Logging a cheat day...or meal...Is it really worth the time

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faithchange
faithchange Posts: 311 Member
in Food and Nutrition
LOL! So, I gave into my "cheat meal". I call it a cheat meal because me and the family ate at our favorite chinese/japanese buffet. I did make wise decisions, however the calories and sodium added up fast. I have the majority of my foods logged, but feel like a cheat day is a cheat day. I'm planning on working out today and pushing the water. This week, has not been a friendly one for me on the scale with water weight and just my bonus time of my cycle. UGH! So...hmm. Just wondered all your thoughts. I'm hoping it was worth it for me to have the cheat. I didn't go over as I normally do. I actually remembered most of my foods. LOL! However, like I said, if you eat chinese/japanese whether you eat a lot or not...your slaughtering your day on sodium and calories still.

Sorry...I just had to vent.

Replies

  • lmelangley
    lmelangley Posts: 1,039 Member
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    I'd log it. When I have meals or days when I overeat (I refuse to call them "cheat" because I want to be able to build these into a healthy lifestyle and don't consider them cheating), I log everything as well as I can. Then, I can go back and reference the day if I'm looking for trends. For example, I've learned by watching my diary that excessive carbs for a couple of days in a row puts on a couple of false pounds - false because they go away quickly when I go back to eating my new normal. If I hadn't logged every meal, I never would have figured this out.
  • deo_volente
    deo_volente Posts: 16
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    Log it! I recently was faced with the same issue and was glad I entered the information in my "diary". We recently had a graduation party with tons of food and I was stuck there looking at this food for 6 hours (or two meals). I also made semi-wise choices but unfortunately the calories ended up being much more than normal.

    I see this as a learning process and will over and over again be tempted by these situations. Suddenly a blank cheat day leads to another blank cheat day. Seeing the spike on my 30 or 90 day trending report is a great reminder.
  • JulieDerda
    JulieDerda Posts: 163
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    i log it .. just so you know what you did and if it really messes your week up than you know NOT to do that again OR to work out harder so that it wont effect you whole weight loss.

    For me Cheat meals are a must and I coulnt survive w/ out indulging once i awhile.
  • apriltrainer
    apriltrainer Posts: 732 Member
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    I log it. Sometimes I will have a certain cheat meal and the next day...

    Nothing! No bloating.

    The next time I will bloat like no tomorrow.

    Sometimes I can see that 2 "cheat meals" a week is ok, and 3 is not.

    It's also a way to keep yourself honest...and usually having a bad day sets me up to have a good day later!
  • tami101
    tami101 Posts: 617 Member
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    There are actually generic chinese buffet's in the data base that other members have added. They range in calories so you can pick one that's about right, that's what I do when we go eat chinese because like you said the day is ruined anyway. I tried putting all the info in once and it was worse than I thought, so now I quick add some cals on top of it. I just make sure I do an extra long workout before going. =)
  • PercivalHackworth
    PercivalHackworth Posts: 1,437 Member
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    Well i think you should get an habit to log everything not to be tempted to log only "good" days.
    The tracker is just a tool, not an end in itself ^^
  • 70davis
    70davis Posts: 348 Member
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    Bump
  • nogoldilocs
    nogoldilocs Posts: 87 Member
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    Log it! I use the days I go over my goals as a learning experience. It's one thing to "know" that a large order of onion rings is going to put me over on sodium, fat or calories; it's another thing entirely to *see* it in black and white. Really helps me make better choices the next time.
  • sarahkatara
    sarahkatara Posts: 826 Member
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    I had a hibachi date with my best friend last night. I ate what I wanted and enjoyed everything. I didn't have time or energy to log it last night but when i did this morning, it added up to over 1000 calories! i was surprised but not bothered because by recording it I can even out my eating on other days to make sure i'm where i need to be. i also don't call these "cheats". I never have. I don't think seeing it like that is necessarily the most healthy view, but to each their own. Today I will be doing a workout and eating a light dinner because i had that yummy dinner last night and some cookies earlier today. it's just about being honest to yourself and figuring out what works.
  • Le_Joy
    Le_Joy Posts: 593 Member
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    I log everything. A month from now I may not remember it and then I would be confused on why I appear to have not eaten poorly but gained weight. The tools on MFP aren't very helpful if you don't use them...
  • petiteLady89
    petiteLady89 Posts: 198 Member
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    I log EVERYTHING I eat. Even when I got over by 2,000 calories or more. It really helps me stay accountable. Obviously, I still let my self indulge if we go out, or I really want some chips or something. I just log it and move on.
  • opuntia
    opuntia Posts: 860 Member
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    I log it, if it's relatively easy to log - if I go to a party or a restaurant, and eat all kinds of unusual things, then I'm less likely to log. But otherwise, if it's easy to log, I log it.

    But then I don't consider it a cheat day. I actively and happily allow myself to have such days, and I think they are good. I like to log them, because then I can see the pattern on my bar chart - it's easy to see at a glance which days I've eaten more and which days I've eaten less.
  • Vansy
    Vansy Posts: 419 Member
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    Definitely worth it to log the bad days -- puts them into perspective of how much you're REALLY eating. Like yesterday I went to a football game, and we went to dinner beforehand -- I ate a ton, still logged it though and at least I know how much and what I ate for reference when I wonder why I haven't lost any weight.
  • mellisowik
    mellisowik Posts: 31
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    I think that you should log everything.... Your the one responsible for your food choices.. It usually will make me thinks twice before i make poor choices the next time.... Also who are you kidding if you dont??????

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