Do cheat days help you lose weight?

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Replies

  • Brendajo510
    Brendajo510 Posts: 153
    I didn't plan on having cheat days, but a few weeks ago I cheated for 2 1/2 days and lost 2 lbs by the end of it! (Eating a whole cheesecake!) and the last 2 days have been bad, eating too much ice cream. I had only lost .6 or .8 lbs on my weigh in Monday but this morning I saw a 1 lb loss . I'm actually thinking of planning a weekly cheat day lol. What do you guys think??

    I think it works for me. I was steadily losing weight and following MFP. Then for 2 weeks I wasn't really losing anything. I had a cheat meal and I dropped about 2 pounds that week. I wouldn't go overboard on it, but I was surprised with the results.
  • julianpoutram
    julianpoutram Posts: 331 Member
    Logical and straightforward answer? No cheating doesn't help you lose weight, in fact it makes you gain. BUT, if you use them wisely they can be very effective at keeping you from falling off your health regime!
  • Jinny6268
    Jinny6268 Posts: 2
    cheat days are the days for me when I eat to maintenance, allowing for a big slice of chees cake to full that calorie gap, I do it once a week and really enjoy it, the rest of the time I am creating a calorie deficit. I think that allowing myself to go over maintenance is a bad thing for me mentally because then I feel as if I have not only lost a day of weight loss but I have sabotaged the following days worth. I also do not think that you can make any profound changes to your metabolism in only a days worth of over eating, and my metabolism has never worked well for me so I don't trust it to do any favours for me any day of the week. The other great thing about cheat days is that you can make them the day that you go out partying, so it makes room for a bit of alcohol related calories, without sacrificing good nutrition.
  • SteelySunshine
    SteelySunshine Posts: 1,092 Member
    I am not sure I understand what this means. I have found a way to make everyday a cheat day if I want. If there is something I want I figure out what I need to do to have it. Once I went on a walk so I could have "extra mayo" in my pasta salad. Or I might have a lighter dinner if I eat outside my calorie range earlier in the day. Or I choose foods that feel like cheating but aren't, like sweet potato chips a few of those won't hurt anyone. Or I will make a big bowl of strawberries and top it off with a cup of ice cream. My diet is restrictive enough with not eating meat and cutting back on dairy, so I really don't feel the need to restrict it further by having a "bad" foods list.
  • ifeelbetterworkingout
    ifeelbetterworkingout Posts: 38
    if you are maintaining a low cal diet and eating a bunch of very small meals a day.......then on a cheat day once a week you eat something big in the morning or afternoon for lunch like say a huge burrito or a burger.......it actually does help because even though you are getting a higher calorie intake you are forcing your body's metabolism to jump into high gear to take in the calories but in doing do you are also burning more calories that day....plus its good for moral.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I believe cheat days only work if you're undereating the rest of the time. Then it boosts your metabolism a bit again. If you're eating what you should eat most days, it will probably not help at all.
  • ranmini90
    ranmini90 Posts: 10
    yes.not just to lose weight but to maintain weight too.
    1. it helps to control your cravings cuz you know you can have what ever you want once a week.
    2.it prevents from going to a weight loss plateau.(your weight is stuck somewhere and it gives you a jump start ).
    3.overall satisfaction( i eat **** and i look good kind of a feeling)

    even when you reach your goal and weight loss part is done continue the cheat days.it helps you to manage your weight too.i gave up my cheat days so i could be like "hey i aint a cheater " be like but then i gained alot of weight.i lost control.
  • nickyfm
    nickyfm Posts: 1,214 Member
    Ate about 700 cals over my regular daily deficit today because I was starving and felt exhausted. All good food though. Will report back after the next weigh in and we will see if it made a difference!
  • ranmini90
    ranmini90 Posts: 10
    I believe cheat days only work if you're undereating the rest of the time. Then it boosts your metabolism a bit again. If you're eating what you should eat most days, it will probably not help at all.

    true that.if you eat like a normal person and not on a healthy diet or have no restrictions when it comes to eating,probably a cheat day will make you GAIN weight.understand your body.listen to it.
  • teamAmelia
    teamAmelia Posts: 1,247 Member
    I would assume so. If you don't have a cheat day, you're more likely to binge and give up on your diet because you'll see it as a failure. If you have cheat days, you sort of see those as a treat and as something that you allow. You don't give up on your diet after a cheat day.
  • bdtyson77302
    bdtyson77302 Posts: 86 Member
    I don't get the concept of cheat days. I mean, why deprive yourself of stuff you love. Just eat less of it and adjust. I mean if I want Mad Mex then I know I can't eat a lot during the day so I meet my calories and work out later.

    Cheat days are for people who diet. People who view this as a lifestyle change learn to live with all of the temptations.
    THIS!!
  • angiep098
    angiep098 Posts: 33
    I've had trouble controlling binge-eating in the past, so I always make sure I plan out my "cheat" days very carefully the night before. I think they're great - it helps with cravings, I never feel deprived, and I'm always enjoying the foods that I love! You should never feel restricted/deprived...it's mentally so much easier thinking of healthy eating/working out as a lifestyle rather than a diet you force yourself to maintain until you reach your UGW.
  • LovinDaNewLiz14
    LovinDaNewLiz14 Posts: 217 Member
    I do it keeps me in this fitness game, and not giving up!!!! do not deprive yourself of the foods you love!!! I support it one day a week:)
  • deathtaco
    deathtaco Posts: 237
    In done right, yes. If it's a refeed day, on an appropriate interval and you track what you eat and keep balanced macros (IE, lowered protein, higher carbs, lower fat (but not to an unhealthy degree)).

    If you just eat cake, ice cream and pizza and consider it, "Lol just one day!!! #Cheat" then you will be undoing a decent amount of what effort you put in.

    Stay smart.
  • cameronwheeler
    cameronwheeler Posts: 89
    Cheat days help me, but its technically not cheating. I still count my calories and watch what i eat, but if i want to grill a burger and and some fries i still do it and it helps me lose weight. i started eating completely healthy and i reached a plateau. I stayed the same weight for 3 weeks even though i was working out. So this week for the past 2 days i've had burgers and fries, and the day before that chicken strips and potato wedges, i dropped 3 lbs. So pretty much you gotta eat to lose weight. simple as that.
  • KAS0917
    KAS0917 Posts: 172 Member
    I allow myself what I call a 'cheat meal' - usually on weight in day (well, that night). It's not really cheating but a 'cheat meal' is easier to say/type than "I overindulge above my calorie goal and don't feel any guilt about it, by having a meal that I wouldnt' typically eat on a regular day." I get that this is a lifestyle for me. I track everything, even my 'cheat.' I don't let it get out of hand because it sets me up for wreckless / out of control eating, which is what got me to 60 pounds overweight to begin with.

    I also understand that my 'cheat' would be somebody else's dinner that fits nicely into their macros. Mine is usually pizza, or burger and fries or something. I understand that you CAN eat those things and still lose weight, it's just not how I prefer to eat on a daily basis anymore. With a history of heart disease and stroke in my family, I'm doing what I know how to do to limit my risk, which means I'm not comfortable having those things high in saturated fat on a regular basis.

    That said, if I track accurately (always room for error), I'm usually under my calorie goal for the week when you add in my exercise calories, so I don't stress about it much. I'm losing steadily.
  • DaniNicole21
    DaniNicole21 Posts: 26 Member
    I have certain cheat snacks that I have a couple times a week. It probably isn't great for my calories but it helps with the cravings during the week and the over indulgence because of the cravings. I consider that a win.
  • RunFarLiveHappy
    RunFarLiveHappy Posts: 805 Member
    I don't get the concept of cheat days. I mean, why deprive yourself of stuff you love. Just eat less of it and adjust. I mean if I want Mad Mex then I know I can't eat a lot during the day so I meet my calories and work out later.

    Cheat days are for people who diet. People who view this as a lifestyle change learn to live with all of the temptations.
    THIS!!

    Yep! I eat everything I want in moderation as long as I can fit it into my macros. If I am missing protein and really want ice cream I add my protein powder to it. Nutrient dense foods are lower calorie and more filling so I try to make them 80% of my diet (noun, not verb) then I have any higher calorie, less nutrient dense foods to make up the other 20%. I don't ever feel deprived and don't feel like I need to "cheat." Cheating to me is doing something wrong and there aren't any "bad foods" in my opinion so I don't "cheat."

    Edit for typo.
  • JaymeJaime
    JaymeJaime Posts: 18 Member
    I don't get the concept of cheat days. I mean, why deprive yourself of stuff you love. Just eat less of it and adjust. I mean if I want Mad Mex then I know I can't eat a lot during the day so I meet my calories and work out later.

    Cheat days are for people who diet. People who view this as a lifestyle change learn to live with all of the temptations.

    I agree! Lifestyle over diet. That said, I know that cheat days are pretty integral in Tim Ferriss's book, "The 4 Hour Body". Lots of people getting good results there. I believe it has to do with re-setting your leptin levels.
  • MinatoandClover
    MinatoandClover Posts: 160 Member
    Yes, I believe they do. Some people have the willpower to be able to not cheat, only eat certain foods and keep under a certain number of calories. However, I think it's safe to say that most of us are not that person. If you try to ban certain things and/or certain eating practices, I believe it's much easier to fall off the wagon. Putting a "ban" on certain foods tends to make a lot of people want them more. Sort of a forbidden fruit kind of thing. (No pun intended.) Not only are you going against a habit that you've had for years, but you're saying to yourself that you 100% cannot do it any more. Try this with any other habit. I guarantee you fail at least a handful of times. That doesn't mean you stop trying, but other habits (clicking your pen, humming, biting nails, etc.) aren't as difficult to quit. You don't need to click your pen to survive. You -do- need food to survive, which makes things all the more difficult.

    Another part of this is the logic behind the allowance. If you're determined that you're, 100% never going to eat these foods, never going to go over, etc, when you fail, as you're bound to do, it can be devastating. You didn't live up to a standard that you set for yourself. I believe that this all-or-nothing attitude is what tends to cause a lot of people to backslide or go off their diets/lifestyle changes completely. You failed. It's too hard. Why try? It's a really detrimental way of thinking for someone who's trying to lose weight.

    However, allowing yourself a day off does a few things. First, it gives you a break from what you're doing. Sometimes, I find it a bit stressful and tedious to track everything I eat. If I have the day off, though, it gives my mind a bit of a break.

    Second, it controls the amount you go off a diet. If you have a weak spot for brownies or bacon, it still allows you to have these things, but sparingly and in moderation. If you allow for cheat days, you can maybe allow yourself one brownie or two slices of bacon once a week, as opposed to never allowing for cheating, getting weak and binging on a whole pack of bacon or a tin of brownies.

    Third, if you do have a moment when you fail, it's not such a big deal. Make it one of your cheat days. Or, even if you go off on a day that wasn't supposed to be a cheat day (maybe you've already had 2 this week,) it's not such a big deal. Cheat days get you used to getting off temporarily and then getting back on. As opposed to all-or-nothing, where falling off the horse is the worst thing in the world. I think that kind of thinking disinclines many people to get back on at all.

    Finally, it's better for you psychologically. Even if you manage to completely stay on track, the brownies and bacon will continue to haunt you. You crave them. You want them. But you continue to refrain and suffer, looking longingly and forlornly at the packages in the store. Eating the foods you like can elevate your mood. I love honey buns. They're terrible for you, but they make me happy. This can help you stay on track in a few ways. Your good mood help you view your weight loss in a positive way, thus making you more motivated to continue. It can keep your stress levels down as well, and if you're stressed out and/or depressed, it can make it more difficult to lose weight.

    And I'm not saying the method of all-or-nothing is awful and that nobody should do it. If that's what works for you and you're doing well with it, go for it. However, if that method isn't working for you, I believe that having cheat days can be very valuable for people trying to lose weight. And of course, if you're overdoing it, it's not going to do anything for you either. But if you cheat in moderation, it can be good for your mentality as you try to lose weight. So, in short, yes. I believe that cheat days can help many people to lose weight.

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