Cheat days...

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SP00KSH0WBABY
SP00KSH0WBABY Posts: 23
in Food and Nutrition
Okay pals, on the subject of "cheating," - do you do it? Recommened it? If you DO, how often do you do it? And what exactly do you eat on those days? Have you noticed and negative/positive effects?

Thanks!!! :)
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Replies

  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
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    I think I am one of the few that doesn't "cheat" or "re-feed" or whatever you want to call it. I can see the potential benefits physically and mentally though. The reason I personally don't is because I am very satisfied with my daily diet. It could be due to the fact that there's a whole pint of ice cream at the end of every day for me. :)
  • _stephanie0
    _stephanie0 Posts: 708 Member
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    i don't plan my cheat days *unless i know of an occasion coming up*...i will just eat healthy so that when i do want something i just have it... its way more enjoyable when the craving is actually there :P

    i would stick to trying only once every one or two weeks though if you're trying to lose
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
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    I don't have them nor do I not have them.

    I watch what I eat and if I want something that isn't the healthiest for me, I'll either A) eat a sensible portion of it or B) splurge.
    Then after that I have two options. A) Exercise to burn some of those calories or B) Chalk it up to a day with some yummy food and move on.
  • pinkyleigh83
    pinkyleigh83 Posts: 148 Member
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    I maybe "cheat" one meal every other week. I don't like to do it too often because then I'll want it more often. I'm happiest when I eat well. Eating a crazy meal out doesn't make me feel as great anymore & I won't let myself cheat for a whole day because, honestly, I don't see the point you know?

    It's usually something from Panera Bread, In N Out or Cheesecake Factory. I like places with nutrition facts so I can still log it & be aware. Though I do love a neighborhood burger place that's amazing & worth it sometimes. :)

    My weight would go up for 1-3 days but it always went down. Watching my sodium, better eating & exercise took care of it after a few days.
  • cristalloseweight
    cristalloseweight Posts: 5
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    I do have 1-2 every 2-3 weeks. It is the only ay I can stay on the superstrict count I have myself on the other days. So basically for every 14 days I give myself one cheat day. It works. If I go 3-4 weeks on strict diet t hen I give myself 2 days. But cheat day doesn't mean inhale everything. It just means I get a small portion of something I normally wouldn't eat.
  • AmiC0717
    AmiC0717 Posts: 440 Member
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    Because I'm still really trying hard to focus on losing I haven't had any whole cheat days. I have had times where I chose to eat one thing that I knew would be higher in calories and then I just made sure I made up for it the next day or at the gym. I have a very good friend who is a good healthy weight, she eats well and works out and she is pretty good at eating right all week. One day a week she calls it her cheat day and trust me she's doing fine!
  • Luc245
    Luc245 Posts: 73
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    I eat healthy 90% of the time and then if something comes up I just don't deny myself. Within limits of course.
  • belladonna786
    belladonna786 Posts: 1,165 Member
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    I try not to "cheat" as nothing good ever comes of it, but for me cheating is eating something that has sugar in it or that is processed and that only happens if I cant avoid it, like if we go out to eat with friends or these is a party. I f you want or think you need "cheat" days I would call them treat days as cheat has a negative tone to it and may get you down.
  • RobynBourgeois
    RobynBourgeois Posts: 51
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    I don't have them nor do I not have them.

    I watch what I eat and if I want something that isn't the healthiest for me, I'll either A) eat a sensible portion of it or B) splurge.
    Then after that I have two options. A) Exercise to burn some of those calories or B) Chalk it up to a day with some yummy food and move on.

    This exactly!
  • zeebruhgirl
    zeebruhgirl Posts: 493 Member
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    I'm going to be honest, I was craving going out for food, so we went to a buffet last night (we do live in Vegas after all) and I mostly got salads and small bits of fruit and fish, lean meats, my usual.

    But I saw a little slice of chocolate cake and just HAD to.

    So I ate it.

    The second I put the fork down I knew it wasn't really worth it. It didn't taste as excellent as my brain had promised me it would. So I feel like I'm completely fine without cheating now :]
  • ErtaisLament
    ErtaisLament Posts: 4 Member
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    For me it was all about "finding my level" to see what I could have in moderation. At first I rigourously cut out everything, then I've slowly been allowing myself the occasional indulgence. So long as overall I'm moving in the right direction, it works out.
  • wsuduce
    wsuduce Posts: 68 Member
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    I don't have them nor do I not have them.

    I watch what I eat and if I want something that isn't the healthiest for me, I'll either A) eat a sensible portion of it or B) splurge.
    Then after that I have two options. A) Exercise to burn some of those calories or B) Chalk it up to a day with some yummy food and move on.

    ^^^ This x2
  • engelism
    engelism Posts: 3
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    "Cheat meal" not "Cheat day", I'd say its fine if you don't go over your daily caloric limit.
  • TonyStark30
    TonyStark30 Posts: 497 Member
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    When I first started I had one cheat day a week. This was either going to my parents on Sunday and having what ever was for dinner and what ever snacks were there, or going out for dinner. I never did both, and I always logged it.

    This never really affected me losing, I just gained a pound or so the day after, and as I worked into my weekly goal I stayed on track with the estimated weight loss.

    However, nearly a year later, I do have cheat days where I do not even log them and they set me back about 10 days!
    These are more like eating like a pig so if you are going to cheat like that it is probably not good.
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
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    Sometimes I have days that are up around maintenance calories. I always log. I try to do a lot of exercising when I am going to be splurging on food. Normally I end up too low on these days rather than too high. If a day does go high (only 2 days out of 51), I try to be a little lower for the next couple of days. I can do this since my goal is 1500 rather than the minimum of 1200. This is life! Enjoy it and make it work!
  • Kat120285
    Kat120285 Posts: 1,599 Member
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    I don't count calories anymore so I'm more aware of portions. When there is something I want that isn't the healthiest I have some and that's that. I work out hard so I don't feel like I'm cheating and I don't feel guilty on days like yesterday with my best friend where we went to Fridays and had beers and appetizers :smile:
  • Spartan_Maker
    Spartan_Maker Posts: 683 Member
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    Rather than have a planned cheat day, I eat what I want while staying within my daily calorie goal. If my macros get a little out of sorts, I don't care.

    I can easily fit pizza, hamburgers, ice cream, or whatever, into my daily totals; however, I don't find myself wanting these foods as often as I once did.

    It's not a bad idea to splurge every few weeks: it benefits leptin sensitivity.
  • CoronerKris
    CoronerKris Posts: 57 Member
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    Football sunday baby!
  • Henrye4185
    Henrye4185 Posts: 18
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    I am on a down hill slide b/c of cheat days. 1. I just got back from vacation where all the rules were broken. 2. My co-workers welcomed me back after a wonderful break with lots of foods that should not be in my presence.

    I would say stay AWAY from cheat days. Only allow yourself small rewards in snack portions once a week. That is it!
  • YouAreYourChoices
    YouAreYourChoices Posts: 64 Member
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    I tried the whole "cheat day" thing, but I wasn't strong enough to do it just for the one day. I carb cycle so it was encouraged to have an off day to pig out a bit to shake your diet up. I know it can promote more weight loss if you only do it the one day but going from "diet" food (which of course just means eating how we all should! lol) to eating junk food and then trying to go back again.. Uugghhh, not for me. I figure right now I want to lose a lot of weight, so I am going to focus on that. Once I get to my goal weight and go into maintenance mode I will give myself meals or special occasions to eat things I enjoy. If your curious about it you should try it, but no more then once a week. There can be some benefit from it if you have self control. Something I personally lack at the moment, lol.

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