can i have mcdonalds on my cheat day

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  • Mini_Medic
    Mini_Medic Posts: 343 Member
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    I try to stay away from fast food like McD's and Taco Bell, but sometimes you have to treat yourself. Fair warning as many others have posted, it will most likely NOT fill you up, and you will be left wanting. This can lead into going way over on calories or macros or both, depending on what you allow yourself to eat. I know from personal experience if I go "cheat" and have pizza that I will definitely over eat and go way over my calories (try 2,000+ over!) if I allow myself "one slice, just this once". That is just me, of course. Best bet is to avoid it, because the longer you avoid it, the less cravings you will have.

    In fact, since I cut out fast food, my cravings have dissapeared completely. If I do allow myself an indulgence, I usually do not enjoy it, and it doesn't taste good and I have to pay penance to the porcelain gods later.
  • SWilkins75
    SWilkins75 Posts: 277 Member
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    You shouldn't eat McDonald's EVER ;) not only is it horribly unhealthy (fat, sodium, etc) ...the food quality is bad as well.

    You're body is a temple... don't put that S*it in it! lol. If you really want a cheeseburger...make an amazing cheeseburger at home! They are so much tastier and then you can control what you put in it.

    But in seriousness, if you want to have a cheat day. Eat a McDonalds cheeseburger... it is not going to derail much.. but I would consider going through drivethru and leaving. THEN if you do realize it tastes amazing...you can't have another.

    Also, expect to have stomach knots and possibly be sitting on the toilet if you have not had McDonald's or greasy food in awhile. Take it from me...I made a similar mistake once. ;-)
    According to your food diary, you enjoy McDonalds crispy chicken sandwiches. Those are loaded with sodium as well as your macaroni and cheese from noodles and co.

    To the original poster, if you want one get it. Just make sure it stays in your daily calorie goal. For example, plan to have one tomorrow but eat very well all day long. I also suggest buying a side salad with it as well because stop that craving, I can almost guarantee you'll still be hungry. I don't eat very well but I try and I work out 5x a week,. If you feel guilty or cruddy after eating that burger, work out. Remember this is forever. Do what you think you can handle forever. I used to get large meals with Coke from Mcdonalds. Now I usually get a sandwich, side salad and bottled water. If some people can eat healthy ALL of the time and never have cravings or can resist them, good for them.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
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    You shouldn't eat McDonald's EVER ;) not only is it horribly unhealthy (fat, sodium, etc) ...the food quality is bad as well.

    You're body is a temple... don't put that S*it in it! lol. If you really want a cheeseburger...make an amazing cheeseburger at home! They are so much tastier and then you can control what you put in it.

    But in seriousness, if you want to have a cheat day. Eat a McDonalds cheeseburger... it is not going to derail much.. but I would consider going through drivethru and leaving. THEN if you do realize it tastes amazing...you can't have another.

    Also, expect to have stomach knots and possibly be sitting on the toilet if you have not had McDonald's or greasy food in awhile. Take it from me...I made a similar mistake once. ;-)


    I agree with this reply!!!! Don't do itttt :noway: have something else,i normally go for subway's at least in this case i'm not working toilet duties :laugh:

    I dont know....subway has some of the most processed foods out there.

    http://www.davidmodderman.com/blog/index.php/nutrition/think-your-getting-a-healthy-meal-at-subway-look-at-this-and-see-what-your-really-getting/
    http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/getnutrition/ingredientslist.pdf
    http://www.greeneggsmarketing.com/2009/01/close-your-eyes-at-subway.html

    PS I stopped eating at Subway when I realized that my biggest bouts with lower GI issues were post Subway meals.
    Never had that issue at McDs.
  • SWilkins75
    SWilkins75 Posts: 277 Member
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    Experiment with what works for you. If eating McDonald's and having cheat days are that important to you, find a way to make them work. If you find that a McDonald's meal leaves you feeling crappy, or causes you to binge, or destroys your willpower to get back to your plan the next day, maybe it isn't working. But if you can eat that and not suffer for it, well, you're an adult and you can make your own choices. Sure you can still lose weight, if losing weight is your primary goal.

    I don't do fast food or plan cheat days for myself, but lots of people do and are still able to meet their individual goals.
    This.
  • girlykate143
    girlykate143 Posts: 220 Member
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    Really, McDonalds on your cheat day?!? Go to Red Lobster and indulge!:tongue:
    Really, Red Lobster? the stuff that comes off a frozen box? Really?
    actually, just skip the pseudo meat in the burger and get fries and a choco shake to dip said fries into.
  • csuhar
    csuhar Posts: 779 Member
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    As others have said, one burger on your cheat day won't kill you. Heck, it wouldn't kill you even if it's not your cheat day.

    One thing I did notice when I had a fast food burger (Burger King, in my case) after a long hiatus was the SIZE. I was pretty hungry by the time I got to BK that day, so I ordered a plain Whopper with fries and a fountain drink. Normally, as a 6'2", 230lb active male, this isn't much of a big deal, especially because I had not eaten much that day. But I couldn't eat more than half of it before I was simply done. After half a burger and some of my fries and a drink, I was full.

    So enjoy your cheeseburger, but I'd say you should be prepared to leave some of it behind and shouldn't feel compelled to eat it all if your body doesn't want it.
  • TheFitHooker
    TheFitHooker Posts: 3,358 Member
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    Sure you can have whatever you want, but why would ya want McDonalds? LOL..
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
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    Depends what you eat there and how many calories you have left in the day in addition to your macros.

    Truth of the matter is fat people existed BEFORE McDonalds. They will exist AFTER McDonalds. Eating a calorie surplus for prolonged periods causes fat gain. Not simply eating McDonalds.

    Those that say "NEVER" eat there fail spectacularly at nutrition management and failed to learn the key to truly holding off weight. (Except those that hate the taste lol).

    Moderation and avoiding over indulgence is the key.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
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    Are you on MFP because you want motivation to make better choices, or because you want permission to make bad ones?
  • kenazfehu
    kenazfehu Posts: 1,188 Member
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    If you really want to, but really - there are so many more delicious and nutritious choices. I like making my own cheeseburgers using lean meat, really delicious, mouth-watering cheese, and thin buns. I can even make it work into my daily nutrition; no cheating required.
  • gingerjen7
    gingerjen7 Posts: 821 Member
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    You CAN eat anything you want. Should you? Only you know how good your willpower is. Personally, I wouldn't because McDonalds is the lowest of the low on my food totem pole, but I fully intend to eat something with very little nutritional value tomorrow because it's one day, one meal in a whole lifetime. I don't want to fill my body with crap forever, but a little treat now and then helps me know that nothing is "off limits" so there's no failure.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    Experiment with what works for you. If eating McDonald's and having cheat days are that important to you, find a way to make them work. If you find that a McDonald's meal leaves you feeling crappy, or causes you to binge, or destroys your willpower to get back to your plan the next day, maybe it isn't working. But if you can eat that and not suffer for it, well, you're an adult and you can make your own choices. Sure you can still lose weight, if losing weight is your primary goal.

    I don't do fast food or plan cheat days for myself, but lots of people do and are still able to meet their individual goals.

    This.
    Only I do do cheat days. I found that for me having a cheat day allowed me to deal with my cravings during the week. I would have a crave and resolve to have it on my cheat day. Sometimes by the time cheat day was here, I didn't crave it anymore. I also found allowing myself to have whatever I wanted for a certain amount of time also helped me find what I really enjoyed. Turns out, McDonalds no longer does it for me. It wasn't worth wasting my precious cheat meal on. I could care less if I ever ate McDonalds again, however, I still enjoy pizza as much, if not more, than I ever did. Or a gourmet burger from a local restaurant.
  • cior
    cior Posts: 133 Member
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    If you want to have McDonalds on your cheat day, have McDonalds on your cheat day! Don't let anyone else define to you what you are allowed to eat and not eat for you to be healthy and for you to have on your cheat day. We all have different standards of healthy and junk food.
  • AvgJ0e
    AvgJ0e Posts: 6
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    Of all the choices for cheat meals, you're considering Mickey.D's??
  • monkeefun
    monkeefun Posts: 271 Member
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    can i have a mcdonalds cheeseburger on my cheat day or will it be too unhealthy and make me want to eat more ?

    Have you been staying AWAY from McDonald's right along? True, it's not the healthiest option in the world, and it can wreak havoc on your digestive tract - but it could do that anyway. Most people here are saying not to do it, as it's SO unhealthy - but you already know that. Once in a while, however, will not hurt you. Besides, it is not realistic to give up everything you like permanently. Maybe some people can, but the vast majority of us like what we like and by giving that up, we risk falling even harder. Figure out a way to make it work with your lifestyle change. I still enjoy a cheeseburger now and again, and as long as I do everything right the rest of the time, I have no guilt! We all need our treats here and there. Enjoy your burger, and eat healthy again later :-)
  • graysmom2005
    graysmom2005 Posts: 1,882 Member
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    Why would you waste a cheat day on McDonalds????
  • nevermore99
    nevermore99 Posts: 12
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    I decided that I can have the largest McDonald's meal everytime I want, provided that:
    1. I eat it at a specific restaurant
    2. I cycle or walk there

    So far I tried it twice and after roughly 10 miles it lost all of its appeal.

    I'm generally opposed to the idea of a cheat day as 10.000+ calorie cheat days made me fail in the past. For me it is much better just to make a set of rules to allow for burning of excess calories. A (tasty) reward keeps me motivated to keep going, and I usually set the rules so that road home is pure bonus (going there should cover for the treat).
  • gingerjen7
    gingerjen7 Posts: 821 Member
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    Don't let anyone else define to you what you are allowed to eat and not eat for you to be healthy and for you to have on your cheat day.
    She's (he?) not LETTING people define it for her, she's ASKING them to.

    In my experience, if you are asking if you CAN (or even SHOULD) eat something, you already know the answer, they just want people to tell them it's okay anyway. That's why people never post things like, "Is it okay if I have baked chicken breast for dinner?" or "Can I eat vegetarian tacos?"
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    Don't let anyone else define to you what you are allowed to eat and not eat for you to be healthy and for you to have on your cheat day.
    She's (he?) not LETTING people define it for her, she's ASKING them to.

    In my experience, if you are asking if you CAN (or even SHOULD) eat something, you already know the answer, they just want people to tell them it's okay anyway. That's why people never post things like, "Is it okay if I have baked chicken breast for dinner?" or "Can I eat vegetarian tacos?"

    I thought she(he?) was asking if it would cause them to crave it more if they did.
  • gingerjen7
    gingerjen7 Posts: 821 Member
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    Don't let anyone else define to you what you are allowed to eat and not eat for you to be healthy and for you to have on your cheat day.
    She's (he?) not LETTING people define it for her, she's ASKING them to.

    In my experience, if you are asking if you CAN (or even SHOULD) eat something, you already know the answer, they just want people to tell them it's okay anyway. That's why people never post things like, "Is it okay if I have baked chicken breast for dinner?" or "Can I eat vegetarian tacos?"

    I thought she(he?) was asking if it would cause them to crave it more if they did.
    Well, there were three questions all jumbled together. Can I have it? Is it too unhealthy? Will it make me crave it more? To which I would say, "Yes, Yes, only you can know."

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