cheat days

arosethorn

Hello, I have been dieting for about two months now and have lost 23 lbs. I am nearing my goal now. I have heard positive and negative things about "cheat days". What is your opinion? How do you incorporate them? How often? How much is too much? For example: I would like to add a cheat day, but I am very hesitant. I don't know how often is acceptable or how many calories to watch on a cheat day.

arosethorn

I am honestly scared to cheat. I don't want to gain anything back, but it would be nice to have a break.

stines72

i have never had a cheat day and never will. that is my opinion, i personally think they are unhealthy mentally... maybe physically too, who knows. i keep it clean 24/7 and have no urges to binge.

now there may come a day when im in a situation where i do eat a lot more than i normally would, but id never have a planned cheat day

Hadunka

I don´t have cheat days. But sometimes I eat ice cream or several bites of chocolate. Of course I do...

arosethorn

i have never had a cheat day and never will. that is my opinion, i personally think they are unhealthy mentally... maybe physically too, who knows. i keep it clean 24/7 and have no urges to binge.

now there may come a day when im in a situation where i do eat a lot more than i normally would, but id never have a planned cheat day

So how often do you think those types of days are acceptable?

biddy249

Look at it as a lifestyle change, not a diet. Hopefully by now you have developed a taste for new and heathly foods. Treat yoursellf to foods you enjoy on occasion, just use moderation.

KAiles86

I personally try not to plan cheat days. But I do allow myself to enjoy special occasions such as my birthday or holidays. Those days I eat what I want but don't binge.

TinkerbelleJ

My plan is not to have a cheat day but be prepared for cravings since I know I'll have them.

My plan is to not go too much over my limit of 1200 cal, even if I have a snickers bar (or all the candy I had today). I just have to move other calories around.

I will try to focus on adverting the cravings with other things such as fruits, vegetables and tea

Tea helps me so much with cravings!

lizblizz2012

I just had a cheat day yesterday. In my opinion, they keep me on track because I don't feel deprived all the time. I'm not going to tell myself I'm never going to eat a cupcake ever again. This has to be something I can live with! Also, I believe it kind of "resets" your metabolism and helps to prevent plateau-ing. This being said, I NEVER just gorge myself and carelessly eat anything I want on cheat days. I eat what I want, but I watch portions and I often don't cheat the whole day, Sometimes I just have a cheat meal. And I ALWAYS work out more in the days following the cheat to keep myself from putting pounds back on. If I ate clean all the time, yeah I'd get skinny, but I would be bored as heck. Sometimes you just need to order your favorite thing at a restaurant, enjoy it, feel satisfies, and get back to the routine,

cedarghost

Saturday I eat anything I want, up to my TDEE maintenance. If I go over that, I don't worry because I don't eat my exercise calories back either. I firmly believe it's good for my metabolism and gives it a boost. Plus it makes it easier to eat better during the week.

Just be prepared for the water weight gain that will come with it. I usually retain about 6 more pounds of water, but it is always gone and then some by the next weekend. Also remember that you're not going to gain a ton of permanent weight. It takes 3500 calories to gain a pound of fat, so you would have to eat back all the calories you were under maintenance for the week pus another 3500 over for the day to gain a pound. Damned near impossible for most people.

So, your weight will probably go up due to increased sodium and stuff, but it will drop back off.

*EDIT* I still make smart choices. For example I was going to grab a King Size Kit Kat at Walmart last night since it was my cheat day. But since I knew I was pretty close to maintenance and that damned candybar was 400 calories, I put it back. Wiouldn't have killed me in the long run, but I had already had doughnuts and soda, etc. lol so I do try to have some restraint.

scythswife

Sunday's would be what you consider a cheat day I guess. For me its a day off don't log my food and eat whatever I want without worrying about it but i still only eat small amounts. I still lose weight and may or may not get in a workout. For me its family day each week and after church we mainly veg out and watch movies together.

goofyblonde

My last major cheat day was when my boyfriend was out of town (September 22). I had a Girl's Night In... We ordered pizza, and played The Big Bang Theory drinking game. Half a pizza later and about a dozen shots... Boy, was I WAY over my calorie intake! But it had literally been months since I'd done anything like that, and I only do it once in a blue moon. And I went right back to my normal everyday diet and exercise the very next day.

I think that a cheat day is needed every now and again, but it shouldn't become a common occurance. The major one I had, maybe every few (4-5) months, but even that is a little much... Like I said, I hadn't done anything like that in a while, and now that I think about it, I think that was the first time all year. But it also depends on how much you splurge, and what you splurge on. If you're going to consider one drink, or a slice of cake a splurge, then certainly more often! I do that maybe once a month.

LadyRhodes01

I also have one cheat day a month. I don't exceed my 1200 cal diet more than 400 cals. Even though we are striving to be healthier, doesn't mean we have to deprive ourselves. If you want a treat you can cooperate it into your plan. I crave a sweet after dinner so I have it! From frozen yogurt, a homemade smoothie, a 100 calorie snack, even a piece of cake. I use to have a cheat day every week, where I would go out to eat. It didn't do any harm either. I stayed very active during the week and stuck to my meal plan, so I know I deserved it.
Even on cheat days I don't binge eat. Just may have a couple of things I wouldn't normally have. I have my boundaries, I refuse to go overboard, I have to live with myself when it's done and over with. As long as you make good choices, and don't overdue it, it doesnt harm you in the long run. It sorta gives me an incentive to look forward to at the end of every month.

sunnyside1213

Once a month I go out with friends and have lunch. I eat whatever I want, even bread! Then I go home and get back with plan. Works for me.

rjacob1214

I've heard a lot of theories on metabolism confusion... As in: If you eat similar foods and the same amount of calories every day, your body expects that and metabolism will slow down, but if you throw in spikes ("cheat days" and low cal days) it keeps your metabolism kicked into high gear.

I'm no expert though, I would research it.

Lrdoflamancha

Look at it as a lifestyle change, not a diet. Hopefully by now you have developed a taste for new and heathly foods. Treat yoursellf to foods you enjoy on occasion, just use moderation.

I agree with this.

katevarner

I don't cheat, but I treat myself almost daily as long as I stay in my calorie allowance and my macros.

jnp96

I have a cheat day once a week. It has not been a good idea though. I did regain weight so now I am back to no cheat days.

YoungDoc2B

No need for a cheat day, just make room in my calorie budget for foods that I want. Had ice cream a couple days ago and was still under my calorie goal. It's not hard at all.

Allyice

My friends do them all the time and seem to be fine. I seem to go off the wagon when I have a cheat day though and find it really hard to get back on, so I try not to have them. I give myself little treats now and then but I won't give myself a whole day of treats.

dancingj2

I have days that I go over my calorie count. I do not call them "cheat days." I consider them a normal part of life now.

When I tally up a day and find I am over I know I need to more careful the next few days. I also check out the weekly chart on my phone to see how I doing for the week. One day over by a few hundred calories might be balanced out by a day or two with extra exercise calories.

Michaelsdin

i was just thinking about this topic to myself and was going to post a topic but since you beat me to it. I cheat usually once a week but its not really cheating, I eat something for 1 meal i REALLY want and suppliment my other meals with less food intake but enough to get me by. Like i have been eating this week nothing but my normal diet foods and this coming tuesday I am going to get bbq I have been craving this local bbq joint in my town for a couple weeks now its getting bad. I figure do it now so i don't over indulge myself. but usually once a week i will get REALLY close to my calorie goal(btw i do not eat what i workout) i usually consume way less.

RealWomenLovePitbulls

i would suggest one cheat meal, not a whole day, and some extra exercise to make up for it.

stines72

so what constitutes a cheat meal? a certain calorie amount? if so, how many calories?/

or is it certain types of food?

craigmandu

I would consider today a cheat day for me.....

Had Denny's for breakfast (made a mistake of thinking I could wing it there instead of go online to research before we went)...I thought I was doing good:

Ham/Egg/Cheese Omelette with egg whites instead of eggs...grilled potatoes....wheat toast....3 cups of coffee. Didn't feel like a lot, but when I tracked it....OMFG over 1000 calories. That will not happen again, next time, I research what is UNDER 500 calories before we go.

We made pot roast for dinner which is my favorite meal...so I had two servings of that....another 1000 calories...then a piece of pumpkin pie with light whipped cream...almost 300 calories.

I ended up doing 40 minutes on my elliptical machine simply to put my calories "right" with my calorie count...so I feel like I cheated....then had to make up for it.

kgilbert75

I have lost 75 pounds (from 213 pounds to 138 - size 16 to size 4!) and the whole time I haven't counted calories on Saturdays. I drink alcohol and eat what I want on those days. Every other day I count calories and exercise and stay within my calorie allowance. I guess it's a personal decision but it has worked well for me.

KatieCJ66

I try to plan a cheat meal, instead of a day. And I also make it a rule to plan the meal on an exercise day. I also plan my other meals, so that I don't go over my calorie intake too much.

That way, I don't go crazy. And I get to enjoy myself. For the moment, I allow myself one cheat meal a week.

This week, I'm going out with my sister on Saturday. That will be my cheat meal.

Technickal1

If you are consistent with your diet every week, it is good for you to have a "cheat meal". Now, it cannot be for the whole day, but for rather one of your main meals. The reason for this is because once your body is in the mode for dieting, it can develop what is known as a weight loss plateau. When the same thing goes through the body for 14 days, the body will adjust and it can be harder to lose the weight.

What happens when you have this meal is that your body basically gets confused and immediately starts to burn the calories/fat/carbs it just had. And when this happens, your body will never develop the same habits; therefore, you continually lose the weight and prevent the plateau.

Hope this helps!

Source: I have researched weight loss for over 3 years.

magerum

Personally I dont have them. I eat the same amount each day, about 3300, and regulate with exercise. I go by weekly goals and by eating a higher amount daily I can pretty much eat anything I want if a craving hits. It is rare though to be honest. I have been on a but of a beer kick lately tho.

carriebardo

I have a cheat meal, i watch my calories at my two meals then i enjoy dinner and dessert, i try not to go to overboar. But i need to enjoy a little, because if i don't then i really blow it.

echamin

I eat healthy most of the time but I never deprive myself. If I want a burger, I have it...i just make sure I stay within my calories.