what do you do...?

sunnshhiine · October 2012

Do you allow yourself one cheat day a week or a month at all? Or are you super strict with your diet? When I did WW, I was super strict all throughout the week, and then Sundays were my cheat day --- I allowed myself to have one meal of my choice (without going overbaord, of course).

If you have a cheat day --- do you have a set day each week for that purpose, or do you allow any day of the week to be a cheat day depending on what your schedule looks like for the week?

When do you find is the most motivation time to weigh-in...? as in -- what time? what day of the week? how often?

I normally weigh-in on Monday mornings, but since Sunday was often my cheat day I normally saw the results of my cheats when I stepped on the scale the following morning. I'm thinking about moving my cheat day to like Friday or something.

Lastly, do you allow yourself to eat at any time of the day as long as your still within your calorie count? Or do you stop eating after a certain time regardless of how many calories you may/may not have left in the day?

I normally stop eating for the day between 5:30-6:00 each day.

I'm curious to know what other people are doing that's working for them, and what they have found to be helpful on their weightloss journey!

IowaPrincess · October 2012

Anytime I am going to allow myself to eat one of my delicious favorite foods.... I remind myself "eat half"
That way... even if it is a cheat day, moment, week.... whatever.... I am still doing better than i was.

I stop eating at 8pm.
I weigh in the morning.
I weigh daily so i dont slip.
However, I only log my weight once a week.
My weight fluctuates a few lbs a lot.

Hope this helps

JennyBug2007 · October 2012

I don't diet, I just pay closer attention to what/how much I eat.

I can't diet. I've never been able to stick to one. Ergo, I can't "cheat" per se; I may have days that I don't watch as closely. In my opinion, a diet implies that you are depriving yourself of something. I don't do well when I try to cut something out, so I just cut back. It is working for me!

michellej94 · October 2012

I don't have a strict diet. I am just more aware of the choices I make when eating. I am much more healthier in what I choose to eat in comparison to what I did and I can honestly say it has made a huge impact in how I feel. I don't have a particular day where I allow myself a 'cheat' because every so often I feel like eating something a bit 'naughty' and I wil allow myself to have it on that occasion but in moderation. I do this because I have come so far and I deserve to enjoy a treat every so often when I feel like it (:

mcpjan · October 2012

I try to stay within my 1200 cals a day. but if I want something (cheat) I figure out much extra workout I have to do to have it. That way it is not cheating I work it off.

hbrittingham · October 2012

I don't have cheat days, but I do allow myself to eat whatever I want with moderation. If I eat more than usual, I go for a long walk or a bike ride or get some exercise somehow to offset some of the extra calories. I generally make healthy choices anyways or take smaller portions of the items that might not be so good for me. I eat whatever time of day that I am hungry.

I weigh myself every day, but I don't log my weight anymore. If I am up a pound or two, I cut back for a week or so and it comes right back down. It's taken me a few years, but I am pretty much in tune with my body now.

schparks · October 2012

Agree with these ^^^^^^ . Having this moderation mindset about "cheating" has really helped me get back on the wagon where I would have let "bad days" snowball in the past.

kooltray87 · October 2012

Gosh those are a lot of questions.....

I have to be strict because I only have a small amount left to lose, so every cheat really sets me back. With that said I do not have a planned cheat time. On special occasions I allow my self to indulge, but other than that every day I plan to eat clean and within my macros....I also try to eat all off my cals for the day before 8:30. Sometimes its hard because I'm really hungry or I'm too busy to stop and eat. Progress is slow now but at least the scale is moving in the right direction. Plus I believe this is something I can keep up for years to come....until I have a kid and they ruin EVERYTHING! lol

RunMyOregonBunsOff · October 2012

I have splurge days instead of cheat days and I normally have them just on special occasions. I normally don't do too bad on those days but last Sunday was crazy! I ate more than I have in one day the entire time that I have been on here. But I almost never go over and I got a workout in and got over it. I am not super strict with what I eat but I eat a few items a lot of the time (same breakfast nearly every day, a couple different lunches most of the time). I eat right before bed if I am hungry and have cals left. I weigh every day to keep me motivated but I only log if there is a nice change from the last time that I logged or if it's been about a week.

jaimesoo · October 2012

i used to do WW as well and would always allow my cheat day to be the day I weighed in. Sometimes that worked but many times it just lead to me allowing more cheat days. My WI day was Thursday and Thursday cheat turned into Thurs/Frid and then the weekend until i was scrambling on Mon-Wed to make up for the damage i had done. I realized that there should never be cheat days(for ME) and to just allow myself to go over my calories or points once in awhile and start over tomorrow but to always stay on track and track everything even it if it was 1000 calories over - everything in moderation. At least i was aware of it.

I now am just doing MFP, I do not allow for specific cheat days, I weigh in on Monday mornings first thing so that I am less likely to over indulge on the weekends and then i start my week of fresh. And although i know I should stop eating after a certain time my days are to crazy to go by then and may never eat dinner if i did that so the only day i try to restrict is the day before I weigh in or before i run a race. Those nights I try to stop eating after 7/no later than 8pm.

pwnderosa · October 2012

I go just a little bit under my goal on weekdays and a little over on weekends, and look at the weekly stats on the phone app to make sure I'm in check for the week.

Shewolf1992 · October 2012

I have one cheat every day (because we spend a lot of time with my mother in-law and sister in-laws who are amazing cooks) It's usually around the afternoon a couple of hours before work out In witch I burn a lot of it off any way, but still maintain portion control with the not so healthy food.

Which brings me to my other rule of eating 4-5 times a day (as the way I work out requires)

I weigh in every 4 to 5 days at 8:00PM.

I eat whenever like last night I was short on my calories by 500 I couldn't sleep that night and so I got up and ate 5 slices of Black forest ham with my husband it was at midnight so I guess that qualifies as a midnight snack.

I

WillLift4Tats · October 2012

I don't have specific cheat days or meals. I used to but it didn't work out well, I cheated TOO much. Now I try to focus on mindful eating. If I feel like having a "cheat", I make myself wait for an hour or so. If I still want it after that, I have it, as long as it fits in my calorie allotment. Weekends are much harder on me though, especially with the treat-filled holidays around this time of year. AKA: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas. So wish me luck cuz I'm still working on it! :ohwell:

Oh and I weigh in every morning, but have just decreased my log updates to just once a week. Every day it fluctuates too much to record that in the log. It ends up looking like an EKG monitor haha

Shua89 · October 2012

I don't do cheat days because then it's too hard for me to get back on track the next day. I find myself making too many excuses. I go more with the moderation theory. I can have what I want once in a while but just a small amount. Instead of a whole candy bar I have a fun size which allows me to enjoy the taste without all the calories.

I weigh in on Friday mornings. I tend to be better during the week than on the weekends (still working on that) so my lowest weight is usually Friday morning. I do weigh myself every day but only log it here on Fridays. I also weigh in first thing in the morning.

I don't have a certain time to stop eating at night but typically once dinner is over I'm done. If I have calories left I may have a small something in the evening but I've never been an evening snacker so I don't really have much temptation there.

As for the biggest helps for me it's simply being completely honest with my logging my food. Even if I go over on my calories it's helpful to be able to look at it at the end of the day and figure out where I went wrong, then I'm better prepared the next time to deal with it. Also, sometimes I have something that I'm sure is awful but when I log it I realize it really isn't that bad and then I know I can have it again. It's too easy to fool yourself into thinking that you're not eating much when you don't log but you can't deny the numbers in black and white at the end of the day if you've been honest.

Shua

JesterMFP · October 2012

I don't do planned "cheat" meals or days. I'm not strict at all in terms of what I allow myself to eat; nothing is off limits. I am quite strict with fitting things into my calorie goal, and hitting my macronutrient goals. (I do struggle to hit my protein goal, but I try!) So, because I can have whatever I fancy day-to-day (chocolate, bread, bacon, cheese, wine whatever...) I think that helps me not to feel so restricted, and not to feel the need to have a cheat day. I don't really feel like I'm on a diet, other than the planning, measuring and logging aspect. If I know I'm going ot have a higher calorie meal, if I'm going out for dinner for example, then I try to eat lighter through the day, and get plenty of exercise in (I eat back all my exercise cals). I do sometimes go over my calorie goal, but not because I planned to, just because sometimes life gets in the way and I can't always plan ahead. If I go over, I sometimes go under a bit the next day, or a lot of the time, I just carry on as normal.

Since starting on MFP in January, I've had two planned diet breaks where I've eaten at maintenance (but still logging) for two weeks.

I weigh in every day, first thing in the morning. It's really helped me to become less emotionally attached to the number on the scale. I've learned a lot about what affects my weight, and I no longer panic if I gain a couple of pounds overnight. My weight goes up and down constantly. I'm pretty geeky about it, and log it on a spreadsheet so I can make graphs etc. It allows me to see the overall trend, rather than just the daily numbers. I only log it on MFP every now and then.

And yes, I eat at any time of the day. I sometimes eat breakfast, sometimes don't. If I have breakfast, it's usually less than 200 cals, then a smallish lunch, and then I save most of my calories for the evening when I have a large dinner and then snack right up until bedtime. I have some chocolate, or a biscuit (cookie), or some chocolate oat milk before I go to bed almost every night.

vtmoon · October 2012

Do you allow yourself one cheat day a week or a month at all? Or are you super strict with your diet? When I did WW, I was super strict all throughout the week, and then Sundays were my cheat day --- I allowed myself to have one meal of my choice (without going overbaord, of course).

If you have a cheat day --- do you have a set day each week for that purpose, or do you allow any day of the week to be a cheat day depending on what your schedule looks like for the week?

When do you find is the most motivation time to weigh-in...? as in -- what time? what day of the week? how often?

I normally weigh-in on Monday mornings, but since Sunday was often my cheat day I normally saw the results of my cheats when I stepped on the scale the following morning. I'm thinking about moving my cheat day to like Friday or something.

Lastly, do you allow yourself to eat at any time of the day as long as your still within your calorie count? Or do you stop eating after a certain time regardless of how many calories you may/may not have left in the day?

I normally stop eating for the day between 5:30-6:00 each day.

I'm curious to know what other people are doing that's working for them, and what they have found to be helpful on their weightloss journey!

Cheat days are a way to delay you from reaching your goal weight or body fat percent. If I want it bad enough I will move stuff around my day to have enough calories to enjoy it (through eating less or working out more). Some people need them though cause they don't have the discipline to go strict from the start, so if they help you with your weight lost journey do them but phase them off as you get better.

Weigh ins I do an official one once a week that I write down my weight from, even though I use to check my scale every time I walked in the bathroom. Pick one day/time and stick to it to help you be some what consistent normally mornings tend to be best for most.

You have to see the results of your cheat day since you are only cheating yourself, so another reason to not cheat :-p

Calories in and calories out, doesn't matter when you eat them mostly. Some people who do Intermittent Fasting try to go long periods without eating to help dip into their fat reserves for energy since they with hold carbs from their body for 14+ hours. I'm currently only eating between 6pm and 9 or 10 pm. It's a method that works for some people.

_kannnd · October 2012

Honestly, I eat what I want. I tend to not log what I eat on the weekends due to the fact that I'm not on my computer as much during that time. I try to log everything during the week though. For me, I'm not as strict about what I eat. I tend to cook a lot at home, and when I do, it's on the healthy side. If I want something that's not that great, I eat just a small portion. I stay within my 1410 calorie range, and if I go over, I just work out a little harder. I also tend to eat back my exercise calories.

I don't stop eating at a certain time. I don't get home until 5:30-6pm on a normal day, and on days that my kid has gymnastics (3x a week), we don't get home until 6:30-7. We get home, cook dinner, eat and then have family time until kidlet goes to bed at 9pm. Then I hit the gym. I try for about 4x a week. If I'm hungry after my workout, I'll eat a snack. Sometimes I am, sometimes I'm not.

I weigh myself daily and log it to see trends, but I only actually take an 'official' weight on Saturday mornings. I measure myself once a month too.

I know that what I do isn't for everyone, but it works for me.

Chief_Rocka · October 2012

I fit foods I enjoy into my diet on a daily basis, no need to cheat.

sunnshhiine · October 2012

I don't have specific cheat days or meals. I used to but it didn't work out well, I cheated TOO much. Now I try to focus on mindful eating. If I feel like having a "cheat", I make myself wait for an hour or so. If I still want it after that, I have it, as long as it fits in my calorie allotment. Weekends are much harder on me though, especially with the treat-filled holidays around this time of year. AKA: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas. So wish me luck cuz I'm still working on it! :ohwell:

Oh and I weigh in every morning, but have just decreased my log updates to just once a week. Every day it fluctuates too much to record that in the log. It ends up looking like an EKG monitor haha

LOL @ "EKG monitor" -- I know how that goes! :embarassed:

andreajp · October 2012

I pretty much eat what I want just not as MUCH as I want. That keeps me from feeling deprived or needing to 'cheat.'

Sundays I tend to save my calories for Sunday Dinner (a big, weekly family event) where I know I'll want to eat more and have some wine. That helps give me a feeling like I am eating as much as I want for that meal but I still stay within or very close to my calorie limit for the day.

sunnshhiine · October 2012

Thank you all for your thoughts on this! I really appreciate it.

Basically the main point I saw is that cheat days are a no-no. Simply make room for whatever "cheat" meal/snack you want into your daily calorie allowance, or eat a smaller portion.

Got it! I will be putting your suggestions to work! Again, thank you, all! :flowerforyou:

JesterMFP · October 2012

Thank you all for your thoughts on this! I really appreciate it.

Basically the main point I saw is that cheat days are a no-no. Simply make room for whatever "cheat" meal/snack you want into your daily calorie allowance, or eat a smaller portion.

Got it! I will be putting your suggestions to work! Again, thank you, all! :flowerforyou:

A lot of people do "cheat" days and find it helps keep them on track. I think the key point is to try to find what works for you. Perhaps start with moderation/portion control, and see if that works, and if you feel the need for a "cheat" meal or day, incorporate that into your week. Just make sure you don't go overboard and undo the rest of the week's work. What works for one person, might not work for another. The great thing about calorie counting is that you can tailor your diet to suit you.

fun_b · October 2012

I've not had a cheat day since I started MFP but I have had days when I have gone out to dinner and unintentionally ate 200/300 calories over. I don't think I need one as I feel happy with the way things are going.

I used to have a cheat day when I was lowcarbing. Sometimes it worked well as I saved all my treats until friday which motivated me. However there was also times where one day wasn't enough and I went over to saturday as well.

alpine1994 · October 2012

I don't have a strict diet. I am just more aware of the choices I make when eating. I am much more healthier in what I choose to eat in comparison to what I did and I can honestly say it has made a huge impact in how I feel. I don't have a particular day where I allow myself a 'cheat' because every so often I feel like eating something a bit 'naughty' and I wil allow myself to have it on that occasion but in moderation. I do this because I have come so far and I deserve to enjoy a treat every so often when I feel like it (:

Exactly this!

lizziebeth1028 · October 2012

Sunday is a fun food day for me. I eat whatever and don't log. If I start to feel my weight creep up a bit then I go back to a cheat meal (as opposed to a whole day) on Sunday and I log everything.

krickeyuu · October 2012

I walk the straight and narrow M-Th & Sa. Friday is "date night" so it is always dinner out. I eat what I want but I still try to make good choices or I eat less of a high fat or high soduim meal. I also balance it with breakfast/lunch. Saturday I cook a lower calorie--healthier family dinner like grilled salmon or chicken with salad or brown rice. Sunday I cook a "comfort food" family dinner like meatloaf and mashed potatoes. I eat less of it and have a balance for breakfast/lunch. This is my life and I want to enjoy it. This is not dieting/cheating--this is how I eat. I log every day except if I am on vacation.

what do you do...?

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