Question about cheat days.

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jjenks3
jjenks3 Posts: 45
in Food and Nutrition
So I've been reading a lot about varying caloric intake and cheat days being beneficial while on a diet. Is it true? How often should I vary my intake if I'm trying to lose weight? How often should I have a cheat day? Or should it only be a cheat meal?

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  • bdamaster60
    bdamaster60 Posts: 595 Member
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    Depends how fast you are losing weight and what you consider a cheat day is.
    For me a cheat day is:

    10 chock-chip buttermilk pancakes
    4 BBQ Bacon Angus Burgers
    1 Family size pizza
    10 Chocolate Double-fudge brownies
    3 Plates of Fried Chicken ribs and tomato rice
    1 Large Hot chocolate
    4 McChicken Burgers
    4 Subway Chocolate Gourmet cookies
    4 Chicken 'n' cheese burgers
    1 Diet coke

    Calories: 10,000+

    but hey, that's just me. Right now I like using refeed days instead of cheat days.
  • jjenks3
    jjenks3 Posts: 45
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    What's a refeed day?
  • FitGuyWillDoIt
    FitGuyWillDoIt Posts: 111 Member
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    I'm not really sure. Sometimes I have a cheat food like a cookie or something. Today I came home from work and had a cheat meal. I was very tired and very hungry and ate more calories than I should have eaten. Then I had a couple of beers. After logging everything in I was surprised to see the calories go up as fast as they did. Lesson learned. Good that MFP hits you in the face with with it.

    Anyway, the lesson I learned is: If I want to make the progress I want, then I need to stick to the program. Cheat items, even each day are ok. There's room for them. Cheat days or meals... no way.

    That's just what I intend to do from here on out. Everyone is different and you should do what works for you.
  • Amber1070
    Amber1070 Posts: 106 Member
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    I don't have cheat days. If I want something I make it fit into my day. Not easy but it can be done with the right choices.
  • Amber1070
    Amber1070 Posts: 106 Member
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    I think a whole cheat day is counter productive and just makes you want more food after. To easy to cheat and not get back on track.
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
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    OK, I never have a "cheat day" per se. I

    1. Always log (even Christmas/Thanksgiving)... (Christmas I was under though one day after Christmas I was way over so it balances out)

    2. There are days I just don't really worry about going over... I try to be reasonable .. But I never "schedule a cheat day" for the sake of having one. If my wife takes me to a buffet, I eat... and I eat well.. I do watch what I eat (prefer grilled over fried, etc) but I don't sweat going over (even if it is like tonight +1020)... It will balance out... I don't do that regularly and may go a week or three witout such a day. Last week, I went over like 3 days in a row... but it balanced out with 3-4 days where I went under... BTW, this is the first week I dropped to within .4 lbs of my goal and was in the 225 range twice this week....

    3. Balance in all things. Be reasonable and responsible.
  • Janie_bear
    Janie_bear Posts: 17 Member
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    I have a cheat weekend but that just helps me to maintain, not lose weight. By cheat day I mean I eat up to 2500 cals instead of 1300-1500 that I usually have to lose 2lb a week!before Xmas I was having one cheat day and 6 strict days and lost 1lb a week for nearly every week last year!
  • bdamaster60
    bdamaster60 Posts: 595 Member
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    What's a refeed day?

    Refeed days are a strategic increase in calories by upping your carbs to maintenance levels one day of the week with the objective of maintaining metabolic efficiency, replenish glycogen and leptin levels.
  • tomsawyerv
    tomsawyerv Posts: 15
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    I think it really depends on your eating habits and how you respond to certain things. A cheat day can help a lot of people if they have a tendency for getting stressed about the program, breaking and binging on way too much. If you have a cheat day, where you can enjoy a few guilty pleasures (without going way over your calorie goal) it can keep you from falling off the wagon as hard.

    Personally, I've been going strong for 25 days without a cheat day. I find things that fit in my calorie goals that satisfy my craving. If I was chocolate, I eat a couple dozen raspberries with chocolate chips pressed inside. I want Chinese or pizza? I make my own. Et cetera ad nauseum.
  • Wwonderful
    Wwonderful Posts: 145
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    Sound like my cheat day!
    Depends how fast you are losing weight and what you consider a cheat day is.
    For me a cheat day is:

    10 chock-chip buttermilk pancakes
    4 BBQ Bacon Angus Burgers
    1 Family size pizza
    10 Chocolate Double-fudge brownies
    3 Plates of Fried Chicken ribs and tomato rice
    1 Large Hot chocolate
    4 McChicken Burgers
    4 Subway Chocolate Gourmet cookies
    4 Chicken 'n' cheese burgers
    1 Diet coke

    Calories: 10,000+

    but hey, that's just me. Right now I like using refeed days instead of cheat days.
  • bdamaster60
    bdamaster60 Posts: 595 Member
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    Sound like my cheat day!
    Depends how fast you are losing weight and what you consider a cheat day is.
    For me a cheat day is:

    10 chock-chip buttermilk pancakes
    4 BBQ Bacon Angus Burgers
    1 Family size pizza
    10 Chocolate Double-fudge brownies
    3 Plates of Fried Chicken ribs and tomato rice
    1 Large Hot chocolate
    4 McChicken Burgers
    4 Subway Chocolate Gourmet cookies
    4 Chicken 'n' cheese burgers
    1 Diet coke

    Calories: 10,000+

    but hey, that's just me. Right now I like using refeed days instead of cheat days.

    the way I look at cheat days are "its the last day on earth!" haha
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
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    I've only got a few lbs left to lose now so my personal trainer has recommended I eat perfectly all week and then have one cheat meal, then go back to normal. He says even if I so much as have a couple of biscuits at work one day, then consider that my cheat! He has a cheat meal himself, he says he will have something like a burger and chips (fries to you Americans) and some ice-cream for example.

    So, I'm going to give it a go! Previously if i wanted a little treat I was just making sure it fit in with my calories.

    I'm going to have my cheat meal today anyway! Well, a cheat dessert anyway.
  • stephdeeable
    stephdeeable Posts: 1,407 Member
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    I don't really have cheat days in the sense that I don't log or go way over my calories, but I do fit at least one or two "treats" into my every day eating. I prefer this method, because if I restricted all week and had a "cheat day" I would probably go nuts and eat my whole weeks deficit.

    The only times I don't log is for stuff like weddings, holiday dinners, etc. Some people do log these days, but I just don't have the patience. I just write them off as my "cheat days"
  • notworthstalking
    notworthstalking Posts: 531 Member
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    My cheat day is today is still under calories , but I did get a burger while out and had two donuts. My week day eating I have to get loads of nutrition to fuel a heavy work load. I am not stressing eating all my calories today either.

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