*Cheat Weekends* - Can they ruin your entire week? (3 Q's)

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Julzmusic
Julzmusic Posts: 48 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hey guys,

I know a lot of you don't like the term *cheat* but as we all understand what it refers to whether we agree with it or not, I'm going to use it to ask :)

Say I eat extremely well all week and heavily watch my nutrition, ensuring I am not getting over my daily sodium/carbs etc. etc. and I am under by approximately 400-500 calories a day....
If I were to hypothetically end up being 3500 calories UNDER my weekly goal by the saturday.... Then I go to my boyfriends house, and he buys us pizza, and we have pringles/twisties/shapes whilst watching a movie together, and share chocolates from a box of cadbury favourites and then the next day we get up and have a McDonalds breakfast and a large chocolate thick shake with a doughnut for afternoon tea (all hypothetical) - Would that completely ruin anything I did during the week? Even if it now equalises my calorie goal for the week...?

It is my understanding that foods with a higher sodium content store as fat cells straight away (PLEASE correct me if I am wrong) but from there I gather, it doesn't matter what you eat to get your calories as you will possibly still lose weight if you are under - however if you're only eating things high in sodium you will ultimately be storing it all as fat, and when you do work out your body will reach for the limited protein or muscle building nutrients you have, before reaching for that massive clog of sodium you just had....??? Is that true???

Sorry for the huge amount of questioning..... If anyone could answer any of my questions that would be great.
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Replies

  • JossFit
    JossFit Posts: 588 Member
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    It is my understanding that foods with a higher sodium content store as fat cells straight away (PLEASE correct me if I am wrong) but from there I gather, it doesn't matter what you eat to get your calories as you will possibly still lose weight if you are under - however if you're only eating things high in sodium you will ultimately be storing it all as fat, and when you do work out your body will reach for the limited protein or muscle building nutrients you have, before reaching for that massive clog of sodium you just had....??? Is that true???

    Wow, yeah... thats not true at all. What you are referring to is high sodium content causing people to retain WATER weight. As for the second part regarding releasing the water weight during workouts I'm not even sure what you are trying to ask...

    Excess CALORIES are what make you store fat, not sodium.
  • kimothy38
    kimothy38 Posts: 840 Member
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    I'm usually pretty good at eating a nutritionally balanced diet and exercising during the week but the weekends are a different story. I avoid processed food like bread etc during the week but relax on the weekend and usually over eat because bread is a trigger food for me. I have maintained a steady weight doing this which is a bummer because I still have quite a bit to go. Cheat weekends don't ruin the whole week for me - I just get back on track come Monday.
  • Julzmusic
    Julzmusic Posts: 48 Member
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    It is my understanding that foods with a higher sodium content store as fat cells straight away (PLEASE correct me if I am wrong) but from there I gather, it doesn't matter what you eat to get your calories as you will possibly still lose weight if you are under - however if you're only eating things high in sodium you will ultimately be storing it all as fat, and when you do work out your body will reach for the limited protein or muscle building nutrients you have, before reaching for that massive clog of sodium you just had....??? Is that true???

    Wow, yeah... thats not true at all. What you are referring to is high sodium content causing people to retain WATER weight. As for the second part regarding releasing the water weight during workouts I'm not even sure what you are trying to ask...

    Excess CALORIES are what make you store fat, not sodium.

    Ok thank you so much - I read somewhere that sodium had something to do with fat cells being stored, that's why I assumed they were harder cells to break down.... Obviously I misinterpreted the information, hence why I posted this as I had no idea what the go was.....
    Thanks again :)
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
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    I don't think it would ruin the week if you were not over for the entire week, however, I would suggest it is better to have one 'cheat day' per week rather than two, and to keep the other six days relatively healthy and clean. This is what many seem to do, including my nutritional advisor/friend, although I think she does just a meal each Saturday after a workout.
  • Danied13
    Danied13 Posts: 117 Member
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    If you're going to have a cheat day, cheat with protein and fat instead of carbs. Enjoy your weekend :-)
  • deadliftfan
    deadliftfan Posts: 66
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    If you're going to have a cheat day, cheat with protein and fat instead of carbs. Enjoy your weekend :-)

    I second that. Eating under your maintenance level for the whole week reduces your BMR. An insulin overload in the weekend will make your body store a lot of what you eat as fat.

    I would try to eat things like beef jerky, domino's low carb meatlovers pizza etc instead of high carb stuff.
  • zaph0d
    zaph0d Posts: 1,172 Member
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    Basically at the end of the week, you either have a deficit, or you don't. I aim for a 3500 cal deficit, but I go a little overboard on the weekends, and end up with 2500-3000 cal deficit instead. I'm cool with it. It's sustainable and I'm happy and lean.
  • zaph0d
    zaph0d Posts: 1,172 Member
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    If you're going to have a cheat day, cheat with protein and fat instead of carbs. Enjoy your weekend :-)

    Meh. That's a useless restriction.
  • Jxnsmma
    Jxnsmma Posts: 919 Member
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    A cheat meal is much better than entire cheat weekend. I ate bad 3 days in a row this weekend and ended up 3lbs heavier for it. Still have one more pound o bloat to go until im back where i was last week and can make more progress ...
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
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    If you're going to have a cheat day, cheat with protein and fat instead of carbs. Enjoy your weekend :-)

    I second that. Eating under your maintenance level for the whole week reduces your BMR. An insulin overload in the weekend will make your body store a lot of what you eat as fat.

    I would try to eat things like beef jerky, domino's low carb meatlovers pizza etc instead of high carb stuff.

    I think a lot of incredibly lean and fit people here who swear by carb heavy cheat days would beg to differ, as would quite a few personal trainers. :)
  • Danied13
    Danied13 Posts: 117 Member
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    If you're going to have a cheat day, cheat with protein and fat instead of carbs. Enjoy your weekend :-)

    I second that. Eating under your maintenance level for the whole week reduces your BMR. An insulin overload in the weekend will make your body store a lot of what you eat as fat.

    I would try to eat things like beef jerky, domino's low carb meatlovers pizza etc instead of high carb stuff.


    I think a lot of incredibly lean and fit people here who swear by carb heavy cheat days would beg to differ, as would quite a few personal trainers. :)

    A personal trainer is also going to use up all those carbs. Unless the OP has a very high activity level, they're going unused. It's not about calories..it's about insulin regulation.
  • fatt_boyy_slimm
    fatt_boyy_slimm Posts: 56
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    For me, it ain't cheatin' if you ain't eatin! What I mean is that you have to have days where you "fall off the wagon" otherwise, everyday would be a day of "I gotta watch what I eat". For me, I'm fanatical about my weight without being a fanatic. Today, I ate 3100 calories, well over my 1800 calorie limit (and I had 2400 yesterday). I'm not concerned about it because I don't do it everyday (hell, I rarely do it once a month cause I'm NOT going back to 358 lbs!!! ..... ever) Just remember not to overindulge too much and in order to lose any weight.....ya gotta have weight to lose in the first place. Cheers!
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
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    Your cheat foods could cause inflammation and alter your fat storage if you are intolerant. Basically, an intolerance is like a very mild form of an allergy. When the irritating food enters your system, this creates a biological reaction that increases cortisol levels, thereby making it harder to lose weight.

    The big 5 foods for inflammation are: Wheat, eggs, dairy, soy, and peanuts. If you are having a hard time losing weight, try eliminating wheat first, since it is also very high on the glycemic scale.
  • kelseyhere
    kelseyhere Posts: 1,123 Member
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    Basically at the end of the week, you either have a deficit, or you don't. I aim for a 3500 cal deficit, but I go a little overboard on the weekends, and end up with 2500-3000 cal deficit instead. I'm cool with it. It's sustainable and I'm happy and lean.

    I've had similar experience - as long as I maintain a deficit, I can still lose weight, or at least maintain (=not gain). Usually by Wednesday my weight has stabilized (as long as I'm working out).

    But also agree w/maldrat that less carbs is better. Burgers (no bun-> lettuce wrap), ice cream, chocolate milk and other higher fat & protein foods seem to be less damaging than when I pig out on gummy bears, bread/sandwiches, doughnuts, etc. I feel like eating excess carbs makes me look 'soft' whereas when I eat more protein and fats, I actually look leaner. Low-fat isn't the key to being lean. You actually need fats to stay lean and be healthy, IMO. I typically eat really well during the week, and 'cheat' 1-2 days on weekends. I feel like it keeps me sane. I've been able to do this for years and stay lean (again, as long as I work out consistently, if that slips I start gaining).
  • kelseyhere
    kelseyhere Posts: 1,123 Member
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    Your cheat foods could cause inflammation and alter your fat storage if you are intolerant. Basically, an intolerance is like a very mild form of an allergy. When the irritating food enters your system, this creates a biological reaction that increases cortisol levels, thereby making it harder to lose weight.

    The big 5 foods for inflammation are: Wheat, eggs, dairy, soy, and peanuts. If you are having a hard time losing weight, try eliminating wheat first, since it is also very high on the glycemic scale.

    This is an excellent point. Everyone has a different weekly protein/carb/fat balance that is appropriate for their body, you just need to experiment to find your own.
  • greatdanebabies
    greatdanebabies Posts: 42
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    I would pick a cheat day and add 400-600 calories of something I'm craving. This way I don't find myself giving up and going nuts on all the things I crave but are not that good to eat all the time.
  • itali614
    itali614 Posts: 53 Member
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    For two weeks I have gained and lost the same four pounds because I wasn't careful over the weekend. And that is with burning 1227 calories for working out during the week on two individual days and about 500 on the other three individual days. that equals over 3,000 extra calories that I don't even use. I think it depends upon the person. For me I have to be disciplined both during the week and weekend.
  • pinkrose99
    pinkrose99 Posts: 12
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    I dont know too much about dieting but my sister did lose 14lbs a month by being very strict on healthy eating during the week and having one day on the weekend where she would eat what she wanted she lost 8 stone by the time she finished.
    I have heard from a dietician at my hospital that its the total calories you eat/exercise in a week that determines your weightloss for that week.
    One thing you should avoid like the plague in any food or drinks in glucose-frucose syrup apparently this stuff actually increases your appetite and most of it is stored as fat because your liver cant metabolise it, and if you have alot of it you can get cirrohis of the liver. You will find it in fizzy drinks, and even low fat so called diet foods because when you take the fat out you have to replace it with something to make it taste good.
    I watched a lecture on this and the professor basically said if you ate 120 calories from a natural food you would use up about 90 calories and store about 20 calories, but eating the same 120 calories with glucose-fructose containing foods you will store 90 calories because your liver cant deal with this substance properly. He actually blamed the obesity epidemic in children on this stuff as its also in alot of fast /convenience foods.

    I think having a whole weekend where you just blow your diet all together and go mad eating unhealthy fast food is probably a bit too much but one day a week would be ok going by how my sisters lost weight.

    I apologise for my terrible spelling everyone.
  • vmekash
    vmekash Posts: 422 Member
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    I still feel rather new to this, but I feel that planning to cheat is a bad idea. ??? Isn't cheating what got us here? LOL

    I think it is best to be diligent, but being human, we're bound to slip. So, I think a quick recovery is best. I don't know. Just my two cents.
  • shirley_beans
    shirley_beans Posts: 65 Member
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    I've lost 7 lbs. in the past 6 weeks (not amazing progress, I know, but it's steady!) and I've cheated EVERY weekend, including a four day weekend when I was on vacation. That being said, I usually only cheat Saturday and begin getting back on track Sunday.

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