MY THOUGHTS ON CHEAT MEALS
Replies
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The term "cheat" is interesting. If you cheat in a competition with a prize it is possible to get a prize you are not entitled to for which you may feel good or bad. On the other hand if you are trying to be fit and healthy, reduce your risk of chronic diseases and maybe improve self image or attractiveness, as I assume most people here are, who would you be cheating?
I think you have to be disciplined and realistic and know that you are in it for the longer term. Occasional digressions from your plan will not prevent you progressing as long as you get straight back to it and whatever plan you settle on needs to be something you can keep up for the long term. It can't be so horrid or arduous that you feel to have to take regular breaks from it.
Here's my approach:
1. If at all possible, log it, even if it is impulsive.
Logging is the tool than enables you to make changes so it would be silly not to use it. If you find you are eating calories at a rate that will bust your allowance before the end of the day you can either plan lighter meals for later in the day or work out how you can get some extra exercise in to make the day balance. You can also address imbalances so if, for example, you have breakfast that is almost exclusively carbohydrate you can cut back on that later in the day in favour of protein/vitamins etc.
There will be times when you can't log, for example the occasional meal out as a social function where the restaurant don't provide the necessary information but you have to use your common sense on this. If it gets to the point of eating in restaurants several times a week that is going to make things harder. Raiding the cupboard and not logging it is obviously counter productive.
2. Use the information you get from logging to make changes but don't try to change too fast.
Notice which foods have lots of calories and little in the way of other nutrients. If they're nice then eat them only in moderation and if they're not so nice then substitute something else. Also get to learn how much exercise you need to take to offset certain foods. If you know, for example, that to compensate for eating that chocolate bar that is calling out to you, you would have to walk the dog for an hour then you can make a considered choice.
Try to plan the day rather than each meal separately. As an example if you know lunch will be snatched between two appointments you could opt for fast food knowing that it will be high in fat and salt and moderately high in carbs too and then eat a light, low fat breakfast and salad in the evening or you have a heartier breakfast and pack a salad to eat on the go. Either way you will feel in control rather than a victim of the situation.
If you're disciplined about making compensating changes for indulgences some will seem worth it and some won't so over time you will tend to opt for fewer of them.0 -
In my opinion there is no such thing as a "cheat meal" I mean who are you cheating on? Yourself?..makes no sense to me. If you burn off more calories then you consume you will lose weight. Now its totally your choice if you want to be a veggie, fruit, no glute, no carb person. Totally up to u. But I dont plan on living or eating that way until I die. I want to eat the foods I like in moderation..stay within your calories and you will lose weight. It has nothing to do with cheat meals. Its a lifestyle change..
I hope everyone knows that every calorie is not the same. A 500 calorie burger from McDonalds doesn't have the same reaction that a 500 calorie salad does. You may need to re-evaluate your meal plan.0 -
It doesnt matter what you call it, it's the same thing.
I lost 30 lbs cheating, so whateves. Food isn't crack. That's a really poor example. I call it cheating because I like to keep it away from good everyday eating. I like the distinct difference. So, for me, it's cheating. Again, call it what you want. "yeah officer, I wasnt bribing him, I was giving him money to do something." same thing.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. Food is directly involved in many of the risk factors for coronary heart disease. In fact food, may be more dangerous than crack. You can be healthy and die of a heart attack because of what you eat.0 -
I've never understood the concept of cheat meals/days. When you're recovering from any bad habits, you don't have days when you indulge in the bad habit.
For instance, I used to be a meth addict. While changing my habit to one of non-meth usage, I didn't schedule a day to indulge in meth use to motivate myself. Anyone can see how ridiculous that is.
I'm not sure why bad eating habits are much different: they just as dangerous, destructive, and come at a high financial and emotional cost to one's self and loved ones. IMO, the only difference is that you don't get arrested if you get caught in the mcdonald's drive-thru.
for more info about why we crave or become addicted to certain foods, check out work by Dr. Doug Lisle (book "the pleasure trap", for example) he also has videos on youtube.
I salute you.0 -
Did you have the laptop hanging from the ceiling when you stepped up on that soapbox, or did you build yourself a podium like normal people???? GEESH.
EDIT: And to the one person who equated eating (and the ridiculous notion that one can be "addicted" to it as such) with methamphetimine usage...that may be the most assinine thing I've read on this site. And I've read some pretty assinine things on this site.
Soapbox was custom built. I balanced my laptop with my left hand and typed with my right.0 -
The term "cheat" is interesting. If you cheat in a competition with a prize it is possible to get a prize you are not entitled to for which you may feel good or bad. On the other hand if you are trying to be fit and healthy, reduce your risk of chronic diseases and maybe improve self image or attractiveness, as I assume most people here are, who would you be cheating?
I think you have to be disciplined and realistic and know that you are in it for the longer term. Occasional digressions from your plan will not prevent you progressing as long as you get straight back to it and whatever plan you settle on needs to be something you can keep up for the long term. It can't be so horrid or arduous that you feel to have to take regular breaks from it.
Here's my approach:
1. If at all possible, log it, even if it is impulsive.
Logging is the tool than enables you to make changes so it would be silly not to use it. If you find you are eating calories at a rate that will bust your allowance before the end of the day you can either plan lighter meals for later in the day or work out how you can get some extra exercise in to make the day balance. You can also address imbalances so if, for example, you have breakfast that is almost exclusively carbohydrate you can cut back on that later in the day in favour of protein/vitamins etc.
There will be times when you can't log, for example the occasional meal out as a social function where the restaurant don't provide the necessary information but you have to use your common sense on this. If it gets to the point of eating in restaurants several times a week that is going to make things harder. Raiding the cupboard and not logging it is obviously counter productive.
2. Use the information you get from logging to make changes but don't try to change too fast.
Notice which foods have lots of calories and little in the way of other nutrients. If they're nice then eat them only in moderation and if they're not so nice then substitute something else. Also get to learn how much exercise you need to take to offset certain foods. If you know, for example, that to compensate for eating that chocolate bar that is calling out to you, you would have to walk the dog for an hour then you can make a considered choice.
Try to plan the day rather than each meal separately. As an example if you know lunch will be snatched between two appointments you could opt for fast food knowing that it will be high in fat and salt and moderately high in carbs too and then eat a light, low fat breakfast and salad in the evening or you have a heartier breakfast and pack a salad to eat on the go. Either way you will feel in control rather than a victim of the situation.
If you're disciplined about making compensating changes for indulgences some will seem worth it and some won't so over time you will tend to opt for fewer of them.
Well said.0 -
In my opinion there is no such thing as a "cheat meal" I mean who are you cheating on? Yourself?..makes no sense to me. If you burn off more calories then you consume you will lose weight. Now its totally your choice if you want to be a veggie, fruit, no glute, no carb person. Totally up to u. But I dont plan on living or eating that way until I die. I want to eat the foods I like in moderation..stay within your calories and you will lose weight. It has nothing to do with cheat meals. Its a lifestyle change..
I hope everyone knows that every calorie is not the same. A 500 calorie burger from McDonalds doesn't have the same reaction that a 500 calorie salad does. You may need to re-evaluate your meal plan.
Really, Mr. Wizard, tell us more. Perhaps you could include statistics, or articles, or perhaps a chart so I know the difference between say McDonalds, Jimmy John's and Papa Murphy's calories so I can properly plan my day. Or better yet, it sounds like you've stumbled upon the holy grail here....why not sell this monumental information to MFP?! You could become a ZILLIONAIRE!!!!!!!0 -
I think your idea of "cheating" is very different than mine. I consider it cheating to lie on my log, such as omitting foods that I ate.0
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Cheat meals don't make sense to me. If this is a lifestyle change, you should be able to eat whatever you want and still lose/maintain.0
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It doesnt matter what you call it, it's the same thing.
I lost 30 lbs cheating, so whateves. Food isn't crack. That's a really poor example. I call it cheating because I like to keep it away from good everyday eating. I like the distinct difference. So, for me, it's cheating. Again, call it what you want. "yeah officer, I wasnt bribing him, I was giving him money to do something." same thing.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. Food is directly involved in many of the risk factors for coronary heart disease. In fact food, may be more dangerous than crack. You can be healthy and die of a heart attack because of what you eat.
Do you mean, you can be at a healthy weight and die of a heart attack? Or, you can look healthy but actually be unhealthy due to diet?
Other than perhaps choking causing a traumatic heart attack, how would what a healthy person eats cause a heart attack.0 -
I think Methadone Clinics prove your crackhead analogy wrong. Other than that a cheat meal is only a cheat meal if you plan on going over your calories, but if you want fast food everyonce in a while, and it fits in with what you have done for that day go for it.0
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I'm glad I had the OP tell me that food is more dangerous than crack. That will make me feel so much better when I load that pipe later. :laugh: :smokin:0
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I not only have cheat meals, I have cheat days and cheat weeks!0
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In my opinion there is no such thing as a "cheat meal" I mean who are you cheating on? Yourself?..makes no sense to me. If you burn off more calories then you consume you will lose weight. Now its totally your choice if you want to be a veggie, fruit, no glute, no carb person. Totally up to u. But I dont plan on living or eating that way until I die. I want to eat the foods I like in moderation..stay within your calories and you will lose weight. It has nothing to do with cheat meals. Its a lifestyle change..
I hope everyone knows that every calorie is not the same. A 500 calorie burger from McDonalds doesn't have the same reaction that a 500 calorie salad does. You may need to re-evaluate your meal plan.
Really, Mr. Wizard, tell us more. Perhaps you could include statistics, or articles, or perhaps a chart so I know the difference between say McDonalds, Jimmy John's and Papa Murphy's calories so I can properly plan my day. Or better yet, it sounds like you've stumbled upon the holy grail here....why not sell this monumental information to MFP?! You could become a ZILLIONAIRE!!!!!!!
Oh, isn't it "crystal" clear? So long as you are using speed or smokin' coke and only eat salad, you're perfectly healthy, and it's NOT cheating!0 -
This way of eating is supposed to last for life if you want to keep the weight off. Never having a takeout or 'cheat meal' again is just unrealistic and silly.
I think if you can have a meal within your limits and not go overboard then you've cracked it...it's OVER-indulging what got us here....not one simple takeout per week or whatever.0 -
I am so not into cheat meals. Everything I eat is part of my calorie budget, planned or not. It's sustainable that way. Include all the things you like within your calorie budget. You do not have to eat the same calorie intake every day, you can have a weekly budget, etc. You can have everything you want, just not all at once.0
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Nice reply to a dbag comment! BTW-STL FTW!Did you have the laptop hanging from the ceiling when you stepped up on that soapbox, or did you build yourself a podium like normal people???? GEESH.
EDIT: And to the one person who equated eating (and the ridiculous notion that one can be "addicted" to it as such) with methamphetimine usage...that may be the most assinine thing I've read on this site. And I've read some pretty assinine things on this site.
Soapbox was custom built. I balanced my laptop with my left hand and typed with my right.0 -
I read a blog somewhere a long time ago that summed up cheating on healthy lifestyle plan. "If you eat a hamburger you are not cheating on the salad. "0
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wow...you are one angry fellow aren't you? The purpose of it being a blog post or a forum post means its not scientific fact but written by a regular person. If you don't like it stay off MFP!In my opinion there is no such thing as a "cheat meal" I mean who are you cheating on? Yourself?..makes no sense to me. If you burn off more calories then you consume you will lose weight. Now its totally your choice if you want to be a veggie, fruit, no glute, no carb person. Totally up to u. But I dont plan on living or eating that way until I die. I want to eat the foods I like in moderation..stay within your calories and you will lose weight. It has nothing to do with cheat meals. Its a lifestyle change..
I hope everyone knows that every calorie is not the same. A 500 calorie burger from McDonalds doesn't have the same reaction that a 500 calorie salad does. You may need to re-evaluate your meal plan.
Really, Mr. Wizard, tell us more. Perhaps you could include statistics, or articles, or perhaps a chart so I know the difference between say McDonalds, Jimmy John's and Papa Murphy's calories so I can properly plan my day. Or better yet, it sounds like you've stumbled upon the holy grail here....why not sell this monumental information to MFP?! You could become a ZILLIONAIRE!!!!!!!0 -
Thats not what he was referring to...he is referring to the idea of a "cheat day" that often goes around MFPI think your idea of "cheating" is very different than mine. I consider it cheating to lie on my log, such as omitting foods that I ate.0 -
I don't cheat because I don't consider myself to be "good" when I'm eating healthy/nutritious foods or "bad" when I'm eating less nutritious foods. I'm human and I need some things in my diet to function and I want some things in my diet because I prefer them. And sometimes, I'll make mistakes and eat things I shouldn't. Sometimes I won't. That's it. Food shouldn't be that hard.
Exactly my sentiments. Everything in moderation is a sensible and sustainable approach. If its the difference between losing 8lb or 4lb a month then to me its worth it because I love food, I love cooking and I love entertaining so if I want what some would call a "cheat meal" I will have it and there would be completely no guilt attached to consuming said evil cheaters food.0 -
Thats not what he was referring to...he is referring to the idea of a "cheat day" that often goes around MFPI think your idea of "cheating" is very different than mine. I consider it cheating to lie on my log, such as omitting foods that I ate.
Well eating isn't "cheating." We have to eat to live. Cheating is lying or breaking the rules. Since it's my lifestyle, I *make* the rules. Thus, my original comment. The OP has a *very* different definition of "cheating" then me.0 -
I don't like to call it 'cheating' because I'm not on a diet. There's not an end and then I'll go back to doing what I was doing. That's what got me here.
I have days where I don't eat as healthy as I'd intended, and there are days when I overindulge and stray from my plan. I wish I could find another word rather than "cheating".0 -
wow...you are one angry fellow aren't you? The purpose of it being a blog post or a forum post means its not scientific fact but written by a regular person. If you don't like it stay off MFP!In my opinion there is no such thing as a "cheat meal" I mean who are you cheating on? Yourself?..makes no sense to me. If you burn off more calories then you consume you will lose weight. Now its totally your choice if you want to be a veggie, fruit, no glute, no carb person. Totally up to u. But I dont plan on living or eating that way until I die. I want to eat the foods I like in moderation..stay within your calories and you will lose weight. It has nothing to do with cheat meals. Its a lifestyle change..
I hope everyone knows that every calorie is not the same. A 500 calorie burger from McDonalds doesn't have the same reaction that a 500 calorie salad does. You may need to re-evaluate your meal plan.
Really, Mr. Wizard, tell us more. Perhaps you could include statistics, or articles, or perhaps a chart so I know the difference between say McDonalds, Jimmy John's and Papa Murphy's calories so I can properly plan my day. Or better yet, it sounds like you've stumbled upon the holy grail here....why not sell this monumental information to MFP?! You could become a ZILLIONAIRE!!!!!!!
Nice, so since it's a blog where regular people write in we can make things up, and hope nobody calls us out on it?
Did you know that turtles really don't have shells they just have huge back muscles!0 -
I don't like to call it 'cheating' because I'm not on a diet. There's not an end and then I'll go back to doing what I was doing. That's what got me here.
I have days where I don't eat as healthy as I'd intended, and there are days when I overindulge and stray from my plan. I wish I could find another word rather than "cheating".
How about "splurging" or "indulging?"0 -
I log everything. If something I eat pushes me over then I learn from it. I agree, cheating sounds like dishonesty. I used to say that Sundays were my "free day" but then I would weigh myself on Monday mornings, so I would never go overboard on Sunday freaing the reflection on the scale Monday. It was a mind game for me, but it works. i am focusing on non-food rewards. Food has always been the reward, soother, companion for me, so that's what needs to be broken.0
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wow...you are one angry fellow aren't you? The purpose of it being a blog post or a forum post means its not scientific fact but written by a regular person. If you don't like it stay off MFP!In my opinion there is no such thing as a "cheat meal" I mean who are you cheating on? Yourself?..makes no sense to me. If you burn off more calories then you consume you will lose weight. Now its totally your choice if you want to be a veggie, fruit, no glute, no carb person. Totally up to u. But I dont plan on living or eating that way until I die. I want to eat the foods I like in moderation..stay within your calories and you will lose weight. It has nothing to do with cheat meals. Its a lifestyle change..
I hope everyone knows that every calorie is not the same. A 500 calorie burger from McDonalds doesn't have the same reaction that a 500 calorie salad does. You may need to re-evaluate your meal plan.
Really, Mr. Wizard, tell us more. Perhaps you could include statistics, or articles, or perhaps a chart so I know the difference between say McDonalds, Jimmy John's and Papa Murphy's calories so I can properly plan my day. Or better yet, it sounds like you've stumbled upon the holy grail here....why not sell this monumental information to MFP?! You could become a ZILLIONAIRE!!!!!!!
Nice, so since it's a blog where regular people write in we can make things up, and hope nobody calls us out on it?
Did you know that turtles really don't have shells that have huge back muscles!
Actually I already knew that about turtles.
Did you know that food is more dangerous than smoking crack? I saw it on the internet, so it must be true!0 -
I don't "cheat" .. not in my meals .. not with my friends and neighbors.. not the proverbial "system"
First of all .. I'm starting to believe no one knows the true meaning of the word "CHEAT"
cheat/CHēt/
Verb:
Act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage, esp. in a game or examination: "she cheats at cards".
Noun:
A person who behaves dishonestly in order to gain an advantage.
Synonyms:
verb. deceive - swindle - trick - defraud - fool - bamboozle
noun. fraud - swindler - humbug - deceiver - trickster
No one here cheats .. unless they are totally lying about their food diaries and success/failure/sob stories. Then shame on them for suckering us into their schemes for whatever reason (attention?). As far as eating more than I should on a given day (holidays/special occasions) .. that can happen to anyone. I've seen the key word here is DISCIPLINE .. and I fully agree.
Don't go stuffing yourself with the worst foods possible .. i.e. You like to sit and eat a tub of lard for a snack. It's everything in moderation and being honest with YOURSELF. No one is answering to anyone else here but themselves.. and possibly their doctors/nutritionists.
I call my one day a week or whenever I feel like it my Splurge Day. I don't go out of my way to splurge and indulge all the extra calories I burned and deficit-ed. I still log everything .. to the best of my ability (usually because I went out to eat at a Sushi bar and I'm guessing on the very high end, how many calories I ingested)
Everything in moderation - and that should be always. whether or not you spend the rest of your life logging every single calorie or not. I believe the point of this site (or similar sites) is to make a permanent lifestyle change. Make healthy eating and exercising your norm.. something you do without thinking. Without having to log and compare if you stayed under or went over. When you're trying to lose weight .. yes .. you need to keep an eagle eye. Trying to gain .. same thing ..
Once you get to maintaining .. it shouldn't be a huge effort or occasional days of guilt trips. It's benignly monitoring your weight every few days to every few weeks to make sure you aren't trending into an unhealthy range (whichever end you're on .. under or overweight)0 -
I don't like to call it 'cheating' because I'm not on a diet. There's not an end and then I'll go back to doing what I was doing. That's what got me here.
I have days where I don't eat as healthy as I'd intended, and there are days when I overindulge and stray from my plan. I wish I could find another word rather than "cheating".
How about "splurging" or "indulging?"
Better!0 -
I feel like I should write a blog post about this and just refer to it when this topic comes up since I've written about it multiple times. The idea of a cheat meal, for me, came from a guy from the 80's named Bill Philips who wrote "Body For Life". Execellent book by the way. This book paved the way for things like P90X and working out at home. Anyway, in the book, Bill talks about cheat days and how important they are. He believed, back in the 80's, based upon research (I can't remember if he actually cites the research, or if he just says, "based on research". LOL), but based on the research he had or read, said that cheat days were essential physiologically, and psychologically. Now, back then, even though it wasn't that long ago, I think our knowledge of nutrition and exercise was OK, but limited (it still is, IMO. I think we are barely stratching the surface). However, there was a reason for it and it made sense and it caught on like wild fire because frankly, everyone loves a cheat day. But, he does say, you don't go crazy, you just eat until your full, but you eat what you want. If you want a bowl of ice cream, have it.
I am just answering the question about where it came from. After that book, I think many other diets started incorporating the concept. It's based on not starving your body, and once a week giving it a good feeding, while maintaining good eating habits the rest of the week.
If you read the book, you'll understand it way better than you do now and you'll understand it from Bill's point of view and why he feels it is important. If you agree or not is another matter.
I hope you find this useful.0
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