Feeling guilty about my "guilt free eating day"

2FatToRun

Exactly, without cheat days you'd have done better. The fact that the cheat day may or may not have warded off a binge is intangible and irrelevant data, thus does not apply.

I'll take 2.5 lbs / week average weight loss. You do what works for you and I'll do what works for me. I have 56 cheat days under my belt and 62 lbs less body fat to show for it. And for you to tell me I could do better is arrogant.

Dont mistake truth for arrogance ...I am very arrogant and I hear that all the time just for telling the truth lol

Warchortle

I ate 7,000 calories Friday. Don't sweat it. It's not that big of a deal.

learnerdriver

Today's a new day.

I'm planning for 2 birthdays this Saturday, and I'm going to enjoy them.

I ask myself if what I'm eating quality or just a gorging (sp?)- there's a considerable difference between Godiva and average supermarket chocolate!

Fit_Mama84

Something I do that may help you if you want to have a cheat day. My goal is to eat 1500 net calories a day, but I know on weekends I will go way over. So to compensate, I eat 1200 net calories all week long and relax my eating on the weekends. So my average calories for the week end up being 1500 per day. I have been able to lose weight this way, so maybe it would work for you too so you can have a cheat day but not feel guilty. But it's just a suggestion. It may not work for everyone.

KellyRUNS2Bthinner

I read a lot of having 1 day a week where you dont worry about everything you eat ..

Last night was date night with my husband .. while I did not eat the whole restaurant .. I am way over on my calories for the day! like 1000 calories over .. at least .. I sort of guessed on a few things from the restaurant...

I have been on track all week ... and today is a new day .. but I cant help but feel guilty for last night

Let it go.... I take Saturdays as a cheat day and the best thing you did is count your calories. Trust me you would have eaten more if you didnt track it. I weight lift ajd run exc. The cheat day reves up your metabolism and it keeps you from falling off the wagon. One day of joy is important if you get frustrated eating healthy all the time you are gonna quit because everything will seem to stressful. Enjoy your one day. I cheat on Saturday and to rid myself of my guilt I do an extra hour at the gym on Sunday. Look at it as a reward for your clean week. Just try to stay between 200-1000 over calories. If you go too far out over its self defeating.

I also keep my cheat food in check. No fast food, candy or deep fried garbage. REAL peanut butter and chocolate are my cheat food and I enjoy every bite!

kms1320

Exactly, without cheat days you'd have done better. The fact that the cheat day may or may not have warded off a binge is intangible and irrelevant data, thus does not apply.

I'll take 2.5 lbs / week average weight loss. You do what works for you and I'll do what works for me. I have 56 cheat days under my belt and 62 lbs less body fat to show for it. And for you to tell me I could do better is arrogant.

hypothetical-

maintenance = 2500
daily goal for 2lb/week weight loss = 1500

If every day is 1500, you are at a 7000 calorie deficit, in 26 weeks you would lose 52 pounds
If 6 days are at 1500, and 1 day is at 3000, you are at a 5500 calorie deficit, in 26 weeks you would lose 41 pounds.

So yes, by virtue of simple math, you do better without the cheat days. Call me arrogant. I call it common sense.

Warchortle

Cheat meals sometimes have a physical benefit, but most studies support the idea of its psychological benefit. Low fat diets generally have had mixed results, but you hear most people find it unsustainable. You'll even hear health gurus and studies talking about including 1-2 servings of nuts a day has given people the feeling of being satiated and don't consider themselves on a "diet." Whether you practice flexible dieting (IIFYM) and/or carb cycling-refeeds or cheat days/meals they all serve an additional psychological benefit.

sohmui

Don't feel guilty! It was a special day and I hope you enjoyed it at the time. Just remember for next time you're able to go out for a special meal how you felt this time. It will more than likely help you make a different choice next time. Don't beat yourself up over it, it's only one day and like you said, today is a new day.

Nice post. I had a day like that yesterday - lunch alone was my entire day's calories. The fact that you feel a bit guilty is GOOD because it means you are aware, but don't let the guilt take you over. We need our friends and not all of them are dieting like us. I tested a few friendships when I began my weight-loss plan. Though I tried my best not to bore the knickers off them, it was difficult not to indulge in my obsession about food when I was with them. Things are better now, as I am on maintenance, but still need to watch everything that goes in. So in a word, I do believe it's okay to take a day off. How often you do it is an individual thing and always factor in the difference it will make.

Warchortle

Exactly, without cheat days you'd have done better. The fact that the cheat day may or may not have warded off a binge is intangible and irrelevant data, thus does not apply.

I'll take 2.5 lbs / week average weight loss. You do what works for you and I'll do what works for me. I have 56 cheat days under my belt and 62 lbs less body fat to show for it. And for you to tell me I could do better is arrogant.

hypothetical-

maintenance = 2500
daily goal for 2lb/week weight loss = 1500

If every day is 1500, you are at a 7000 calorie deficit, in 26 weeks you would lose 52 pounds
If 6 days are at 1500, and 1 day is at 3000, you are at a 5500 calorie deficit, in 26 weeks you would lose 41 pounds.

So yes, by virtue of simple math, you do better without the cheat days. Call me arrogant. I call it common sense.

because weight loss is linear, predictable, and is the same for every single person...

Sorry, dealing in absolutes in a subject area that is very much grey might be better avoided. It would be nice if what you said were true because then there wouldn't be any "HELP! I only eat 800 calories and exercise a lot, but I'm not losing weight!"

Mcgrawhaha

i have these, but i do think that once a week will leave you with a deficit that may leave you with very minimal loss... i do this twice a month, every other saturday to be exact.

shutupandlift13

Try a cheat meal? Or better yet, why feel like you're cheating at anything? And why do people think cheat meals or days need to be so over in calories?

Do people really think that eating balanced and at a deficit is so damn miserable that they have to "cheat" once a week? I eat AMAZING food all week. I tend to eat a little less during the week so that I can eat at maintenance if I need/want to ONE day on the weekend, mostly as an allowance for social occasions. And that one day is fairly normal in comparison to my non CHEAT days except for I let myself have something like ice cream for dessert, a beer or two, go out to eat at a restaurant.

Shake it off, try to maybe plan a cheat MEAL not DAY a little better, just because you're not eating "diet" foods or your macros are whacko, doesn't mean your calories have to be way over.

tomcornhole

because weight loss is linear, predictable, and is the same for every single person...

Sorry, dealing in absolutes in a subject area that is very much grey might be better avoided. It would be nice if what you said were true because then there wouldn't be any "HELP! I only eat 800 calories and exercise a lot, but I'm not losing weight!"

^^^This

kms1320

Try a cheat meal? Or better yet, why feel like you're cheating at anything? And why do people think cheat meals or days need to be so over in calories?

Do people really think that eating balanced and at a deficit is so damn miserable that they have to "cheat" once a week? I eat AMAZING food all week. I tend to eat a little less during the week so that I can eat at maintenance if I need/want to ONE day on the weekend, mostly as an allowance for social occasions. And that one day is fairly normal in comparison to my non CHEAT days except for I let myself have something like ice cream for dessert, a beer or two, go out to eat at a restaurant.

Shake it off, try to maybe plan a cheat MEAL not DAY a little better, just because you're not eating "diet" foods or your macros are whacko, doesn't mean your calories have to be way over.

I like that, well put

purplepaisley7

Having one cheat meal, once in a while, isn't going to sabotage our efforts! Giving up because of one, or having one every day would!

shutupandlift13

I read a lot of having 1 day a week where you dont worry about everything you eat ..

Last night was date night with my husband .. while I did not eat the whole restaurant .. I am way over on my calories for the day! like 1000 calories over .. at least .. I sort of guessed on a few things from the restaurant...

I have been on track all week ... and today is a new day .. but I cant help but feel guilty for last night

Let it go.... I take Saturdays as a cheat day and the best thing you did is count your calories. Trust me you would have eaten more if you didnt track it. I weight lift ajd run exc. The cheat day reves up your metabolism and it keeps you from falling off the wagon. One day of joy is important if you get frustrated eating healthy all the time you are gonna quit because everything will seem to stressful. Enjoy your one day. I cheat on Saturday and to rid myself of my guilt I do an extra hour at the gym on Sunday. Look at it as a reward for your clean week. Just try to stay between 200-1000 over calories. If you go too far out over its self defeating.

I also keep my cheat food in check. No fast food, candy or deep fried garbage. REAL peanut butter and chocolate are my cheat food and I enjoy every bite!

YES! Go big (quality wise) when you cheat! Go get a GOOD burger from a place that's known for burgers! Go get AMAZING sushi from a place that's known for sushi! Enjoy some Ben and Jerrys or other fun ice cream! Don't waste your cheat on something like fast food or run of the mill items like bags of potato chips and cheez whiz.

Not saying that the OP wasted her cheat day, a date night out falls under the above listed categories.

Graelwyn75

Do not feel guilty. Feel empowered. Feel happy. It will not set you back in the long run. But it is only effective if that one day of indulgence results in a worry free week of compliance. If it makes you feel so guilty you get the "screw it's" the rest of the week, it may be detrimentl rather than effective.

I have been doing a cheat day ever since I started dieting. Epic 5,000 calorie events eating anything I wanted in any quantity. Had one yesterday. Had 10 chocalate chip cookies, 4 bowls of fruit loops and 4 cups of milk. For breakfast. All things I would never eat during the week. And boy, did I feel aweful. Not mentally, but physically. Recovered b the evening and added a Dairy Queen Bilizzard and 3 Holtmans donuts to finish the day. 4,800 cal total. After all that, I won't have any desire to cheat until next Saturday. That's the key. I always know I have next Saturday if I crave something during the week. And that keeps me on track and happy.

So, go forth and cheat but only if it works for you. It is not for everyone. But if it doesn't nuke you mentally, rest assured it will not hurt your progress.

I hate to sound like Judgy McJudger, but this sounds like binge eating to me. I couldn't eat this much if I tried. WOW.

That is akin to the sorts of amount I would eat when in the worst of my 6 week binge eating/bulimia bender last year. Way too much sugar. It would have my heart racing and my body feeling like crap for days after. I had a cheat day Saturday, consisting of a main meal of feta and spinach pie, mash, peas, some pecan and cranberry bread, and later a doughnut and slice of chocolate cheesecake(400 calories, not the insane 1300+ calories of some USA cheesecake). I felt like rubbish, even after just the main meal which was not even unreasonable. Crap physically. It was suggested I do a cheat day a week or meal, as I intermittent fast daily. But eh. I shall stick to the occasional meal with sauce, or a bag of chocolate or one piece of cake. Smaller splurges.

shutupandlift13

Do not feel guilty. Feel empowered. Feel happy. It will not set you back in the long run. But it is only effective if that one day of indulgence results in a worry free week of compliance. If it makes you feel so guilty you get the "screw it's" the rest of the week, it may be detrimentl rather than effective.

I have been doing a cheat day ever since I started dieting. Epic 5,000 calorie events eating anything I wanted in any quantity. Had one yesterday. Had 10 chocalate chip cookies, 4 bowls of fruit loops and 4 cups of milk. For breakfast. All things I would never eat during the week. And boy, did I feel aweful. Not mentally, but physically. Recovered b the evening and added a Dairy Queen Bilizzard and 3 Holtmans donuts to finish the day. 4,800 cal total. After all that, I won't have any desire to cheat until next Saturday. That's the key. I always know I have next Saturday if I crave something during the week. And that keeps me on track and happy.

So, go forth and cheat but only if it works for you. It is not for everyone. But if it doesn't nuke you mentally, rest assured it will not hurt your progress.

I hate to sound like Judgy McJudger, but this sounds like binge eating to me. I couldn't eat this much if I tried. WOW.

You're a female and probably weigh substantially less than he does. Also, probably have substantially less muscle mass than he does, no clue about activity level but most likely he burns more calories than you each day. My last boyfriend ate anywhere from 3000-5000 calories a day, was about 10% body fat and worked out a lot. I know guys that are pretty cut and have 5000-10000cal days. Slows down progress, of course... ruins all their hard work, not even close. And not a single one of them goes... OMG I HAD A CHEAT MEAL. And none of them suffer from eating disorders.

togmo

Maybe I am lucky in that I am allowed 2300kcal a day and I can have a surprisingly large amount of 'cheat' meals for that. The other day I went out to grilld and got a lamb burger and chips which were a little over 1000kcal for the meal but it fit into my macros. I like to get KFC or Maccas every so often also but I generally eat pretty healthy home cooked food.

My wife has been doing this stuff for quite a while and she has refeed days every week, not really a guilt free or cheat day but just a day where she eats at maintenance and she eats predominantly complex carbohydrates to achieve that level of caloric intake. As per her instruction and upon reading some material she linked me by Lyle McDonald about refeeding I have a cheat day once every couple weeks which helps me both emotionally and physically and I don't think there is anything wrong with that. I shouldn't call it a cheat day, it is more a refeed day, I still keep track of my food and I try not to overeat my maintenance calories.

It is ok to occasionally fall of the horse as long as you get back on it...

sunnyskys2013

Ok for me its not really a cheat day but on Sundays i eat something i wouldn't eat otherwise. Like today we made ice cream and i had about 1 cup it was really good. The kids thought it was fun.The nice thing was because i made it, i controlled how much sugar was in it. Last week i made cheese cake. For me its not an all day thing but just a treat. I was still under on my cals and crabs so i have no guilt.

jazzcat55

A sample size of 1 is not scientific data.

In your opinion. Should we all switch to your way?

No, it is not opinion. It is fact that a sample size of one does not constitute "data." It is anecdotal experience, even if it happens to be working for you personally. That's all.