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

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  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    I don't necessarily call it cheating, but I haven't logged food on a weekend since I hit my goal weight over a year ago. Sometimes I eat the same on weekends as I eat the rest of the week, sometimes I go out to eat and have boneless buffalo wings, quesadillas, chili fries. Sometimes there's parties and I'll have cake and booze and chips and dips.

    You tell me if it ruined my week. :wink: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/LorinaLynn/view/it-ain-t-over-when-you-hit-your-goal-423924
  • shirley_beans
    shirley_beans Posts: 65 Member
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    P.S. I don't eat back all of my exercise calories during the week...there's a lot of debate about that, but I figured I would disclose that info for what it's worth. I generally eat back only about 100 calories, if at all, and that's only when I've done an intense workout.
  • Heyyleigh
    Heyyleigh Posts: 268 Member
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    My nutritionist says have a cheat MEAL once a week on a dif day............not a cheat weekend! He usually tells me to eat a pizza. If your seeing results then it works for you, I wouldnt do it b/c this is a lifestyle change and its just not me anymore.

    Its true all that stuff u eat will cause you to weigh heavier- for dif reasons, then u get back to it and resume your schedule, seems kindof counter productive to me if you really want to lose and change your eating and lifestyle.
  • 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 :-)

    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.

    So do you think that eating "high carb" while still in a calorie deficit will inhibit weightloss? Because that seems to go against the laws of thermodynamics.

    You don't need a "very high" activity level per se. You just need a TDEE that is greater than your overall intake.
  • Selunca
    Selunca Posts: 208 Member
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    I have one cheat day a week. I do not plan this day. Its so if I end up going out with a friend, or want to treat myself, I can. But I leave it open. I've gone a week without using it because I haven't felt like it either.

    Personally I feel that we're using MFP to try and change our eating habits, and going hog wild on weekends isn't going to help us learn how to change those habits.

    That being said, This is a girl that enjoys the occasional donut at work, or soda in the mornings. But its all about moderation. Just because its a cheat day doesn't mean you need to go full out - just give yourself a slight treat, and call it a day :)
  • samantha8jean
    samantha8jean Posts: 18 Member
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    I don't has "cheat days" because I like to think of it as a life style change. I will have to do this for the rest of my life. I do allow myself to over indulge a little bit on my weekends off (every other) or for special occasions or what not, but I try to think about the beneficial factors it gives my metabolism.
  • ixap
    ixap Posts: 675 Member
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    In theory it would even out, but be careful with your math.
    In practice it would be hard to indulge in an entire cheat weekend and still end up under your calories.

    First off:
    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....
    400-500 calories under for 5 days (you are talking about using the weekend as a cheat, so it's only 5 "good" days you have left to work with = 2000-2500 calorie deficit, not 3500.

    Second, this stuff can add up QUICK:
    pizza
    pringles/twisties/shapes
    chocolates from a box of cadbury
    McDonalds breakfast
    large chocolate thick shake
    doughbut
    that's gonna be more than 3500...

    -half a takeout pepperoni pizza, size medium = 1000 calories
    -half a can of Pringles = 450 calories
    -McDonalds egg mcmuffin = 450 calories
    -chocolate shake = 720 calories

    You could go beyond the 3500 extra pretty quick.
  • Danied13
    Danied13 Posts: 117 Member
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    So do you think that eating "high carb" while still in a calorie deficit will inhibit weightloss? Because that seems to go against the laws of thermodynamics.

    You don't need a "very high" activity level per se. You just need a TDEE that is greater than your overall intake.

    In a vacuum it wouldn't, but weight loss isn't as simple as maintaining a calorie deficit. Food isn't just fuel...it's a potent activator of genes, it's a possible inducer of inflammation, it's a producer of ligands for various receptors.
  • meeper123
    meeper123 Posts: 3,347 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 :-)

    thats an amazing peice of advice
  • ToughTulip
    ToughTulip Posts: 1,118 Member
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    So do you think that eating "high carb" while still in a calorie deficit will inhibit weightloss? Because that seems to go against the laws of thermodynamics.

    You don't need a "very high" activity level per se. You just need a TDEE that is greater than your overall intake.

    In a vacuum it wouldn't, but weight loss isn't as simple as maintaining a calorie deficit. Food isn't just fuel...it's a potent activator of genes, it's a possible inducer of inflammation, it's a producer of ligands for various receptors.

    Yay biochemistry!
    What does that have anything to do with your statement though?

    It really as simple as maintaining a calorie deficit.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 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 :-)

    Hardly.
    Carbs could actually help you lose fat.
    Cheat like you mean it!
    Have that pizza or twinkie!
  • icimani
    icimani Posts: 1,454 Member
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    I'm definitely more lax on the weekend - going out with friends to eat, or eating out on my own while I'm out running around. I try to eat well most of the day and then enjoy myself while I'm out,although I do try not to go crazy! But I've found that if I'm too lax then it's too easy for that to turn into a habit and I start eating out more and more. So, one meal or 2 is ok for me but I have to be careful if it's more than that.
  • Awkward30
    Awkward30 Posts: 1,927 Member
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    Find out what works for you. If you are losing weight doing what you're doing, its fine. I prefer to indulge as I want something, but overall eat mostly good and close to my calorie goal. I think if I told myself "you cannot eat anything "bad" during the week and you can eat whatever you want on the weekend" I would binge on the weekend and end the week with no deficit. That's just me. Find what works for you.
  • jonielena
    jonielena Posts: 29
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    I think, as the responses here indicate, that everyone responds a little differently to cheat days. I used to eat healthy all week and cheat on weekends, but I got too carried away with it, and literally ate EVERYTHING I wanted to eat lol. My body, which was used to veggies and protein from the previous week, had a melt-down, and by Monday I'd feel disgusting. Plus, while I wasn't gaining weight I wasn't loosing it either. I'd spend Monday-Thursday trying to lose the weekend weight, and then start the process over again on Friday. Now, I usually 'cheat' on Fridays nights and Saturdays, and if I get too carried away then I eat VERY healthy on Sundays. Sometimes, if I've eaten an especially disgusting amount of junk food, I just use my juicer and drink fresh vegetable juice all day. Monday is my weigh-in day, so that usually motivates me to keep the cheating to one meal/day.

    My BFF is a holistic nutritionist who despairs at my eating habits. As much as she hates my 'cheat days,' she gave me the great advice that one half of every plate of food I eat should be 'green' (veggies/fruits). It's a good rule! Now, when I sit down on Saturday to eat chicken wings or pizza w/ friends, I make sure I eat and finish a salad before I get started on the healthy stuff.
  • OK_Girl
    OK_Girl Posts: 123 Member
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    without getting into the science of it, I thought we were all here to adopt healthier eating habits, and a healthy attitude towards food in general.

    I don't cheat, because no food is forbidden. If I want it, I eat it- I don't have to starve myself all week to do so. I eat whatever I want in moderation. Why do you have to have all that junk food? Can't you just have 1-2 pieces of pizza? 1 serving of pringles? A small shake?

    It sounds to me like you are starving all week to binge at the weekends. Is this a one off, or how you plan to loose weight?
  • onedayillbeamilf
    onedayillbeamilf Posts: 966 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.

    Dominos makes a low carb pizza? I'm both intrigued and disturbed by this. Is it good? Or does the crust taste like communion crackers?
  • zombie_porno
    zombie_porno Posts: 199 Member
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    Cheat weekends CAN ruin your weekend, if you do it wrong. There is a difference between a cheat & a binge. Having a cheeseburger & fries in an otherwise healthy weekend is fine, but have that, pancakes, ice cream, pizza, chips, & cake is a bad way to go.
  • DevSea
    DevSea Posts: 26
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    It wouldn't necessarily ruin the complete week, but it would probably cancel out most of the healthy eating and exercise you had for that week. One meal at McDonalds can run about 2000 calories (your mean w/ the chocolate shake was probably more). However, although pizza obviously isn't the first case (most of the time), it would be fine if you had only 2 pieces....and as for the pretzels and twists...that really isn't as bad as other choices you could have made.

    So all in all, I'm going to say that it probably didn't set you BACK, but it probably didn't get you AHEAD either.
  • 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 :-)

    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.

    Dominos makes a low carb pizza? I'm both intrigued and disturbed by this. Is it good? Or does the crust taste like communion crackers?

    Well first consider how nasty Dominos pizza is to begin with. Can it really get any worse? It's like maximum-bad already.
  • curlygirly80
    curlygirly80 Posts: 176
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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.

    So how do you consider cheating on the weekend not a hindrance to your progress if you have stalled with weight loss. Just asking!

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