Cheat day?

doshie1
doshie1 Posts: 19
edited September 20 in Health and Weight Loss
so I have read a few books recently, the body for life book highly recommends a cheat day...I started this website about a week ago and have done so well with my eating I am scared to have a "cheat" day.

Does anyone have any thoughts about the cheat day? to cheat or not to cheat 1 day a week?:smile:
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Replies

  • NewBeginning2010
    NewBeginning2010 Posts: 235 Member
    MY FIRST WEEK I HAD A CHEAT DAY BECAUSE I HAD TOM...OTHER THAN THAT, FOR ME I WOULDNT BECAUSE I KNOW MYSELF LOL BUT CURIOUS TO HEAR THOUGHTS.....
  • doshie1
    doshie1 Posts: 19
    Yeah I am afraid if I get a taste of some of my favorites that aren't good I will continue wanting them on a daily basis instead of as a treat....
  • jennbarrette
    jennbarrette Posts: 409 Member
    I have used a cheat meal to break a plateau before (sometime is it good to shock the system a little bit!) but the whole cheat day thing seems like a bad idea. I would think that would just throw off all your efforts for the week, and it would be harder to get back on track. I know for myself, a cheat day can turn into a cheat weekend...cheat week...etc...
  • 4healys
    4healys Posts: 44
    I wouldn't suggest a cheat day every week. That makes it way too easy to slip and it can quickly undo an entire weeks worth of hard work...esp if it's a cheat DAY and not just a cheat MEAL. I don't see any harm in doing a cheat meal once a month maybe, just don't overdo it. I don't mean this to sound like I'm binding it on anyone...this is just how I would do it. I think, too, that you have to be careful as viewing it as a reward. I think a lot of us probably have the same problem with viewing food that way. Food should never be a reward for anything. We need to find other ways to reward ourselves. I'll bet food as a reward is what's gotten many of us in the position we're in now. That's my .02:smile:
  • doshie1
    doshie1 Posts: 19
    I think I like the idea of a cheat meal on occassion.... :) omg how easy it would be for me to go into a cheat week! no no no!
  • NicoleMikluscak
    NicoleMikluscak Posts: 74
    I have even heard of people having entire cheat weekends! I feel like that would break my momentum too much. Maybe cheating a little on one meal is the answer? I don't know....I am working so hard on my willpower that I feel like I would be doing myself an injustice....what do people think?
    :flowerforyou: Nicole
  • Iceprincessk25
    Iceprincessk25 Posts: 1,888 Member
    I'm a firm believer in the cheat day. For me it's usually on the weekend. I eat whatever I want. If I don't do this I set myself up for failure. I have the discipline to not fall off the wagon after one day though. I still lose weight so it works for me.
  • Nikiki
    Nikiki Posts: 993
    I think I like the idea of a cheat meal on occassion.... :) omg how easy it would be for me to go into a cheat week! no no no!

    yup! the way I see it, giving yourself permission to "cheat" on occasion isnt a bad thing, but to declare a full day "cheating approved" knocks me off my bandwagon for sure. If I get an invite to go out to eat and I've been doing really well I wont pass it up... I WILL however try to eat better in my other meals that day and the next day and kick up my workouts to make up for it. Also If I know I'm going to be active all day, like a family cookout that lasts from noon till sundown and involves all kinds of activities, I wouldnt sweat it overmuch if I have some extra chips.

    good luck!
  • thicansxy
    thicansxy Posts: 66
    Ok tonight my husband went and got pizza he got the lowest calorie one and I had a huge salad and a piece of pizza then 2 now 3 and I will probably go have a 4th I am still under calorie but my fat and protein are way over. Ugggg kinda wish he wouldnt have gotten it.
  • fitmom2010
    fitmom2010 Posts: 1
    For me, I have to work/plan for a cheat day. If I don't, then I'll rebel and sabotage all that I've accomplished. I just need to "cheat in moderation"....what a great bumper sticker that would be!!
  • carpediem13
    carpediem13 Posts: 41 Member
    It's actually proven that people who give themselves a break and eat something that they wouldn't consider super healthy makes them stay healthier longer. The longer you hold out on yourself the more you want to break down and when you do it could be really bad or for good. Try and have a few things that might be considered cheat to you but also might be healthy...ie dark chocolate, ben and jerry's froyo (frozen yogurt), or substitute sweets with sweet fruit or cinnamon (which apparently is REALLY good for you and curbs appetite).
  • doshie1
    doshie1 Posts: 19
    it was my husband who suggested tonight that i have a cheat day...i have tried so very hard this week, i am just not sure if i want to even think about that, but he said it might help. But he made the most wonderful vegatable soup tonight, very low calorie and tasted great! Wish i could share some with everyone!:flowerforyou:
  • smpinkajl03
    smpinkajl03 Posts: 2 Member
    i had a "cheat day" and i ended up still under my clories for the because i did a little extra by shoveling the 6 inch of snow we got here in wisconsin!
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
    Ok tonight my husband went and got pizza he got the lowest calorie one and I had a huge salad and a piece of pizza then 2 now 3 and I will probably go have a 4th I am still under calorie but my fat and protein are way over. Ugggg kinda wish he wouldnt have gotten it.

    Kinda? :tongue:
  • omid990
    omid990 Posts: 785 Member
    i have a cheat meal once a week. when i started the program, i did this but then the cheat day would continue for weeks at a time, so i cut it out completely until i knew that i could bounce back and right back on track the very next day.

    as long as you are able to continue the very next day and don't go to extremes, then it should not be a problem.
  • kiffypooh
    kiffypooh Posts: 1,045 Member
    I have a cheat day every week. I did Weight Watchers back in 2000 and did one on my weigh in days for a year and any other time I've started a weight loss program (does this mean I shouldn't have one then? :ohwell: ) but they always keep me from going onto a cheat week or month. I have some rules for them though. I don't go over board and eat every meal like poop. I tend to treat myself to a weekly mocha and often get a venti (I weigh in at Weight Watchers that day and my meeting isn't over until 9 so I get very hungry, it's my breakfast). I then eat something I've been craving from home that I wouldn't normally want to eat the calories for. Then my husband and I go out to dinner (sometimes date night, sometimes with our daughter) and I order whatever I want for dinner. We don't do anything crazy, just maybe a cheese burger and fries (I don't eat fries). I've never had a problem with this and it keeps me on track for the rest of the week. However, I often wonder how much I would have lost that week if I hadn't done that. But I LOVE my cheat day and wouldn't give it up. It's kept me on track for over a year now and 40+ lbs lost.
    On a side note: Back in 2000 when I was doing WW I had a leader who did a whole meeting on how almost everyone leaves their weigh in meeting and has a cheat day. She said that it will work now but as you get smaller it won't work as well. With that being said, I'm very close to getting out of the 200's so it may be easier for me to do it.
  • cnutbrown
    cnutbrown Posts: 80 Member
    Not a cheat DAY, but rather a cheat meal every 10-15 days for me.....makes me more motivated to work hard the rest of the time knowing that I can still have Pizza or wings every once in a while....otherwise it couldnt be a "life change" for me....:tongue:
  • pixiech1ck
    pixiech1ck Posts: 8
    cheat day is impossible for me, i don't even do a cheat meal. i have really crappy willpower, so if i start eating whatever, it goes all down hill from there. i have however treated myself to certain goodies like i'll have a slice of cake at a birthday party etc, but that's as far as it goes.
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    My thought is always " WHO am I cheating?"

    :floweforyou:
  • Iceprincessk25
    Iceprincessk25 Posts: 1,888 Member
    It's not cheating......it's TREATING.
  • njenn10
    njenn10 Posts: 16
    Ya... I hate to say it, but I had a cheat meal today and went over my calories almost by 800!!!! I couldn't believe it! I'm only on day 5 on MFP and have realized my willpower is horrible. So honestly, a cheat meal once in awhile is probably okay, just be careful what your "cheat" is because mine is totally going to set me back. :-(
  • tmleymek
    tmleymek Posts: 4
    I did a cheat day for awhile. IT helped as a reward system but.....then it kind of established a habit of every saturday over-doing it (which i am trying to break). Just something to keep in mind :)
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    Ya... I hate to say it, but I had a cheat meal today and went over my calories almost by 800!!!! I couldn't believe it! I'm only on day 5 on MFP and have realized my willpower is horrible. So honestly, a cheat meal once in awhile is probably okay, just be careful what your "cheat" is because mine is totally going to set me back. :-(

    Yeah, that is what I mean. You can blow the whole week on a big overage like that. Now if you do it 1x a month or 2 months it actually helps!! Weird, but very true.

    You will get it quick enough!!
  • proudloser
    proudloser Posts: 45
    I save "cheat" days for holidays and that does NOT mean random get togethers or every member of my familys birthday, lol. Like, Thanksgiving and Christmas or just your B-day alone....pretty much like no more than five "cheat" days a year. The reason I look at it that way is becuase people who don't even have weight problems eat more on these days and continue to eat healthy on the rest of the days of there year...but that's just me :))
  • ebkins7
    ebkins7 Posts: 427 Member
    ... I think, too, that you have to be careful as viewing it as a reward. I think a lot of us probably have the same problem with viewing food that way. Food should never be a reward for anything. We need to find other ways to reward ourselves. I'll bet food as a reward is what's gotten many of us in the position we're in now. That's my .02:smile:

    I have to agree... I know I'm the way I am because I used food as my reward! I love food! I love to cook it, bake it... and of course eat it! I need to get it into my head that food, while it should be enjoyed, needs to be within limits!

    I allow myself a "treat" not a cheat! I don't have the willpower (yet) to do a whole cheat day. So, I allow myself a treat every once in a while. This way I satisfy cravings and don't binge and feel horrible about myfelf!
  • swtally80
    swtally80 Posts: 278 Member
    I would say to try not to cheat so early on. Give yourself some months to work on your lifestyle change then consider it. And I would say a cheat should be considered only 200-300 cals over not 1000 ya know! :)
  • rori20
    rori20 Posts: 61 Member
    When a friend and I were doing Weight Watchers on the point system we could choose to use the extra 35 points (equals out to around 1250 calories) one day a week that we had saved up by not using our 5 point a day cushion. On said day she and I would eat zerio point soup or other very healthy and low-cals option all day and then just have a ball that night. It was something we looked forward to all week. It really kept us going to have a break every now and then. We were very successful in our weight loss.

    Everyone is different, though, and you certainly don't want to do it often if you think you may not be able to keep it at once per week. My husband, for instance, is having trouble with trying to suggest a cheat day every other friggin' day!
  • megstar8686
    megstar8686 Posts: 22 Member
    I don't think it's worth having cheat days, but I don't cut out every crappy food. I think everything is ok in moderation. There used to be a time where I'd eat an entire block of chocolate in one sitting, now I'm quite content to let that last a month.. I just treat myself to a few squares every couple of days. The interesting thing is that because I'm not stopping myself from eating these "forbidden" foods, I'm not getting silly cravings for them anymore.

    If you spend one day gorging yourself on all the foods you love that you really should be eating, you could potentially undo an entire weeks worth of diet and exercise. It's just not worth it!
  • ccdo
    ccdo Posts: 217
    i cant have a cheat day tried it before and went off the wagon completly and now im starting fresh again. ill only have it to boost my metabolism if it slows down but thats rare for me :flowerforyou:
  • tomatoes
    tomatoes Posts: 7
    I agree with all those who suggest a cheat meal. If you have something coming up like a birthday, or a meal out with friends you havn't seen in ages, have some wine, have dessert, enjoy it and move on :)
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