Thoughts on "cheat day"

I don't really do a cheat day...i try to stay within my calories...if i want a little something extra or go over my calories then i go burn come to even it out.

I would go off the deep end if I had a cheat day. It's hard enough for me to loose the weight without eating whatever I wanted one day a week or one day a month. That could undo a whole weeks worth of work if I did that. I am far from perfect and slip up enough without allowing myself a whole day of cheating. Sorry, I couldn't do a cheat day.

I typically don't do "cheat days". Every day I allow myself something that I really enjoy, like a piece of chocolate, or a bowl of ice cream. But here's the key word - moderation. I only have *one* serving carefully measured and accounted for. As long as it fits into my calories, then it's all good.

Once in a while, like yesterday, I'll have a day where I eat a pretty bad, but it's usually only once a month and I make sure my calories never go too high.

For me I have an occasional "cheat day" usually 2 days a month. These are days that I let myself snack on things I've been keeping out of my diet or trying to stay away from. It works for me because it gives me something to look forward to, especially when the cravings start kicking in. Though I have my cheat days, I've been trying to make them healthier. If I have pizza, I'll eat a salad with it and eat that first so I don't over indulge in pizza. I see them as saying "I just have to make it thru the next X days and I can have my wine/pizza/whatever I am craving" so it's more of a reward. Like others have stated, it's whatever will work best for you and how well you can keep yourself on track. If having a cheat day will make you fall back on your habits, then don't do it. They don't work for everyone. They tend to work for me because I don't keep snacks/junk food in my house, so I can't fall back on old habits. Think of what works best for you!

Best of luck!!

Ill be having a cheat day once every two weeks. Im weighing in every other Monday and for that Monday (if Ive lost) Ill up my cals to maintenance to sneak in a cake or other sweet treat. Might not sound like much but as an ex-binge eater its probably all I could handle without going off the rails and inhaling the whole bakery!

I see carbs as an addiction that turns on the cravings so no cheat day for me. It's not worth it. As long as I'm not craving then I don't need it anyway. That doesn't mean I might not tack on a few extra carbs occasionally but not enough to take me out of ketosis. Everyone is different though so you have to discover what works best for you.

dont plan a cheat day... they will just sneak up on you.

I don't have a cheat day or meals. I make sure that I stay within my calories as much as possible. Some days if I know that I'm having a higher calorie dinner, I trade my lunch for a lower calorie option.

You don't have to give up all of the good things, you just have to find a balance for them.

Truth. I'm not one for cheat days or meals, I find the idea of them counterproductive. I guess it all depends on your personality and constitution. I have an addictive personality, and look at it like this: if you were quitting smoking, you wouldn't have a cigarette once a week, because who can have just one cigarette. Then it turns into a day of smoking. Then you can't quit on a Friday, so you smoke through the weekend. By that point, you'd have to buy another pack, and you can't quit with an open pack, so you finish the pack, but you can't quit on a Tuesday, so you smoke through the rest of the week, and hope that you're out of cigarettes by the time you go to bed on Saturday... and the cycle continues.

Keep in mind that I realize that not everyone is wired the same way, and planned/controlled calorie binges may work for you... and that I quit smoking in January, just to start again 5 weeks ago. Cardio+smoking is as counterproductive to me as cheat days+weight loss, which, I guess, makes me a hypocrite. You know you better than anyone else, and whether or not you'd be able to handle a cheat meal or day.

Oh, and additional note to my previous post - I count every calorie I eat on a cheat day or meal. Every last bite gets logged. In the same way that the daily weighing helps track and show trends, that information is useless without a complete and honest food log to go along with it.

Cheating on calories does not mean cheating on your logging.

I have a Cheat day! I usually do the diet plan called body for life! and Sunday is mu cheat day!!

If you're only 8 days into eating healthy and considering a cheat day already....well, you may have to rethink what you've been eating. The only way to succeed in this is to look at it as a lifestyle change, NOT a diet. If you look at it as a diet, when you stop dieting, you'll just gain all the weight right back. You should be able to eat most things you want, in moderation, and stay within your calorie limit. I am never hungry and never feel the need for a cheat day and while I have what is considered a cheat day, I'm usually low in calories for the week and trying to make up the deficit. Maybe look at your intake and switch up some things to include some of your favorite foods within reason so you don't need to splurge.

I do have a "cheat" day once a week. However i do not go crazy overboard eating any and everything i want. I still try to keep what i eat reasonably healthy and still take into account the amount of calories. So i might allow myself one slice of pizza, not the entire pie. Moderation is key. Best of luck to you!

I don't do cheat days. I'm not against them, but for me it's a slippery slope. Instead, I incorporate things I love into my daily food.

I really love peanut butter and chocolate. So I have a peanut butter and chocolate protein bar (or meal replacement bar) almost every morning. I bought PB2, to mix into things. I also love cheese - so I buy babybel light mini cheeses, and eat cottage cheese a lot (mixing in with salad for bulk so I don't feel like I'm eating like a rabbit). I'm also going to try cauliflower rice in the usual skinnytaste adobo chicken recipe.

My advice is to find things you love, and then figure out a creative way to work them in. Then you won't feel deprived.

It's not easy, and I'm not saying that I'm perfect every day (far from it!). But it's easier to change your lifestyle when you're eating stuff you love, that is also good for you. It's more sustainable.

I don't have cheat days, I just make sure I log EVERYTHING, even when I eat pizza or ice cream. Sometimes seeing those high numbers glaring back at me is enough to be content with just a little bit and it's better for me if I stay 100% honest every day so I'm never truly cheating, just keeping track.

Cheat days should only mean 1 or 2 desserts with still healthy meals!!