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

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Replies

  • Clarice530
    Clarice530 Posts: 11
    You GUYS ARE THE BEST~...Thank you for the advise and trust and believe me I am reading each post and taking it all in to truly make the right choice for me on this journey.

    MFP's are THE BOMB~
  • ddt411
    ddt411 Posts: 14 Member
    No expert here, but I'm thinking that the key is to just be honest with yourself, and log everything here faithfully. I try to "bank" a couple hundred calories per day during the week by staying under my target on weekdays, then when I slip I'm still on track overall.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    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...?

    *humps post*
  • Tina180130
    Tina180130 Posts: 127 Member
    You won't fail..."if the mind is willing then the body will follow".

    Plan what you eat and build it into your macros for the day. Dont have cheat days (your just kidding yourself), have what you want BUT in moderation. Don't pig out for the day or weekend, have the MEAL you want and enjoy it, BUT ensure that all your other meals are healthier. You can do this :)
  • PhilyPhresh
    PhilyPhresh Posts: 600 Member
    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...?

    *humps post*

    :laugh:
  • dtf88
    dtf88 Posts: 53
    One day typically won't make a huge difference, unless you just absolutely go crazy with the food + alcohol. Enjoy life and don't let dieting completely control your life. As long as you are still working towards your goal on the other 6 days, feel free to take a day off from tracking. Otherwise, you can enjoy so called "junk" foods during your tracking days as long as it fits your macros like others have said above.
  • hajir7
    hajir7 Posts: 53 Member
    I use to do cheat days, and I chose to do it the day I ckecked my weight in, but I stopped doing it, the five weeks I have done it I didn't lose any weight, and I learned that because it is life style then there should be no cheat days:)
    There are some days when you feel you just want to let go and eat whatever do it but less often, exercise more to eat what you want, and also alternate if you go over your calorie limit make it up the next day:)
  • kcatlin9
    kcatlin9 Posts: 321 Member
    don't think of it as cheating, this of it as reward for hard work to make the permanent lifestyle changes.

    if you have truly made permanent healthy eating and exercise lifestyle changes, then a night out with friends, a wedding reception or a simple indulgence will be a blip. your body should be firing on all cylinders and you'll lose those few pounds gained in 2 or 3 days.

    timely thread given holiday season is upon us.
  • ZsaZsa70
    ZsaZsa70 Posts: 2
    I really dont "allow" cheat days. I just dont really deprive myself I tend to have what I want just in very small portions. That works best for me. When I deprive myself then I tend to over do it on those "cheats" then it too hard to recover from those day then I beat myself up over it. Moderation is key I finally learned that and I'm doing good now!
  • Trueray
    Trueray Posts: 1,189 Member
    When I wanted to cheat I would chew my favorite gum which is about 5 calories and it would get rid of the craving. It might work for you who knows.
  • skittles1928
    skittles1928 Posts: 57 Member
    I just consider it a cheat day if I totally go off the wagon and eat everything in sight. Then I do better the next several days. I will give myself a cheat meal more often, though.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    I just consider it a cheat day if I totally go off the wagon and eat everything in sight. Then I do better the next several days. I will give myself a cheat meal more often, though.

    tumblr_m6yyr8bepS1qke924o1_500.png
  • treagal
    treagal Posts: 264 Member
    My cheat days always turned into cheat years....so I don't have cheat days. But I do have the odd meal (once a week) where I give in.
  • cnelson1974
    cnelson1974 Posts: 235 Member
    Eat whatever you want so you don't feel deprived - just do it in moderation and track it so you are aware. If you go over your calories - add a workout or make it up the next day.

    What she said! :)
  • JonfromIndiana
    JonfromIndiana Posts: 34 Member
    I personally don't allow myself cheat days. It's to easy for me to lose focus on my goals when I do. It's hard at the start of your weight loss journey, but trust me that it gets easier. Good luck!!!
  • MonkeeAnne
    MonkeeAnne Posts: 17 Member
    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!!

    Amen sista!! I also have "cheat" days on the weekends, and my usually involves beer too! I still log everything ) ok I might forget a beer or 3, but I log my food. I TRY to stay close, but if I go over I don't sweat it! And I have LOST 10# in the last 5 weeks. And every week has had at least 1 cheat day!!!

    Here's to ya!
  • Jeffersz
    Jeffersz Posts: 36
    I allow myself a "reward" meal once every two weeks... The key I've found however, is to make it reasonable, say 10%-30% over what that meal would normally contain for me. This way I am satisfied both with something I normally don't get, and I haven't completely blown 2, 3 or even more days doing it. Works for me!
  • PhilyPhresh
    PhilyPhresh Posts: 600 Member
    95% of you are missing the point entirely... good luck.
  • Spartanelite
    Spartanelite Posts: 2 Member
    embrace cheat days! just set one day a week and set the for cheat day. example. on friday is chipotle friday for me! its way that i can get excited to eat all those calories and carbs instead of downing myself if i eat it. and it works!
  • pamelak5
    pamelak5 Posts: 327 Member
    I found that when I used an approach like this (plan for cheat day), I waaay overate on the weekends - enough to under mine most of my efforts. It's hard to self-regulate on weekends when you have been deprived all week.

    Staying hungry all week so you can binge on the weekend is not a permanent, positive lifestyle choice.

    What has made the biggest change for me is deciding there were no "on" days or "off" days. This is my life. I am not eating healthy (or staying hungry) so I can eat a lot on Saturday anymore. If I'm hungry, I eat. I eat enough. I don't "save" calories so I can scarf down all weekend; I'm done with being hungry all week to compensate for Saturday.

    I committed to logging everything for 100 days straight, regardless of whether I was going to meat my goals. I still eat junk, but now that I have a log, I pay attention to exactly how much I am eating and how it makes me feel. I also now naturally self regulate - I went out for a big dinner the night before thanksgiving (anniversary) and then ate the usual thanksgiving crap. Without even trying, I evened myself out within a few days - I just wasn't that hungry on the subsequent days. No damage done. No "cheating", no negativity. I enjoyed my anniversary dinner, I enjoyed Thanksgiving, and still lost a pound.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    95% of you are missing the point entirely... good luck.

    not to be redundant but uh...

    *humps post*
  • Marc713
    Marc713 Posts: 328 Member
    As said above, if you are living a balanced life, it's not cheating. Work hard, so you can play hard. Eat well most of the time so you can indulge now and then without guilt. People die all the time that are fit & healthy, so why skip out on indulging in healthy moderation?
  • Getbusyliving1
    Getbusyliving1 Posts: 13
    Just concentrate on the big picture. Log everything you eat on your cheat days. Log your weight weekly. If you are continuing to lose, eat as much or less fat/sugar on your cheat day. If you are maintaining, eat as much or less fat/sugar on your cheat days. If you are gaining, eat less fat/sugar on your cheat days. Rinse and repeat.
  • jessdani_333
    jessdani_333 Posts: 9
    My diet (slow carb) has a cheat day specifically set aside to indulge in everything that I don't eat during the week. There are some important things to keep in mind on that day though. Here's a link http://www.slowcarbfoodie.com/2012/02/28/the-ultimate-guide-to-the-4-hour-body-cheat-day/ that you might give you some tips to implement if you decide a cheat day is right for you.
  • jessdani_333
    jessdani_333 Posts: 9
    Also, a great thing about cheat day is that you can plan it. Make a list of the things you're craving and have them on cheat day. Then, when you're jonesing you can say to yourself, "I can't have that today, but on cheat day I'm gonna eat the hell out of it."
  • Linamalav3
    Linamalav3 Posts: 2
    Honestly, I think cheat days are good. If anything, when I incorporated them I was much more successful. However, I would definitely suggest starting without cheat days. For example, if you are on either your first or second week of dieting/eating clean, then don't incorporate cheat days, because all that will happen is that you will most likely go crazy and ruin all of the hard work you've done. So I would say only incorporate cheat days once you have continually experienced successful control over you cravings (for me that was two weeks at that time). However, once you are ready to add cheat days I find they actually help you sooo much. Because while I loved eating clean and the energy and feeling I got from it, I also loved me some ice cream and chocolate, and sometimes it made me sad to see other people eating it when I "couldn't". But by adding a cheat day, if I ran across something tempting, it would be easier to control myself because I'd just remind myself that I would be able to have it in a couple of days if I still wanted it. So I found cheat days gave me control. The only rule I gave myself on cheat days was to eat until I was satisfied, not stuffed. But otherwise I went crazy and really took advantage of them. And at the end of each week I still lost weight. Another precaution I would say is, if you are not working out, then don't add cheat days. Nonetheless if you know deep in your heart you bust your butt at the gym and eat clean when you are supposed to a cheat day is perfect for you. One little day will not ruin any success. P.S.: leave out cheat days if you are plateauing, because in that case you need to try to create an even greater calorie deficit. Hope this helps! :)
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    I'm consistent with tracking and staying in calorie goal Monday through Saturday. Sunday is my free day, I eat what ever I want and don't stress over tracking things. This works for me but I'm in maintenance.
  • Heather_Rider
    Heather_Rider Posts: 1,159 Member
    to those saying "DONT call a cheat day.. and DONT call it a diet."

    ya know what? I call it what i want!!

    I grew up in the 80's & 90's & thats what we called it.. habits are hard to break & i dont think there is any harm & calling something a word. ITS A WORD.

    Im not being locked up & hog tied & forced horrible things to be done to me. Sheesh!

    LOL.. anyway.. Carry on!
  • pamelak5
    pamelak5 Posts: 327 Member
    to those saying "DONT call a cheat day.. and DONT call it a diet."

    ya know what? I call it what i want!!

    I grew up in the 80's & 90's & thats what we called it.. habits are hard to break & i dont think there is any harm & calling something a word. ITS A WORD.

    Im not being locked up & hog tied & forced horrible things to be done to me. Sheesh!

    LOL.. anyway.. Carry on!

    It's not a word - it's a mindset. When most people hear the word "diet" they think of some change they temporarily have to make to drop weight. If you are making changes only temporarily, and only to drop weight, then fine, it's a diet. If you are making permanent changes to adopt a healthier lifestyle...then it's not a diet. Same with "cheat days". Cheating, by definition, means you're doing something wrong. I don't have days where I stop caring about my lifestyle or my health. When I eat a cookie I'm not "cheating" - I balance it out with healthy decisions and it fits into a healthy lifestyle.

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