How to handle cheat days. I don't want to fail.

I totally disage with everyone. (up to he point when i started writing this, everyone said NO cheat days.. lol)

I have a cheat day, its Saturday. I eat whatever i want & i drink tons of beer.

I also call this a diet, not a lifestyle change. WHY? Because I refuse to count calories & think every singlee moment of every single day about calories for the rest of my life.

YES I will make changes that will become new habits, but I refuse to be on MFP forever, like most people.

I dont think you should live your life around food. Its obsessive and it takes the fun out of life!!!

ENJOY your life. ONE DAY is fine. As long as you are active and you eat well the rest of the week, you wont gain.

Make it simple. Stay under just 100 calories the rest of the week, each day. 100 calories is very easy to do. Then on your cheat day, you have an additional 700 calories plus the 3500 (i believe what it takes to gain a pound.. dont quote me) before you have to even worry..

Like i said.. RELAX. Enjoy your life. You shouldnt be stressing so much over food.. its ONE pound.

Typically, my cheat day consists of my regular breakfast of fruit, just because it makes me feeel good & starts my day with energy.. (see, ive already made that habit just because i like the way it makes me feel, not because i feel like i HAVE to) Then, typically because im running around, i will grab a small burger, a hot dog, or nothing at all for lunch.. which is 0-350 calories. Then i eat whatever i want for supper. (generally 1000 calorie meal) so im at 1350 calories for the day... THEN comes the beer... which is where i go over. by LOTS. lol. BUT this keeps me ON TRACK. I have no desire to do this during the week because i have indulged!!

Whatever you decide to do, do it for YOU dispite what ANYONE says. You know your body & how you respond to things. Do not set yourself up for failure. Some people (like me) NEED those cheat days. Some dont! The key to a cheat day is having the balls to remember its a cheat DAY not a cheat WEEK.. you cannot let the day continue. It starts when you get up, and stops when you go to sleep. THATS IT.

Good luck! If you would like to add me, please feel free!!

When I was losing (I'm maintaining now) I had cheat days. I had to do it so I wouldn't feel so restricted that I'd altogether give up. I still logged EVERYTHING and as I ate healthier more often, cheat days became less and less drastic naturally. It got to the point where most times I would barely go over my calories but I would feel like I had a cheat day. Just let it happen naturally and don't go too overboard. Give yourself a cheat meal instead of day if you feel like a day is too much.

I am a looooooooooong way off maintaining for good, but I am interested - I see me logging now that I understand a bit more about how this is working for me. Do you still log your cals in/exercise etc?

I have a cheat day, though I am considering changing it to the "free" day that others call it. How we name things affects what we do with it.

I eat a reasonable breakfast, reasonable lunch, and continue to stay out of the soda. But come dinner and snack time, it's whatever I'd like. And I continue to log, too - just to keep myself accountable.

I'd go nuts without a free day.

I don't have "cheat days." In the 7 months I've been at this I went away for a weekend with the hubby and didn't log my food/drinks, I went to a couple parties and went over by a few hundred and logged as well as I could, and I had a Thanksgiving feast that I didn't even attempt to log. I've also eaten ice cream and chocolate too many times to count but fit it in my calorie goal. I've had fried foods and fast food and bar food and fit it all in. It's just a matter of planning. I'll eat eggs/egg whites for breakfast and lots of raw fresh fruits and veggies or maybe a low cal protein shake during the day if I know I have something food centered going on in the evening. I also like to get in a good workout in the morning if I know I have a food filled day coming up. I've never felt deprived or hungry. And on the rare occasion that I do feel hungry (not just bored or snacky) I eat guilt free. Not junk food, but a little protein and fiber even if it puts me over by a tiny bit.

for all those who say "I don't cheat I am always a healthy eater" stop your lying

I didn't see anyone who said they always eat healthy. I said I don't "cheat" because cheating means I'm doing something wrong. If I want to eat a cupcake for breakfast, which I did yesterday, or pizza for dinner tonight, which I might do, I work it into my calorie goals for the day, track it and move on.

I am wondering how you guys handle cheat days. Do you allow yourself cheat days and if so how do you make it work without gaining extra and succeeding. I just don't want to fail this time. This is a lifestyle change for me and I want to be healthier and keep the weight off this time.

I don't believe in "cheat days." I exercise and eat healthy most of the time. If I want a treat or have a party or a holiday, I enjoy myself and try to make up for it in exercise the rest of the week and then I move on. If it's a lifestyle, you have to be able to live it. But there is no reason to schedule a day where you just eat and eat and eat without worry. You can throw your entire diet off with one day a week.

Just use common sense and plan.

cheating implies that you are breaking a rule. Rules imply that you are breaking a rule. Breaking food rules brings on guilt. Guilt brings on self-loathing. Self-loathing brings on the lying to yourself, ie "I dont care". "I dont care" + depriving yourself = binge. Binge = More guilt. More guilt leads to creating stricter less compassionate rules. Strict rules make you want to cheat. Start vicious cycle over.



It just doesnt work well unless you take that word cheat out and all its implications.

Instead - do this.

Plan what youre going to eat for the next 3 - 7 days. Include several of your favorite meals and some that you know are just healthy fuel. have a small dessert a couple times a week. have a drink when you'd like one. Just think smart. Think big picture. Think - this is my life - not a test in PE and Health on friday that Im cramming for. If you need to look forward to food because there are some meals that you love and miss, then plan them into your week.

But dont associate negative words like cheat with your food.

You aren't cheating, baby, youre eating.

Well said!

Listen to Yoovie...she knows what she's talkin about..

I don't have cheat days. If I'm craving something, I eat it and then log it. I have found that my portion sizes have lowered a lot since logging my food, and I'm still full. I also used to have a horrible sweet tooth. That has decreased significantly in the last month with my changed eating habits. Just take it all in moderation. Allow for small treats. Good luck!

ETA - Exactly what Yoovie said....(sorry, read it after I posted).

I feel a cheat day is where your a bit more relaxed about what you eat. Like maybe your gonna go out to eat you should still make healthier choices like sticking to a light beverage either going straight to a sugar packed one.or like choosing a healthier entree but not worry so much about how many calories exactly your eating. Not eating a whole appetizer, entree full of grease and a dessert. Or maybe eating clean and healthy all day but having that candy bar you have been craving. I don't feel a cheat day should mean eat whatever and whenever all day and go way over board. I look at a cheat day as letting yourself have something not so healthy or just being a little more relaxed while still being healthy.

When I did WW years ago and was moderately successful (lost like 30 pounds), I had cheat days. I don't have them now. Having a cheat day tells me that what i am doing is temporary and I will be able to go back to the old lifestyle someday. That being said, I still have the food that i want. I just do my best to modify what I eat to make it better. If I really want a burger at home, I can make it a turkey burger with no bun. Or if (and when!) I really want the whole burger experience, I just make it fit into my calories by exercising more. I don't deprive myself. It would be the surest way to make sure this lifestyle change doesn't work. And if I just really go over my calories in a day (when doesn't happen often), I just do it. That's life.

I don't like the idea of cheat days, but I used to have them all the time when I was last here so this time I've allowed for a 'treat' a day so I don't get a craving for something and over-indulge.
For the next four weeks my 'treats' will be my advent calendar chocolate each morning because, really, I'm a big kid and it's also a way of controlling how much chocolate I have. I mean, one tiny piece of chocolate is better than a small bar.
I'm just going to reiterate what everyone else seems to have said so far: don't have cheat days, they usually don't work. If you indulge, log it anyway rather than lying to yourself and don't sweat it if it's not a common occurence! (if it is, perhaps re-evaluate your goals.) If you want to indulge regularly, factor it in to your day.

You just keep going. I've found that honestly... my cheat days are glorious! I had a cheat week for thanksgiving, and only gained a pound back.. and lost it by the next morning!

If you are doing "cheat days" then you aren't truly changing your life and learning why you go to where you did, now are you...?

I wouldn't even schedule "cheat days". It's like planning to *kitten* up your training.........