Cheat Days - Are You A Believer?
smnassise
Posts: 22 Member
I've heard quite a bit about cheat days.
Do you think they work, or no?
If you use them, is there a rule of thumb on the calorie threshold? A percentage over your normal intake perhaps?
I would hate to throw away a whole week's work, but since I'm on so few calories daily (1290 to lose a pound a week), I wouldn't mind a nice, hearty Sunday dinner.
Talk to me...
Do you think they work, or no?
If you use them, is there a rule of thumb on the calorie threshold? A percentage over your normal intake perhaps?
I would hate to throw away a whole week's work, but since I'm on so few calories daily (1290 to lose a pound a week), I wouldn't mind a nice, hearty Sunday dinner.
Talk to me...
0
Replies
-
if i want to eat more
i work out more
cheating on your diet is a slippery slope...0 -
Once I have a cheat meal....I just want to cheat more. However, if i want something i eat it. Im usually able to talk myself out of a big burger or pizza!0
-
It is impossilbe to argue with results.
:flowerforyou:
It all really does seem to be very simple math, doesn't it? (Not necessarily easy to execute, but simple on paper.) I sometimes eat over my calories, but I stay within my deficit...that seems to be working pretty well...and I get roast beef.
0 -
That depends on a lot of factors, but I'm more a fan of structured diet breaks than periods of uncontrolled eating.
Then again, I have a large appetite and I can easily negate a weeks worth of dieting in one night Many people can let their hair down for a few hours once a week and lose weight just fine.
As far as whether they "work," your caloric balance over time is what will determine weight loss, having a higher calorie intake one day a week in and of itself isn't going to provide any particular benefit or harm.0 -
i have a cheat meal once a week... but i make up for it.. like yesterday i had a big dinner... so today is raw day.. where i have only fruits and raw veg... and on weekends i work out an hour extra...
life is too short for not indulging once a while... tomorrow you could be hit by a bus.. and be thinking... "aaah i should have had that burger"0 -
I try not to call them cheat days. I have better days than others... but, for me it's a process. I try to look at it as a whole.
With that said, though. I try not to "cheat". I try to stick under the 1500 calories at all times. If I do go over (because of a get-together or something), I just exercise more.0 -
That depends on a lot of factors, but I'm more a fan of structured diet breaks than periods of uncontrolled eating.
Then again, I have a large appetite and I can easily negate a weeks worth of dieting in one night Many people can let their hair down for a few hours once a week and lose weight just fine.
As far as whether they "work," your caloric balance over time is what will determine weight loss, having a higher calorie intake one day a week in and of itself isn't going to provide any particular benefit or harm.
Solid response.0 -
Personally I dont like cheating, because once I have just one cheat meal it turns into more and I just totally screw up all my clean eating...but thats just me.0
-
Hell yes. I eat less during the week (900-1000 per day) and then I let loose on the weekends. Before anyone bashes me, I've lost 70 pounds doing this so...0
-
If there is a meal I crave I will have it on my 50th day of GOOD logging. When I have the weight off this will probably increase as I maintain. An entire day of 'cheating' is a bit much in my opinion, especially on a regular basis and especially when still trying to lose weight.0
-
Cheating for me means eating things I wouldn't normally, but staying under calories. Great to step up your activity on those days to offset it. I've done the cheat thing in the past ... the problem for me (with my addictive personality) is that once a month becomes every other week which becomes once a week which becomes every day and then being healthy is shot all to hell and back and i gain back everything I lost and more. So now, I'm just not going to allow it. You may have more restraint than me but for me, it's a slippery slope. :noway:0
-
Yep, but I try not to let myself get out of control. It's rare that I'll even break 2000 calories on my cheat day. It hasn't hindered my weight loss journey at all.0
-
My Personal Trainer encourages it. One cheat meal a week - normally at the weeked - I'll get a chinese/Indian or pizza - I find it helps me stay on track as I do be good for the rest of the week then.
I do a lot of excercise so I feel like I derserve a treat
Everyone is different but it works for me :drinker:0 -
hell yeah they work! diets plateau as much as exercising does, and instead of derailing my diet by going back to my old eat everything self. i get to enjoy one day a week0
-
I hesistate to call it "cheat" because it makes me feel like it's a free pass to go nuts. Rather, I just don't go crazy counting if I'm out for a nice dinner or doing a girls night. That lets me enjoy it without feeling like I have to cram in all my "cheat" calories...0
-
I believe in moderation. If I want to eat something, I do. I just try not to over do it and I try to stay within my calories. If I go over, I just try to do better the next day. I found that if I am too strict with my diet and eliminate something, I will not succeed.0
-
Cheat days work for me. I eat clean during the week and allow myself a couple of cheat meals on the weekends. I helps me stay on track when I know I can indulge a little here and there.0
-
When people say cheat day it's all wrong. I dont think binging on one day will help with willpower. However, I did zig zag calories for a few months when I was losing weight and having those extra 300 or so calories every few days and then dipping down after is what really made me lose weight especially when I was in a plateau.0
-
Hell yes. I eat less during the week (900-1000 per day) and then I let loose on the weekends. Before anyone bashes me, I've lost 70 pounds doing this so...
What she said, ^^^^^^ except I've lost 84 pounds, we both can't be wrong
> 154 pounds between us lol0 -
"Cheat meals" (usually a dinner out) have never worked well for me. Sucks too, 'cause we almost always end up eating out on a Friday or Saturday night - when NEITHER of us want to cook - and I've seen weight-gains of 2-3 pounds the next morning. And of course it can take a week to get rid of that, at which point I repeat the process...
Lately I've tried the "balancing compromise" strategy, where if I know we're eating out for dinner I'll eat light the rest of the day - leave out the midday coffee, steamed veggies with lunch instead of salad and dressing - that sort of thing. This has worked much better.0 -
I believe in it, and I've still lost weight steadily. It handles cravings. Its the one day you don't have to work on the diet and just enjoy yourself.
Granted, don't feel invited to do 4x your calorie intake, but a high spike one day isn't going to hurt you. 1 pound, maybe 2, it'll come back off in a few days and you're right as rain.
I WILL admit, this will slow your progress by a little bit, but since when has Diet and Excercise been a fast, easy road?0 -
hell yeah they work! diets plateau as much as exercising does, and instead of derailing my diet by going back to my old eat everything self. i get to enjoy one day a week
I agree with this, the cheat day can help with plateaus, you don't need to go all out and go overboard, but just eat some higher calorie foods, I usually have pizza or fast food for a meal on a cheat day, or alcohol is a good one to use on a cheat day!!0 -
I'll have an unhealthy meal every week but to just let loose on calories, I can't do it. It sets me back everytime.0
-
I don't believe of anything as "cheating". What we are doing here is changing our lives. Yes, at some point you will be at the goal weight and need to maintain, but I would say that you should give yourself a break here or there. You will ultimately feel like you are "missing" something, and your "diet" will fail.
If you have a hearty sunday dinner, just don't overindulge. I would make better choices- instead of all starches and red meat, make sure you eat vegetables. This way, you are still "dieting" and focusing on your goal, but you aren't being so strict with yourself that you become agitated.
Just a thought 0 -
I believe in cheat days. This isn't a diet. This is a life style change for both my husband and I. If we want to do this for life, we need to find a way to do it without depriving ourselves and making ourselves go insane. We usually do 1 cheat meal a week. I still don't eat everything I want. I still try to choose something a little healthier on the menu, but a cheat meal means that I don't beat myself up if I go over my daily goal by like 400 calories. We're not expecting to hit goal over night. Yes, a cheat meal might set me back a couple of days, but I get the foods I've been craving all week, and I'm a happy camper. I've still been losing at a healthy rate. I don't believe in eliminating all good meals, unless you're actually trying to lose a bunch of weight in a short period of time for whatever reason. I know this is going to take me a year anyway, so I refused to drive myself insane by not allowing myself a treat here and there. It isn't realistic to never eat out again for the rest of our lives, so we look at it as a lifestyle and a way to make our bodies healthier AND happy!!0
-
I don't like to think that I am being deprived of things, but that I CHOOSE not to eat certain foods regularly! When I have a get together or dinner out with friends, I just plan my day around it. I try to eat pretty light during the day and just snack so that I have more calories for that certain thing I want to eat! I also make sure to DEFINITELY work out hard that day! It is all about BALANCE! Also, even if I cheat, I log it so that I am accountable for it.0
-
I don't like a planned cheat day, but if I know that there will be a sepcial event that involves eating like Thanksgiving, I will plan my calories to be able to enjoy that special meal. Life will always present situations where you have to make choices about your calorie intake, planning to deliberately cheat sounds like trouble to me. You should be able to enjoy almost anything within moderation.0
-
I cheat every day but I stay around my calorie goal. I cheat every day so I will not feel the need to binge.0
-
If I want to eat something, I work it into my calories for that day. There are some days where I just don't care and need a break. I still log it, but I guess that would be my "cheat" day. I usually don't do that, because I pretty much eat whatever I want on a daily basis.0
-
There are times when you crave something so badly that you feel you'll crawl out of your skin if you don't have it. Yesterday, it was cake mixed with ice cream for me. So I had some, but I made sure that it was in moderation. Yeah, it was a lot of calories and fat, but it wasn't the normal amount that I would eat, and I made myself work out extra in retaliation. In my opinion, it's all about balance. If you are craving a burger, eat one! But make sure you walk an extra mile or go to a fitness class. To me, it makes the cheat worth it because I know that I've worked for it.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 431 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions