Cheat days

beccyclark
beccyclark Posts: 5
in Health and Weight Loss
Would you recommend a cheat day once a week-with/without exercise on that day or would it just jeopardise weight loss?
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Replies

  • impojr
    impojr Posts: 52
    Don't hold me on this, but I've read having a cheat meal once a week is what most consider completely fine. It's just not to use it on the same day as a rest day is all the warning I've ever garnered.
  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
    Depends on the individual. I find that having one day to treat myself (but NOT to go overboard) helps me stay in line. Others find that they end up way overeating or even falling off the wagon entirely if they take a break. Some people also do a cheat meal instead of a cheat day in order to not go overboard.
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    Would you recommend a cheat day once a week-with/without exercise on that day or would it just jeopardise weight loss?

    only if you are a cheater
  • keelz2010
    keelz2010 Posts: 182
    I have a treat everyday so I don't feel like I'm on a diet. If I had a whole cheat day I think I would end up eating so much junk that I'd ruin all the work I'd put in on the other 6 days by eating back all the calories.
  • oggydude
    oggydude Posts: 8
    I have a cheat meal and on a different day I only do light intensive workouts, this makes sure I don't get bored and I don't overwork my body.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    i HATE the phrase 'cheat day'. if its cheating then no, you shouldnt be doing it!

    however, when i was losing weight i stuck religiously to my 1200 cals each day but had one 'treat' meal per week where i ate what i wanted, and it didnt hinder my progress, i lost 12lb in 12 weeks.
  • Ritzzy28
    Ritzzy28 Posts: 7
    Having a cheat day always helped me and ususally when i would go back and look at what I ate I ended up not really cheating to bad but just telling myself i had a cheat helped me.
  • trophywife24
    trophywife24 Posts: 1,472 Member
    I don't do "cheat days", what I do is a meal once a week or so that I otherwise wouldn't eat - fast food or take out or whatever.
  • piggydog
    piggydog Posts: 322
    To me there is no point of a 'cheat' day... I know some of the meals I used to eat would put me right back on the road I was on before. I started this to be healthy and change my lifestyle...not to cheat.

    I do still go to bars and drink... I do not do it every week or every other week... I might do it once a month...Everyone likes having a DD. Night before last we went to the bar, I had two shots and then we went to McDonalds afterwards...I had a single cheese burger and left it at that... I don't nessicarily cheat but I don't deprive myself. I still go to all the same places i went before, its just not at the frequency of before nor do I sit and eat the entire plate. I simply make healthier choices now so there is no need to cheat for me.
  • Mcgrawhaha
    Mcgrawhaha Posts: 1,596 Member
    not once a week... i do a refeed day 2 times a month... i go 50% over what my maintenance calories would be... i started doing it when my weight loss slowed down... fixed the problem... i gain a few pounds for the first couple days after, but that is just water weight and is usually gone within 2-3 days, plus and extra pound or 2...

    plus, it gives me a sense of motivation, a very short term "reward" to look forward to, and stay on track...
  • RipperSB
    RipperSB Posts: 315 Member
    I do not believe in the concept of "cheat days". If you bite it, you write it. If you want to eat something, eat it, log it and move on with no regrets! IMHO, it's only cheating if you do not log it.
  • NatzC123
    NatzC123 Posts: 150 Member
    I give myself a day off once a week but i will still log what i eat and will do a small workout tat morning so i dont feel too guilty.
  • bpotts44
    bpotts44 Posts: 1,066 Member
    Would you recommend a cheat day once a week-with/without exercise on that day or would it just jeopardise weight loss?

    Generally it is recommended only a cheat meal; however, some do a day and some do nothing. If you do a day it is going to affect your loss long term and my feeling is that you are only cheating yourself. I generally reserve cheat meals only for special occasions, like birthdays, anniversaries, etc. Today is my birthday and I'm going to allow myself some cake or ice cream or whatever after dinner. This happens maybe once per month at most and I log everything.
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    .
  • Yaya1976
    Yaya1976 Posts: 357 Member
    Sunday's are my cheat days. I also take a break from the gym.
    You MUST have a cheat day. You'll go freaking nuts! :noway:

    23087067.png
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  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    Don't hold me on this, but I've read having a cheat meal once a week is what most consider completely fine. It's just not to use it on the same day as a rest day is all the warning I've ever garnered.

    This

    And,
    Only if you really need it mentally. Cheat days generally seem to work better for men than women, if you read around on the boards. Are you going to seriously binge on a cheat day? Realistically, if you look at the calorie deficit you've run for the week up until that point, how likely is it that you are going to completely undo it on your cheat day?

    This is why I can't do cheat days, because binging isn't emotionally healthy for me personally, and because I was too proud of my newly-improved eating habits to want to F it up on a regular schedule just so I could stuff my face with a whole box of pizza bagel bites without even removing them from the cardboard (extra 25 calories)
  • FitForLife81
    FitForLife81 Posts: 372 Member
    I have cheat weekends. I mean I don't eat overly horrible but I eat way above maintenance it hasn't affected me in the least. So I train hard and eat clean all week then weekends I eat what I want =)
  • funforsports
    funforsports Posts: 2,656 Member
    Cheat days are good but do not use it as an excuse to eat everything in site. Continue to be mindful of what you eat but it does not have to be strict as other days.
  • Cupcakesb8
    Cupcakesb8 Posts: 9
    I have a cheat day and I would definitely recommend it. No one is an angel so there is no way you can be good all the time so if you allow yourself to be bad for one day then the other 6 you can be really good. It hasn't hindered my weight loss. I wish to lose weight slowly and my way. Yes its a lifestyle change not an overhaul. All major fitness people like olympians etc have cheat days as it can in fact help your metabolism and long term fitness. So go ahead have a cheat day just be good for the other 6 days
  • Natihilator
    Natihilator Posts: 1,778 Member
    I can't do planned cheat meals because they happen spontaneously :frown:

    But there is this restaurant near me that has pecan pie stuffed egg nog french toast on their seasonal menu. That might warrant a planned cheat meal...
  • RyanWilson1993
    RyanWilson1993 Posts: 409 Member
    If you are trying to lose weight I'd say for every 3lbs you lose reward yourself but only weigh yourself once a week and in the morning on an empty stomach and bladder! If you were on a bulk I'd say once a week
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    No one is an angel

    that's one hell of a christmas spirit!

    shame on you

    angels are everywhere
  • Robin_Bin
    Robin_Bin Posts: 1,046 Member
    i HATE the phrase 'cheat day'. if its cheating then no, you shouldnt be doing it!

    however, when i was losing weight i stuck religiously to my 1200 cals each day but had one 'treat' meal per week where i ate what i wanted, and it didnt hinder my progress, i lost 12lb in 12 weeks.

    I agree.

    Who are your cheating? Your body knows what you ate.

    Fine to figure out when you'll eat a bit differently... a higher limit for a meal or a day, or a special treat. As someone else pointed out, if you eat something regularly, it's no longer a special treat it's a regular food.

    If you consider what you eat as a short-term diet rather than a lifestyle change, your results are also likely to be short-term. So figure out what you can live with for a long, healthy lifetime.

    Good luck!
  • arlenem1974
    arlenem1974 Posts: 437 Member
    I don't see a problem with it. I have one of those days once every week or 2 and in 15 weeks I have lost 30 lbs.
  • Cassierocksalot
    Cassierocksalot Posts: 266 Member
    A cheat meal is good if you need it, but use them wisely. If you know you have something coming up that's going to make it difficult to stay within your calorie goals **cough** Christmas **cough** then ramp up for that to be your cheat meal. Pu_239 has a great chart above that can help you have a "cheat" meal without ruining what you've been doing.

    I knew I was meeting friends for Brunch last Sunday, so all week I cut back a couple hundred calories a day (kept myself above 1200 but below my daily calorie goals) so that on Sunday, I could eat what I wanted without too much concern. I still only had 2 pieces of bacon and passed on the cheesecake, but I didn't feel like I was depriving myself, had a great time with my friends, and still lost a pound that week!
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    I don't see a problem with it. I have one of those days once every week or 2 and in 15 weeks I have lost 30 lbs.

    see! they are no good.

    you could have lost 30.2 pounds, but NOooooooooooooooo...you had to cheat
  • funkycamper
    funkycamper Posts: 998 Member
    There is evidence that flexible dieters are more successful long-term. Too lazy to go grab the link but Lyle McDonald has an excellent article on flexible dieting worth googling.

    This is why I like zig-zagging my calories and having a weekly target rather than striving to hit a daily one. I have days where I've eaten so clean that my calorie intake is a bit on the low side. Add to that, intense exercise totally stifles my appetite. So it's easy to "bank" calories during the week to "spend" for going out to dinner or to a social event where I can enjoy a splurge or two without going over my weekly target. I still attempt to track (although sometimes it's just a wild guess and I try to guess high) but if I do eat into my deficit a bit, no big deal.

    I have also read studies that show that people who have naturally stayed slim over their lifetime naturally do this in order to maintain their weight. I figure I should practice eating like a slim person now so I know what to do when I get there.
  • grammysboy
    grammysboy Posts: 151 Member
    I don't have "cheat" days, but I'm planning to eat pretty much what I want on Christmas eve and then again on Christmas day. I think I've "banked" enough calories to be able to do that. Then it's right back on the wagon and maybe even a little extra exercise to clear the system.
  • ChristyRunStarr
    ChristyRunStarr Posts: 1,600 Member
    To each their own...for myself I don't have any cheat days-if I want something, I make it work and fit into my calories for the day, if it doesn't I won't have it or I'll work my day around it the next day. When I met with my personal trainer they told me to have a cheat day once a week, I decided not to do it cause then it makes me think of this as a diet and it's not
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    I did a once-a-week "free day" approach for a long time. I enjoyed having a day to splurge on food and be free of watching what i ate.

    It works as long as you're still in a calorie deficit.

    So for example, if you normally have a 500 cal/day deficit, but one day a week, you go over by 500 calories, then you would end up with a 3000 cal per week deficit rather than 3500. This roughly means .86 lbs lost per week rather than 1 lb lost per week.

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