Cheat Day: A Necessity or a Setback? Your thoughts?

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  • IslandDreamer64
    IslandDreamer64 Posts: 258 Member
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    I don't do entire cheat days, but if there's something I really want I find a way to work it into my food plan for that day. If I don't, then I'm setting myself up for a binge later on. That's what works for me, everyone is different.

    I know if I had a whole day of "cheating" (and I don't like that word because I feel that any food, in a sensible portion, can be worked into my food plan) it is terribly hard to get back on track.

    So I eat well most of the time, but if a brownie or French fries pop up in my day, then I eat it, track it, readjust other things I had planned, and move on.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    If you're +15% body fat cheat meals have no place in your diet.... yet.
    It's all about leptin control - there's a science and an art to it.

    i agree, although i don't get into the science of it.

    personally, i had plenty of cheat years, i don't need a cheat day just yet.
    HA! Interesting perspective. You've earned my enlightenment, although I didn't feel like posting.

    Basic rundown: leptin is a cellular signal in adipose (fat) tissue that, when high, signals the brain that the cells are happy and satiated because they have energy. The body likes this - the body wants to have lots and lots of energy to hold onto. When leptin is low, those adipose cells decrease leptin signaling leading the brain to believe there is minimal or no energy available for expenditure. This is why drastic diets and too low calories fails: the body fights back. When you're 7% BF like I am right now you have to cheat almost every 3 days just because I have very little energy stored up before going catabolic.

    Long periods of complete liver and muscle glycogen depletion can bring this onset. If you're >15% your leptin is still plenty high because you have energy to burn. Mental/social reasons for "cheat meals" are apparent and obvious but people often think they deserve more than they need. Choosing the right meal is an experiment in its own. Cheeseburger and fries do wonders for my physique but cheesesteak ruins me. Prior to a photo shoot or competition ill deplete carbs completely then down a whole pizza the morning of.
    Yes but no. Leptin is a very fast responding hormone. When leptin is low, having a cheat day can boost it, however, as soon as you return to a normal deficit, leptin drops right back to where it was. Cheat days are 100% for psychological health.
  • kr1stadee
    kr1stadee Posts: 1,774 Member
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    I don't have cheat days where I go over my calories. If I want take out, I get what can fit into my day.

    In the past, I let myself cheat on Fridays. Then it slowly turned into Friday and Saturday. Slowly, Sunday jumped on board. Then I was cheating more than I was staying on plan, and then I just gave up, gaining everything I had lost.

    I don't feel like I'm being deprived of anything, so it works for me!
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,248 Member
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    Here's my simple take on it. If having one day or one meal a week to eat whatever you want is going to keep you on track long term, it's worth it. The biggest enemy we face is our own psyche... we get frustrated and quit. Anything we do to keep from quitting is a good thing.

    Granted, it depends on how calorific your cheat is, but if you're eating at a 500 calorie deficit 6 days a week, you'd need to eat a buttload to completely offset that... you'd need to eat at maintenance level, plus an extra 3000 calories to break even, and more than that to gain weight.

    If you were eating at a 500 calorie deficit 6 days a week, and at maintenance level ( which would, in that case, 500 calories more than your MFP goal) one day a week, you'd lose about 0.85 pounds instead of 1 pound a week. So over 6 months time, you'd lose about 22.6 pounds instead of 26. To me, that would be worth it if it made me feel happy and satisfied and able to stay on track.
  • Roseygirl1
    Roseygirl1 Posts: 196 Member
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    I don't like the term "cheat" day. It has all kinds of negative connotations.

    I do like the Weight Watcher term "flexible restraint." It means that your choices can be flexible, but still mindful and thoughtful.

    It comes down to self-awareness. What works for you? What are your goals? I am here to lose unhealthy belly fat I accumulated during long years of illness now that I am well. So I do not want to indulge in eating things that don't support my return to wellness. I'm not concerned with how my body looks (other than losing the belly) as much as I am with my health.

    If you are training for body-building competition, than it's a different story.

    I think the term "cheat day" sets you up for eating too many unhealthy foods. I think allowing yourself to eat flexibly is more psychologically healthy.

    Susie
  • mjbell642
    mjbell642 Posts: 229 Member
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    Had an entire day of cheat yesterday due to parties at work. So today will have to scale back. I think it is ok as long as you recognize it and turn aroynd next day.
  • 2hobbit1
    2hobbit1 Posts: 820 Member
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    For me a splurge meal every now and then is part of life and the "plan" works around it. It gets logged honestly and then its back to my normal meals. I have found that if I listen to my body after a "splurge" that it reminds me why I should only do it on a rare occasion. Yesterday is a case in point - I had been craving dark chocolate vanilla butter creams for the last 6 months and finally gave in - I bought 1/4 pound of very good ones and then proceeded to give myself a sugar headache. The memory of how good they taste did not match the reality of how they did taste - and the headache just was not worth it. Won't be doing that again for quite a while. But that was my dinner so the calorie overage was not too bad and the scale was down this AM. For me that's what tends to happen after a splurge meal. The reminders of why I no longer eat like that, are as important as satisfying/disproving a memory, and are a very important part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle for the long term.
    Life moves on. If the plan can not flex with life then it will break.
  • sazroy
    sazroy Posts: 262 Member
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    Every weekend is a cheat day for me, I'll usually choose saturday night to let myself have a bit extra.
    I'll allow myself a treat any day if I truly 100% want it. I do what makes me happy, I don't over eat anything but I incorporate a treat into my diet and exercise and the weight is still coming off every week.
    So maybe wednesday I let myself have a piece of chocolate or a flavoured low fat milk drink or something.. I don't go over my calories by having it. But oh no now it's saturday, I'm hanging out with people and I want 10 pieces of chocolate instead of one or two.. so I have it. I still lose weight. As long as you burn it off or you can work your day out to include it without going over your calories, so long as 80-90% of the time your diet is considered healthy the other 10-20% of the time will not cause you to gain back 5kgs.
  • CHN_
    CHN_ Posts: 94 Member
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    For me this whole thing is not just about loosing weight, but about changing my life and my eating habits. As it's more of a lifestyle change, I allow myself to eat what I want once a week. Usually this is Saturdays, as that is the day we usually have family dinners and/or girls nights etc. I don't log anything on these days, but that doesn't mean I go out of my way to eat unhealthy. I usually tend to eat what I normally eat, but I allow snacks, candy, alcohol etc as well if I want it. I'm at that point that if I overeat, I feel sick, and since I don't want that, I just don't overeat.

    My problem was always that I would eat candy and such every day of the week, so when I can eat normally six days out of seven, I see no point in forcing myself to not touch it for months, as from experience that is never a good thing (I crack, eat way more than I should, and go back to eating it all the time). I can watch what I eat, and on any other day, if I have any candy/snack, I log it and deal with it and move on. The weight is coming off nice and slowly (which I want, so I avoid loose skin and such), and this is working for me.

    I don't want to live the rest of my life on a 'diet', so I am shaping the life I want to live right now, and I'm just eating a little less than I will once I hit my goal. I want to be able to enjoy my weekends later on, so I get in the habit of being able to do that without going crazy overboard with the calories. But if I want McDonald's after a night out clubbing and drinking wine and beer on a Saturday night, I can have it!
  • FeebRyan
    FeebRyan Posts: 738 Member
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    Because we have changed our diet so drastically, I dont really have 'cheat' days, if i eat gluten it makes me feel utterly horrid and same with too much dairy, so my 'cheats' have to fit into a gluten-free, dairy-free lifestyle which means a quick fix at a coffee shop or whatever is basically out of the question.

    Yesterday i had a couple of jam tarts which i wouldn't usually have had but they fit into my calorie goal anyway, so really it wasn't a cheat day though it felt that way

    For us its a lifestyle change, not a diet that will end one day, it just happens that the lifestyle change we have made, includes removing gluten and dairy from our diets so invariably stops us having lots of crap.

    But yes, i do intend on making gooey choccy cake next weekend for my dad and enjoying a slice of it. The other thing i have found is that if i do eat lots of sugar, it makes me crave more food and isn't very pleasant for me to experience, so i prefer to leave that out as much as possible as its easier for me :)
  • thrudhammer
    thrudhammer Posts: 19 Member
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    All things in moderation. Including moderation.

    I don't look at my weight loss as a chart, I look at it as a path. Instead of riding out every up and down bump like I'm on some kind of psychotic amusement park ride, I see a meandering path leading to a favorite park, a path that requires as many steps with my left foot as with my right. So long as I stay close to the path, so long as I'm losing at a rate that is comfortable for me (and has been worked out with more than a handful of doctors, nurse practitioners and dieticians) I'm inclined to let myself off my leash every once in awhile.

    I need to learn to eat right, not like an asectic hermit. I'm mindful of the fact that my path (the food budget that I'm on) doesn't include enough calories to sustain myself over the long run and that taking a day every now and then to relax and be normal isn't going to kill me, just save me more slowly.
  • stevechelf
    stevechelf Posts: 4
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    Ive done it both ways, cheat days dont seem to slow my weight loss, but I do try to think of the end of the diet. Does every day become a cheat day? This hasnt worked at all. End of the day, I think it is better to just stay consistant, and at the end of the weight loss maintain the program. Ive been to my weight goal once, stopped the program, gained 10 lbs, and now back I hope to stay. I dont want to be a Yoyo.
    And especially a fat Yoyo:wink:
  • soulfulsally
    soulfulsally Posts: 326
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    To me, the term "cheat day" sounds like something to be ashamed of. So a cheat day is not on my list of things to do. I have to keep going forward with a healthier lifestyle if I'm to accomplish my weight loss goals. Doesn't mean I don't eat foods I shouldn't, but I just don't want to encourage it by proclaiming a regular cheat day, kwim?
  • trophywife24
    trophywife24 Posts: 1,472 Member
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    I don't do an entire day. An entire day would make me not feel so well. I do a 'cheat meal' once a week or so. Usually on one of my husband's days off work, we go out for lunch or dinner. I do still eat only one portion of whatever it is we're having but I don't necessarily care about the calories that much. More than that and I have an ick stomach for a day or two after and it's really just not worth it. I had a day a couple of weeks ago that I had Wendy's for lunch, a chili dog for dinner and pie later on. I felt like crap for like three days.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    I have found that I have never had a need to go over on my calories. I did it on accident on three occasions since I started, by less than 100 calories. I eat food that I enjoy every day, so there's no reason for me to feel like I want to go over on my calories. Even on the days when I have went out to eat or had a dessert, I still stay under my calorie goal. I spent 20 years eating 3k+ calories and that's enough for me.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    If you're +15% body fat cheat meals have no place in your diet.... yet.
    It's all about leptin control - there's a science and an art to it.

    i agree, although i don't get into the science of it.

    personally, i had plenty of cheat years, i don't need a cheat day just yet.
    HA! Interesting perspective. You've earned my enlightenment, although I didn't feel like posting.

    Basic rundown: leptin is a cellular signal in adipose (fat) tissue that, when high, signals the brain that the cells are happy and satiated because they have energy. The body likes this - the body wants to have lots and lots of energy to hold onto. When leptin is low, those adipose cells decrease leptin signaling leading the brain to believe there is minimal or no energy available for expenditure. This is why drastic diets and too low calories fails: the body fights back. When you're 7% BF like I am right now you have to cheat almost every 3 days just because I have very little energy stored up before going catabolic.

    Long periods of complete liver and muscle glycogen depletion can bring this onset. If you're >15% your leptin is still plenty high because you have energy to burn. Mental/social reasons for "cheat meals" are apparent and obvious but people often think they deserve more than they need. Choosing the right meal is an experiment in its own. Cheeseburger and fries do wonders for my physique but cheesesteak ruins me. Prior to a photo shoot or competition ill deplete carbs completely then down a whole pizza the morning of.

    Where does the 15% number come in? That is *very* low for a woman. I am shooting for 20-25% myself.
  • djsupreme6
    djsupreme6 Posts: 1,210 Member
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    cheat days are neither a necessity or a setback. Its simply a choice. If somebody is changing their lifestyle why would they even need or want one. Makes it sound to me like all the other days are forced, then bam!!!..I get to cheat and eat what I want...make those good choices and it will be an afterthought
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    If you're +15% body fat cheat meals have no place in your diet.... yet.
    It's all about leptin control - there's a science and an art to it.

    i agree, although i don't get into the science of it.

    personally, i had plenty of cheat years, i don't need a cheat day just yet.
    HA! Interesting perspective. You've earned my enlightenment, although I didn't feel like posting.

    Basic rundown: leptin is a cellular signal in adipose (fat) tissue that, when high, signals the brain that the cells are happy and satiated because they have energy. The body likes this - the body wants to have lots and lots of energy to hold onto. When leptin is low, those adipose cells decrease leptin signaling leading the brain to believe there is minimal or no energy available for expenditure. This is why drastic diets and too low calories fails: the body fights back. When you're 7% BF like I am right now you have to cheat almost every 3 days just because I have very little energy stored up before going catabolic.

    Long periods of complete liver and muscle glycogen depletion can bring this onset. If you're >15% your leptin is still plenty high because you have energy to burn. Mental/social reasons for "cheat meals" are apparent and obvious but people often think they deserve more than they need. Choosing the right meal is an experiment in its own. Cheeseburger and fries do wonders for my physique but cheesesteak ruins me. Prior to a photo shoot or competition ill deplete carbs completely then down a whole pizza the morning of.

    Where does the 15% number come in? That is *very* low for a woman. I am shooting for 20-25% myself.

    true!! women can actually have spectacular bodies and show abs at >20% body fat. for men it's usually 15% or less.\

    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/07/02/body-fat-percentage/
  • Jester522
    Jester522 Posts: 392
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    Where does the 15% number come in? That is *very* low for a woman. I am shooting for 20-25% myself.
    Sorry I should have mentioned that. 15% is good for men, 15% for women is real lean. You're right.
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
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    I have one. I cannot eat clean and good 100% of the time. So one day a week, I eat whatever I want.

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