What are the pros and cons of having a cheat day for meals?

RoadsterGirlie

I don't refer to it as a cheat day, but there about two days a week where I eat a sizeable amount over my daily calorie limit. It's controlled, on purpose, and I track every bite. Therefore, it's not cheating.

It has many benefits - it keeps my metabolism revved, keeps me from feeling deprived, and ensures I'm getting enough nutrients.

Usually those extra calories involve a piece of cake, dining out, a glass of wine, or anything else I might not do on a normal day where I stay within my calorie limit.

diodelcibo

Pros: " OMG, nom tasty foods " , the desire to ravish all the food is gone.
Cons: " You've eaten too many calories."

KenosFeoh

I try to be as disciplined as I can every day, but sometimes I completely fall off the wagon, and I guess that's my cheat day. I don't schedule them, though. I'm afraid I'd have a scheduled cheat day and then another day of fail for whatever reason.

Mighty_Rabite

Pros: you satisfy cravings which can help you stay on track

Cons: if you're not on track enough, you can chance falling off track and it is easier to undo progress if you take your cheat day/meal too far.

alexbusnello

I'm having one tonight but watching portions. im good with them for the most part. i need one, mentally.

KevDaniel

Well there is no such thing as junk food..

There's Junk...

and then there's food.

akaMrsmojo

I always lose weight after cheats days, I have them on special occasions. I never go over 1000 to 1500 for my cheats. I do not crazy but I do enjoy my day.

apg2302

I absolutely refuse to stray from my calorie deficit diet during the week, as quite honestly, I am enjoying seeing myself become smaller and more attractive (in my mind at least, it still looks like I'm a balaclava model!) and find it really easy.
I'm lucky in that sense as I've always found stopping and self restraint really easy (I gave up alcohol over 6 years ago with no problems at all)
I do however throw everything out the window Saturday and Sunday. Lovely sausage and bacon bap for breakfast on Saturday, and a decent meal on Sunday with me snacking in between on naughty bits like chocolate, home cooked food etc. I've found as I'm eating less now though, and as I have a few days I CAN go nuts in, I'm actually choosing not to once the weekend comes around!

magicherry

I think planning or scheduling cheat days is dangerous. I have tried in the past and found myself planning and calculating that cheat day - dreaming about what i would eat. It was not a good mental state to sustain the real task at hand - to lose weight - because I was always thinking about food.

This time around with MFP I am staying on track every day and when we go out to do something special, I carefully determine a safe course of action. For example, going to Boston last weekend we ended up at a BBQ place. I love BBQ - sweet potatoes, ribs, brisket, rolls, corn bread, slaw, plus nachos and beer. This time, I asked for a side of ribs, a square of corn bread and a salad with one light beer. That's it. And it was good!! I was satisfied and content and I stayed within my calorie goal for the day by doing exercise. A year ago, I would have gone from nachos to ribs to ice cream as a 'cheat day' and blown a weeks worth of work in a single meal.

josiereside

I'm also interested in the pros and cons of a cheat day
A question to those that use them, do you still track your calories for the day and how many extra will you typically consume?

Pros: To repeat what others have said, something to look forward to.
Cons: Cannot really think of any unless you lose total control... (which I have on occasion).

Sometimes I track, most times I do not. I used to have cheat weekends but now trying to limit it to 1 day. If we are going out to eat or to a party/having a party, I don't want to take the time to log every bit of food. Yesterday, my cheat day, I logged to a certain point but then stopped.

Also, generally, I don't have a full cheat day but more of a cheat evening...

RoadsterGirlie

i have two free meals a week. i work to stay within 500 calories of my daily goal and i don't starve myself the rest of the day - but i try to keep my calories low for the other meals and snacks of the day. i love love love going out to eat with friends and family. i love the melting pot, which is all fondue - cheese and chocolate, along with an entree. i do not mind my calories when i go to the melting pot. my family has a favorite steak restaurant. i used to easily eat 2500 calories JUST at one meal at that steak restaurant. now i make different, healthier choices - but i don't deprive myself of anything.

as far as other things i just love - french fries, grilled cheese, chocolate - i find ways to fit them in my diet without ruining my meal or day. historically, i've found that my two free meals a week may put me over my calorie goals for the day, but it evens out over the week. someone else mentioned 'you can't gain a pound in a day'. i agree with that. i think the daily goals are important to keep me on track, but allowing myself the free meals ensures i don't feel deprived - food wise or socially. i agree it's not for everyone though. it can trigger some people to overeat, fall off the wagon, and get down on themselves.

This is very similar to my approach. If your body is anything like mine, you are going to be very, very successful!!!

tablecloth123

I just joined this program not long ago. I work hard all week and on the weekends I relax. Not to the point of eating whatever I want. I still eat healthy breakfast and lunch but supper I may have take out. It's my way of rewarding myself for working hard all week. It keeps me motivated. I think everything is good in Moderation.

LiftAllThePizzas

I don't want to undo all my hard work.

For me it isn't hard work. It's just life. IMO if exercise is 'hard work' then you're doing it wrong. Same for eating nutritious things.

NZhellkat

If you are doing a lifestyle change then why is there a need for cheat meals or cheat days? I know that I am NOT on a diet, I have adjusted my diet to be healthier, smaller portioned and better for me. I eat whatever I want as long as it fits into my calories whether by exercising or eater smaller at the other meals. But I find by choice that I don't do that anywhere as often as I used to. And I can stop, think about it and go for a better option because it allows me more while eating less calories.

For me the idea of cheat days or meals equates to a mentality of failure or success and the whole falling of the wagon thing. I could not maintain that for seven months (that's how long I've been here) let a lone the rest of my life. I am on a constant learning curve as to exercising and eating better. Sometimes those lessons take a while and other times I get it first go. Besides cheating sounds like you know that you are doing something morally wrong. For me, not a healthy way to think about food.

So no to cheating and yes to eating all things in moderation. Because that is what I am trying to achieve today, tomorrow and for the rest of my life. And I am perfectly happy with that because I am pain free, medication free and no surgery in sight.

metallicaspirit81

I agree that it depends on the person. For me food has always been a problem, I've always been over weight. I don't look at MFP and what I am doing as a diet I look at it as life time change in my eating habits. For me, I view it unlikely to completely cut out every "bad" food. I don't really have cheat days as much as I may be a cheat meal or a cheat snack and if I know ahead of time that I will be eating those things I will try to work out harder that day to allow myself that extra indulgence. I do try harder now to try to make healthier choices, it just doesn't always work out that way.

Pros: I can enjoy myself and not worry about what I'm eating every minute of every day. I have a family so for me it's nice every once and a while to indulge with them on some popcorn during a movie night or snacks during a get together.

Cons: I do worry about overeating or getting off track. I did have this happen to me since I started MFP back in Aug of 2012. I stopped counting calories and exercising until a week ago and I did gain about 10 lbs back but I got back on track and I lost those lbs again. Also, I have a lot of stomach problems so when I eat unhealthy it makes those problems act up. But I try to stay positive and not get too down on myself when I do indulge more then I should because I know that I am trying to get my life back and get healthy and I know that it's not going to happen overnight. I am 31 years old and for most of those years I have eaten unhealthy so it will take me a while and a few times falling off the horse to be the weight I want to be and be healthy.

DelilahFreeman

If you eat 3 days worth of food in one cheat day or meal, you have done more harm then good. reward yourself with feeling good and keeping on track. If you crave something, have a small amount of it - don't save it up for a special day. that way, your body is not getting shocked by sugar highs etc.

Nothing but cons::: I agree! We are not dogs, we do not get "rewards" for good behavior. Everything in moderation! if you can not afford a "cheat" than you probably don't need it. Fit your favorite foods into your routine eating habits. Either find a healthier recipe, or cut the portion, or exercise more to offset the calories consumed. I don't see the long term benefit OR how it can possibly attribute to a healthy lifestyle to set aside a day where you can eat without a second thought regarding what you consume. I would easily consume 5000+ calories a day, easily, when not monitored. That is NO way to live.

Southernsass6885

I do a cheat meal. That way, If I want, I can stay within my range and not ruin the whole day. I don't wanna do a whole day because I feel like I'm not making progress.

umachanxo

Pro: you get to eat whatever you want

Con: having a cheat meal/day makes it easy to get off track and fall back into old habits

Compromise: fit the foods you want into your calorie and macro goals

This summed it up for me. xD

DelilahFreeman

When cheat days started making me ill and giving me the squirts, I gave it up.

Hahahaha! Hilarious! and truth!

When your body becomes adjusted to eating proper portions and receiving adequate nutrition and then you "cheat" you will suffer the consequence.

binknbaby

I had a couple more additional thoughts on the more abstract notion of what a "cheat day" actually is...

When I had a trainer, she said I should have an 80/20 ratio of good to bad. Over the course of a week, the overall intake should be 80% (or more) of the healthy stuff, within your goals, and the other 20% (or less) should be of the non-healthy, indulgent foods. The purpose is to give yourself that something to look forward to, so that you don't feel the overwhelming intensity of "NEVER", but you are being reasonable. But over time, your tastes and digestion change, so that when you do indulge, maybe it doesn't taste as good (so it doesn't seem worth it), or it causes a digestive upset, so that even if you enjoyed the taste, it may not be worth it to have again.

Now, I am reading a book which is helping me on my shift to health, and the author has said that a good phrase to use is "Not now, but later." If you approach each food knowing that you CAN eat it, but you are making the BETTER CHOICE at this time, you will not feel very deprived, and you will still make healthier choices.

The idea of it being a "cheat" day implies that (as others have pointed out) there is something wrong with it, or that you're getting away with something. But it all depends on the individual. For some people, where they are on their journey, they may need to break the habits and addictions, and even having one cheat day can lead to many, many more, and they will fail because of it. But maybe later down the road, when they have a healthier perspective and more self-control, they will be able to indulge with family and friends without binging or overdoing it, and without it undoing everything they've worked hard to accomplish.

Also, I think over time you find things that are still treats, but maybe are smaller portions (for instance, having just a couple of bites of cake rather than the whole thing at a birthday party), or are better nutritionally (like choosing dark chocolate over milk chocolate; lettuce-wrapped burger; etc). For example, I work at a luxury/gourmet food company, and we are actually required to taste-test various products so we can describe them to the customer and sell them better. So I will take ONE bite, so I know what it's like, but I won't eat the whole slice of cheesecake... dreamy and smooth as it may be... LOL

jmkmomm

On one of the diets I was on, yes I have been on many, Pizza Hut pizza was our cheat meal. We treated it as a reward for doing well during the week. As the months went by I found myself eating less and less of the pizza. At first I easily ate 1/2 of the large. Then I was taking home part of the medium. On this diet, which I am on by myself I don't want any cheat day. I am like a lot of the others. Once I get that taste in my mouth it's going to ruin it for me. I am finding that my eating problems is like an alcoholic. I have to stay away from it. If I cheat once I'm in danger.

hebriscoe

I've had 1 "treat" day every week, since i started my weight loss journey in august. it's never much but maybe a burger or a piece of cake.(something i had been craving that week) but i stay within my calorie goal, and i still do my jog and burn the calories. as long as you get back to your diet/excercise/weight loss routine it won't effect you. a friend told me this...if you're unhealthy and eat only salad one day a week or month will that make you healthy?? so treating yourself every once in a while will not effect you. i lost weight through the Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays and i definitly treated myself at that time.

Gerald_King

My cheat days are special occations birthdays ,Christmas etc so mine are few and far between