Cheat Days...Yay or Nay?

Give your self your treats in moderation. If you don't you may find your self binging. I like to have spike day once a week. But I spike in healthy foods. Sometimes I do eat stuff like french fries. But Not very often at all. Mostly I work my treats in around my daily calories.

I believe that everyday can be a "cheat day" if done in moderation! I don't like calling them cheat days though, as it encourages a feeling of guilt. I treat myself everyday...I just don't overindulge. Moderation is key!

My goal is to be "normal", you know go through life making more good decisions than bad ones. That being said of course you will have cheat meals, days, and maybe weekends, then you get back on the horse and go back to making good decisions. I lost a lot of weight very fast a few years ago, it was amazing and my discipline was unmatched, I started the program on January 1st and did not cheat on my diet a single time until the middle of May and lost 80 pounds in that time, then I did pretty good for about a year and when I started putting on weight I did not simply hop back on my diet, why you ask, because I had made my previous diet the absolute worst thing you could imagine and it took three years and every single pound I had lost and 20 more to decide in needed to find another way. I may not lose weight as fast but hopefully this way I won't be so afraid to keep myself on a normal diet and if I do start slipping more often than not I would be so reluctant to buckle down when I need to.

that's a big fat YES on my behalf. I enjoy my cheat days. I call them High Calorie Metabolism Shock days. Every Saturday. That's how I roll.

Normal sounds like a good idea

I do it ONCE a week on Saturdays. and ONLY one meal... you have be try your hardest to be strict with yourself, or you will relapse. IF you feel like you can't handle that meal yet, just don't do it!

I never PLAN for a cheat day, and if I do have one I try not to go TOO over my limit. I've had some bad experiences with sodium-heavy cheat days making me 4-5 lbs heavier on my next weigh-in.

I really try to eat in moderation most days. I really don't pick a "cheat day" because to me it reinforces the idea that there are "bad foods" and I think that's a really rubbish mindset to get into- creating a sense of shame if you don't eat "good foods. I like junk food cuz it's tasty, and apologetically eat a little most days and try to plan out when I'm going to splurge a bit more than normal. To me it seems to encourage a restrictive mindset, kills flexblity in daily life, and works counter to life-style change.

But what it really comes down to is you individually. If it's what helps you make it through the other 6 days a week totally perfect, then go for it.

I say a big fat NAY to cheat days. While it was not technically a cheat day, last week my wife and I were both craving Chinese food so we decided we'd eat out at a local place. Horrible idea. Despite being very careful with not only what we ate but with portion sizes, this decision elevated my blood sugar beyond acceptable limits and ultimately had too many calories for the day. As another member said, these types of events can fuel our eating disorders and it's take me 4 days to get beyond that so for me, no thanks, I will follow my eating plan as is with no cheats at all.

Trying to eat healthy/work out/live a healthier lifestyle is a change in your entire life....it's not something that you just do for a couple months, reach a goal, and then go back to your old habits. With that though, I've found that it's most successful for my if I don't completely deprive myself of the "cheat" items that I like, such as a little ice cream once in a while or some french fries or whatever your weakness is. Getting healthy isn't about deleting items from your diet, because then once you do have them again, you will want to have them all the time and ruin your diet. If you want to have a piece of chocolate some random afternoon, do it....just only have one little piece (like those little single Dove Chocolates or a single mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cup...yes both of which I love!). It's not going to kill you and it's not going to ruin your diet to have that. In face, I've found that days were I don't just eat super healthy and have no fat or carbs whatsoever in my diet, my MFP total after I "complete my day" is usually a higher weight loss than when I did have a little bit of ice cream or some potato chips. Now like I said, it's all about moderation and when I eat some ice cream, I go get frozen yogurt or like the "healthier" types you can buy in the stores....or I buy the low-calorie or low-sodium potato chips....and you just can't have an entire gallon of ice cream or giant bag of potato chips or super size fries at McDonald's. But I think you'll find if you allow yourself those little splurges every once in a while, you won't crave them so often and, although it may take a little extra time to meet that final goal, you will get there and be able to maintain it a lot easier because you did it the healthy and right way!

I would say nay but that's more because I am an all or nothing girl so a cheat meal for me turns into a cheat day into a cheat weekend and so on!!

Saying that if its a special occasion I will make an exception but make sure I hit the gym that day and burn off some of the calories in advance so can have a treat within my daily goals.

This probably wouldn't work for everyone so I say if your disciplined enough and it's a meal every week or so go for it, but a whole day on a free for all wouldn't be a good idea.

I do cheat days, sorta, I dont schedual them or anything, but like 2 days ago, my dad wanted to take me to dinner, so I was like I realy want chicken strips, and Ive done realy well for 1 1/2 weeks, so im going to have chicken strips and fries, but that was the only bad thing I ate, didnt have pop and did good the rest of the day, so I guess you could say I have cheat mealsonly if ive done realy well for a week or 2, but even my cheat meals I try not to make too unhealthy because then its a step back.

I say nay. I have a treat everyday of strawberries with frozen yogurt. It fits into my calories and macros for the day, but helps me to avoid the temptation of sweets throughout the day. That being said, I think having a cheat day every week can bad if not monitored very well. I see people who don't log on the weekends and that can probably ruin a whole entire week if not careful as well. I do think a day where you can eat whatever you want can be good for mental health. I had one of those days last week. I was having a bad day and said to myself "You know what, I have been doing this for 200 days. Let me just go nuts." I logged everything, and just got back on the wagon the next day. And I still lost a pound this morning.

I wouldn't necessarily say "cheat day," so much as a "cheat meal." I don't deprive myself if it's something that I really WANT, but at the same time, if I cheated ALL DAY, it could add up to a LOT of calories/fat/sugar. For example, if I know that I'm going to eat at my parents, my bf's parents, or OUT to eat - I will eat light and healthy for all of my meals and splurge a little at that one meal.

We all have to do what is best for us as an individual. Find what works for you. Good luck!

Have one meal a week where you can "cheat", just keep it in moderation and dont get too crazy! Thats what I do so I dont go insane missing out on what I still love!