Cheat days??? do you have one or not?

PhiSigAmber

I don't believe in taking weekends "off" or even one whole day. I do, however, plan one "splurge" meal per week (I still use moderation, but allow myself to have something I wouldn't make a habit of eating regularly, ie ice cream, cake, pasta, etc). The key is in planning. If you didn't plan for it, don't eat it.

mottmadness

I allow a cheat meal once a week. It is just nice to eat something different. I also couple that with my longest workout day and even going light on other foods that day. My main focus is to keep my calorie intake below my calories burned. When I pull that off, I still feel great about the day.

Graelwyn75

I just plan on having a meal out once a week, or having a meal at home I wouldn't usually have, complete with dessert and maybe even a little bread. Before, I would have a cookie or a chocolate bar each day, and that worked as well, but I would prefer to have a complete meal that is outside what I normally have.

I will do this on a day I have had a good bike ride or workout and eat light the rest of the day.

Racquel1

I think as long as you have something in moderation there is no reason why you can't have those foods you love!

ashleydmassey

In the beginning, I was adamant about having a cheat day. I've seen so many fitness people promote it. It really helped me a lot and I still always lost weight in spite of that day. It made the other six days a week more bearable too. Now, however, I just don't feel the need for one. Since I've learned to eat less, as far as quantity goes, I can't possibly tolerate overindulging. I get full so much easier. As far as "quality" of food, I will occasionally eat a small bit of "something" sweet but it's always something I budget in. It has been seven months since I have changed my eating habits and really, my desires have changed so much, and I've kept it real eating foods I know I would be able to sustain long-term, that "cheating" really doesn't exist per se.

~Ashley

ashleydmassey

I think as long as you have something in moderation there is no reason why you can't have those foods you love!

Agreed!

JudyAngelman

I don't do cheat days but if I go out I might allow myself a little something extra, but even then I try to stay on track.

jnp96

Yep! Once a week I eat without any real concern. 6 days a week I do really good. Keeps me from feeling deprived.

poll09

at the moment im not i will count everything so if i have a bad meal i will eat less on other meals and iv tried to give up choclate dont no how long i can do it i want to lose 2 stone by april dont no if this is healthy x

itsdonna35

My cheat day is Friday. I work until 12 noon on Friday's and meet up with friends for lunch so I splurge a little...although I missed my lunch date yesterday So might have a treat tonight.

bearwith

Sometimes it is best to exercise more on a day like that rather than to omit filling in the diary! Even if you exercise the next day, it will make you realise how hard you have to exercise to burn the calories off.

Domestic_Hippie

Absolutely not! I used to do that and it was a stupid thing to do. I finally figured out that just indulging once in a while in SMALL things is the way to go. I have a small something every day. Some days it is a hersheys kiss, some days it is a little ice cream. I never restrict my diet. Eating junk like pastries, candy, cookies, or fast food once a week will make it harder to stay on the plan because you'll constantly be reminded of how good it tastes. I did cheat days in the beginning and would lose a bit here and there and gain every once in a while. When I finally stopped that I dropped the weight 58 pounds to be exact. To me it isn't worth it...


I also found this somewhere and I really like what it says, so I thought I would share it here since we are discussing "cheat days" Sorry it is long, but it makes good sense!

"Your diet is going great. You've been solid for close to two weeks, and the results are starting to show. However, you're beginning to get cravings for donuts and cakes and cakes made out of donuts.

You do your best to maintain your composure, but you finally give in and eat two Krispy Kreams.

You choked. The ball was dropped.

So, how do you react? Do you go back on your diet as soon as possible? No! You continue to stuff your face with everything that doesn't fight back.

After all, since you've blown your diet, you might as well go hog wild and start again tomorrow on solid ground.

Big mistake. If you got a flat tire, would you go spike the three others with your trusty pocket knife? God, I hope you aren't that dumb!

Well, continuing to pile on the junk after one cheat is about as smart.

While I'm never proud of clients who give in to temptation, a small, isolated culinary incident won't completely ruin your efforts. At worst, it'll put you back a day or two.

But if you turn that one nutritional brain fart into an all-out feast, you're going to put a huge dent in your progress. After such a binge, it'll take you around two days just to get back into an optimal fat burning mode. And I'm not even talking about the fat gain from the binge itself. A big food fest can set you back one or even two weeks!"

cruzcrzyMarie

I do not have a cheat day. I work whatever I want into my daily calories. Sure, on occasion I go over my daily calories. I am in maintenance by the way.




Marie

Joshacham

I try to avoid having a cheat day, but there's some days where I'm not going to be able to control what I'm eating and I'll declare it a cheat day. There's nothing wrong or taboo with having a cheat day and I suggest having an occasional one, I've learned that if you're too strict as to how you're eating, you might set yourself up for failure. I know I have many a time in prior diets so it was a learning experience.

LiftAllThePizzas

It's been very interesting to see the different responses in these threads. Some people enjoy variety in life and benefit from a cheat or treat or however they think of it, if nothing else to break up the monotony of a routine. Some people feel uncomfortable outside a routine and benefit from doing the same thing all the time. Some people like the 'thrill' of breaking the rules and a cheat is not just an eating thing but a 'breakin the rules' thing for them. Everyone has different preferences and it's cool to see that most people are able to match up their lifestyle with their preferences.

I honestly do feel sorry for the people who can't or won't let themselves enjoy something because of fear or because they're so obsessed with 'progress' that they can't see anything else. (I'm not sure what 'progress' even means if you are maintaining a specific weight, anyway.)

For me, I don't plan to "cheat" any specific day or in advance. I just know when it's time that I want to have something that is normally way too many calories to reasonably fit into a good day. I got done swimming today and felt like Little Caesar's so I went and got one, and ate 3/4 of it. That's 1680 delicious, glorious, savory calories. I'll probably eat beyond my 'goal' for today even though I've got calories left, but my goal is a 500 cal deficit anyway. So even if I go over by 500 today, at worst I'm going to take a whole day longer to get to my goal now. But who cares? It's not a race, and my real goal is to be healthy and enjoy life, which is exactly what I'm doing.

TriedEverything

I have just given up cheat days, as I wasn't making the progress I wanted to. However, when I was in my 20's and dieting, I ALWAYS had a cheat day, and still lost weight steadily. (And it was a full day of cheating - high calorie meals & snacks all day, and alcohol!). I really think age is against me now. :ohwell: (I'm 48).

I would say, try it, and see if you still manage to lose weight. If you can get away with it, why not! It's nice to have something to look forward to at the end of the week, and if you have a busy social life, it can be hard to stick to the diet 24/7.

Alternatively, you could be extra-good through the day (at the weekend) and then let your hair down in the evening, with some nice things to eat & drink - that way, it probably wouldn't harm your weight loss too much.

Good luck anyway! :flowerforyou:

changejen2013

Sort of. This week I allowed myself to have 2 semi cheat days which meant eating healthy the majority of the day but I ate dinner at restaurants and was slightly over my goal for the day but still under my amount to maintain.

MountainMoverJosh

Mine usually consist of a bunch of alcohol (i.e. last night) :drinker: :laugh:

P.S. this picture is of me this morning....

lucasriggs

I don't really have 'cheat' days because no foods are 'cheats' for me. I only have days when I fail to stay under my calories..in which I'm 'cheating' myself out of fat loss for that day.

xXxHBICxXx

I used to but then I realized that when I had one, I didnt want to go back to my diet so I don't anymore and I am fine with that. I do however maybe once a week, have a glass of wine or something.