cheat day

tarahs

just wondering if anyone agrees with me of having one "cheat" day a week...any comments are appreciated :flowerforyou:

JamieG8991

I agree with it and I do it one day a week. I'd go nuts if I couldn't indulge once in a while!

sofielein

well an entire day would mean 3-5 meals, so if that is a hamburger for breakfast, a pizza for lunch and spaghetti with chocolate cake for dinner, then no

but on the weekends I always eat an almost full meal of whatever I'm craving, feels good, part of the lifestyle, helps balance the nutrients

(tomorrow I will make crispy chicken wraps - yes chicken breast pieces fried with salad and dressing in a tortilla. I really like it. )

bpotts44

I allow a cheat meal every once in awhile for a special occasion like birthday, anniversary, etc. But its only a meal and not a chance to go crazy but just a break from logging.

366to266

It depends. Can you go back on plan next day without difficulty? How does it affect your weight?

GoddessG

Doesn't work for me. I tried. A cheat day now and then is no problem for me, but a cheat day once a week would be torture for me as I tried to continue my journey. One cheat - two cheats - ???? why practice cheating when you can practice the self-discipline that it takes to keep your weight at your idea for the rest of your life?

skcardiog

Cheat meal every Saturday for lunch, but I spend an extra 40 minutes on the rowing machine to make up for the calories.

If I want the cheat, I do the time first.

Keeps me honest.

MarieG2023

I believe it's necessary to have a cheat meal every once in awhile. It helps teach us all things in moderation I will be enjoying a
cheat meal today!

Superchas

Can cheat any day as long as is not a cheat week
ipad app much better for showing you whether week on track.
weight can go up one week as long as lower than previous week next week
thems my rules

babyshroom

I don't have cheat days, but every once in a while I'll have a a cheat "meal"...and it may not be completely a cheat. It usually still fits in my daily calories, I've only gone over twice since I started.

Either way, I find it's easier to resist those unhealthy foods by NOT allowing myself cheat days. I crave those things more often if I allow myself to eat them.

supergirljen

If I let myself cheat all day 1 day a week, I could really do some damage.

alienrite

A cheat day a week could easily cancel a large part of your weeks work. An occasional large meal is appropriate but I only do it socially and then still work to keep my week in balance. I don't do it often because I find it triggers my appetite for the next several days. Weight loss shouldn't be a chronic condition. Focus and lose the fat then you can find a better life balance when you're in a maintenance mode.

SVCat

Yes....I do a cheat meal once a week...whatever I want, however much I want. That being said, on Saturdays I always spend 2-3 hours at the gym earning the cheat meal that is to follow on Sunday.

Sarah1023

I do believe in a cheat meal here and there or mixing and matching a few cheats with healthier foods. For example, getting a grilled chicken salad, dressing on the side at a mexican restaurant, but having a few chips/cheese dip/salsa...that way I'm allowing myself a little treat. I definitely do a harder workout to compensate in most cases. I agree with some others on here that a whole cheat day could likely throw you off on your goals. Just find something that works for you! We are all different

Brad805

Cheat meal, yes, day, nope. A single meal should be enough to help curb cravings for the week. A full day is just going backwards in my mind. That said, I would by lying if we don't all mess up a bit on that every once in a while. Dinners with friends are always a trick.

Samifer

I've found that cheat days are necessity to me. I just make sure it's not a no-holds-bar event. And I make sure to continue my exercise routine, even on the cheat days. You can cheat without reverting to old habits and as you continue your journey, you won't crave as much of the crap that you used to. Like now, I can't really think of eating fast food- it makes my stomach turn.
My Beachbody coach wrote a post that's a good read on the ideas behind it --> http://coachwoot.com/the-need-for-cheat-meals-in-your-nutrition-plan

tndejong

i think you should allow yourself a cheat meal once a week. i work hard to exercise. so its nice to have something to look forward to. in the past i would eat whatever i wanted. that got me fat. so if i plan and have it as a treat, that is a victory right there.

RMNPHike

A full course restaurant meal, with all the extra sodium and fat they sneak in there, can undo more than a week's work for me, so my cheats a re much smaller - a piece of fresh olive bread, some chocolate. I could probably get away with an Aunt Annie's Cinnamon pretzel and a non-fat mocha without doing too much damage .

MrsSWW

Yep, I do it, Sunday is Funday :drinker:

CovaJoser

Something I read the other day:

Why cheat? Would you cheat during a relationship? Most won't, and the same should go for your healthy lifestyle. Beig in a relationship is a commitment to be faithful, loyal and loving to your significant other.

Humans are wired to not be in only one relationship, but to be promiscuous. We aren't wired to eat crap, so why is it harder to be faithful to your own body than it is to your significant other?

No cheating for me. If you're not 100% enjoying the healthy food you eat then you're doing it wrong. Learn to cook. Healthy foods can be just as delicious.

Abi_bug04

I don't have any regular schedule of cheat meals, but I will allow myself a cheat meal if my weekly average will still be on track (this is easily seen on the android app). I also allow myself to give in to cravings of unhealthy things (like donuts, ice cream, chips, brownies) but will only do this if it fits in my calorie allowance for the day. (Otherwise, if I deprive myself too much, I end up losing my mind- and going on a binge).

pwnderosa

I don't really consider anything I eat as cheating. I eat lots of high calorie meals and lots more low calorie meals. This week (my birthday) and Christmas week I changed my goals to eat at maintenance and enjoy more yummy things. But I kept logging the whole time and stayed within the calories I'd planned so it's all good.

However, now that I've been really concentrating on eating healthy and light for some time, if I have one big/high fat meal, I am not likely to want one again for a couple days.

kanadian_bear

Yes, definitely! I highly recommend it in fact! I have one cheat day a week. On that day I go absolutely nuts and allow myself whatever it is I'm craving. It hasn't adversely affected my weight loss at all and I believe it helps keep my body guessing. As you can see I'm four pounds away from the halfway point in my weight loss. I gave myself a year to lose 40 lbs and I'm gettin' there slowly but surely. Just last night I had 4 large slices of donair pizza, 6 honey garlic chicken wings half a bottle of Coke and a slice of cheesecake. But that's just me. You do whatever makes you comfortable. Like some people here have said, if they allowed themselves one cheat day a week it might undo all their accomplishments so far - so it's clearly a personal decision. I know I have the willpower to climb right back on so really for me it's a non issue.

I vote for cheat days!

purplecharm

Cheat meals occasionally but no cheat days.

BackTatJIM

I don't have to cheat because I eat food I like every day!

3foldchord

I have days I eat more relaxed and only log as quick adds, or not at all. But I don't consider it cheating. I am not taking a test or playing someone else's game. It's my lifestyle with my rules. I eat foods I want that fit into my weekly averages, and now that I am in maintained, I don't even bother with the weekend logs.

But... I have never had problems with binging or emotional eating. I can understand that some people that have issues with that may want to avoid 'cheat' days and want to be very meticulous about logging every bite exactly. We all make our own paths.

kanadian_bear

I don't have to cheat because I eat food I like every day!

YES .. I LIKE THIS!

erynleigh13

My trainer encourages not a cheat day, but a cheat meal once a week. When I first started this journey that was one thing that kept me going ... knowing that if I was craving somethin, like pasta, I could wait until my cheat meal and enjoy it without feeling guilty. I eat clean 6 days a week and my breakfast/lunch/snacks and then have 1 meal that day where I cheat. Don't go crazy, but eat without feeling guilty.

devan33

Saturday, after my weigh in, I will eat things I wouldn't eat during the week. I don't eat much in the way of anything processed during the week. No chips, crackers, 100 calorie snacks,hot dogs, candy, american cheese etc...but, on Sat if I am watching a movie with the hubby and have a snack or want to order out, we do. Last weekend we had a date night and ate out. We noticed that we ordered differently than we would have a couple months ago. I would say to have something to treat yourself..but don't blow the whole day by pigging out!

justicekenny

I don't have to cheat because I eat food I like every day!

Yup Yup .. .Boooommmm goes the dynamite

mlbbarnes

just wondering if anyone agrees with me of having one "cheat" day a week...any comments are appreciated :flowerforyou:

I definitely think you need a cheat day! I don't do it once a week but I do it once every two weeks. I think it helps me stay on track with dieting and gives me motivation to do really well with my eating and have something to look forward to it. I wouldn't go buck wild and consume 3 or 4 times more calories than you do now but you have to treat yourself for a job well done. You will also find that eating the really fatty food, after dieting for awhile, that it makes you a little sick. I usually feel blah for the next day after my cheat day.