Cheat day?

airangel59

My personal thought, if it won't fit in the day's plan, it doesn't get eaten...or it gets worked off.

No cheat day(s), no cheat meals here. If I want to eat something, I work it in and adjust the rest of the day.

It may work for some, but I know me, a cheat here, cheat there and the weight's back on & it just takes too long to get rid of it.

cindygretz

I have a cheat day... Sunday dinner at my parents. I allow myself this one meal eating whatever my Mommy cooks (somewhat portion controlled) without the distraction of counting every calorie.

It's more about enjoying my family than the food, to be honest, because I don't get near enough time with them and I'd rather discuss anything other than my calorie counting.

Although comment of "Wow, you've lost some weight" are always welcome and appreciated :-D

diannethegeek

When I was a lot further away from a healthy weight I had a cheat day almost every week. Usually they were built around family or social gatherings so that I could let my hair down and not worry about calories. Now that I'm closer to goal I find that they hinder my loss more than I'm willing to allow. Instead I try build those cheats into my calories every day. When I want a donut I have one, log it, and adjust my meals to match. I don't feel deprived and I'm learning better habits for when I try to maintain my weight without logging later in life.

jessmart83

I don't agree with a whole day of cheating. I could easily eat way over my weekly total if I did that. I do have a cheat meal where I eat whatever I want and however much I want, and I always log it as accurately as possible.

SweetlyVague

I don't like the idea of a cheat day because I'm the type who really feels like you should always be able to eat things you want. It's moderation that's important. People fall off the wagon left, right and center because they restrict themselves so damn much! I think having one day a week where you can just indulge in whatever, and be completely out of character to the rest of your "diet" is a bad idea and will form bad habits.

Obey46

Why not just fit it into your macros. Calories in VS Calories out.

cwolfman13

I don't deprive myself of any foods or food groups...so no need for a cheat day. Cheat days are only necessary when you categorize food as good or bad. As long as it's in my calorie goal and fits my macros then I'm golden...which doesn't mean I eat junk all of the time, but there's simply no reason to deprive yourself.

steflbrown

I don't do cheat days. If I'm really craving something that is not healthy, I allow myself a small portion. That way I don't over-indulge from not allowing myself that particular food at all. I try to eat healthy as much as possible, so any occasional bad meal here or there really isn't going to be the end of my weight loss days.

bookworm_847

I don't really have cheat meals or cheat days. I do make some decisions I wouldn't normally make, but I plan for them. For example, if I know Hubby and I are planning to go out to eat for lunch/dinner, I'll do extra exercise that morning and eat light until we go. I know I won't consume my whole daily allotment of calories in the one meal, but that way I can get what I want without having to stress about it since we very rarely go out to eat anymore.

So, next time we go to Red Robin, I will get a bonsai burger and have no guilt.

Sweets1954

I don't know if I would have a planned "cheat day" but every now and then I will "indulge" in something that I wouldn't normally eat, or have a glass of wine or a drink with dinner. Even when I go out I try to order something that will fit in with my eating plan--or only eat half of it--but sometimes I go over. I've found the best thing is to not beat myself up over it but to get back on track the next day, maybe cut back a little.

averous214

I think the older I get, the harder it is for me to "recover" from a cheat day or a cheat week. This is especially evident around the holidays and when I go on cruises. It has taken me MONTHS to recover from a cruise. But again, I am a little older. If i want to treat myself to some food I normally do not have I just "budget" that food into the days diet. For instance, if I plan on eating chicken wings for dinner I will work out extra that day and eat accordingly through out. Sometimes when I have a calorie deficit and meet my protein and fiber goals I may indulge in some chocate or a cookie. So I am never cheating, but I am getting food that I crave that may not be as healthy for me throughout the week without going over calories.

bshibs

i eat healthy all week and cook every meal myself and then on friday or saturday night i go out an have a couple of drinks an eat whatever i want and dont log it. it doesnt make that much of a difference really, i gain maybe a half of a pound thats gone by the next day. i have to have a night where i go out an have fun and dont count calories or cook or else things get too boring : )

This is exactly what I do. I don't usually have a cheat day - instead, I'll have a cheat meal or a cheat evening. Not a whole day.

meganfoster12

I dont do cheat days; I just found healtheir options of the foods I used to like and eat them instead; I loved peanut butter balls however I found a protein ball and they taste just like peanut butter balls only way healtheir

pocketmole

I give myself an increased calorie count on the weekends. This works well for me because I still need to be conscious of what I'm eating, but I get a little more wiggle room.

ReaSpade

Hi,

I am new on here, but I been doing weight loss calorie counting for about a year, and have lost 65 pounds in total.

I recently have been finding articles similar to this topic, where they instruct you to have one day where you don't count. The reason is if you continually feed your body the same amount every day, it regulates at that calorie intact level. Reducing your metabolism and slow your weight loss. I usually use the weekend, and eat whatever I want within moderation. I have been stuck 7 pounds from my goal weight for 4 months, but each day I had struggled eating 1200 calories. But since doing this my weight loss has picked up again and I actually feel happier.

So maybe there is some grounds for “Cheat” Day, but apply moderation.

Matt_Wild

Cheat meal, not day.

Lets face it, if you are dieting you want to get to your goals... but a meal off won't do anything. Perhaps if each meal you eat 500-600 calories normal (if you have 3 a day), a one off meal of 1200 will give you net increase of around 600 calories in total and if you average it over the week, less than 100 cals a day and unlikely to effect weight loss much if at all, it will fill glycogen store and indeed may even push you positively in the right kind of mind state (that you have a treat to aim for if you are good, once a week).

majope

I don't feel I need them--I can fit the things I like within my calorie budget. On long run days, when I burn 700-1000 calories, I can pretty much have whatever I want.

The closest I come to a "cheat" is on very rare occasions I up my day's calories to just below maintenance. This might happen if I have bad PMS, or I'm really hungry but it's a rest day and I don't have any exercise calories to supplement my regular allotment. I'm still eating at a deficit on those days, though, so I don't consider it a "cheat."

yvnursechick

it is a watever day when you seemed to have stalled on the scale. They have always helped me. But i still log my food. This makes it actually hard to let myself cheat.