Cheating 101

I don't like to call it "cheat meal" etc. It has a negative connotation to it. If I'm having something that might be a little higher in calories, I will plan for it. I might exercise a little longer that day. )

Lots of people set "cheat" days for themselves. I'm not sold on the idea, and hate the language.

I'll start with the language first: To me "cheat" implies that you are getting away with something, but you can't fool your body, or the scale. If you are going to eat over the calorie allowance that you have set for yourself, for whatever reason, please just look at it as a "choice" vs. a "cheat."

As far as the idea - I think it's okay to go over your calorie goal once in a while, as long as you understand how it is likely to impact your overall weight loss. But I don't like the idea of saying - for example - Thursday is my day to eat anything I want without counting. I don't like it for a couple of reasons. I think it can create pressure to make bad food choices on that day, because you feel like you're missing out if you don't, and I think that if you decide not to count, you're more likely to go wild, rather than making a thoughtful decision about what high calorie foods are worth it for you. And it doesn't allow the flexibility to say, on Tuesday, for example - here is this food that I really want, and in my judgement, it's worth the high calorie content.

But that's just my $0.02. You'll get lots of opinions, and have to find the way that fits best into your lifestyle, goals, and your way of looking at the world.

I don't have a regular cheat day or meal, because I mostly just incorporate the things I like to eat in my everyday diet. There are some days that end up as kind of "cheat" days just because it happens to be a day that I eat over my calorie goal. I really don't like the word "cheat" for those days though because they're just part of life, and they haven't ruined my progress.

Anyway, I know some people have whole days, some just a meal. Some even have the whole weekend off. Personally, if I was going to do it, I'd eat whatever I wanted for that day/meal, but log it accurately as well. I guess some people like not having to think about logging for a day, but I would be worried that I would go way over without being aware of it. A cheat day could definitely ruin your efforts the rest of the week. Say if you have a daily deficit of 500 calories, if you consume 3,000 calories over your goal on your cheat day, then the week's deficit would be wiped out. I guess some people would never eat that much, but it'd be quite easy for a lot of people. I would just experiment with it a bit - try making it just a meal and logging it. See if you can keep it within reason and it benefits you. If not, work something else out.

I DO NOT allow a cheat DAY. I allow for the occasional cheat meal. I ALWAYS calculate my calories.

I allow myself a cheat day, though I still make wise choices for my food. It's rare that even with a "cheat day" that I go over my calories. But like someone else said, normally, if I want a cookie, I have one. If I want a piece of candy, I have it. But I just make sure I count it, and move on. And the few times I've gone over my calorie limit, or made very poor food choices (or both!), I take a deep breath, account for all of it, and just keep moving forward. I don't beat myself up over it, because that's counterproductive. Gotta be positive with yourself. Support yourself, love yourself, etc. And realize that humans aren't perfect; we make mistakes, and that's okay!

Cheat days aren't bad. They can give you a sense of freedom so you don't feel so locked in. It's easy to blow your new lifestyle if you feel restricted. By "cheating", you don't have that feeling of restriction, and I've found it easier to keep going. The big thing to remember is that your calorie count isn't really a daily thing as far as your body sees it. It's the average over the week. So if you happen to have a day that's really, really high over your limit, you can try to balance it out by having a few days that are closer to your lower limit. Just don't ever drop below 1200 or whatever your body needs as a minimum.

ETA: But I really do hate the term "cheat day". I'm not cheating so much as just giving myself more freedom. Big difference!