Cheat day?

silkkat50
silkkat50 Posts: 38 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok, I've heard a few things about cheat days, that they are ok, it's good to keep the body guessing calorie wise, good to know you CAN still have some things your cutting down on etc..

But my question is, what IS a cheat day?

Is it one day a week where you eat whatever you feel like, but still count your calories, or not..?

Is it a day where you have one nice thing but still stick to your diet?

Is it a day where you dont do any exercise?

Is this a regular day, once a week, can it be any day? Can you wake up one day and think, I feel like eating today, I'll make this my one cheat day this week..?

I'm a little confused.. :D

Replies

  • 4littlemonkeys
    4littlemonkeys Posts: 166
    For me it is usually a weekend day where I don't get to hung up on calories. I still log it, but don't worry if I'm over.
  • mathildapops
    mathildapops Posts: 39 Member
    For me it is usually a weekend day where I don't get to hung up on calories. I still log it, but don't worry if I'm over.
    Same, I probably won't exercise either, I don't go mad but if I want a couple of vodka tonics or a piece of cake I will :-)
  • AngelaKelly02
    AngelaKelly02 Posts: 73 Member
    For me it's a cheat meal or cheat snack like chocolate or something.I don't stress if I go over my calories because of that snack or meal but I still count them though so that usually stops me from going too overboard.
  • beskimoosh
    beskimoosh Posts: 375 Member
    Well, I have the odd cheat day where I don't obsess over calories but still make healthy choices, but very occasionally I have a day where I don't count calories at all and stuff my face... no more than once a month, but it keeps me sane! It helps me keep all my cravings in control, because I know I can just have it on that one day, but also cuts down on the overall calories, because the amount of cravings I get in a month there is no way I could eat them all in one day haha.
  • jules080670
    jules080670 Posts: 55 Member
    Yep, I'm the same, I always save it for the weekend, unless I'm working nights at the weekend in which case, I don't have one that week. I basically just relax with what I eat and portion sizes but still log it all.
  • CaliforniaSweetheart
    CaliforniaSweetheart Posts: 989
    I don't have a cheat day. I just make room for what I want to eat in my calories and macros. I think everyone has their own definition of a cheat day. While I don't have a set day where I go over my calorie limit, I don't beat myself up over it if I go a little over here and there.
  • pollyineedtobeskinny
    pollyineedtobeskinny Posts: 362
    I use my weekends as a cheat day ha :) i don't bother about what I eat :smile:
  • kirstyfairhead
    kirstyfairhead Posts: 220 Member
    I think it's probably different for everyone. How much cheat does it take to keep you motivated?

    If you don't need to cheat then don't, if you think giving yourself a break now and then helps to keep you on track then go for it. If you are good 6 days out of 7 then you will still loose weight. Maybe avoid eating chocolate cake till you can't move but within reason, why not!

    Personally I don't have a regular treat day, tried it and it tends to pull me off focus and leave me craving bad stuff, but if it works for you then go girl.

    Just make sure you log it and stick to a plan, if it gets to more than one day a week it's not a cheat day anymore!!! :-)
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    Sometimes I need a day where I can eat whatever the heck I want. I just cannot emotionally handle restricting. So I eat and log and don't worry about it. I'm working to make these days more infrequent.
  • BigJza
    BigJza Posts: 116 Member
    Me and my wife who are both using fitness pal usually use milestones in our goals as an damn good reason to eat out once a month for example...or have a cheat day here and there.

    Just remember..a cheat day should still be under control...going over your cals once in a while isnt gonna ruin everything..just keep your eyes on the prize, and reward yourself along the way
  • pumpkingoblin
    pumpkingoblin Posts: 21
    I don't have a cheat day really, but I am more relaxed over weekends :D I try not to go too crazy but a little of what you fancy does you good :) x
  • wanttobehealthy6
    wanttobehealthy6 Posts: 11 Member
    I do not give myself cheat days. If there is something that I am craving - I will typically find a recipe that is a lower calorie/lower fat than the original. I've made amazing chocolate cake with that has only 80 calories per slice. Incredible brownies that hold only 70 calories (my family loves them).
    If I want something really bad and can't shake the craving, might be because my body needs the nutrients in it - (I don't fool myself into thinking my body needs the nutrients in a cheesecake though!)
    Sometimes I'll add it to my day and then take away from something else... So in the end, my calories are where they need to be.

    I've learned that everything I put in my mouth really does make a difference. I'm scale driven - I'm goal driven - I'm success driven. If I let myself have a cheat day, I'm fairly sure my scale and clothes would let me know at the end of the week...
  • BigJza
    BigJza Posts: 116 Member
    Yah I agree..and let me tell you. My guilt does wonders as well...The rare time I have a cheat day (Ive only gone over my daily cals on MFP about 5 times since September)...all I can help but think is that i have CHEATED MYSELF
  • silkkat50
    silkkat50 Posts: 38 Member
    Thanks for all your replies everyone! It seems there are no hard and fast rules, its all individual, just be honest and true with yourself! I've missed the weekend as a cheat day lol, so I guess I shall have to wait ;) Oh well, this week is going quickly! :D
  • silky45
    silky45 Posts: 8
    For me it is a day on the weekend where I eat what i please but still log!! It makes me aware of how hard i have to work the next day or two!
  • DeMarraDontStop
    DeMarraDontStop Posts: 342 Member
    If I want I will a cheat meal, but with that meal I will stay within my calories. For instance, last week I really wanted some fried catfish all week, I waited until Saturday night & had only two pieces (versus 4/5) and had a salad instead of fries. I have learned not to deprive myself if I want something because if I do I binge... Just how I do. And I still hit my 2 pound a week goal with my cheat meal.
  • Dymatized
    Dymatized Posts: 48
    Cheat meal... once a week if I am craving it.
    Cheat day... you'll gain all that fat and weight you worked so hard all week to lose and maybe more. Not worth it.
  • Richie2shoes
    Richie2shoes Posts: 411 Member
    I typically don't worry about calories on Sundays. I still log my food and try and get some exercise in, normally in the form of an activity, but I eat whatever I'm craving. I find that while I do go over my limit for the day, I rarely use up the leftover calories from the previous 6 days.
  • 714rah714
    714rah714 Posts: 759 Member
    That's what weekends are made for.
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
    I'm not sure I have full cheat days. If I have a cheat breakfast, I tend to take it easy the rest of the day. If I have a cheat dinner, it's usually on a day where I put in extra effort in the gym. This isn't always true, though. Some days I have a big meal without hitting the gym. I still log it, and generally, I find that the "cheat" wasn't as "cheat" as I thought it would be. I don't really like chips, cookies, candy, etc., so the typical snack foods that don't fill you up aren't on my list of cheat things. For me, it's usually an extra glass or two of alcohol, a few ounce bigger steak (12 ounce instead of 6), maybe have a dessert that I know is a calorie bomb, something like that.

    And on days like this, I don't usually release my diary. Sometimes I log everything, sometimes not. And sometimes it looks like I burned 700 calories in the gym but ate nothing because I went out and had too much fun and failed to log. But this doesn't happen all the time. Not once a week.
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
    I typically don't worry about calories on Sundays. I still log my food and try and get some exercise in, normally in the form of an activity, but I eat whatever I'm craving. I find that while I do go over my limit for the day, I rarely use up the leftover calories from the previous 6 days.

    Yeh, that's pretty much me too.

    My working week means I tend to be well under my daily goal so I treat Sunday as a 'metabolic reset' day and deliberately go over the goal if I've been under all week.

    Not by a ridiculous amount and still eating good quality food though.

    I think keeping the body guessing is a decent strategy ...
  • kuntry_navy
    kuntry_navy Posts: 677 Member
    I use my cheat day to get the max amount of carbohydrates I can in a day. I usually eat under 100g and on a cheat day it's all about filling up on carbs from all varieties.
  • DzenisZukovic
    DzenisZukovic Posts: 360 Member
    I don't have a cheat "day".. I just have a cheat meal once a week! Typical Friday or Saturday, just to keep my body guessing. Shock the system a little bit, so when the "unhealthy" food comes into my body, my body thing" What the h*** is this? You don't eat this kind of food" So I kind of "wake up" my body, because it's been digesting the healthy food the whole week, so it's probably not working as much now, so I just kind of shock it by eat some unhealthy so make it "wake up" lol .. But I do it in the early day, so I have time to burn the extra calories I get from the food.. So I don't totally fall of track. :)
  • SyStEmPhReAk
    SyStEmPhReAk Posts: 330 Member
    I am currently consuming calories around maintenance, but I still refer to my Saturday's as cheat days and I will eat whatever i want without regards to calories or macros. Here is my OPINION on cheat days/cheat meals...

    Depending on (1) How much weight/body fat you want to lose and (2) what your time frame is, cheat days or cheat meals may or may not be ok.

    What I mean by that is this: I have friends who are bodybuilders and fitness competitors. When they prep for a show, there are NO cheat meals. They adhere to a strict caloric deficit and DO NOT deviate from it. These are people that have a definite deadline to be at top form so they cannot mess around with their diet. After the competition, however, they will do a cheat day about once a week. HOWEVER, most people are not in competition like my friends so they do not fall into that category.

    What I have found for myself is that I will typically gain about 4-5lbs (mostly water weight) when i have a cheat day once a week and less, or not much at all, if i do a cheat meal once a week. After eating clean for the next 5-6 days, my weight is back down to where i was prior to the cheat meal. So for every cheat day that I have (and these can be epic cheat days btw), it takes a few days for my body to get back to normal. This, I have noticed, is what most people will experience with a cheat day. Being that I'm looking to maintain my weight right now, this is perfectly fine with me.

    So with that said, if you are the type of person that has an "x date" to see results by and you need to see the scale going down on a weekly basis, you may want to wait until you reach your goal or get close to your goal before having a cheat day/meal. If a cheat day is going to erase the progress you've made over the past week, you may get discouraged by this. However, if you have a longer horizon on your weight/body fat loss then the fluctuations in weight may not bother you - just as long as you see the scale moving down over time. So the farther out you are from your goals, the more you may want to limit the frequency of a cheat day/cheat meal. Instead of once a week, it may be once every 3 weeks or so.

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