Do you log food on your cheat days?

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  • Marinayes
    Marinayes Posts: 21 Member
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    Thank you all for the suggestions. I went back and logged my breakfast. It wasn't too bad actually considering...
  • skylark94
    skylark94 Posts: 2,036 Member
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    I don't do "cheats", but yes, I log everything. Even the days I've gone over by 1000.
  • ctooch99
    ctooch99 Posts: 459 Member
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    Nope. It's a cheat day. No way I'd log that. Defeats the whole purpose. Most people on this site are not in favor of cheat days and don't really understand them. I do because this is a concept that came alive in the 80's and is probably the most misunderstood concept in health and nutrition. Maybe more misunderstood than starvation mode. Lol. Enjoy your day off.

    By the way, this topic can bring about lots of passion, so people that do it, do not talk about it. This site is very funny in that it has a culture and if you go against that culture, people will try hard to tell you you are doing it wrong. Yet, myself, along with many other people have lost weight utilizing cheat days. The only way to knownifnit works for you is to try it.

    What you will see is many people will say things like, "it seems to me..." or "I think..." or "I don't understand why you would do this, blah, blah, blah". There are a lot of really good reasons to enjoy a cheat day. Lots of them. I say try it out for awhile. If you get results, then that means it works and there's no problem. If you find that you aren't hitting yr goals, maybe dial it back or modify it to a meal, or half a day or something. Just find some balance that works for you.

    Logging it or not is up to you. I wouldn't because I want it to be fun and maybe a little naughty.

    I hear what you are saying but my I think by it's nature there is a negative element suggested by the term "cheat day". Webster's defines "cheat" as: "To practice fraud or deceit; to violate the rules and regulations". And I think in terms of committing to one's health and fitness this is true.

    Eating is one of the most enjoyable things in life (to me anyway), so why would I deprive myself of food on a regular basis? Instead of binging on a "Cheat Day" and throwing my blood sugars and chemistry way off kilter, why would I not just incorporate the things I love into my healthy diet regularly and stay within my macro numbers and stay on track???

    I just don't get the concept of a cheat day. I do hear what you are saying about it being an individual decision, but in response to why people are passionately opposed to it on MFP, it is because there are many folks committed to changing over to healthy lifestyles they can live by and not just crash dieting or staying on some whacky eating program they cannot sustain only to blow it on a cheat day. I read so many posts of people who drop 30, 40 or 50 pounds by following some whacky diet, then they do a "cheat day" and their one "cheat day" turns into a "cheat week", then a "cheat month".

    Personally a year ago I was 40 pounds heavier because daily life was a "cheat day" - staying fit and healthy involves discipline and dedication so I just think the concept of a "cheat day" is counter productive to that.

    I just don't see the benefit. If you want pizza have a slice or to of veggie pizza in your regular meal plan - what benefit is eating an entire pepperoni pizza on the weekend on a "cheat day" as a "reward" - just baffling to me... sorry, not trying to stok the flames but for as educated and intelligent as many MFP members are, there are still some odd practices on here acccepted as healthy...
  • Feed_the_Bears
    Feed_the_Bears Posts: 275 Member
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    I don't have cheat days. I have days where I lose my mind and binge. But I do always go back a day and record it. no matter how ugly. Most times it is the day after. This is a horrible habit. I should record my noshes as I eat them cuz I would stop eating if i did,
    Ah, i know what you mean..... Studies, annecdotes, my experience etc show that if you schedule a controlled cheat meal you're less likely to have uncontrollable desperate binges. :-) nice wing tats.
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
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    I don't believe in planning cheat days. Though on my diet, I don't deny myself of anything I want. If I want pizza, it fits into my calories or I go over by a little because I'll just keep wanting it and wanting it and wanting it until I get it. And the longer I wait, the worse it ends up being.

    edit: but YES I log EVERYTHING

    ^^^ THIS. Cheat days imply you are depriving yourself. Depriving yourself leads to failure. Just my 2 cents...

    Actually, research on this topic proves the opposite. Rather than deprivation, you get to enjoy food that you normally can't. The only downside is if you're a person that can't control yourself, it can have the downward spiral effect where the cheat day turn into a cheat week, then a cheat year.
  • bigaris911
    bigaris911 Posts: 18
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    I agree 100%... I don't have cheat days I log everyday, eat what I want and make adjustments from there. There will be days I'll be 500 cals over 500 under... it all evens out, but if you don't log 1 cheat day can turn into 2 into a week a month 10 years like it did for me!
  • her4g63
    her4g63 Posts: 284 Member
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    Absolutely! I cannot stand having to log them, so I tend not to have them! (:
  • curlygirly80
    curlygirly80 Posts: 176
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    You should log it! Don't make a cheat DAY out of but do help yourself to an indulgence. Do you really need to cheat the whole day or will one meal kill the craving then you can bounce right back?
  • bigknight78
    bigknight78 Posts: 57
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    I personally log it so I dont go nuts and completely blow a whole weeks worth of work, which can so easily be done.
    But I guess it is each to their own. I think 1 cheat meal/re-feed per week is more than enough to help with cravings, and re-kick start metabolisms of those on quite low daily calorie intake
  • KirstenW1224
    KirstenW1224 Posts: 10 Member
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    As you can see, there is no wrong or right. You need to do what feels right to you.

    Personally, I think it's good to log it because, first, this entire thing is a lifestyle change. And if you really stick to it you will absolutely see results. It's good to be aware of what you're actually putting in your body.

    For example, at first I didn't log cheat days because I knew deep down I didn't want to see what I was doing to my body. Then I sucked it up, and entered them. It was eye opening.

    What entering your cheat days does is EDUCATE YOU. You know you can have cheat days that won't be completely detrimental to your overall plan?? Crazy but true!

    By being aware of what you're always eating, you will make better choices, hell I promise you, you will make your cheat days likely less, turn them into only a cheat meal here or there, and still see the results you want!

    Try it. I promise you will enjoy the long term results. This is a long term change, remember.
  • SyStEmPhReAk
    SyStEmPhReAk Posts: 330 Member
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    Nope. It's a cheat day. No way I'd log that. Defeats the whole purpose. Most people on this site are not in favor of cheat days and don't really understand them. I do because this is a concept that came alive in the 80's and is probably the most misunderstood concept in health and nutrition. Maybe more misunderstood than starvation mode. Lol. Enjoy your day off.

    By the way, this topic can bring about lots of passion, so people that do it, do not talk about it. This site is very funny in that it has a culture and if you go against that culture, people will try hard to tell you you are doing it wrong. Yet, myself, along with many other people have lost weight utilizing cheat days. The only way to knownifnit works for you is to try it.

    What you will see is many people will say things like, "it seems to me..." or "I think..." or "I don't understand why you would do this, blah, blah, blah". There are a lot of really good reasons to enjoy a cheat day. Lots of them. I say try it out for awhile. If you get results, then that means it works and there's no problem. If you find that you aren't hitting yr goals, maybe dial it back or modify it to a meal, or half a day or something. Just find some balance that works for you.

    Logging it or not is up to you. I wouldn't because I want it to be fun and maybe a little naughty.

    ^^ THIS x 1,000,000,000,000.

    My cheat day is every saturday and I go ALL OUT (BBQ pulled pork AND Brisket, BEER, ICE CREAM etc. just this past Saturday alone!)

    In the words of Chris Jones (Physiques of greatness) "Hell NO I don't count my macros on my cheat day... It's a CHEAT day!!!"

    But as mentioned above, do what works for you...
  • KirstenW1224
    KirstenW1224 Posts: 10 Member
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    I don't believe in planning cheat days. Though on my diet, I don't deny myself of anything I want. If I want pizza, it fits into my calories or I go over by a little because I'll just keep wanting it and wanting it and wanting it until I get it. And the longer I wait, the worse it ends up being.

    edit: but YES I log EVERYTHING

    ^^^ THIS. Cheat days imply you are depriving yourself. Depriving yourself leads to failure. Just my 2 cents...


    Definitely agree with you here. A little something every now and then. Everything in moderation!!!!!
  • Fozzi43
    Fozzi43 Posts: 2,984 Member
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    Yep everytime. It encourages me to be better the next day lol
  • HealthyDoll18
    HealthyDoll18 Posts: 1
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    Hello there , i think Cheat days are a waste of time i would recommend a cheat meal not an entire day though HAVE A HAPPY WEIGHT LOSS !!! :)
  • tami101
    tami101 Posts: 617 Member
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    I log everything except the chinese buffet. The only reason I don't log it is because I don't always know exactly what I am eating and the things I do know if I look them up in the database there is a wide range of calories listed. There are some generic "chinese buffets" listed that I use. I also do heavy workouts on those days to help balance it out.
  • ktother
    ktother Posts: 1
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    I don't have cheat days, but I take weekend off logging. It fits better in my schedule. I concentrate on eating only good food, and don't sweat the amount or complexity of the dishes. Then I compensate by eating less and plain during the week when I log. It actually helps weight loss to have an occasional feast, so I figure the weekends are the days to do it & it gives me the chance to eat something with many components without turning it into a science project of weighing, measuring and dividing into portions.

    I'll have a holiday this weekend when we tailgate for football. It will be next to impossible to track my calories unless I eat only foods I bring and have control over. Plus I've already decided to enjoy the party aspect and have a couple of beers, which I haven't had any since getting serious about getting fit.

    I almost think the break from logging is a special treat! We cook a lot ourselves from scratch without recipes, and I don't think I will last long if I try to be exact in calculations. How big is a portion? If I make a stew, do I then have to measure it out of the pot (after weighing and measuring each ingredient), cup by cup, to see how many servings there are? I more or less did that last weekend, and it was fine, but on a busy school night with 2-3 after school activities to run the kids too, leading the activity sometimes, and dinner to serve a family of 4...I have to be realistic and say it's going to be tough to maintain that dedication to logging.

    Logging has made me MUCH more aware of portion control and caloric content particularly when eating out! For that reason alone, most days I will make every effort to be accurate in logging and have been making much wiser choices (for me, snacking and portion size are the biggest issues). However, if a meal or day comes when it is so difficult to schedule the time to log/calculate/weigh things, I have decided not to berate myself, eat well, and not enter anything so that day won't count in my stats. You can always put an entry in the notes section explaining why there is no log that day to help track in generalities (i.e. I was under 3 days this week, on target 2, and probably over by 500 at the tailgate - haha).

    Just my 2 cents.
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
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    I do and have every week for the last 9 mths. Everyone needs to just stick to what works for them and stop preaching what's right or wrong.
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
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    I do and have every week for the last 9 mths. Everyone needs to just stick to what works for them and stop preaching what's right or wrong.
  • trud72
    trud72 Posts: 1,912 Member
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    :drinker: i dont have cheat days but if i am bad then i log EVERYTHING that way all my sins are truthful to you guys and if you cant be honest with what you eat on here you can't lose weight truthfully! i say :drinker: :drinker:
  • caseythirteen
    caseythirteen Posts: 956 Member
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    I don't have specific cheat days but I tend to not focus on logging as much on the weekends. I try and still eat healthy and make good choices but I give myself the mental break of tracking every last bite. I do give myself more or less wiggle room though based on how my Monday through Friday was.

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