The NOTORIOUS "cheat"

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Replies

  • sariannach
    sariannach Posts: 32
    I certainly do TREAT myself to a favorite less-healthy meal on occasion--not once a week, but maybe once every 3-4 weeks. It's a treat--not a cheat or a reward. I didn't earn it, I don't inherently deserve it, but I gift it to myself.

    My boyfriend and I will have been dating for four years as of next week and we're going out for sushi. The particular restaurant we're going to is the really nice one--the one we go to maybe once a year if it's in the budget. Am I going to hyper-analyze the nutrition? Nope. It's a treat. Will I log it? Hell yes. Will I give up on my lifestyle changes and live off Twinkies after that? No way!

    I see the occasional treat--whether it's food, a new electronic toy, half an hour at the hot tubs, or a day trip--as an important part of self-care. I'm not denying myself the things I love to live healthier. I'm choosing moderation.

    When I had very little money, I didn't skip giving Christmas/birthday presents to the kids in my life. I just didn't buy them the fanciest, most expensive ones available--I bought or made ones I thought they'd especially like AND that fit with my budget, even if I had to stretch it a little. Now I'm doing that with my food--I'm having fewer big treats, but that makes them more valuable to me, and more worthwhile as they fit better in the "budget" of choosing to live healthier.
  • Cliffslosinit
    Cliffslosinit Posts: 5,044 Member
    I don't understand this train of thought at all.


    I just eat what I want, try to be mindful of macros, and try like hell to stay within my calories.


    Having "cheat" meals is what helped pack on 100 pounds, at least for me. No food is a "cheat" food anymore so I enjoy what I want in moderation.


    And food is not a reward...

    I agree...Rewarding myself got me here!
  • shiftysheep
    shiftysheep Posts: 44 Member
    It takes overeating for a long period with no exercise to gain weight (unless you have a hormone issue), so I wouldn't worry about 1meal or 1day & as people have said you can eat what you enjoy & factor it in & just be sensible with it.

    I'm currently bulking, I'm 5 feet 9 150lbs & eating on average 4000 calories a day (some days 6500) & still gaining weight slowly. So I wouldn't worry about gaining weight off one meal or day. It can actually help keep your leptin levels higher.
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
    i am not a dog.
    food is not a reward.
    i eat what i want, when i want, and kick *kitten* in between.

    to reward myself, i might rub 2 out instead of 1.
  • summertime_girl
    summertime_girl Posts: 3,945 Member
    I don't have to "cheat". I simply train harder. There's a reason my long runs are on the weekend. I operate in margarita math, which means if I run 7+ miles, I can have at least 2 or 3 margaritas, based on calories burned.
  • determinedbutlazy
    determinedbutlazy Posts: 1,941 Member
    i am not a dog.
    food is not a reward.
    i eat what i want, when i want, and kick *kitten* in between.

    to reward myself, i might rub 2 out instead of 1.

    ^awesome
  • FitBeto
    FitBeto Posts: 2,121 Member
    What I do is on days i do have to go out and eat outside the norm - i make the best of it. Foe example, tonight i am going to Golden Corral with an old friend. I'll just avoid the foods that i normally wouldn't eat on a daily basis. And if i do have a craving for something against the norm 1 spoonful of it is not gonna make me fat.
  • moonspells
    moonspells Posts: 126 Member
    My fiance and I have been on MFP for six and a half months; I've lost 42 lbs. and he's at almost 50. We decided from the beginning that we would do a monthly "indulgence" day as a reward/motivator IF both of us log EVERYTHING every day for the rest of the month and neither of us EVER go over our calories in between (if we did go over, we would start the clock over at zero until the next indulgence). It has since turned into an indulgence weekend once a month because he is on nights and we were having trouble finding one day that works for both of our schedules.
    I think the key is attitude; if you want to do this on the fast track or 100% clean etc., then indulgences are probably not the way to go. However, for us, it is working really well. I don't have any issues getting back on track afterwards and it helps me stay motivated to stay under calories in between. And any food items that I would have trouble fitting into every day life become tasty treats to enjoy once in a while instead of some forbidden fruit I can never have again.
    You have to do what works for you...best of luck in your journey! :o)
  • SimplyKry
    SimplyKry Posts: 36
    A question for the OP and I promise I am not being mean in any way; the question is borne of sincerity: I just noticed your ticker and saw it says "0 lbs lost." It made me wonder what you want to "reward" yourself for?

    Please don't take any offense.

    I'm not offended by your question at all. My ticker says "0" because I just started on Sunday last week. I'm weighing in, on the 1st and 15th of the month. If I do it more frequently, I become a slave to the scale. I did sneak yesterday and saw amazing progress I am proud of but I'm not posting it until the 1st of October.

    As for this thread I created, I appreciate all the input, everybody's opinion or point of view is important. I guess what I am "rewarding" myself for is staying on track.

    I don't think I really explained myself well though. I don't feel the NEED to do this, I was simply given advise that "fat loading" was beneficial in weight loss. I've heard people say the same thing and I've heard people say its not true. I was told it also helps control cravings. Of course if you are following a strict "carb" diet or "sodium" diet then of course it would be silly to load up on either of those, but there are delicious other food which you could have.

    I don't know, I think that calling it a "reward" would depend on the person. We aren't children or dogs, so I believe that we have a bit more common sense and we would understand that "food" is not the reward. There shouldn't be a problem with associating food as a reward. We have to eat, so we arent changing anything, except what we eat. im not saying to throw an extra pig-out meal in because you did well, just eat something you WANT instead of what you were normally going to eat. If I do really well at the gym, I'm not gonna run home and have a piece of pie as a reward. That's just common sense.

    I think someone said it in here. The reward is the break from counting and analyzing. It's basically a pat on the back saying, you did well ALL week... Now take a break. Like I said, one meal. I don't believe stuffing your face is a good "reward/cheat" meal but if you want to have that burger instead of a chicken salad (like you do every time) then do it. That's it. Have a salad on the side, maybe skip the bun for those on a carb thing. Just take a break.

    So... Revising my question, has anyone heard of "fat-loading" being a success? Do you think a "break" from counting for one meal a week if you were strict all week is acceptable?
  • SimplyKry
    SimplyKry Posts: 36
    Maybe no one is really READING the post about 5500 calories, or I didn't explain it well.

    Let me break it down (I'm not saying I agree or disagree, just explaining the article)

    Your body, right now, not moving is burning calories. While you sit at work or lay in bed, or sit on the couch flipping through channels, you are burning calories. That is how your body works. Plain and simple. So... In the article it says that in order to maintain your current weight, approximately 2000 calories need to be consumed (I am assuming this is an average)... So, we start off with a 2000 base just to "not lose" any weight. Then we have a 3500 calorie pound. Those two numbers equal 5500 calories needed to be consumed in one day to gain a lb.

    First we replenish the 2000 our body burned just by being our wonderful selves, then we pack on the extra 3500. That's 5500 a person would have to consume to gain a lb.

    That's the equivilant to 750 Cheetos, 9 pepperoni pizzas, etc.
  • delilah47
    delilah47 Posts: 1,658
    Rewarding yourself with food for losing weight doesn't make sense, especially if you are going to "cheat". Sometimes a "cheat" meal can lead a person to abandon their healthy diet and go berserk. It's happened to me. Now I reward myself with an article of clothing or other non-food items.
  • shani251
    shani251 Posts: 145 Member
    In the humble opinion of someone who is at goal....you do what you need to do to make this lifestyle change fit your life. i think it's okay to have a special meal now and again, just work out more. i wouldn't go overboard, just have what you've been craving and be done with it already. This is not a diet, it's a lifestyle change. Just make it work for you. Eat your meal, log your food, and decide from there if it was worth it or not and don't beat yourself up for any of it. :)
  • KrazyAsianNic
    KrazyAsianNic Posts: 1,227 Member
    I don't have cheat days or meals. I found that I cannot control myself. I have this problem that if I plan to eat only healthy stuff adn cut things out, i won't eat and binge out on the bad. When I'm not thinking about my weight or diet, I do eat a LOT healthier and am always snacking on fruit and veggies. it helps that i know have my own kitchen and fridge to cook and by whatever I want around. Everything in moderation. that's how I'm doing it these days
  • Elzecat
    Elzecat Posts: 2,916 Member
    I have "cheat" days all the time, but they aren't scheduled and they aren't rewards for good behavior. I simply eat what I want when I want to. And because I don't put restrictions on stuff, I find myself not craving them as strongly as I would if they were off limits.

    I run hard/long/often enough to burn off the occasional treat. When I stopped worrying and restricting myself, my weight started coming off. Eating shouldn't be a stressful, restrictive thing. I enjoy eating and I enjoy running. That's all there is to it.

    This.
  • Elzecat
    Elzecat Posts: 2,916 Member
    I don't have to "cheat". I simply train harder. There's a reason my long runs are on the weekend. I operate in margarita math, which means if I run 7+ miles, I can have at least 2 or 3 margaritas, based on calories burned.

    I run for chocolate. And breakfast burritos. And...yeah, you get the picture. :)
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    9 Pepporni Pizzas for 3500 calories?
    Don't know where you get pizzas, but I'd find somewhere tastier! Unless you mean slices - in which case that about makes sense.
    A quick look at the Pizza hut UK menu - If we go for stuffed crust large, for the 'eat-in' option you get 333 calories a slice. 8 slices per pizza. Add in a drink with sugar and we're at 3500 easily.

    I could easily enough eat a whole pizza to myself on top of 2000 calories for the rest of the day.
    I suspect if there was a desert mentioned, I'd go for that too.

    I could easily eat a 400g block of cheese a day and have done. 1664 calories from that. Add in various other bad things and I could easily continually eat 5500 calories a day with a fairly sedentary life style.
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
    I didn't read any of this, but the topic made me think of... :

    180px-TheCheatAsTheCheat.png
  • sonny368
    sonny368 Posts: 61
    It depends...I can cheat 1 time a week but if my intension is to drop weight I'll cheat for 1 meal not all the day...the important is not to go over the 500-600 calories over our normal range, if it's just one day the body forgives...plus if you exercise regularly the metabolism is already speeding up so no matter at all, I eat everything I want...if I want chocolate I eat it, sure not in large amount but I eat it and even pasta not more than 125 gr per day but I eat it with pesto or tpmato sauce or cream or cheese or whatever and I keep loosing weight, but not every day this...just size your pleasure for food and stay always under...
  • reedkaus
    reedkaus Posts: 250 Member
    i do it, usually once a week sometimes twice. i have a free for all on weigh in days (provided i've lost some, which i have for the past 4-5 weeks, so something's gotta be working), and occasionally mid-way through the week i might have a treat. the way i see it is if i eat 6 times a day, that's 42 meals a week. if 1 or two of those meals isn't perfect then i don't have to worry about it.

    eda: i usually eat about 2400 kcals each day. on the cheat days i have somewhere between 3500-4000
  • emtjmac
    emtjmac Posts: 1,320 Member
    The great thing about MFP is that you can make almost any food fit into your daily calories, even if you do go over sodium or some other macro. Many of us, myself included, come from a place where binging was a normal part of life. For me, overcoming that has been the biggest obstacle in the 30+ days I have thus far been committed to the program. Having said that, I have binged once during that time and I don't regret it. I needed it at the time and it fulfilled it's purpose. The next day, I got right back on track and kept going. One binge or cheat meal/day/whatever isn't going to derail you unless you want to be derailed. MFP puts the ball in your court, so play ball. Just because you fall down and skin your knee doesn't mean that you have to pack up and stop playing.
  • magj0y
    magj0y Posts: 1,911 Member
    I like the words "day off from my diet"

    Now, it doesn't have to feel like you wrecked your diet. You honestly don't even need to "wreck" and then feel all sorts of guilt.
    You can also use that day to push yourself just a bit harder or longer at the gym and pick another "day off from exercise"

    if you have a designated 11,200 cals a week (or 1600/day) if you did instead 1550 cals a day, you would have 1900 for your day off and even out at the end of the week. During the holiday season, I go here;

    http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

    and use the 7 day zig zag and then rearrange for my scheduled parties.
  • newmooon56
    newmooon56 Posts: 347 Member
    i don't have a cheat meal anymore. i had plenty of them for years.


    i stay within my boundaries and still enjoy life.

    Pretty much my philosophy- I wouldnt be on MFP had I not cheated myself for the last 20 years. I made tons of bad choices either not caring or noticing what it was doing to my health. Now I treat food as fuel and try not to get sucked into any event that is focused on food. I dont mean I dont go- I just refuse to "toast" with a giant turkey leg. I can choose wisely and still join the fun.
  • Merrysix
    Merrysix Posts: 336 Member
    This is a great thread to read -- for me, I try to stay away from foods (some call them "trigger") foods that set up a craving to eat more of them. Its not worth it. I think different people have different trigger foods (and some people don't seem to have any). That being said, since its calories in and out, a meal out with friends, may be "moderate" in that I eat some things that have more calories than I would at home (steak vs. chickien), etc. So then I log the calories -- this is a plan for life. But I really try to stay away from things that trigger a strong desire to eat more of them (ice cream is a prime example). If I am tired and stressed, I find it incredibly hard to stop at one serving, and its not worth the effort, and I don't want to wake up the next day having eating the whole container and wanting more. For me its not about will power, it is a very strong physical craving, like for alcohol.

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