cici1028 Posts: 799 Member
    It isn't cheating if you work it into your plan! :) I eat ice cream every day. True story.
  • melsmith612
    melsmith612 Posts: 727 Member
    Your plan is yours and yours alone. If that plan includes peanut butter cookies but keeps you close to your target calories then I'd say you're doing fine. I eat a couple of Starburst out of the company candy dish at work most days and I don't beat myself up about it, I just log them and move on.
  • AmberFaith90
    AmberFaith90 Posts: 904 Member
    That's not cheating, but you don't want to build a dependency on certain foods. You might eat three peanut butter cookies one day, but the next you might eat 10. My advice to you is to find a healthy version of the sweet foods you love. I know forsure that there is loads of healthy peanut butter cookie recipes!

    Damn, I want a peanut butter cookie now!
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
    The only person you're cheating is yourself... so is it really cheating???

    I eat something chocolate every single day. It fits in my calorie count (but pushes my sugar macro over, which is o.k. because I'm not that concerned about sugar). It makes me happy. It helps me stick to my plan because I'm not depriving myself.
  • MsMartyMac
    MsMartyMac Posts: 33
    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.

    Yep, totally cool to do that. It's all about learning how to enjoy food in moderation, not cutting out the things you love forever.

    I call it the "rule of 1" I can pretty much have 1 anything and manage to stay on track. It's when I let peer pressure or the emotion of the moment lead me into eating more than 1 that I find myself regretting that decision. So one cookie, 1 scoop of ice cream or 1 margarita. As long as I keep myself to the rule of 1, I seem to be able to curtail the craziness that used to be my eating plan and stay on track in my goal to lose weight without feeling deprived or limited.
  • bulbadoof
    bulbadoof Posts: 1,058 Member
    My calories go 80% toward hitting my macros, 20% toward eating what I want. Every day. It's not slowing me down and it keeps me sane.
  • klmnumbers
    klmnumbers Posts: 213 Member
    Don't think of it as cheating. Think of it as just making a choice. I eat chocolate pretty much every day, and I am still consistently losing.
  • slackerwoman
    slackerwoman Posts: 261 Member
    I eat what I want and try to stay in my calorie goals. I don't call it cheating...just moderation.
  • lmdee73
    lmdee73 Posts: 36

    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.

    This.....that being said, everyone is different. I don't "cheat" every day simply because MY goal here is to be the healthiest version of myself I can be. That and I know my limitations. I do believe that at some point "everything in moderation" will be my lifestyle, but there are certain foods that I know I have to stay away from because when I eat those foods, I don't know when to stop.

    If your goal is to be healthy and lose weight, you would get more bang for your calorie bucks by eating nutrient rich foods rather than that swiss roll AND your body will thank you for it later.

    Just my opinion.
  • mndamon
    mndamon Posts: 549 Member
    Wanna get healthy sure but you still gotta enjoy life. It's all about lifestyle change and less about a diet where you completely deprive yourself of foods you love. My thoughts anyway.
  • maelunoc
    maelunoc Posts: 33
    I've been tracking how much I am over/under my daily calorie goal and treating it like a bank account. So, everyday I add/subtract from my overall "account balance" and am saving up for something tasty. I'm thinking a nice greasy cheeseburger from Carl's Jr. Only need to bank 1200 more calories, haha. Should take a couple weeks, but oh how that burger will be taaaaasty.

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