Cheat days

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Replies

  • Chewster001
    Chewster001 Posts: 201 Member
    Check out my pics. I have one of last week's calorie graph. The party on the weekend was planned, so the day before I ate very little with the plan that I'd go over the next day. Averaged over the week, I stayed below the red. Despite that huge red spike that towers over the rest of my days, I lost another pound...

    Argue about what works and what doesn't all you like, but I think it's perfectly normal to have an occasional day where you go over on calories. Occasional means once or twice a month... I think once a week might be excessive.

    How is once a week any different than twice a month if either way you come in under weekly goal? I fail to see your logic in how two cheat days a month is ok and four is in excess....

    I'm just giving my opinion as to what an excess is. Like 2 shoulders are good, but 4 is an excess... If once a week works for you, great... But I find that for me, planning two big parties per month is normal. When I went over on a weekly basis, I would personally go over a lot, and fall off the wagon. NFL Sunday's excess was quickly followed by Monday Night Football's excess... So the weekly thing didn't work for me.

    Obviously if you stay below the line on average, you're doing fine. I'm just saying that emotionally, not mathematically, more than twice a month threw off my desire to stay on track the rest of the week.
  • dl68cooper
    dl68cooper Posts: 3
    Great article, thanks for posting.
  • jozzler
    jozzler Posts: 37
    I think i'm on about week 6 or 7 of doing mfp now and i've had 3 'cheat' days. I didn't plan them, and i had really good days until it got to the evening. I was just really hungry on those days and needed to eat what i was craving for and feed my hunger. I did it, forgot about it, and carried on as normal on the next day. Nobody can be a saint all of the time. I think everyone just needs to do what works for them, everybody's body is different and we all have different motives, ideals and ideas. Just go with the flow!
  • know_your_worth
    know_your_worth Posts: 481 Member
    Just recently found out that I shouldn't allow myself "cheat days". Too easy to get used to it, start back with calorie counting on monday, ect. Basically going back to the way I ate before mfp.

    I think it just depends on the person. Great idea for some people, not so good for others.
  • erinpooh
    erinpooh Posts: 90
    I don't really have cheat days, but if I'm craving something, I go ahead and have it, in moderation. I don't think it's realistic never to eat a cookie, or a slice of pizza, or a bag of chips. I just don't eat them at every meal.
  • ShannonTowers
    ShannonTowers Posts: 2
    I am really trying hard not to have cheat days. For me 1 leads to 2 and 2 leads to 3 and so on...... on my so called cheat days i have some wine or drinks with friends.
  • justicekenny
    justicekenny Posts: 80
    Im like a bull in a china closet on Sundays .. Upwards up to 4500 to 5000 calories .. yeah buddy ...
  • cedarghost
    cedarghost Posts: 621 Member
    My cheat day, I just eat dirty if I feel like it and eat to maintenance instead of at a deficit. And I do believe the calorie spike can jump start your metabolism like that day on. day off diet.
  • gdnt
    gdnt Posts: 6
    I'm going to suggest that cheat days aren't necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes denying yourself can have worse effects. Just be sure that they fit in with your overall goals, and do what you feel will best help you get where you want to go. If you catch yourself going overboard, make some changes. Personally, I prefer small "cheats" each day, as entire cheat days get a little out of control, when I have them.

    You asked whether people who have cheat days still lose weight. The answer is that they do, if their cheat days are reasonable in frequency and calorie count!
  • misstoridanielle
    misstoridanielle Posts: 62 Member
    it's hard for me to have cheat days because the stuff that I cheat with fills me up before I even finish it. though if I do, I don't go overboard. i don't miss McDonalds or fast food but I do miss pizza and every time I go home for a weekend we get pizza. though i get thin crust and only cheese. i end up only eating a few pieces before i'm done.
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    Im like a bull in a china closet on Sundays .. Upwards up to 4500 to 5000 calories .. yeah buddy ...

    That's actually a pretty reasonable overfeed, depending upon your physical makeup. I've seen reports of people ripping up 12-15,000 calories in an overfeed. However, these are also people that weigh over 300 pounds and are less than 10% bodyfat. Lol.
  • CarlieeBear
    CarlieeBear Posts: 325 Member
    My bf and I ate out for our anniversary and didn't worry much about how much we ate. I came in under my maintenance calories and physically felt like I'd eaten too much. I plan to relax on holidays and my birthday as well.
  • RyanJK85
    RyanJK85 Posts: 580 Member
    Every Saturday is a cheat day for me. I like to drink beer, so I drink my beer on that day instead of a couple everyday and killing it on Fridays and Saturdays. Most people dont recomend drinking alcohol, but thats part of me, no way I could stick to a "diet" not drinking some. I use that day and eat exactly what I want and however much I want, but I cant eat as much as I used to. Some say its not good, some say its good to rejump your metabolism. Me, I say do what works for you, but once you give up all your "bad" food, to me, its a failure waiting to happen.
  • withchaco
    withchaco Posts: 1,026 Member
    There's a difference between a cheat, and a planned overfeed. Cheat generally implies ****ty food, and that's never a good idea. The crap isn't good for anyone, let alone someone trying to better their body.

    Planned overfeeds however, are generally just a day where you intentionally consume more than you normally would, and these can be very beneficial to those in weight training. There is a caveat however: in my opinion, people over 15% BF should not bother with them anyway. They don't gain much physical benefit from them, as they have plenty of fat and glycogen stores to go around.
    EXACTLY! Except "people over 15% BF" may not apply. I mean, there's a huge difference between a dude at 17% BF and a dudette at 17%. Plus different bodies behave differently. But as a general guideline as opposed to a set-in-stone rule, I'm inclined to agree, assuming 15% BF for males.

    Then there's also the psychological splurges that some people, regardless of their body fat %, need in order to stick to the plan. I wouldn't call them a cheat either, as long as they keep it reasonable.
  • withchaco
    withchaco Posts: 1,026 Member
    However, these are also people that weigh over 300 pounds and are less than 10% bodyfat. Lol.
    How do they even get there in the first place? 6' 9" tall on steroids?!?
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
    Check out my pics. I have one of last week's calorie graph. The party on the weekend was planned, so the day before I ate very little with the plan that I'd go over the next day. Averaged over the week, I stayed below the red. Despite that huge red spike that towers over the rest of my days, I lost another pound...

    Argue about what works and what doesn't all you like, but I think it's perfectly normal to have an occasional day where you go over on calories. Occasional means once or twice a month... I think once a week might be excessive.

    How is once a week any different than twice a month if either way you come in under weekly goal? I fail to see your logic in how two cheat days a month is ok and four is in excess....

    I'm just giving my opinion as to what an excess is. Like 2 shoulders are good, but 4 is an excess... If once a week works for you, great... But I find that for me, planning two big parties per month is normal. When I went over on a weekly basis, I would personally go over a lot, and fall off the wagon. NFL Sunday's excess was quickly followed by Monday Night Football's excess... So the weekly thing didn't work for me.

    Obviously if you stay below the line on average, you're doing fine. I'm just saying that emotionally, not mathematically, more than twice a month threw off my desire to stay on track the rest of the week.
    Next time speak in the context of yourself and not others.

    People use the cheat day as an excuse to get fat? Refeed and cheats are two different things. I personally hate the term cheat, cause you shouldn't cut out any food.
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
    However, these are also people that weigh over 300 pounds and are less than 10% bodyfat. Lol.
    How do they even get there in the first place? 6' 9" tall on steroids?!?
    Some pro's easily reach 300lbs in the off season. Quite common actually.
  • withchaco
    withchaco Posts: 1,026 Member
    Some pro's easily reach 300lbs in the off season. Quite common actually.
    I see. Just sounds so huge to me (barely 5' 2", female) XD
  • justicekenny
    justicekenny Posts: 80
    I normally get a small "Papa Johns" Garden Fresh pizza .. aprox 800 calories, and a "ranch" dipping sauce .. maybe 150 cals .. never do the garlic .. pizza isn't crazy .. it's the pepperoni, sausage, meats is what gets ya ...
  • justicekenny
    justicekenny Posts: 80
    I play with my calories sort of like a bank account ... everyday Im slightly under my goal .. then at the end of the week I have them (calories) left over .. works for me .. Sunday mornings..wake up, weigh myself ... then it's on like donkey kong .. ha
  • Espressocycle
    Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
    I am highly in favor of cheat days. If I could never enjoy a five course meal and wine or a night out with burgers and beer, I wouldn't be able to stick to it. I have been losing weight like gangbusters since I decided to stop trying to have every day be perfect, mainly because I made a deal with myself: Most days are eating to live, once a week I live to eat.

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