why cheat?

closenre

This thread again?



Doesn't actually affect your efforts, so quiet down.

Yes maam... sorry to bother you.

MaydayParadeGirl

Lose the weight and then eat like crap. Right now you are trying to lose weight, not maintain so quit destroying your work for food, thats why we all got fat in the first place...

With that mentality you're just going to gain all the weight you lost back. Have fun though, I really hope no one takes that advice.

sullus

This is simply a rant but I hate hearing people talk about their cheat days. This doesn't make any sense. You work you but off to lose weight then admittedly sabotage it and for what? Flavor? Wooo! That last about 4 minutes. Now in not referring to people who at at or near goal weight, it then becomes a personal choice for maintenance. I am also not referring to people who have a bad day because who hasn't? What im talking about are the people who have a lot of weight to lose who plan on eating like crap on a weekly basis. These are the same people who whine because they have only lost x amount of weight in x amount of time. Lose the weight and then eat like crap. Right now you are trying to lose weight, not maintain so quit destroying your work for food, thats why we all got fat in the first place...

I don't get it. How does a +/-3000 calorie cheat day sabotage anything? Define "Crap". Quantify "Destroy"

CyberEd312

I can understand where you are coming from. I saw a post, last week I think, of someone who was planning a 5,000 calorie day. I'm not sure why they were going for that specific calorie amount, but to me that would undermine any progress I had. I can understand maybe going out having a little 'extra' of something, but that 5,000 calorie day just confused me.

That woman was 5'1 and 91 pounds with a goal of gaining weight. Her 'cheat' day does not have the same implication of someone elses cheat day.

Also 5000 isn't that much: I once ate a whole coldstone cake in a day which is roughly 6000 calories (and delicious.) and still had dinner later. I'm always skeptical of people who are all "Oh my gosh 2000-3000-5000 is just so much food!" Nah, not really.


And now I want coldstone.

QFT as well..... I am maintaining at 4000 calories a day and believe me it is not as hard to do as one might think.....

MaydayParadeGirl

I can understand where you are coming from. I saw a post, last week I think, of someone who was planning a 5,000 calorie day. I'm not sure why they were going for that specific calorie amount, but to me that would undermine any progress I had. I can understand maybe going out having a little 'extra' of something, but that 5,000 calorie day just confused me.

That woman was 5'1 and 91 pounds with a goal of gaining weight. Her 'cheat' day does not have the same implication of someone elses cheat day.

Also 5000 isn't that much: I once ate a whole coldstone cake in a day which is roughly 6000 calories (and delicious.) and still had dinner later. I'm always skeptical of people who are all "Oh my gosh 2000-3000-5000 is just so much food!" Nah, not really.


And now I want coldstone.

....a whole cake is a lot of food for anyone and EXTREMELY unhealthy...that's more sugar tahn you should probably consume in a month let alone in one sitting...

castelluzzo99

What I call a cheat meal is really a potluck at church. I get that once a week. It's a cheat day because I just guess at the calories. But if they have small plates, I'll take the smaller plate (unless there's a ton of salad--then I'll take the larger plate and fill it at least half full of salad). I will also think really hard about seconds. And if I want seconds, I'll put them in a bowl instead of on a plate. And I limit myself to one dessert. And I eat the healthiest options available. Being on a GF diet helps to limit what I can actually eat, but that won't last forever.

Anyhow, I try to budget 1000 calories for the meal, and if I eat over that, I'm still in a calorie deficit for the day. So I guess it's not a true cheat day, not like it would be if I went to Dairy Queen or something...

closenre

Lose the weight and then eat like crap. Right now you are trying to lose weight, not maintain so quit destroying your work for food, thats why we all got fat in the first place...

With that mentality you're just going to gain all the weight you lost back. Have fun though, I really hope no one takes that advice.

clearly not saying to go back to eating the way we did before we lost... however... if you lose the weight, you can then eat like crap and only have to work to maintain, not have a loss as well...

boothekm

I don't think you should reward diet/healthy living progress with food. It's a contradiction almost. However, on the other hand, I think cheat days play a big part in the psychological aspect of losing weight/getting healthy. Just like smoking or drinking or drugs, some people can quit cold turkey while others need to ween themselves off.

xiamjackie

I don't see it as a bad thing to occasionally take a break from many things in life. Some people may see a few days off exercise as "cheating" on exercise, or taking a night off from studying as "cheating" on your education, OR a day off of work due to illness as "cheating" on your job.

I just see all of these things as breaks that can give us a little piece of mind and keep us going further in the long run instead of getting burnt out quickly.

DanceFittDiva

I do not do whole cheat days. I don't want to have any set-backs, but I do have 1 cheat meal a week on whatever day I choose. Mon-Fri I watch my calorie intake religiously. Sat or Sun is when I usually do my cheat meal. For example, this past Sat evening I had 3 pieces of medium cheese pizza, an Arizona iced tea, and a small bowl of butter pecan ice cream. I don't set a certain amount of calories that I'm going to consume or go over. I eat like I normally would throughout the day... I eat a lot of the same things, so I know what the calorie count will be and then when it comes time to eat my cheat meal, I don't stuff myself or overeat. Sometimes I don't even know how many calories I've eaten because if it's a home made dish, I have no idea what they are. This is a lifestyle change for me, but I know that from losing weight once before, I was not happy never being able to have the good foods that I love. At one point I did restrict myself to only eating clean and I was grumpy and it wasn't sustainable for the long term. Even though I ate those things this past weekend, I weighed myself this morning and I'd lost 2.4 lbs just over the weekend alone. I just don't stress at all over those cheat meals. I work out almost every day (doing Insanity) and almost always fall within the calories I should be eating daily. Maybe I would be further along if I didn't have those cheat meals, but I'm happy! Do what works for you!

Achrya

I can understand where you are coming from. I saw a post, last week I think, of someone who was planning a 5,000 calorie day. I'm not sure why they were going for that specific calorie amount, but to me that would undermine any progress I had. I can understand maybe going out having a little 'extra' of something, but that 5,000 calorie day just confused me.

That woman was 5'1 and 91 pounds with a goal of gaining weight. Her 'cheat' day does not have the same implication of someone elses cheat day.

Also 5000 isn't that much: I once ate a whole coldstone cake in a day which is roughly 6000 calories (and delicious.) and still had dinner later. I'm always skeptical of people who are all "Oh my gosh 2000-3000-5000 is just so much food!" Nah, not really.


And now I want coldstone.

....a whole cake is a lot of food for anyone and EXTREMELY unhealthy...that's more sugar tahn you should probably consume in a month let alone in one sitting...

And yet I was never thinner or in or in better shape than when I was eating like an elephant each and every day. I ate that cake (Followed by half a roast chicken, greens, mac and cheese, and home made rolls) and then got up and did my PTR the next day, finishing well ahead of where I needed to be. I got chubby eating around 2000-2500 calories a day, not when I was eating 3500+

Also it's about 600g of sugar; I consume that (currently) in about 4 days. Or in just this past weekend when I eat carrot cake on Saturday and Sunday. People can pry my sugar from my cold dead hands.

MaydayParadeGirl

Lose the weight and then eat like crap. Right now you are trying to lose weight, not maintain so quit destroying your work for food, thats why we all got fat in the first place...

With that mentality you're just going to gain all the weight you lost back. Have fun though, I really hope no one takes that advice.

clearly not saying to go back to eating the way we did before we lost... however... if you lose the weight, you can then eat like crap and only have to work to maintain, not have a loss as well...

You honestly just sounded like you were saying 'weight till you get to your goal and have a giant cheat day. It doesn't matter when you have a cheat day, you're doing the exact same thing to your body...so why not start it off in the beginning when you already have less motivation?

Mr_Bad_Example

Now THIS is a cheat day. I might try this sometime.

fbmandy55

I work out and eat well so i CAN still eat the things I like. Not everyone is all or nothing when it comes to weight loss/nutrition.

A cheat day does not sabotage progress.

Hawk600us

All good points here. I believe it is a different experience for everyone. Some people can handle a restricted diet while others just cannot!
Unfortunately I am part of the second group so if I start to crave something like a cheeseburger for instance and don't eat it, I start to compensate with other foods and this ends being more harmful than beneficial to me.
Instead a cheat day I sort of have a cheat meal per week while I allow myself a treat but still watching portion and also making sure the other meals in that day will be lean.
If possible I also try to burn calories in advance before the cheating meal so it compensates at the end.
You have to find what works best for yourself.

NutellaAddict

Break up.

closenre

Lose the weight and then eat like crap. Right now you are trying to lose weight, not maintain so quit destroying your work for food, thats why we all got fat in the first place...

With that mentality you're just going to gain all the weight you lost back. Have fun though, I really hope no one takes that advice.

clearly not saying to go back to eating the way we did before we lost... however... if you lose the weight, you can then eat like crap and only have to work to maintain, not have a loss as well...

You honestly just sounded like you were saying 'weight till you get to your goal and have a giant cheat day. It doesn't matter when you have a cheat day, you're doing the exact same thing to your body...so why not start it off in the beginning when you already have less motivation?

I guess most people think I am bashing everyone who goes over there limit.. Not the case.. I am simply saying that anyone who plans on going over their calories severly and then is confused on why they didnt lose anything needs to rethink there tactics

DawnieB1977

Lose the weight and then eat like crap. Right now you are trying to lose weight, not maintain so quit destroying your work for food, thats why we all got fat in the first place...

Nah, I only got fat with my pregnancies and lost it every single time.

Same here. My personal trainer advocates having a cheat meal. Note I said cheat meal, not cheat day. He says you can have this cheat meal if you eat perfectly all week.

I'm close to my goal weight so I tried the cheat meal idea for a few weeks and I'm not entirely sure if it made a difference, but I think i'll try it again and see.

When I was doing it I doubt I went over calories (I always did it on a day I'd exercised), and I generally stuck to home-made things, just things I don't make a habit of eating.

Achrya

Now THIS is a cheat day. I might try this sometime.

My my this post just got much hotter.

Timshel_

I don't have "cheat" days, I just have an enjoy a special meal or treat time.

Yup.