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

....but I think without having opportunity to indulge in something you love here and there, you will never succeed long term...I think if you stay STRICT then ultimately you will binge. :-)

I don't do cheat days because I don't need them. I eat the food I love every day - the difference is, I don't pig out on egregious amounts of it. There is never any need to cheat when you can already have your favorite foods. Just make room for them in your calories or exercise to earn more calories. Now if you are a food addict and you just can't stop at one serving of something, maybe you'd need to be a little more strict. But I do agree that people who treat this like a diet and are way too strict are going to end up bingeing. It's just not sustainable. :flowerforyou:

Wow, lots of great information on this topic, and helpful ways of looking at this!

I'm using MFP to maintain my weight. I dropped over 100 lbs years ago, but have a tendency to get complacent and then find an extra 20 lbs grinning at me in the mirror. I have used 'cheat' days both while losing and when fighting off that 'creeping 20' as I do about once a year.

I agree that it's better to have a 'day when you have ONE splurge' than 'day when you spend all day splurging'.

Here are ways some fitness professionals have advised using splurges:

John Berardi (Precision Nutrition) - up to 10% of your weekly meals can be a splurge, and keep it to one item. So if you usually eat 4 times a day, that's 28 meals a week... 10% of that is 2.8 (I round it up to 3), which means you can eat up to 3 items that are not on your plan that week. Keep it to one slice of cake, one serving of fries, one slice of pizza, one small shake, so you will be less likely to derail yourself.

Joel Marion (Cheat Your Way Thin) - Advocates a 7 day low- to moderate- carb style of eating with a splurge day. The seven day cycle recommended is:
2 days moderate carbs
2 days low carb
One day of NO carbs
One day of splurging (eat anything you want WITHOUT STUFFING YOURSELF. Stop when satisfied. Do not keep these items in your house after the splurge day to tempt yourself)
One day of fasting

Bob Harper (Biggest Loser) - Recommends a weekly splurge with these guidelines:
1. Choose between 'rich' or 'volume' (high in calories, or a big portion)
2. Don't choose fast food
3. Don't splurge alone

I like to build rewards into my daily intake, I keep them small so they don't throw me off.

If I know I'm going to be at a party, I plan my calories that day for the party. And I keep the three bite rule in mind: studies have shown that you get the most enjoyment out of the first three bites of something. because of diminishing returns, the first bite is the AMAZING! The second bite is GREAT, the third bite is REALLY GOOD, and after those three bites, whatever you are eating is just interpreted by your brain as 'nice to have'.

I've definitely noticed a difference in my desire for splurges. When I was a chronic binger, the thought of a burger, shake, and fries was like a HOLY GRAIL moment of awesomeness. Now I find that even when I am splurging, I can only pick two things on that list and then can only eat half of them before my body says 'Yuk. Please stop. Why are you doing this?'

Unfortunately, things like candy and chips don't set off my 'bleah, enough' response, so if I have them, it has to be measured out/portion controlled. My sister, who has the lap band, calls these foods 'sliders'.... they are foods that become a high-calorie liquid that slips into the stomach without taking much room, so that you can consume an awful lot of calories before your stomach gets full - if it ever does. This is why it's so easy to mindlessly polish off a bag of chips or eat a lot of chocolate before you wake up and notice the damage you are doing.

For me, it's best to do portion-controlled splurges - I decide what I'm going to enjoy, how much of it I will have, and I stop there.

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.

agree!! cheat "days" set me back most of the time. ALL or NOTHING. Sadly. :-?

Years of yo-yo dieting have taught me one thing if you deny yourself something that you love while loosing weight you will overindulge when you finally get to have it...if I see something that I want I have it...I also log my food in real time...so I have a good idea of what I can still have if I make that choice... in almost 4 months I have only gone over on calories once...and not by much. ..If you love something learn to keep it in your diet... the key is moderation...I love milky way candy bars and there was a time when I would buy the king size and eat the whole thing...now I buy the bite size (not fun size) that most gas stations have at the registerfor like $0.20. Then I leave the store if I want more I have to get back in my car and drive back to the store...too much effort...one takes the edge off and cures the craving.

Oh yeah this was about cheat days/meals...no I don't do them...I log everything... some days are better than others but the good days tend to outweigh the bad. I always have my calorie goals in the back of my mind.

Having one today--it's a mental reset. I'm okay with it!

"Also, I don't plan on going thought the entire holiday season with eating a few things that I enjoy. I am scared to do it though, so we will see. I just don't want to do anything to make me "fall off the wagon"."

FWIW, what helps me stay on track after planned treats is having food ready to go for my next meal so I don't have to think about it - I go to the fridge and know exactly what the next meal is. Sometimes I even get support from a friend, tell them what I will be eating after the treat, and call to check in when I've had my healthy food. The structure and accountability are what keep me on track.

I lost 90 lbs with zero cheat days and I learned that for me they just derail everything. I personally need to have zero sugar or I lose it. I started to gain back when I got to the holiday season last year and let myself have sugar. My addictive personality is a none kind of one. I have a hard time stopping once I start. I had a much better holiday season the year prior when I ate absolutley not holiday treats and I honestly did not miss them.

Now I'm back on the relose the 30 lbs I gained back and it will be without sugar and staying on my plan. I have lost and regained weight many times and it is because it took me this long to realize I have to be strict forever or it won't work for me.

I think cheat days are a mistake. They trick your mind into thinking that overeating or eating the wrong things is normal. Stick to your eating plan, knowing that at times you'll exceed it and don't sweat it when you do. But don't plan to overeat on a specific day, unless it's a special occasion like your birthday or Thanksgiving or New Year's Eve.

Funny I just was thinking omg I went over 99 calories today. I'm debating added some quick excercise ( like 20 minutes ) to balance it out, or just consider it an over indulgence freebie day. I don't want to make it a habit though.

going over 99 calories means a smaller deficit not going over maintenance/gaining weight. It's not a big deal.

For me, I believe in more of a cheat meal instead of a cheat day. If you are set to lose 1lb/week, that means you are burning 3500 calories more per week than you take in. If on your cheat day you eat an extra 1500-2000 calories, you are in essence working hard for 3-4 days out of 6 just to make up for that day of cheating.

I prefer a cheat meal where if I wish to eat a piece of dessert or a slice of pizza (office parties tend to have these frequently), then I may have a slice of one. I work too hard during the week to completely blow it on that 7th day. For me, for every 5 lbs I lost, when I saw a movie, I would treat myself to 1/2 of a movie sized box of milk duds (3 oz in box). The other half I would eat during the week.

I'm not saying that one needs to reward themselves with treats. However, I'm not going to live the rest of my life never eating something sweet. I just keep it down to once every 5 lbs. I would rather treat myself every now and then vs having an awful moment, being angry with myself, and perhaps returning to my old lifestyle.

On a side note, there is a college guy who trains hard in our gym just so he can eat pizza, nachos and drink beer on the weekends. He knows that he is working hard 4 days a week in order to splurge on friday and saturday nights (I dont know if he lifts on sunday as that's the 1 day I'm not in the gym).

Ultimately it's a "to each his own". If you work hard and wish to treat yourself, then it's okay. If you are trying to find excuses to overeat, then you are not changing your lifestyle and you will revert back to your old habits.