I cheated... again

FitBlackChick

I always feel really really bad after I cheat with my eating. Some days I just cannot help myself! Do any of you guys ever cheat and if you do, how do you get past the feeling of beating yourself up about it? And also, when you cheat do you make up for it somehow or just keep eating normally after that?

Thanks

ashaa7

I'm in the same position. The biggest thing is to stop now and not ruin the rest of your day/ week/ etc. Just start brand new again tomorrow and remember no one's perfect

PunkyRachel

I cheat probably at least once or twice a week! Today it was a box of chocolate in the staff lounge at work. I feel bad too, but everyday is a new day and as long as you are trying to do better thats all that matters :flowerforyou:

edited to say: I'm making up for cheating today by doing zumba first thing tomorrow morning

FitBlackChick

Thank you so much, it's good to know that I'm not the only one Should i undereat tomorrow though? Or just keep going with my normal calorie intake?

RachelSRoach1

I read that one post "In Place of a Road Map" and learned not to be too torn up when I have a "cheating" day.. as long as at least 4 low calories days follow then you will be moving in the downwards direction no matter what, albeit a little bit slower than you might have originally liked.

YoungDoc2B

Join the club. I blew my calories by atleast 1500-2000 today, but I don't regret it. It doesn't happen often, so I just enjoy it while it lasts. Back to the regularly scheduled programming tomorrow

ashleey1000

I cheat and feel bad. We all do. But don't keep cheating bc u feel like u might as well since u already did. After that cheat get right back to the program. Don't wait til Monday or the next day get right back into the swing of things. Good luck I kno it's hard. I just started a month ago and everyday is a struggle and a challenge but it also gets easier everyday!

FitBlackChick

I cheated with chocolate too! Thanks so much for responding

llbarker

Honestly, I just take it one meal/snack at a time. Maybe I messed up on one meal or snack or I know I am going out with friends a couple nights a week... but if I ate well most of the day or the few days before or after I really don't sweat the one day I messed up.

With that said though, if I have a few days of lots of parties and get togethers then I hit the gym extra hard, for longer periods of time or combine a cardio class with an hour at the gym.

christine5791

Yeah, I probably cheat about once a week-week and a half....the willpower is slowly getting stronger.... for 3 months had a high school friend of mine that has a health coaching business in Toronto... and one of the biggest things she taught me is to not give up on me, and if I have a slip up to realize it's just that, end the splurge right there, and to NOT guilt myself. I found when that happened before when I would try to lose weight it would turn into a whole day event.... then a week and then it spiraled out of control with me always saying "Oh, I'll start back up tomorrow..." There were a LOT of tomorrows....
Now I realize it's ok to slip, it's human nature but to have the control to stop after that one or two slip ups and start right back up...while not emotionally assaulting myself over it....
So whatever you do just say, it's ok, I slipped and get back on the wagon so to speak.... these changes are about learnign how to live healthfully, forever...and there's always going to be events, parties and days we slip.... it's all about keeping those times of not so healthy intake in moderation...
We're all here for you, kee up the great work!

CaddieMay

I cheated last night with chocolate, potato chips, molasses cookies, and something else I don't remember because I was half asleep. :ohwell: So today I got off my lazy butt and walked around the lake (something I usually don't do). Beating myself up about it only would have caused stress, which produces cortisol - or something that makes my stomach bigger. So I don't stress anymore!

blink1021

I have terrible eaters guilt!!!! Its almost a disorder I beat myself up so bad. I just try to do better the next day.

fuchsiasarah

My $.02 worth is not to "undereat" tomorrow to make up for it--just go back to your usual goal. If you try to undereat, you'll end up extra hungry, so then you cheat again...well, at least that's what I do. :blushing: And that viscious cycle is one of the things I'm trying to stop doing.

laura0389

I cheated with all the valentines day chocolate!

jofjltncb6

My guess is the number one cause for cheating on a diet is not eating enough calories each day/too large a calorie deficit.

appelsiinipuu

I feel like it is cheating only if you don't log it! I log absolutely everything, even if I eat not healthy foods (which is often). Then I know how much I have gone over my calorie limit and know how to balance it out during the next few days. That way you don't have to feel guilty about it.

lmelangley

I don't consider it cheating. I consider it simply going over. I believe in eating what I truly want when I want it, but making every bite a decision. The trick is in the wanting. Is the chocolate or the cookie or whatever worth the calories? Do I want whatever it is more than I want to be as healthy as I can be? I strive to stay within my calories but if I don't make it one day I accept it as a choice and go forward. It's not work the guilt.

laciemn

I do feel bad if I cheated really bad. 1 burger or 1 cup of ice cream won't make me feel bad, but I do put in more effort to do better the rest of that day. If you cheat greatly or more than one meal at a time, it may be a sign of too few calories or too much stress.
Maybe try writing in a journal about WHY you cheated...what emotions you felt before & after. You may also think of ideas to do next time you are tempted, either choosing a healthier option or eating less of the food(chocolate). Sometimes a healthy option just isn't what you want. I find this happens a lot when with friends and we're out eating or something unexpected happens. Whatever you do, just limit whatever it is you want to have. If you're going to cheat, make the decision, don't beat yourself up about, and control the portion size.

FitBlackChick

Thanks so much everyone

Biitchstix

I never log my food on Saturday (although I do still try my best to be reasonable with my eating and not go too crazy). It makes things allot easier to have a designated 'cheat day' where you can indulge a little bit and still feel like you're in control. It also helps cut down on food cravings throughout the week.

I chose Saturdays because I'm away from home 99% of the time and more likely to eat out. I also have my weigh in's on Friday and I didn't want my cheat day to conflict with that.

FitBlackChick

Thanks for this, I feel so much better now

sharonKay65

Your post sounded a lot like me the other day, I temporarily lost my willpower or common sense. I was so disappointed in myself I didn't log it right away, I was too embarrassed and ashamed of myself, and then I felt so guilty for not logging it, I went back and made myself log it and "face the truth" I thought at first I would just fast for a day or drastically decrease my caloric intake but instead I put it behind me and started fresh the next day. I guess time will tell on Monday when I weigh in, :noway: and since that is quickly approaching, it has given me a little more motivation to try and stay within my goals. Don't be too hard on yourself though, many of us have done it before and I'm sure will do it again at some point in time. The comment that Marilu Henner made a couple of days ago on Dr. Oz really clicked with me and made perfect sense.
"Progress not Perfection" And I will add my own opinion........Sometimes the most valuable lessons we learn in life, are from the mistakes that we have made

LokiOfAsgard

I cheated tonight.
With three cupcakes. They were good though!

I don't really sweat it much. I just stopped myself and tomorrow is a new day to start over Which I plan to do /right/! :bigsmile:

tstancom

I cheat a little bit every day so the cravings don't get so bad that I go way over my calories. It's a lot easier to resist a whole box of chocolates if I treat myself to one dark square a night (only 30 calories for the lindt kind!). Also, if I know I want to cheat on a day, I plan workouts that will make up the calories I take in. It's win-win! Don't beat yourself up. You're only human and everybody deserves nice things that make them feel treated once in a while, or in moderation!

tndejong

when mfp calculates your daily allowance, it already puts your calories at a deficit. then if you exercise that day, you are allowed even more calories. so technically your only cheating your progress. you can eat over your calories and still maintain. you cant beat yourself up when you do it. food is good! food is a part of life. you cant live everyday on a diet. i have had a bad week. i eat out. i eat junk food. if i totally eliminate it, i would never stick to this. and im not going to give up everything i love. its about learning habits were going to stick to the rest of our lives. its life style changes. food got us fat. and im sure you didnt get fat over night. so its going to take time to change that. a few months ago i would eat a sleeve of cookies. so if i can learn to eat one or two. that is a victory right there.

DaniH826

Log it and move on. If you're way over goal, get your sneakers on and go for a longer walk that evening or the next day. Burn some extra calories and it'll be fine.

I don't consider going over my calorie goal or eating something junky "cheating". I consider it "normal" and am learning to integrate it without becoming obsessive about it. I find that logging helps me cause numbers don't lie, and sometimes something that "feels" horrifically bad actually turns out to not be so bad at all.

I refuse to set myself up for failure by creating unrealistic expectations and then "letting myself down." That's a crazy cycle that I refuse to be a part of anymore. Been there, done that, made the movie, nobody watched it, moving on, nothankyou.

Get realistic about your goals and your expectations from yourself, learn to integrate less healthful choices into your overall plan, and the crazy cycle will go away, I promise.

Unless you like playing headgames with yourself in which case ... carry on.

AislinnKitten

I personally feel awful whenever I try cheat days, or in general 'cheat' on my newly adopted healthy habits because I personally just don't think I need those 'cheat' kind of foods to live, they do nothing good for me. I rather just make something that yummy AND healthy. Whenever I have a 'cheat' day it's mainly through pressure of others, or stress, extreme stress, haha. But a lot of people have cheat days every week and they're quite fit and healthy so I really wouldn't beat myself up about it if I were you. Sometimes cheating works out great for certain peoples long term diets and sometimes not so much for others like myself, but when there are so many people that it does work for I wouldn't get upset when it happens cause hey if they're doing it and working hard like you, then why can't you?

FitBlackChick

I'm really grateful guys thanks so much!

jenniferlofgrenmitchell

I feel ya. I was over in total calories and fat. I'm so thankful to MFP for OPENING my eyes!!! I ate over 1,000 just in snacks through out the day!! (HELLO! No wonder I need to lose fricken 100+ pounds!) And the snacks were pretty much healthy, but after the whole day, I just ate TOOOO MUCH. I feel like I need to be down, depressed, beat myself up. . .Like I failed, and I should've done better. But this is a journey. So i'm talking to myself, too, when I say we need to take it as a growing experience and learn from it. By telling you to keep moving forward, I truly feel that I, too, will be able to keep putting one foot in front of the other. (and I need to do more of that, literally). I'm so 'all or nothing', and I'm learning that I need to adapt to moderation. So remember that we're all on the same journey, just different stages of it, and we've all be there and felt that. Friend me if you're looking for more friends. .. I need all the encouragement I can get

amosmoses88

I've done that, and then I stop eating/drinking whatever it is, and just get back on track. YOU CAN DO THIS. I know you can! You just have to have the will to get it done. Think of the body/feeling at the end of the tunnel. There's no light, just a stunning image of yourself how you want to be. Let that be your drive to get things done!

jjlibunao

Yup - I stepped on the scale and found out I lost another two pounds. And what did I do today? Cheat! But I'm getting better about what kinds of food I'm cheating with now. Especially since I'm not at goal weight yet and I track everything now. Before it was ice cream, candy, or chips, but now I'll go over my calories with dried fruit. For example, I ate 600 calories of dried pineapple rings today. Whereas before, I would have put away a pint of Ben and Jerry's, easily.