Cheat days - Worst idea ever

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  • fayeonherway
    fayeonherway Posts: 204
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    Cheat days have been a big part of my weight loss plan. 191lbs loss total.

    ^^^This guy had success with cheat days. Just saying....like he lost 191 lbs. I think MOST people would call that a success.

    Do what works for you....
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
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    TOPIC: Cheat days - Worst idea ever

    Now you tell me! *just ate two donuts*

    cheat days are unfortunately something I decide AFTER i have blown my diet. Fortunately they don't happen too often. Sometimes they can even be stopped at cheat meal. So really it's just a term I use to talk myself down from the roof when I cave into some craving that I was not planning to eat. Usually however I recover with either adjusting the rest of the day's food, or with workouts. For severe cases a couple days working off the overage sets me straight for weekly goals.
  • aepdx
    aepdx Posts: 218 Member
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    I have never been psychologically able to give myself a cheat day and I really want to. Tomorrow is my one year anniversary and we are going out of town and I really don’t want to worry about logging everything! Even when I have exercise calories to spare, I don’t really trust those being accurate. I commend those who can have a cheat day, I bet they are much more relaxed and sane than me. :(
  • ilmb87
    ilmb87 Posts: 216 Member
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    "Cheat" days work for me. There are certain foods I avoid altogether though, even on those days, as they trigger horrible binges.
  • wharris124
    wharris124 Posts: 1
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    For me, cheat days are not going to work. I started my diet (for the second time) just a week before Easter. I decided that on Easter day I would enjoy myself and eat whatever I wanted. Well, I did and I enjoyed it until.....Monday morning weigh in. I gained almost all the weight I had lost back in one day. It was so not worth it. I am not at a maintenance point, I need to lose a lot of weight so having a cheat day just blows my plans of reaching my goals. I have decided that for me, the best route is when I truly want something that is not on my diet then I have to figure it into my calorie count and do without something else. With this attitude, I find myself not wanting that stuff as much because I feel it is not worth the calories.
  • marciebrian
    marciebrian Posts: 853 Member
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    Motivation? No.
    Support? No.

    Punishing me for having 2 slices of pizza and some french fries on Saturday while I stuck to my calorie deficit via food and exercise all week? Yes.

    You might wanna actually try reading my post before you get all butt hurt.

    I like your posting and I actually didn't see judgement must trying to "get it". I don't have much to lose but still doing the best I can like everyone else. I don't have "cheat days" but not worrying about it meals.. usually on Saturday night when we go out and I just don't want to stress about the calories or having a glass of wine. For some people it is dangerous for others its a way to get through the day
  • wolverine66
    wolverine66 Posts: 3,779 Member
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    So this is an OP wanting to argue against cheat days and thanking people who agree and not earnestly asking for why cheat days are a good idea.

    Got it.

    I should really learn to spot these threads a little better.
  • CassiusKnox
    CassiusKnox Posts: 305 Member
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    So this is an OP wanting to argue against cheat days and thanking people who agree and not earnestly asking for why cheat days are a good idea.

    Got it.

    I should really learn to spot these threads a little better.

    Nope... I'm asking why cheat days are a good idea. I'm NOT talking about going over calories some days (like special occasions)... I'm talking about dedicated "I can eat anything I want" days.

    Do you have an opinion or just a cool avatar?
  • wolverine66
    wolverine66 Posts: 3,779 Member
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    Considering this is my 4th post in this thread, I'd say my actual opinion is in one of the other 3.

    Thanks for the avatar compliment, though.
  • shanswan
    shanswan Posts: 32 Member
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    I am going to disagree with you. Easter was a cheat day for me. I gained two pounds but not for one single second do I regret it. I had a lot of bbq (my fav) and nachos which I gave up for lent. Now your screaming...you eat chips! yes sometimes I do because this is my life and my way of eating not a diet. Sorry but I am not going through life without eating the things I love ever. I am still losing weight a week out of my life with the scales staying the same or yo yoing doesn't mean I am not still trying to lose weight. I think you have to live each day the best you can and if you want to have a meal that doesn't fit tradition diet or even a day then go for it.
  • Kst76
    Kst76 Posts: 935 Member
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    I burn anywhere between 500 and 900 calories when i go to the gym everyday. I eat back only 200 at the most. So to me there are no cheat days becuase i never go over my limit due to all the excersise. If I want pizza and beer I have it and I am still under. That is one of the best reasos to excersise while dieting. ;)
  • iceman7840
    iceman7840 Posts: 110
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    I don't know, maybe I have evolved but I have gone from loving and living for my cheat days to not looking forward to them one bit.

    At the beginning they were a godsend but now I don't make a big deal out of them. I eat so clean now that most of the time when I do cheat, I end up feeling like crap and I hate that feeling.

    For some reason the food is less enjoyable as well. Many foods just doesn't taste the same as I remembered them.

    I usually will have one cheat meal every 30 days unless I hit a plateau and have been stuck there for a long period of time, then I will go to McDonalds, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, etc. and just junk it out for a day or two to clean me out and start over.
  • keepitcroosh
    keepitcroosh Posts: 301 Member
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    I understand where your coming from. But personally, I feel that my current success in losing weight and being healthy does have a little to do with "cheat meals". I don't depend on them, but every now and then, I will have a crazy urge to eat a certain type of food. Even foods I have never liked before. At first, I waited three months before I had a cheat meal. I was Once I ate my junkfood, not only was I satisfied, but it made me want to go harder. It really pushed me to work harder and really make sure I ate healthy for the next while after. Cheat meals definitely aren't for everyone though.
  • Pimpmonkey
    Pimpmonkey Posts: 566
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    I don't like the idea of feeling like you are "cheating." It isn't "cheating" to have a high calorie day. I never have a "cheat day," but I will have the occasional "eat at or just barely under maintenance" day. That's not cheating, it's being flexible and living life.

    This!!!
  • jayche
    jayche Posts: 1,128 Member
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    It's all psychological. It's almost like a reward system to encourage you to keep you on track for the rest of the week/month/etc.
  • taliar93
    taliar93 Posts: 111 Member
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    It seems like a lot of people have a really distorted idea of a cheat day, I have a cheat MEAL here and there, but still work hard to stay within my daily calories etc. I think cheat meals are great ideas simply because most people on this journey can't handle completely cutting out the crappy foods, I know I couldn't. But i've seen a lot of people overdo it, ie, eat really healthy all week, and then just go nuts on one day (I'm talking three takeaways, and a lot of soda) and then sit there and complain they didn't lose any weight, I've stuck with my one cheat meal a week, (I've broken it a few times, but still stayed well within my calories every time) and I'm still steadily losing weight, so why shouldn't I have a "treat" once in a while.
  • metacognition
    metacognition Posts: 626 Member
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    A cheat day is a bad idea. A binge is an evil idea. f you give me 100% free reign to eat whatever I want and tell me to ignore my nutritional goals, I guarantee an entire box of chocolate chip cookies will be gone. GONE. When I'm on a diet, I can pack away 3,000 calories easily without feeling full. So I have to be careful to track my intake each day.

    Recently I just eat to calorie goal and splurge a bit on a couple of meals per week, if I really need the food - not a whim, but my body responding to a deficit by craving something more substantial. Like an extra bowl of cereal, or a grilled chicken sandwich (tonight). At some point your body just wants calories, and every now and then I like to indulge it. Staying in a long term deficit all the time is unpleasant. I eat healthy foods regardless, and I do not ever plan a binge.

    Today I timed my "cheat" (an extra 300 extra calories of delicious lean protein and whole grain) on I day that I'm exhausted from a weight training session, so I don't think it's going to derail my plans. Plus I can always cut back on calories a little tomorrow to continue with the weight loss. Even if it means losing a bit less weight per week, I'm ok with it.
  • 2stepscloser
    2stepscloser Posts: 2,900 Member
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    I'm of the opinion that they only sabotage your efforts. I eat what I want within my calorie range, regardless of whether its healthy.

    When I did WW a few years ago, I would always use my weigh in day as a cheat day and would easily eat 3000+ calories that day. Then, you have to work double time to burn the extra calories!

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