Do you believe in "Cheat Days"?

thump418

I don't believe in "cheat days". You can have "treat days" and not go over your allotted calories for the day. I have been on MFP for a long time now and have never understood why there would be "cheat days", but to each their own. If that is your direction then you made that choice and I don't judge. I am there for support and advise. I love MFP and what it stands for. I know I went off on a tangent there but figured I would throw it out there.

Peace
Greg

Unknown

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bootsiejayne

Cheat day? No.
Incorporating snacks and not-so-healthy-foods into my calorie budget and eating it in moderation? yes.

Agreed. I started logging a little over a month ago. I have been on a "diet" on and off for the past 20 years. I could never sustain it because eventually it'd be someone's birthday, and my dad will cook a big meal. I always felt so guilty for wanting to partake in the festivities. So I would and then I'd feel guilty some more. So I told my husband, I have to do real life. I can't go through life and say "I CANNOT have cake, steak, pizza, or ice cream." Because in real life cake, steak, pizza, and ice cream all happen. On TBL one of the nutritionist said "Its not that you can never have chocolate. There are plenty of opportunities to encounter chocolate in the world. You don't have to have it in your house." That just really stuck with me. You cannot keep to a "diet" for the long haul. It's a lifestyle change and that has to incorporate life. So no I don't have "cheat days". I log everything and eat what I want in moderation and within my calorie goal. I'm certain there will be days I go over....but that's life sometimes.

294Rich

You cheat on you spouse, you probably get a divorce.
You cheat on your diet, your diet comes to an end.
Oh, no, hang on a second; it doesn't come to an end at all.

Comparing a diet to a marriage is like comparing a stone with a handbag. They don't compare. Cheating on your diet every once ion a while is what keeps many of us on our diets. So it's not a bad thing to cheat every now and then. So I disagree with the original post.

skyblu263

There are no cheat days. Cheats days mean you look at food as what you can't have and what you can have. And, from experience, this makes changing your habits, eating right, and losing weight very hard and seemingly too much to bare.

Look at it as reward days Days where you've worked so hard exercising and cutting back your calories that you're allowing yourself a 2500 calorie reward day to enjoy a plate of your favorite food.

""Calories in vs. calories out" is the golden rule for effective weight loss. To lose weight, a person must eat fewer calories than he or she burns. Let's assume you are cutting a total of 3,500 over the course of a week to lose 1 pound. In this example, your daily calorie intake is about 1,200-1,500 calories. (Calculate your daily calorie needs for weight loss here.) Say you choose to eat right in the middle of your recommended range: 1,350 calories per day. How would an innocent "cheat" day affect your progress?

Scenario #1: On your cheat day, you indulge in a few extra sweets or treats and take in 2,500 calories total. This brings your daily average to 1,514, which is still within your weight-loss calorie range. Therefore, you should still lose weight for the week.

Scenario #2: On your cheat day you eat anything and everything you've been craving: a fast food value meal, potato chips, a milkshake and some buttery popcorn. You take in 4,000 calories. This brings your daily average to 1,729, which is over your weight-loss calorie range.
Therefore, you will probably maintain your current weight for the week."

-http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1753

trishmce

I'm not on a diet, so I don't really see the need for cheat days.

^boom

Excellent

islandbeauty81

What happens if you have an open marriage? Does that mean you are allowed a cheat day on your" diet"?

Kellyeee2013

I call them "mental break" days. Which tends to happen on the weekend for often than any other time. I don't go overboard... but it's a day where I don't work out, I don't count calories, I don't do house chores, I don't do laundry, I don't do work, etc. I just relax and give myself a break from things here and there. I did this this past weekend and even though I went over, it was not by as much as it would have been in the past.

3foldchord

When most people use the term "cheat day" do they mead "adding a latte and 2 cookies" to the day or do they mean "adding 3 bowls of ice cream and a tub of chocolate covered mashed potatoes" to the day
( are cheat days usually 'have a treat" or "binging" when people talk of ”OOH today is my cheat day!!")

Kellyeee2013

I also agree with the people who said cheating on your marriage and cheating on your diet are not comparable. Weight loss and getting fit is a life style change and of course it won't be perfect. If you cheat during your "diet" then you just haven't progressed toward your goal for that day and you are only hurting yourself (or not). Cheating during a marriage hurts more than one person and is harming a union.

However... when you "cheat" you are cheating because something is MISSING, whether it is in a marriage or a diet.

kitka82

Yeah, I quit reading at the spouse comparison. I'd feel terrible if I cheated on my wife, because I believe that would in fact, make me a *kitten*. Occasionally going to Taco Bell...not so much.

In response to the general concept though...I do think that it's important to be realistic and sustainable with the way we eat, so I watch my macros and eat moderately without eliminating anything. Generally though, I try to make the healthiest choice possible Mon.-Sat. Sundays, however are rest days from working out and logging. I don't gorge myself, but I don't really pay attention to anything on that day. So far I'm still putting up awesome numbers, and until it becomes a problem it makes sense to keep doing it.

This. It's not that serious for me. I committed to changing my lifestyle 3 years ago, and I've succeeded at that. On the weekends, I make sure to get plenty of protein, but I don't restrict myself or force myself to eat 100% clean. It works for me.

kbeech06

I'm not on a diet, so I don't really see the need for cheat days.

^^THIS^^ I'm not dieting. I don't deprive myself of anything I want (except wine which I'm giving up for Lent). The other night I wanted a packet of crisps...I still had calories left and all my meals for the day were done...so I ate them. AND they were DELICIOUS!

Bettyeditor

I believe in "spike days."

I haven't deliberately employed spike days yet, but I have been reading about the science behind them. I view the concept of varying your caloric intake to be a similar idea as interval training for cardio. Just as our muscles need to be challenged by variations in our workout, I can see how the metabolism can benefit from "interval training" too.

But that being said, it's really a misnomer to call it a "cheat day" if you plan the increase in calories just as carefully as you plan the lower-calorie periods. It's not cheating if its part of the plan all along.

If I hit a plateau with my weight loss, I'll give the "interval eating" method a try. But I won't "cheat" on my spike day in the sense that I won't eat foods I'm allergic to and I will still eat 6 times a day and keep my (increased) carbs balanced across my meals/snacks so that I don't put my body into a blood sugar yo-yo (I'm recovering from Type 2 diabetes).

I agree with what several of you have said: I'm not on a diet, I just eat this way, so there is no concept of "cheating." I do have variation between meals but I usually balance out my calories/fat/carbs/protein by the end of the day. I balance out each week for sure. So if it's a party or Thanksgiving or something, I just plan for the extra and balance it out by the end of the day/week.

Dark_Roast

I do have cheat days, and I really look forward to them. I do not log on those days at all and I eat (and drink) whatever I want. But, I started eating healthier in April of last year and have only had 3 cheat days in 10 months. I have one coming up this weekend and I plan on eating nothing healthy all day, however, I do plan to run my @ss off to compensate the extra calories.

I have been eating what I want in moderation, I have wine and chocolate and peanut butter and all sorts of yummy foods. I always log all my calories (or most of them anyways). On my cheat days, I do not think about the amount of calories I am consuming, I am just thinking This Is Soooo Good!

For me, it's a mental as well as physical break. I need that.

TrishLG

I don't believe in a "cheat day" per se, but I do find that allowing myself a higher-than-average calorie day once in a while can shake up a plateau.

LernRach

I think we are talking semantics here... what one person calls a cheat, another calls a treat... What one person calls over eating for teh day, the other says "I am lookng at whole week so I can afford to go over today.."

ALthough a sweet analogy, it doesn't quite work does it. I can get "protein/carbs/fat/sweetness/saltiness" out of my husband, depending on the day, mood, country etc. with food, you need to vary your eating habits slightly....

does that make any sense at all???

trishmce

When it comes to the days that were mentioned: birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, etc. I get up early and burn the calories and pre plan my day. I always start Thanksgiving or Christmas with a good hour walk, it is to calm my dogs down for the day but also it acts as a de-stresser for me so I am up mentally for the day and enjoy it to the fullest. I may go a little over but not crazy, there are always leftovers if you want more and going nuts will just make you feel gross. Stuck in this weekend with the blizzard would have killed me a year ago---comfort food 24/7. Lots of shoveling gave me the calories but I have made a mental change and ate healthy around a treat or a drink because it just made me feel better and I had to fuel for the next round of shoveling.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Seems a bit ridiculous to compare having a muffin to cheating on your spouse.


Personally I don't do "cheat days" (well, now I really don't because I'm in maintenance) because I just work whatever I want into my calorie goal. I think a healthy diet is one that gives you adequate nutrition and an appropriate number of calories, while keeping you from losing your mind out of deprivation.

Richie2shoes

It's just a term used to let people know that it is o.k. to treat themselves but still remember that they are on a diet, or lifestyle change or journey or whatever other thing you want to call it.

Too many people try and go to the opposite extreme when they try and change their eating habits, last a week and then fall back into their old habits. I know I've done it. It starts with a Friday night happy hour, and then I figure since Friday was blown with alcohol and munchies, a dinner out on Saturday won't hurt. Then I think, well the weekend is already shot, so I might as well treat myself to a breakfast on Sunday, and get wings for the game and so on... Not everyone has the will power to treat themselves to a small portion. It's easier to know that there's one day a week that it is o.k. to go a little crazy.

For 2 weeks, I didn't use my cheat day. Last Friday I wanted a bacon cheeseburger and didn't want a turkey burger or a small burger... I wanted an 80/20, 1/3 lb, greasy, cheesy, loaded burger! For dinner, I had a half steak hoagie and fried mushrooms! My daily calorie limit is 2000, and I ate over 2600 calories that day. However my weekly average was 1991.

marinebiologist_girl

Cheat day? No.
Incorporating snacks and not-so-healthy-foods into my calorie budget and eating it in moderation? yes.

Boom

Nessa0506

I'm not on a diet, so I don't really see the need for cheat days.

^^*SAME

SideSteel

I think context matters.

sbbhbm

I find it kind of funny that the little rant referenced Bill Philips... the entire concept of "Cheat Day" is from his book "Body For Life". Am I the only one here that's read that?

Here's the thing to the high horse riders who are not on a "diet" but are making a "lifestyle change"... of course we need to make lifestyle changes, but if I am ACTIVELY making the effort to lose weight, that is not going to be my "Lifestyle". My lifestyle is not going to be eating 1200 calories for the rest of my life, because that target is for weight loss. A cheat day when you are actively losing weight is an entirely different concept to just eating a treat here and there in moderation for your healthy new lifestyle.

ambrosij

I used to enjoy cheat days...but I have come to the determination that the reason my fitness has such a yo-yo pattern it is because I cheat. If I make the determination to eat a new way, to live a new way, I cant keep going back to what caused the problems in the first place and "cheat". A cheat day basically reaffirms the idea that the diet is temporary and ultimately I will be able to go back to eating the way I used to once I reach my goal...and that "cheat" day reminds me of how I used to eat...so this time no cheat days...I agree cheat days help nothing.

ambrosij

I find it kind of funny that the little rant referenced Bill Philips... the entire concept of "Cheat Day" is from his book "Body For Life". Am I the only one here that's read that?

Here's the thing to the high horse riders who are not on a "diet" but are making a "lifestyle change"... of course we need to make lifestyle changes, but if I am ACTIVELY making the effort to lose weight, that is not going to be my "Lifestyle". My lifestyle is not going to be eating 1200 calories for the rest of my life, because that target is for weight loss. A cheat day when you are actively losing weight is an entirely different concept to just eating a treat here and there in moderation for your healthy new lifestyle.

Ive read it, but I find it hard to believe anyone who is peddling their own product so much in their book. If you want to tell me to live healthy, do so without telling me how many of your shakes, powders, or pills I should consume a day.

tricksee

I cheat almost everyday :-(

don't matter though, it's all in moderation so i'm good!!!

VeinsAndBones

Some people need them for sanity, I personally made the lifestyle switch so I'm not missing anything... therefore no need to cheat

KANGOOJUMPS

OF COURSE!

BeachGingerOnTheRocks

Cheat day? No.
Incorporating snacks and not-so-healthy-foods into my calorie budget and eating it in moderation? yes.

Boom

Boom boom boom.

I sometimes call it cheat days. But really it doesn't turn out that way. Just turns into a day where I ate what I wanted within that days' calorie goals.

This week I haven't been so good, but mostly in the other direction so I haven't logged my shame in not eating. :frown:

Lifting_Knitter

Nice! And no, i don't believe in a cheat day, everything in moderation if you do it that way. I have a goal and I want it...so why would I cheat. Waste of money and time.