Are Cheat Days Really Okay?

JamiElaine05
JamiElaine05 Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I often hear about people having cheat days. How often are these okay? What exactly does that mean?

I have heard people say they have cheat days a lot over the years of yo-yo dieting, but I guess I wonder how a cheat day doesn't kind of undo everything a person has been working toward. Anyone have opinions on this?
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Replies

  • squatsandlipgloss
    squatsandlipgloss Posts: 595 Member
    You really think a cheat day is going to undo everything you've worked for.......? Like, you lose 10 lbs in a month's time, have a cheat day and gain the 10 lbs right back? ;)
  • missybct
    missybct Posts: 321 Member
    Depends what the cheat day consists of.

    Some people call days cheat days when they have a few hundred calories over - maybe a meal out, or an event etc. Some people call days cheat days as an excuse (rightly or wrongly) for binge eating.

    One day off every so often is not harmful generally - providing it remains one day and not one week/month. We cannot avoid social situations in case there isn't the food we'd want to eat being provided, and also, it is good for your metabolism to change it up a bit sometimes and give it something to be challenged by. You just have to trust that you can keep it as a day or two and not the week.

    Personally? If I know I'm going to an event or meal out, I'll work out during the day so I have enough calories to account for it (roundabout). If I can't, I will make sure I work hard at the gym the next day. Generally speaking, I don't crave junk at the moment and haven't for a few months, but obviously it may change. Junk food/artifical sugar makes me feel blergh, so I just don't bother :)
  • toutmonpossible
    toutmonpossible Posts: 1,580 Member
    No one thing works for everyone. You have to be honest with yourself for cheat days to work. Some people abuse cheat days and undermine all the work they've done leading up to them. Others find them motivating -- they have an incentive to stick to their diet the rest of the week because they know they can eat the foods they like one day a week.

    I personally don't do them, because I know I'd fool myself and end up eating much more than I can afford. Which isn't to say that there aren't days when I exceed my desired calorie max, but I don't plan them, except for special occasions such as my birthday.

    Semantically, I don't like the term "cheat day." It makes me feel like a naughty child.

    Anything will work if you are honest and track your weight, body fat, true expenditure of energy and make changes when you see you are not losing weight. It's normal not to lose weight every week, although that usually doesn't happen to me if I'm being strict, but people who go week after week without losing are doing some wrong.
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
    I don't really have a cheat day per say.

    I usually just cheat every night after dinner once the wife and kids have gone to bed.
  • brittaney10811
    brittaney10811 Posts: 588 Member
    One day of eating bad won't make you fat. Just like one day of eating healthy won't make you thin. It's all about control. I have one cheat MEAL a week, and i feel like it gives me a good boost to be positive and stick with eating healthy through the following week.

    i personally notice it keeps me from binging... yay for sanity! :)
  • tonytoo
    tonytoo Posts: 307
    Let's say you're eating at 500 calories under your TDEE every day.

    but one day you feel the need to eat something extra. Perhaps you met a friend and go out to eat.

    well, if you eat those 500 calories that day, then you're STILL only eating at TDEE. You won't put *any* weight on, but equally you won't lose any that day.

    Cheat is a bad term, I'd call it a FREE day. All you did was pause for the cause!
  • ThinUpGirl
    ThinUpGirl Posts: 397
    If they work for you.

    For me personally cheat days don't work. In the past they tent to snowball into cheat weekends which wasn't helping any. Now i do cheat meals. I try to stay below my tdee on that day and usually have greesy tacos or chips or pizza. It makes the week easier.
  • kistockman
    kistockman Posts: 80 Member
    I don't believe in "cheat days." I eat what I want and track it. Sometimes it's more calories than I should take in, but I count them just the same.
  • iulia_maddie
    iulia_maddie Posts: 2,780 Member
    This is something you need to discuss with your husband, not a bunch of strangers on MFP.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    I often hear about people having cheat days. How often are these okay? What exactly does that mean?

    I have heard people say they have cheat days a lot over the years of yo-yo dieting, but I guess I wonder how a cheat day doesn't kind of undo everything a person has been working toward. Anyone have opinions on this?

    Pretty much it really depends on the person. I personally don't have "cheat days" or "cheat meals." I'm not on a "diet" so I don't need them. I've just cut my portion sizes down. For people who are following a strict diet "cheat days" or "cheat meals" can prevent them from binging later.

    For a cheat day or meal to undo the work you did, you would pretty much have to uncontrollably binge. If your at a 500 calorie deficit 6 days a week and the 7th day is your "cheat day" for it to undo what you did you would have to eat at least 3000 calories over your daily goal.
  • squatsandlipgloss
    squatsandlipgloss Posts: 595 Member
    This is something you need to discuss with your husband, not a bunch of strangers on MFP.

    ..... what?
  • conniemaxwell5
    conniemaxwell5 Posts: 943 Member
    A cheat day implies that your "normal" day isn't sustainable. I believe that for successful permanent weight loss, you need to adjust your lifestyle in such a way that you are losing weight while enjoying life. While losing weight you need to be at a calorie deficit on a consistent basis. When you get to your goal you will increase your calories or decrease your activity to maintain the weight. I think we make it too hard sometimes...
  • theCarlton
    theCarlton Posts: 1,344 Member
    I've heard it doesn't count as cheating if you're outside of the country you normally live in.
  • iBreatheMusic88
    iBreatheMusic88 Posts: 115
    I have mine on Sundaysm but be careful with it... I try to still stay within my calories, I just dont over eat like I was used to doing months ago. But I will eat a burgar and fry with not a bit of guilt. :-)
  • briabner
    briabner Posts: 427 Member
    I can not do a cheat day because then I loose all will power and the next several days are "cheat days" I have found that allowing myslef the things I want on a daily basis in moderation this works best for me. Typically cheat days you would eat the amount of calories as if you were maintaining your weight.
  • MrsPong
    MrsPong Posts: 580 Member
    I dont really have a "cheat day". I let myself have what I want, usually when I want it. Just smaller portion of it. Some days, We go out to dinner or friends come over and such and hey I got over my calories it's life.... but I log EVERY bite and continue on.
  • timeforme_2013
    timeforme_2013 Posts: 71 Member
    I often hear about people having cheat days. How often are these okay? What exactly does that mean?

    I have heard people say they have cheat days a lot over the years of yo-yo dieting, but I guess I wonder how a cheat day doesn't kind of undo everything a person has been working toward. Anyone have opinions on this?

    I have a friend who is on a restricted diet, VERY restricted, but once a week he is allowed a RED food, a 500 calorie RED food , anything he wants to eat. Maybe you could try that? he has lost over 100 lbs btw even with his red food "cheat"
  • missymakayla
    missymakayla Posts: 309 Member
    I "cheat" usually 1 time a month, but within limits. You can't say, well it's my "cheat" day I'll eat whatever and how much I want, and not expect to gain weight. I will have 2 slices of pizza and a small fry, or maybe a sweet "cheat" slice of pie, cake , etc. But I really try to keep within my cal intake for the day. I will limit what I eat throughout the day, before I know I'm going out to dinner for my "cheat"
  • amymichelle1226
    amymichelle1226 Posts: 150 Member
    My answer six months ago would have been different but I am starting to do "cheat days" now. I didn't, and I certainly wouldn't (even now) make a whole day of it. It's more cheat meals than anything else. Before if I had a cheat meal, I would workout to make up for it. Very, very rarely would I net way over my goal for the day. Now that I'm getting close to my weight goal, I've stopped losing consistently so I've upped my calories and I'm doing a little bit of calorie cycling. So I have had more frequent cheat meals than I used to but Sunday - Wednesday (I weigh in on Thursdays) I stay within my calorie goal. So on Thursday - Saturday I allow myself a little bit more. Sometimes it's eating that big piece of cake at a work party but mostly it's eating higher calorie snacks (apple + peanut butter), a bigger breakfast than I normal would have, etc.
  • wnbrice
    wnbrice Posts: 244 Member
    If you think you can maintain your diet everyday without burning out, dont have a cheat day
    If you think you will burn out if you maintain your diet without breaks, have a cheat day
    If you are the type to get derailed by eating more, dont have a cheat day
    If you are the type that can eat a little more one day and be fine? Have a cheat day
    If you end up eating like 2000 calories more than you should? Dont have a cheat day
    If you end up eating at or slightly above maintenance? Have a cheat day
    If you are on a run with the weight loss and want to keep going. Don't have a cheat day
    If you are stalled, even eating below maintenance. Have a few cheat days to see if you can reset that metabolism a bit.

    Its all situational. sometimes I want to eat out with friends without caring. So I do and just accept that it is going to take me a little longer to lose the weight. However if it makes it easier to stay on the diet then I really have no problem with that. Rather stay on a diet for 12 months with cheat days than stay on a diet for 10 months without.
  • kdsp2911
    kdsp2911 Posts: 170 Member
    A cheat day implies that your "normal" day isn't sustainable. I believe that for successful permanent weight loss, you need to adjust your lifestyle in such a way that you are losing weight while enjoying life. While losing weight you need to be at a calorie deficit on a consistent basis. When you get to your goal you will increase your calories or decrease your activity to maintain the weight. I think we make it too hard sometimes...

    ^^^ This! If your lifestyle isn't something you can LIVE everyday, then you aren't going to lose the weight and keep it off. If you resist every craving, every singe day of your life, you are more likely to "fall off the wagon" and end up binging.
  • watfordjc
    watfordjc Posts: 304 Member
    It depends on your mind, but generally satisfying your cravings occasionally helps you (me) stay on track rather than giving up completely. Some people consider cheat days as being "off diet" and subsequently don't go back "on diet" the next day. Some people do calorie cycling and have their cheat day on the calorie surplus day and others do a maintenance week every few months (the idea being to tell the body the metabolism doesn't need to be slowed down because the calorie restriction isn't a permanent thing).

    I tried maintenance days but always ended up within my deficit because I burn a lot of calories. These days I just satisfy my cravings on the days when I burn a lot of calories and do extra exercise on days when I'm going to have an unknown calorie consumption (e.g. visiting family).

    If you eat at maintenance for a day, the only weight you'd gain is water weight. If you eat at a surplus one day, and a deficit for 6 days, and it adds up over the week to an overall deficit, you'd lose weight (albeit fluctuating sodium intake, exercise, and natural weight fluctuations may mean it takes a while for that trend to be obvious).
  • JessiBelleW
    JessiBelleW Posts: 831 Member
    Let's say you're eating at 500 calories under your TDEE every day.

    but one day you feel the need to eat something extra. Perhaps you met a friend and go out to eat.

    well, if you eat those 500 calories that day, then you're STILL only eating at TDEE. You won't put *any* weight on, but equally you won't lose any that day.

    Cheat is a bad term, I'd call it a FREE day. All you did was pause for the cause!

    This is such a sensible and logical way of looking at things! I've had a rough week calorie wise but this makes it feel much better - I probably will not have lost much weight (if any!) this week - but since the calories I am aiming for are under my TDEE I also won't have gained any weight this week either!

    Thanks for the much needed reality check :)
  • TylerJ76
    TylerJ76 Posts: 4,375 Member
    I've heard it doesn't count as cheating if you're outside of the country you normally live in.

    *area code
  • wareagle8706
    wareagle8706 Posts: 1,090 Member
    No. Cheat MEAL. Not cheat day. Also, the "everything in moderation" still applies here. Eat what you want but done gorge yourself on it.
  • cmcollins001
    cmcollins001 Posts: 3,472 Member
    I have mine on Sundaysm but be careful with it... I try to still stay within my calories, I just dont over eat like I was used to doing months ago. But I will eat a burgar and fry with not a bit of guilt. :-)

    You don't go over your calories on a cheat day, but consider having a burger cheating? I'm not sure you fully understand the concept of a cheat day.
  • wareagle8706
    wareagle8706 Posts: 1,090 Member
    You really think a cheat day is going to undo everything you've worked for.......? Like, you lose 10 lbs in a month's time, have a cheat day and gain the 10 lbs right back? ;)

    No but it could possibly undo an entire week. Think about it. If you successfully burned 3500 calories in one week and then ate fast food breakfast, lunch, and dinner and had a dessert all in one day you've undone all your hard work for that week. Why would you want to do that?
  • KrazyAsianNic
    KrazyAsianNic Posts: 1,227 Member
    I personally don't get the point of cheat days. I understand making healthier choices is the way to go, but you're allow to have a meal or day where you can just enjoy whatever. I rather think, "Everything in Moderation"
  • kbmiller27
    kbmiller27 Posts: 70 Member
    To me, a "cheat day" is just a day I chose to eat less healthily than other days. I usually try to plan around them for instance when i know I'm going out to a restaurant or party or whatever.

    When I started this a little over a year ago, I was truly in the mindset of it being a lifestyle change, and have actually never looked at it as a "diet"

    So, no cheat days for me, because I allow myself what I want as long as it's in moderation and I'm still where I need to be calorie-wise. It's the only way I've figured out how to make this actually a sustainable thing, and I hardly ever feel like giving up because I am not so restricted every single day.

    well...... except now that I"m pregnant I really miss my wine. :laugh:
  • autumny70
    autumny70 Posts: 127 Member
    I've heard it doesn't count as cheating if you're outside of the country you normally live in.

    I heard that too. Oh, and Vegas.

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