Cheat Day: A Necessity or a Setback? Your thoughts?
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I started MFP in May, so 5 months ago... Since then I've had about 3 cheat days, total. I have a lot of health issues and sometimes, there are just days where I'm going to have the damn whipped cream because that's my reward for even getting out of bed in the morning. But like someone else said: I don't take it to 10,000 calories. All of my cheat days I've been at 1800 calories or under, and my daily goal is 1500. I don't feel like it's a horrible thing, particularly because there are days when I'm 300 under. So if I have about 900 extra calories left over on Sunday and I use up 300 of them once every other month, I'm okay with that. I just don't go crazy with it.0
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Cheat meal, not cheat day... A meal to enjoy a guilty pleasure and reward yourself for the hard work you put in all week.0
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I typically just work it into my calories for the week. If there is something I want to eat that wouldn't be considered healthy, I eat it and comp the cals. If I go over one day, I even it out for the week. I don't deny myself indulgences, I just limit the quantity.0
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Let me just put this out there.. having a cheat day is FINE!! I have lost a bit of weight and I have had cheat days.. having it be "okay" to have a cheat day has NOTHING to do with your body fat..moderation is key.:flowerforyou:0
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I don't so much have a cheat day as an occasional cheat meal, if we're out to the theatre or something. I do think it boosts me to work harder other days, and even with "cheating" I still count everything. Actually, I was at a bit of a plateau not long ago, and that coincided with a week off work and an unavoidably social week. I still counted everything, and only put on a pound... But it got me going again. Losing!!0
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Cheat meal, not cheat day... A meal to enjoy a guilty pleasure and reward yourself for the hard work you put in all week.
^ agree!! enjoy something you love but dont eat crap all day long.0 -
Some people do great with a cheat day, but mine tend to lead into many months of cheating. Yesterday I had a cheat day, and today I don't want to diet anymore. This is proof, cheating doesn't work for everyone. I am so off the wagon, now. :C0
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I eat what I want - just make sure it fits into my calories for the day - No cheating, smart eating.0
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And my opinion on cheat days - I can't do them. Not now anyways. Maybe I'll do a cheat day as a reward every 20 pounds or something.
My last cheat day was a Saturday...well my cheat day turned into a cheat weekend, then to half a week. I didn't get back on track until Wednesday!
As of right now, I am not disciplined enough to do cheat days.
^^^This
I fell off the wagon for 6 weeks. When I say fell off I meant that more days were me not sticking to healthy eating and processed/takeaway food/confectionery became a higher% of my intake.
I have now decided that I have to stay away from these sorts of foods until my mental strength is one hell of a lot bigger than my hips ( this may take some time )0 -
Great post...I totally agree! Thanks.0
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I have a cheat meal every so often. Never a full day though.
I used to never have cheat meals but that led to bingeing so **** it may as well have 1 or 2 meals a week.. why not?0 -
Personally, I think they're good in moderation. I think they should be planned, not spontaneous. I think you should be able to set aside a specific day or time and if you've been having cravings or anything, get them out of the way then and then be prepared to get right back on track the next day. I attended a wedding last month and I swear I ate every carb in sight, but I was also 800 miles from home and didn't have a lot of low carb options, so I just chalked it up as a cheat weekend. I knew as soon as I got home I'd be able to resume my diet because I didn't have high carb options in my house. And, fortunately, the cheat weekend really helped me out. I'd been stalled for a while and luckily, even after binging on apple turnovers and apple cider, I didn't gain any weight, and the week after that I lost ten pounds. And I've kept them off.
So to me, a cheat day isn't necessarily a bad thing. I'm already planning out my splurge for my birthday.. in February. I know it's going to happen, so why not just make the most of it? But I'm not going to let that dictate what I eat today or tomorrow. I'm going to diligently do my best to stay on my diet until then so that when the day does come I can not stress about gaining or losing, I can just enjoy myself.0 -
I had a cheat day yesterday after about 2 weeks of eating clean. Almost a full big bag of All Dressed Ruffles, and half a Thin Crust Delissio Pizza...
...it was so good. I deserved it.0 -
It's not worth it to me so if I want something I make it fit into my day.0
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I don' t restrict what I eat while dieting, I just use portion control and keep under my calorie goal for the day. So I don"t necessarily have a cheat day, I just work whatever it is into my day. Everyone goes out occasionally and eats beyond their plan, but getting right back on track is the key. This is the first time I've dieted that I've actually lasted this long and lost this much. And I'm still going! I wanted a plan I could LIVE with as in forever! So eating better but not denying anything works for me!0
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I normally have one day a week, usually Saturday, where I don't log calories or worry about what I eat. That said, Saturdays are my longer run days so like this morning I went out and ran an easy 10 miles which means I'm going to take the day off from being so obsessive about my numbers :bigsmile: I need a day where numbers don't rule my thoughts and if I want to go out to dinner with my husband I'm not going to spend an hour studying the menu before we go!0
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Its only "cheating" if what you're living on is a restricted regimen. I'm not. There is a place for everything in the way I am eating now...which sometimes includes CHOOSING to enjoy something I don't eat frequently. Its not cheating. Its also not a "reward" for being "good" the rest of the time. Its living consciously, with the awareness of what I am eating....one choice at a time. Life without an occasional indulgence is barely worth living.
Well said! I love the "living consciously" because that is what I'm doing now.0 -
Controlled cheats...nesc
Outrageous cheats / binging .... set backs.
As long as you don't get carried away and use common sense I think its a lifesaver.0 -
Its only "cheating" if what you're living on is a restricted regimen. I'm not. There is a place for everything in the way I am eating now...which sometimes includes CHOOSING to enjoy something I don't eat frequently. Its not cheating. Its also not a "reward" for being "good" the rest of the time. Its living consciously, with the awareness of what I am eating....one choice at a time. Life without an occasional indulgence is barely worth living.
Agree...I hate the term 'cheat day'. I eat what I feel like eating, am 're-learning' to listen to my body telling me I am full, hungry, thirsty etc. Tracking my food and exercise gives me feedback as to where I am eating mindlessly i.e. choosing food items that leave me unsatisfied, leave me craving sweets, don't fill me up for the amount of calories I consume. I am eating better, still eat the things I love (chocolate!!! Cheese!!!! and a few other things) but I am satisfied with smaller portions, less sugar/sweets, less junk food. I still eat out but less often as many things just don't appeal to me anymore, don't taste good (too greasy, too salty, too sweet) and Ialso usually leave me feeling sick and bloated. So, eating out is still 'on the menu' but I will stop eating when I am full, make better choices to start with and if I have to have that dessert I will eat however much tastes good and take the rest home or share. I will go over on calories.....not often but it happened yesterday - I just had to have that pumpin spice milkshake at Culvers. Went over my daily calories of course, afterwards felt like I could have done with 1/2 of the 12 oz shake but I logged it and I am OK with it. I will have another shake sometime, I know that.....I am fairly sure I will end up putting half of it in the freezer for another time as yesterday was a reminder that I don't 'cheat', I make choices and if I just listen a little to my body I can have what I want and still be OK............And one thing that would never work for me is not logging my food....especially if I know I or if I would plan on eating more that I need or drink alcohol or high calorie beverages. It is what it is, I log it if I eat it and if it is junk or over calories so be it. Just my two cents0 -
For me it's necessary. It seems i lose better if i go over my cals and do this so called cheating every once in a while. I am able to fed my cravings. Then I can move forward and get right back on it. But that's just what works for me.0
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I'm against the idea of labeling a "Cheat Day" but I also believe this: the diet and exercise, the program, is part of a complete life and sometimes life includes indulgences. Stay honest, stay reasonable, keep tracking and move on. If you put a label on it you're more likely to overdo all day long, is my thought.
Keep up the good work. : D0 -
Spiking is the only thing that got my weight loss going again after a 6 month plateau. I read the book The Spike Diet and also joined the group here, Spike 84, though it hasn't been active as of late.
Simple description - you cycle your calories for 6 days with three high and three low and then have a "spike" day during which you eat RMR or BMRx2. So once a week I eat 3,000 calories. This has worked very well for me not just physically but psychologically. It keeps me on track during the week and actually keeps me from binging.
I don't consider it a "cheat" day - because it's not. It's planned. My weekly deficit doesn't change. I may eat more indulgent foods on that day, but I don't consider that a cheat. It's just my spike day.0 -
When I first started I would give myself a day to splurge and eat normally. What I found was that I spending three or four days trying to get to my number that I was at the day. I weigh everyday, and I see all of the ups and downs that are normal, but I noticed when I had a "cheat" day my numbers would be up for several days before dropping back to where I was. I decided that it was not worth it to have a cheat day. If I want something that is not in my normal plan then I make damn sure I workout extra hard that day and balance out the additional calories. I gained a lot more will power over the past few months and this method has been working well for me. My motto now is stick to plan everyday, and if there is something i am really craving then work it into my plan along with a double workout.0
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I don't have a pre-set day when I am going to have a "cheat day" or "cheat meal." If I am going to stray off of my eating plan, I do it when I have an event or party to attend. Even then, I make sure that I exercise and save calories. Also, I eat something healthy before I go, so that I am not tempted.0
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Bump0
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For me I don't like the terminology and don't use it. It makes out that my dieting is the be all and end all of my life and there is a 100% right way and 100% wrong way to do it. This is just my psychology and we are all different. But for me I look at my diet as putting pressure on my fat store. If I burn and control my intake the pressure increases and I'll wake up with a little less fat than the day before. If I eat a cream cake then I'll wake up perhaps the same. I also look at this whole MFP experience as changing me as a person. I've changed my intake many times before and it hasn't work (always got fatter) so the problem is my relationship with food, stress, fitness and life rather than the number of calories I consume at anyone time. to this end I am on a lifelong project - it won't end when I get to the numerical goal I set for myself when I was still OCD about it all Don't get me wrong, I am going to still aim for my target weight but things may change as I approach it So what does cheat mean - the word doesn't fit into my worldview at all so its nonsensical. What is more important to me is patterns of behavour - if my sugar consumption increases for a few days then this is something i need to look at, if I start to each takeaways regularity again this is something I need to look at. If I have a cream cake or go out for a meal and enjoy myself with my friends or family - then this isn't a cheat, its a brilliant wonderful day I've just experienced :-)0
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It's not cheating if you have permission! :laugh:
I'm a returning MFPer. Yes, I did regain the weight I lost, but it took more than a year to do so. One day a week is not going to undo what I've done for the previous six. Last time around I only looked at calories. This time I'm trying for healthy too. I've also cut out tomatoes because of a suspected allergy. :sad:
I don't binge when it's my free day. The good habits I establish during the week start to become actual habits. I've gone back to cutting things in half when I go out rather than eating the whole plate like I think someone will steal it. Even on a cheat day I don't go far over maintenance, if at all.0 -
Cheat day is absolutely a setback in my mind. I read an article on how it can be a dangerous thing for some people (not all). You wouldn't tell a drug addict to shoot up once a week would you? (that's what the article asked)0
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A Necessity for some. A Setback for others. And just plain unnecessary for others. Personally, unnecessary. I eat enough and incorporate cravings in with my calories already, so cheat days are pointless.0
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When I first started I would give myself a day to splurge and eat normally. What I found was that I spending three or four days trying to get to my number that I was at the day. I weigh everyday, and I see all of the ups and downs that are normal, but I noticed when I had a "cheat" day my numbers would be up for several days before dropping back to where I was. I decided that it was not worth it to have a cheat day. If I want something that is not in my normal plan then I make damn sure I workout extra hard that day and balance out the additional calories. I gained a lot more will power over the past few months and this method has been working well for me. My motto now is stick to plan everyday, and if there is something i am really craving then work it into my plan along with a double workout.
When I spike the scale will show a several pound "gain" for at least a few days. It's not a real gain. By my next weigh in day, I would either be at the same weight or would have dropped weight (I'm very near goal, so I drop weight much more slowly). Not saying you should or should not have a free day or meal, just wanted to explain that you didn't really gain weight.
In order to gain you would have to eat all of your deficit plus over maintenance. It's unlikely that you were doing that. It can be helpful to look at your weekly deficit to see what it is (eg a 500 calorie deficit a day is a 3500 calorie deficit a week - so having one day when you go over by 500 calories is not a big deal. You could go over by up to 3500 calories and you would still just be at maintenance and not gain).0
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