Are Cheat Days Really Okay?

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  • amiscci
    amiscci Posts: 64 Member
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    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!

    Yeah, but if you're trying to lose and at moderate deficit, say a woman at 250 calories under TDEE, and you have regular cheat days and eat out plus dessert, one meal can easily counterbalance many days of deficit. Maybe a half weeks worth of work or more. At the end it's all what goes in and out over a long period. One day or one meal won't erase months of work, but it can signficantly derail many days of effort. Occasional splurging aside, I try hard to plan for those calories and have mini splurges. Like tonight we're going out for dinner so I've been eating well and lightly beforehand, and worked out today--- I still have 1000 calories left. Now I am going to fit my splurge meal into that plan as best I can and enjoy that dinner!

    I suppose everyone's different but I choose not to let myself have regular free days; I was determined to live my plan as best I could and save the special circumstances for special circumstances. Find a way to treat myself everyday within my calorie plan.
  • CristalDeal
    CristalDeal Posts: 7 Member
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    I do one cheat meal a week, usually Sunday dinner. I still try to be conservative about what I eat but I dont get upset if I am over for the day. I also try to watch my other meals to make sure Im not eating double what I should for the day. Hope that makes sense.
  • djeffreys10
    djeffreys10 Posts: 2,312 Member
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    Pretty much every Saturday is a cheat day for me. It has been working so far, as I am still loosing. Most of the times, these days stay at or below tdee. Sometimes I will go a few hunderd over tdee. Once I even went nearly 1000 over tdee (had a date that weekend, and the girl made me a pumpkin cheesecake...I couldn't be rude :happy:). Even on the 1k over tdee day, I still lost over a pound that week.

    In short, everyone is different. If it works for you, it is ok. If it does not, it is not ok.
  • RougeIllusion
    RougeIllusion Posts: 59 Member
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    I don't have any "off limits/bad foods" so it eliminates the need for cheat days
  • wafflemeister14
    wafflemeister14 Posts: 46 Member
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    I never plan intentional cheat days, but on the occasional slip-up, I don't completely beat myself up, but I acknowledge I screwed up and go back to eating well right away
  • KAYRRIE
    KAYRRIE Posts: 201 Member
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    I personally don't do cheat days only because I know how I feel after a cheat day. I feel like I cheated on myself and I cheated myself. What I do is just moderate what I eat, watch what I eat, and count everything. If I desire a donut I have to include that donut in my food diary and I adjust what I eat as I go. So anything you eat that you really want, you just have to make sure you add it so that you can see how many calories you have left and eat accordingly.
  • Ivey05131980
    Ivey05131980 Posts: 1,118 Member
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    I don't really have cheat days except for my birthday, Christmas and things like that. During the week I am pretty strict on myself, or I TRY to be. The weekends are my weak point. I want to enjoy my bottle of wine and dinner out and eat all the bread that comes to the table. Everything in moderation is the key for me and you see how much I've lost. :) Stick with it and if you fail one day, get up and pick right up where you left off.
  • Amie_Girl
    Amie_Girl Posts: 80 Member
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    I personally don't approve of it. For me, I am on a mission. I don't need a day off. That is one less day when I could have accomplished something.
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
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    If you want one, I suppose they're okay.
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
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    I personally don't approve of it. For me, I am on a mission. I don't need a day off. That is one less day when I could have accomplished something.

    For me personally, I totally agree with this. If YOU want one, fine.
  • TigerPawsSC
    TigerPawsSC Posts: 20 Member
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    Every cheat day puts you one day further from your goal.

    And I like the feeling I get when I wake up knowing I made decisions to make myself and my body better a whole lot more than I like food that has and will make me fat.

    Cheat days show weakness, in my estimation.
  • darcyrose_texas
    darcyrose_texas Posts: 38
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    Personally, I "cheat" ALL the time! lol Just this sunday, I ate a burger with fries AND a twix candy... and I still weighed in half a pound less on monday morning. :) lol I try to eat less during the day when I know I am going out at night and I just eat smaller portions of everything in general. A lot of times when I got out, I order WHATEVER I want, and either split it with someone or take home half of it.
  • TigerPawsSC
    TigerPawsSC Posts: 20 Member
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    This is something you need to discuss with your husband, not a bunch of strangers on MFP.

    I got it. Sorry about the slow folks.

    This, clearly.

    Hard to believe that half a dozen people smart enough to turn on a computer couldn't comprehend the joke being made here.
  • aliciarose511
    aliciarose511 Posts: 37 Member
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    In the past, I would have "cheat days" and honestly undo everything I had done. However, I found that when I added exercise to my routine, I found that I could add in things I like, such as a slice of cake here and there, and still lose weight. As others have said, I make it work.

    I try to have a cheat meal every weekend or so, and I try to work out a bit to make it up. I also make sure to have healthy foods that I honestly enjoy on a daily basis as well.

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