To cheat or not to cheat?

Amanda82691

I have heard tons of debat and I wanna get your guy's opinions.

Some people think its perfectly ok to have a cheat meal or even a cheat day once a week or once a month ect and you will still be able to lose weight. While other people feel that in order to lose weight you have to eat clean 100% of the time. That you can only have some cheats when you are looking to maintain.

What do you guys think of this? Which side are you on and why?

**Note I am not saying I agree with any of these, or if I agree with one of these over the other. So please no personal attacks because I am keeping my personal opinion to myself. I just want to hear what you all have to say on this. Have a great day!

iBreatheMusic88

I have a cheat day... I dont go to the gym and I eat what I want (In moderation) on Sundays, Everyone Ive seen lose weight allowed themselves one cheat day... THE TRICK IS to make sure that you get back on track and dont eat a whales weight in food. What I do is I eat very light for my breakfast... enough as to where I wont feel hungry, then after that for like dinner I eat what I craved for the whole week. If your working out everyday and eating right everyday, you deserve one day so you wont go insane. Therefore you wont feel like this is a chore rather than a life style change. (Even my Dr recommended this to me He lost a ton of weight as well) Good luck!

SherryTeach

I don't cheat because I have selected a food and exercise plan that is enjoyable and sustainable. I don't need to cheat, which would only be cheating me anyway.

BlueObsidian

I do not eat 100% clean, but I do not consider anything I do cheating. If it is part of my eating plan to incorporate foods I enjoy, how is that cheating?

ssl444

I believe you need to have a cheat day now and again to give your metabolism a boost,

horseplaypen

I think it's sort of personal, and you have to do whatever is most sustainable for you.

I used to follow the philosophy of "you don't need a cheat day, just eat whatever you want in moderation if it fits in your calories and you'll be fine!" but after a few months of this I learned that almost ANY time I allowed myself a little treat - one cookie, one cupcake - even if it fit into my calories, it would send me off on a terrible sugar binge and my calories would skyrocket. I find if I don't have any sweets, it's easier for me not to think about them.

I'm going to try not eating any sweets for the next two weeks, and then giving myself a free day to eat whatever I want, and then get back to excluding sugar the next day. I envy the people who can control themselves well enough to eat only one cookie, but I'm just not there yet. But, I don't want to NEVER eat sweets again, so I'm going to try the cheat day plan, and see how it goes.

Amanda82691

Good point! I think people refer to cheating as eating more then the serving size or eating processed foods or eating food that is just down right unhealthy. I think thats what people refer to as cheating.

Jemmuno

I have a couple a week. I'm a university student so they are always giving out free pizza once or twice a week. I just can't resist plus its a free meal and that is one to two meals a week I don't have to buy and cook for. I'm still losing pounds and inches. It's about making the right eating and exercise choices 80% of the time and letting loose and eating delicous junk food and drinks 20% of the time.

xXmimiXx

I don't call it cheating...it's living. I am realistic I can't eat "clean" 100% of the time. I do things and I enjoy myself. I exercise, eat fresh good quality food most of the time, and allow myself a glass of wine and treats and I think I have a good balance. It's all about a healthy lifestyle.

majope

Those aren't the only two options. If you eat at a small enough deficit and exercise to burn more calories, you can include just about anything within your daily goals. I do that, and never need a "cheat" day or meal.

harlanJEN

First of all, I hate that term - cheat meal, cheat day. That implies you are doing something wrong.

This is my current eating plan. I'm back to cutting / eating at deficit after 4 months at TDEE / slight surplus and training for strength.

Now that I'm back to eating deficit, I eat at deficit (1700/1800) calories 6 days and eat at TDEE or slightly above (2202-2400) one day. For me, that is usually Saturday. By having that 1 higher day during the week it keeps my body, mind and spirit fed and recharged. I keep my Leptin happy and ME happy. I'm then ready for another week of deficit. I try to keep it REAL. Real food. Good nutrition. Always keeping in mind that it's LIFE. Dark chocolate is a definite macro for me. As is bacon.

Having a "refeed" day is actually very good, for a variety of reasons. I will pop back in a few minutes and leave you a link to an article to read.

And YES .. I'm losing. on average 1 pound per week which is right where I want to be. Losing fat, preserving my hard-earned and vital muscle.

http://www.coachcalorie.com/refeeds/

SmartAlec03211988

It's not cheating if its planned.

I have one day a week (Friday) where I just eat whatever I want. It's not cheating. It's how I choose to eat. I had 1200 calories worth of pancakes with chocolate chips and peanut butter on Friday morning without regret because that's how I planned it.

pinkful

I believe every individual must decide what works for them because the ultimate goal is to lose weight. Some will choose to treat themselves with a special meal once in a while and others will know they have to stick to the eating plan they have chosen. It is up to each one of us to do what works.

etoiles_argentees

I don't plan "cheat days" but let my body decide when I need more calories or a different percent of macros. It works for me.

BlueObsidian

Good point! I think people refer to cheating as eating more then the serving size or eating processed foods or eating food that is just down right unhealthy. I think thats what people refer to as cheating.

My problem is that when you start calling things "cheating," you are assigning ethical values to your food. I regularly eat one and a half or two servings of something. So? I regularly eat processed food. So? Why start calling these things cheating and feeling guilt about enjoying food that you like if your overall diet is healthy?

I even have one day every two weeks or so where I eat at my TDEE. Still part of my plan, so why should I start calling it cheating?

jennagoogles13

I feel like I can only deprive myself for so long. I usually allow myself ONE ITEM to cheat on every two weeks, but ONLY if I've lost at least 3 pounds. Other than this, I don't give in to anything because I know that if I'm good about what I eat, then I can cheat without feeling any guilt whatsoever:) I think its okay to cheat once a week, but if you do, don't dedicate the whole day to eating whatever you want, but choosing one thing instead.

xTJSx

I don't see the point in cheating .. no point in doing it otherwise!

Spartan_Maker

Hi, Amanda.

In my view, it depends.

When I was morbidly obese and only dieting for a short period of time, cheat days made little sense. After becoming more lean and dieting for a long time, they became necessary, for resetting various hormones.

On cheat days, I eat whatever I want and however much I want. Yesterday, for instance, I ate nearly 6,000 calories, including 600 grams of carbohydrates. I spent most of my so-called journey following a very low carbohydrate, ketogenic diet.

Body recomposition is a dynamic process, so the strategies used need to be dynamic as well.

Contrarian

I don't like the word "cheat". I have planned spike days. It isn't cheating.

calibriintx

I don't have restrictions so I generally don't feel the need to "cheat". There's plenty of room in my goals to have what I want any day of the week. But there are times when it's a special occasion or whatever and I don't feel like eating in moderation. I'd like to have steak AND wine AND dessert, etc. It's not a big deal. One day of "cheating" won't ruin my progress anymore than one day of eat a deficit would help an overeater get in shape.

sjeannot

My nutritionist told me that I should have one every once in a while because it is not such a bad thing to do. As long as we know the characteristics of what our goals actually are, we know exactly what we have to do. One day should not hurt.

Tricialew32

If I didn't "Cheat" when I have PMS...people would get hurt.
Gimme chocolate!

kara2

I want this to work for the rest of my life so this is what has worked for me. I have a sweet treat on saturday night and sunday if I want it. I make sure that I only have a serving size and I have been able to not go into binge eating. I eat foods that many would consider "not clean" or "100% healthy" but I eat one serving instead of filling up my plate like I used to. In 41 days I have lost 26.8 lbs.

I like the idea to eat 80% of the time making healthy choices and 20% of the time eating what I want. I make sure to excercise every day. Drink lots of water. The changes I have made are things I can do for the rest of my life. Good luck on finding what works for you. I feel its important to listen to our bodies. They know what we need to be healthy and happy.

robot_potato

There is no cheat. It's ridiculous and unrealistic to cut anything out that you are not willing to cut for life. I indulge daily. I had a wagon wheel yesterday, but just one instead of half the box. I am concentrating on cutting body fat more so than losing pounds. I cut 5% in just over a month, and I gave up nothing.

DavPul

what you call "cheating" I just call eating. It's just food

Helene_R

When my husband and I dieted together in the past, we would have a cheat day, but soon he couldn't deal with going back to portion control and that killed the diet for both of us. I'm not on any sort of strict diet. I thought the only rule here was eating in moderation. As I log my food, which I never did before, I can see where I could've made better choices and did make some changes to my diet but I don't miss anything that I decided not to eat or drink any longer.

Today, however, we're going to have our corned beef dinner and I'm not going to practice moderation. Call it a cheat day if you want, but everything I consume will be healthy even the Irish Soda Bread, I'm just not putting on the brakes and will probably eat leftovers for a few days. I will be logging my eats at all times oinking all the way. BUT, I won't have any beer. Not drinking any alcohol is one of my changes and I don't miss it or yearn for it.

I would never look down on anyone if they needed a cheat day. They are only hurting themselves as I will be if I overdo it too much. If they are practicing moderation, then they are already eating everything there isbut in smaller quantities so what is the need for a cheat day?

etoiles_argentees

what you call "cheating" I just call eating. It's just food

Precisely.

heidigoheen

I personally think that having a cheat day is important and necessary to curb your cravings. I give myself two days a month to have 'cheat days' so if there is a special occasion, I can enjoy the food around me rather than feeling required to stick to the same old same ol'.

I don't call them cheat days tho, I think of them as reward days instead. I don't stray off my new lifestyle diet hardly EVER so when I decide to have a reward day, it really is something I treasure. I eat whatever I want and I eat the things I crave most. It allows me to enjoy it and feel satisfied. Then the next day I get right back on and stick to the normal diet.

I don't know if this will be helpful or detrimental to weight loss, but I do know that it will boost your metabolism if it has slowed down from eating fewer calories and it will keep you sane lol. Diets shouldn't be about torture, they should be about goals and compromise.

longtimeterp

who needs to cheat? ive averaged 3600/day for the last 4 weeks, lost about 4 lbs, and dropped bf by 1.5% as well. my highest day was around 7000 cal, had 5000 cal days several times and never eaten below 2200...works for me! its crazy to think a year ago i was dieting on avg. 1700 cal a day and results were just slightly better

ohmynicoley

I have a cheat day once every 2 weeks on grocery day. I buy all healthy/good foods to last me 2 weeks and 1 days worth of cheat food for that day. But I still try not to go over by more than 500 calories. (To keep me under 2,000 for the day.)

lmnconn

I don't have planned cheat days, but I do have days I know will be hard to stay within my calories (dinners with friends, bbq's, etc). On those days, I really watch what I eat for my other meals and don't get too upset if I go over for the day. The next day, I just make sure to get right back on track and move on.