Rules about CHEAT meals!

It won't kill you, but if you overdo it too much, you can gain back half a pound or so. It is good to have a refeed every other week or once a month, but you have to be careful about not having reckless abandon... if you have two pieces of cheesecake factory cheesecake after a maintenance calorie day, you will have eaten enough calories to gain a pound... but a few hundred or even a thousand calories over maintenance shouldn't be bad.

I do this once a week and eat whatever I want all day. Usually it's not too terrible though since I'm used to eating healthy and junk food just makes me sick.

This ^^^^

I have a cheat meal/day once a week. Usually for me it's more of a meal because I try to stay on my normal routine until dinner. But, at least once a month I probably have a whole day where I just don't care.

My cheat meal is the day that we go to town for groceries...we live 90 miles out of town so we don't "run" in for stuff and usually stay home all week and make a trip on Friday nights or Saturdays. We go out and eat for whatever meal we are there for, do our errands, usually end with the self serve frozen yogurt or latte's depending on the time of day and our mood.

For me, the scale is up a little bit the next day or that evening (I weigh every AM and PM) but it doesn't slow me down at all. Within 24 hours I am back to the same weight and the rest of the week continues as normal.

I think that cheat meals/day are necessary to keep your sanity as you venture through weight loss. You should be to go out and eat or go out to the bar or whatever without worrying that one day/meal will hinder your progress. Granted, you do not want to eat what you want for days in a row because then you will run into problems but dinner out once a week or even once a month is not a problem.

I have seen other people say that they cannot allow themselves cheat days because they make excuses and put off getting back on track. Or, with others, the one meal/day will really slow them down and it takes them a week to lose the weight from the day.

That being said, I think it's fine to have a cheat day and/or meal. But, you have to listen to your body too. If you do have a cheat day, don't be discouraged if you go up in the immediate 24ish hours right after

I like to have a "cheat day" every weekend. I typically still eat smaller portions now that my body is used to that, but I will eat a smaller portion of whatever I want. I still try to count all of it in my food diary to see what my total caloric intake is, but I try to exercise the morning of my cheat day so I don't feel quite as bad about all of the extra calories. I like to use my extra calories toward alcohol.

As long as you log it then its not cheating. And no you can still lose weight eating whatever you want everyonce in a while enjoy it... and go back to your normal routine tomorrow.:happy:

I do this once a week and eat whatever I want all day. Usually it's not too terrible though since I'm used to eating healthy and junk food just makes me sick.

Me too. I always make sure my junk food stays under my cal intake, and yeah, it isn't healthy...but I do love my 'junk food' so if this is for life, one day a week has got to stay! haha

i do a cheat day every other sunday (or saturday) but i DO have my rules:

i still have to exercise!
i still eat when i'm hungry and stop when i'm full
i make sure to eat all the different foods that i've been craving and "scratch all my itches"
NO GRAZING
and back on track tomorrow come hell or high water.

I hit day 80 today and have lost 34 lbs so far. If it sets you back, it won't be by much

I allow myself a 'cheat' meal every so often (it probably averages out to once a week). I don't go crazy though, because I simply can't eat as much as I used to! So a cheat meal usually doesn't put me over for the day by much more than 200 or 300 calories. It's not that often, so I'm not going to sweat it. I log it, and move on. I'm changing how I eat on a daily basis precisely so that i *CAN* indulge once in a while without it affecting my overall health.

It's all about calorie deficit over time, consistent. Personally I like to work in foods I like all the time so I don't ever feel I have to "cheat". I just have special occasions sometimes and might eat slightly less leading up to it or afterwards.

Great post, thanks! I've been wondering about free meals/days since I started a few weeks ago. It's been *easy* to stay on plan for the 2 weeks, but i've thought about what happens when i just NEED a plate of enchiladas! :-) I appreciate your post!

Yeah, i have my cheat day once in a week. i eat anything i want- even if it's two cake slices or more. i gain a pound that day- i lose 3 the next days.

My husband and I have one meal every weekend in which we eat whatever we want. It hasn't hurt us ... he's lost 100 lbs. as of today and I've lost 81. We think of it as an indulgence meal instead of a cheat meal. We do limit it to one meal, though, instead of an entire day.

I like this!

Thanks!!!

To me this is a healthy lifestyle - I don't believe in "cheat" days. I incorporate all the foods I love and refuse to give up into my eating plan - I just eat them less frequently and in smaller portions.

Celebrations happen, holidays happen, you just eat and move on.

Yes, going hog wild and eating anything and everything you want (that is what got you here) will have an effect - how much depends on what you put in your mouth.

I have lost a few pounds having a couple cheat meals a week... Normally have them on The weekend and sometimes on the same day.. I have only a couple rules.... Has to be out to eat, can have whatever I want off the menu, everything has to be consumed there, no food comes home. That is pretty much it....... Best of Luck...