Cheat Meal Question

SoulfulLori

Ok ladies and gents, help me out please.

I've always been an "all or nothing" kinda lady. I'm either really good or really bad. I was always the food Nazi that didn't eat anything bad and did not know how to go with the flow. Well, now that I'm in this "curvy" body I don't want to return to my old fanatic ways. So here's my questions:

Do you allow for a cheat meal or a cheat day on the weekend and do you still lose weight?

Should I wait a few weeks after starting this program before allowing anything that is considered a cheat meal?

Do you set your settings for a weight loss goal of a pound a week or do you set it for more and does that lead to starvation mode?

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. I really want to learn to enjoy my life in moderation and not be such a fanatic. It took me a year and a half to put this 30lbs on so I will take my time getting it off. I don't want food to be the focus of my life anymore.

FYI my stats are: 38yo, 5'7.5", 183 (last weighed on Monday)

Thanks in advance,

Lori

SoulfulLori

Ok ladies and gents, help me out please.

I've always been an "all or nothing" kinda lady. I'm either really good or really bad. I was always the food Nazi that didn't eat anything bad and did not know how to go with the flow. Well, now that I'm in this "curvy" body I don't want to return to my old fanatic ways. So here's my questions:

Do you allow for a cheat meal or a cheat day on the weekend and do you still lose weight?

Should I wait a few weeks after starting this program before allowing anything that is considered a cheat meal?

Do you set your settings for a weight loss goal of a pound a week or do you set it for more and does that lead to starvation mode?

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. I really want to learn to enjoy my life in moderation and not be such a fanatic. It took me a year and a half to put this 30lbs on so I will take my time getting it off. I don't want food to be the focus of my life anymore.

FYI my stats are: 38yo, 5'7.5", 183 (last weighed on Monday)

Thanks in advance,

Lori

2kidsandadog

I have always been an all or nothing thinker as well. This time I have decided to give myself one day off a week and it seems to be working. When I feel like over eating I just try to remind myself that I can wait until Sunday(my "off" day) and that is when I can eat the meal I want or the dessert that I want. It seems to help and I have lost weight.

AJCM

I had a burger and fries yesterday, so I just worked it into a day of lighter eating...

I had a protein and berry shake for brekky (no carbs - 150 calories), and apple for snack (50 cals), a salad with chicken for lunch (400 cals), celery & hummus for snack (80 cals), and then my delicious burger and fries for 700 cals! SO satisfying, and completely legal!

Plan the day out, and go for a reasonable portion of a treat! I even calculated the condiments before hand, and learned I could not afford the mayo!

crystalicfusion

be careful with the one day off thing. I tried that and instead of eating one free meal, I ended up eating the entire day. And I ate so much that I didn't loose:ohwell:

Ive found what works for me, is to give myself a little treat on days when I know I deserve it. Like when I go above and beyond or on my birthday, ect... But try to make sure to still keep it within my caloric goals for the day. It's helping me learn to just take a bite and then say no more. Because you can still eat your favorite foods, just not so much in one sitting.

Healthier_Me

I've been using MFP since August of last year (this is a new username).
I've lost, gained, lost again and have reached my weight goal twice.
Gained a pound last week due to water weight, bloating.. all the goodness that Aunt Flo has to offer.
I allow myself a cheat meal.. a cheat day is way too much for me.
The cheat meal is usually dinner. I get my craving(s) out of the way for that week and I'm back on track. Treat yourself once a week.
It's not a horrible thing to do.

~Joanna:flowerforyou:

eastland01

I understand how you feel..Ive always been a 'all or nothing" thinker too
When i do have a cheat meal i feel soo guilty about it....I think i have to allow myself to have a cheat meal..but then work my butt off that day with some extra exercise!!

This network is awesome...the support makes a difference.

Mireille

Because I'm an all or nothing girl too, I've decided to hold off on a cheat day until I get closer to my goal.
I want to change my eating habits before I allow myself a cheat day because I know that my one cheat day may turn into many. I figure it will take several months for me to lose the weight and by the end of this journey, I will be wiser and make "better" cheat day decisions (not eat 10 cookies in one sitting lol).
All the best.:happy:

Eve23

I absolutely allow for a cheat day. If I didn't I would go nuts. There are certain things I just love to eat. ie. enchiladas smothered in cheese and sour cream and quacomole, even pizza sometimes.

Bottom line I do cheat. I even enjoy it. And yes you can continue to lose weight. Trick is to kow when to stop and when to get back on the wagon. For me there has been a few times I fell off for a few days here and there.

You know you are going to enjoy so don't feel guilty just don't let it take over and rule you. You rule your cheat.:bigsmile:

lotusfromthemud

I have one item or meal every week or two that is not a "daily" item.

I've been trying to get away from the ideas that food is "cheating" or "bad" or "good" or "reward" or anything like that.

I'm trying to look as food as fuel. And some food as extra delicious. Sugar and butterfat taste good. And, sometimes, I include them in what I eat.

My main thing is, since I'm an impulsive person, I don't eat any random thing when I see it and want it. I have one time a week where I have whatever item I thought about during the week. What's surprising is what I have for my treat. Sometimes it's ice cream, but one time what I really wanted was a giant salad, with full-fat homemade ranch dressing. So, that's what I had.:flowerforyou:

SoulfulLori

Thank you so much everyone for the great responses. What I gather is it depends how I view the "treat" and what I plan for. I like the idea of one meal and planned ahead of what I will have instead of just having whatever comes about. Much easier/better to make it feel like a choice instead of a cheat I think.

One thing I've learned is that if you have to go through something tough it is easier to break it down into choices instead of "things ya gotta do". So choosing the exact treat could be fun!

I had to laugh at how many are "all or nothing" folks. I'm not alone! Too funny. There must be a club for that. LOL:laugh:

Just one more question:

Do most of you go for 1lb a week or more?

Thanks again.

Healthier_Me

When I was trying to lose weight I was losing between 1-2 pounds a week.
It depends on how much you workout, eat the right amount of cals and how much water you drink.

~Joanna:flowerforyou:

RKJR925

I usually have a day where I eat what I want. But every week I eat less and less of the bad stuff. Last weekend my "Cheat Day" was just 1 meal and I could not finish it.

That never happened in the past but because this website helps me hold myself accountable I had a bad day but still came inunder my calories.

RKJR925

I usually have a day where I eat what I want. But every week I eat less and less of the bad stuff. Last weekend my "Cheat Day" was just 1 meal and I could not finish it.

That never happened in the past but because this website helps me hold myself accountable I had a bad day but still came inunder my calories.

Eve23

I try for 2 lbs per week but my body tends to go for 1 or 5. If I don't lose for a week or so I can figure I will lose 3-5 in the next week or so. It is just how I am, I have been here since August and if I look at it from a week to week type thing I haven't lost alot. But when I start to look at it per month I am happy enough with the results.

As the weather is improving I am stepping up the activity though.

hmmmm

I try for two lbs as well. But there is many times I don't have access to the computer so I try to tally it up in my head. Sometimes this works but today was disasterous. I totally forgot about the 250 calorie smart ones entree I ate and was picking at kids foods and snacks that I was dismissing as nothing. Now that I am thinking about it. Tomorrow I start writing everything down or at least memo it in to my cell until I have computer access. These are the times when my cheat meals happen because either 1.start to lose track or 2.have no real willpower when I am hungry and there is food and not an immediate healthy option. (Ordered a grilled eggplant panini the other day thinking it would be healthy got home and it was a greasy mess I was hungry n I ate it). I start to feel bad about the crap I put in my body the day before so I usually get right back on track

2kidsandadog

I am set up for a pound a week weight loss. I figure that way if I have a bad day and go over my calories a LITTLE bit then it won't really affect my overall goal

iojoi

i have to have somethin sweet to stop my cravings
so i have baked apple or banana as a sweet when i have sweet urges

sbased

I feel the same way, I don't want to cheat until I get to my first 10% I feel I've cheated myself for a long time which is why I got this way so its going to have to be a sacrifice. But I also consider alot more things in moderation (like caramel macchiatos and baked potato chips) so I think I'm thinking better now because my idea of a cheat is different.

weightlossinprogress

Because I'm an all or nothing girl too, I've decided to hold off on a cheat day until I get closer to my goal.
I want to change my eating habits before I allow myself a cheat day because I know that my one cheat day may turn into many. I figure it will take several months for me to lose the weight and by the end of this journey, I will be wiser and make "better" cheat day decisions (not eat 10 cookies in one sitting lol).
All the best.:happy:

I agree - I am an all or nothing gal as well - if I allow myself just a little lee way - I go all the way out!!! Mindframe it important, and once I get to my goal I will give myself a little more freedom....

SoulfulLori

Well I made it through one week folks and it was fun and easy! I took all of your comments and decided to have a "treat meal" within my calorie count but something I wouldn't consider as part of my regular diet for this first week. I had 2 pieces of mushroom pizza (minus the crust) with my boyfriend on Friday night. I felt so proud and in control and enjoyed myself.

The result of this is despite only being physically able to walk 30 minutes a day for exercise I still lost 1.6 pounds this week! I never was hungry and at all times I felt like I was doing good things for myself.

Thanks for your help...it worked! This weekend I have a big party to go to and I know I will walk away from there feeling the same way!

Thanks again!:flowerforyou: