CHEAT DAY!?

Mverdecia1
Mverdecia1 Posts: 28
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok so I know there are other posts about this, but I wanted my own :)

I am debating doing a "cheat day" as a reward to sticking with my calories throughout the week. What do you all think? Would it hinder weight loss a ton in the long run? I think I would be more likely to stick to this for the long haul if I knew I had this day to look forward to.

Thoughts please!
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Replies

  • Theamers0528
    Theamers0528 Posts: 13
    I'd say as long as you don't go crazy and eat 2000 calories of junk food or fast food and you maintain or don't go too far over on calories then there's no reason you can't treat yourself. Only thing that matters is calories in vs calories out. If you keep a weekly deficit you will lose weight even if all you ate was twinkies(not recommended at all lol)
  • Madalynne
    Madalynne Posts: 14 Member
    I know that if I allowed myself cheat days, that I would have a really hard time getting back on the wagon the next day.

    I think that it is more beneficial to have rewards that are non-food based: a trip to the movies, mani/pedi, new clothes, etc.

    This way, food stops being the controlling factor in my life.
  • SarahSosi
    SarahSosi Posts: 349 Member
    would love to know! i just started doing this my self! still didn't weigh in to see results tho :D
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    I think the idea of a 'cheat day' sets you up for a dieting mentality. It also encourages bingeing and using food as a reward. In addition, people who eat more on weekends and holidays, and scheduled 'cheat days' also tend not to keep weight off long term. That is, for most of us, the goal.

    Instead of a 'cheat day', why don't you try reaching your calorie goals by the week instead of the day? Make it every day and if you have some extra at the end of the week, you can feel comfortable eating a bit more that day, knowing you've met your week's goal. That isn't a cheat. That's meeting your goals.
  • MJMARIN81
    MJMARIN81 Posts: 49
    Yea why not. Only thing is I wouldnt go every week. I tried that once and I went crazy eating all day long! :laugh:

    Nothing really bad just alot of eating, but I think sometimes it helps to shock your system. But I could be wrong I am no expert in this. :laugh:

    Although I do agree with the above post. It does give you that "diet" mentality and that not really the idea here.
  • cdspark
    cdspark Posts: 56 Member
    I think it really depends on you. When I have cheat days they turn into cheat weeks. But if you have the discipline to only do it one day a week that is great. I know people who use cheat days and they love them and feel it makes it possible to stay on track better.
  • dont_give_up
    dont_give_up Posts: 312 Member
    I have a cheat day myself! I think as long as you don't overdo it, then you should be fine. As for me, on my cheat day I still exercise and count calories, I just pick one thing to eat that I don't normally eat on other days, like either a piece of cake, a candy bar, or even just a big bowl of buttery popcorn.
    If I didn't have a cheat day, I don't think I would survive.
  • icandoanything2012
    icandoanything2012 Posts: 25 Member
    I think it might be better to plan for a cheat meal rather than a cheat day but it depends on how "bad" your're going to be. Overall it's ok to be 90% good and 10% bad. If you're going to do an entire day, maybe make it one day out of 10 so that you know you're being good 90% of the time.
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
    A sound nutrition plan wouldn't have a "cheat day". Include all the foods you love into your daily nutrition.
  • orangelobster
    orangelobster Posts: 151
    Cheat meal or 1 cheat menu item might be a better idea. I know I can do a lot of damage in one day!

    Plus rewarding yourself for being good with high fat/high cal food might be upsetting to your sub conscious. Being good (eating right and exercising) is the reward in itself.

    But it you want a bowl of Hagaen Daz (spelling) and you know you stop at one serving, then go for it!
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
    Ok so I know there are other posts about this, but I wanted my own :)

    I am debating doing a "cheat day" as a reward to sticking with my calories throughout the week. What do you all think? Would it hinder weight loss a ton in the long run? I think I would be more likely to stick to this for the long haul if I knew I had this day to look forward to.

    Thoughts please!

    Whatever helps to stick to your plan.

    But if it's planned, don't call it a cheat day.

    There are people here who do just that, they have a spike day and lose really well.
  • marinegirl92
    marinegirl92 Posts: 184 Member
    For me absolutely no... cheat day = crappy eating plus for me it only gives power to classifying foods as either being good or bad.

    For me - I give the lead to my body to select what it wants to eat. Some days my body wants a few pieces of dove chocolate ... I eat it and log it. No worries. Some days my body wants a beer... or a glass of wine... no worries. Some days I'm not hungry. For me this is a more normal way to eat than having a cheat day.
  • anonymousKel
    anonymousKel Posts: 92 Member
    I think as long as its all logged and you dont go over for the week its acceptable....just have what you want in moderation and be active..yeah?
  • FitbeTMF
    FitbeTMF Posts: 251
    Never again. At least not unhealthy cheats. I ate a heinous amount of junk food. My diary's summary, if I continued eating like that, I'd gain a lb a week. NOT interested. There are several clean eating treats that I will try in the future as opposed to indulging in chocolate and snacks.
  • toonces80
    toonces80 Posts: 23 Member
    Cheat days can truly undo a whole week worth of work.


    Rewarding yourself for doing "good" with food, WITH food is a bad idea, IMO.

    Why not just have a day where you save your calories, exercise and eat some calories or eat lightly all day and then have a higher caloric meal?
  • tommygirl15
    tommygirl15 Posts: 1,012 Member
    A sound nutrition plan wouldn't have a "cheat day". Include all the foods you love into your daily nutrition.

    ^This. I used to think cheat days were ok but they just don't work for me. I'd rather just fit all the foods I love into my daily goals and remain consistent.
  • leeanneowens
    leeanneowens Posts: 319 Member
    I have a cheat day. I don't have a hard time startng back the next day. Over Thanksgiving and Christmas I had more cheat days than usual but I still lost weight. I eat whatever I want on my cheat day but I still don't stuff myself til I feel over full like I used to. I love food and would feel very deprived if I could never have my favorites. I would never stick with this if I couldn't have a little chocolate or coconut pie every now and then.
  • Mverdecia1
    Mverdecia1 Posts: 28
    I think the idea of a 'cheat day' sets you up for a dieting mentality. It also encourages bingeing and using food as a reward. In addition, people who eat more on weekends and holidays, and scheduled 'cheat days' also tend not to keep weight off long term. That is, for most of us, the goal.

    Instead of a 'cheat day', why don't you try reaching your calorie goals by the week instead of the day? Make it every day and if you have some extra at the end of the week, you can feel comfortable eating a bit more that day, knowing you've met your week's goal. That isn't a cheat. That's meeting your goals.

    This is so true, fantastic idea.... I think I might just do this
  • kellie1055
    kellie1055 Posts: 80 Member
    Why not choose one meal one day a week and have what you have really been craving.
  • lauradawson1123
    lauradawson1123 Posts: 30
    I eat a little snack for me almost every day. I just portion it so that it is in my calorie budget. Yesterday I had 2 oatmeal cookies (not the healthy applesauce ones either) The day before I had 2 glasses of wine. My husband says it doesn't even feel like we are 'dieting' but I work out and I'm losing weight. I don't feel deprived at all.
  • ChristinaR720
    ChristinaR720 Posts: 1,186
    I wouldn't recommend it. Try just working the things you love into your diet so you aren't depriving yourself. Just practice portion control and make sure you incorporate lots of healthy and nutrient-rich foods into your diet as well.

    I had one serving of ice cream with a 1/2 serving of hot fudge 3 days this week and still managed to lose.
  • anonymousKel
    anonymousKel Posts: 92 Member
    I have never given up alcohol either and stayed at goal over christmas ....enjoy but stay with MFP x
  • Nachise
    Nachise Posts: 395 Member
    Wow. I really had to think about this.

    I have to take "cheat" out of my vocabulary because it implies the intent to deceive, and what I'm doing in my lifestyle is maintaining accountability. I will tell you that I did go over goal on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Family feasts are just too tough for me to put the brakes on totally. What I did was count everything. The next day, I would get back on track with my food and exercise. It might take two or three days to stop wanting to overindulge, but overall, that works.

    I eat what I want to eat, and fortunately, most of the time it is healthy foods. I even include chocolate, cookies, or desserts in my plan. I do have to set limits. One food that I cannot eat with any amount of reason is pizza. I could go over a whole day's worth of calories in a few slices.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Say you go really, really, really mad on your cheat day and manage to cancel out the whole week's deficit.... (Some serious eating/drinking to manage that.) All that means is that for that week you stayed the same weight.

    Not really a big deal if it takes you a week longer to reach your goal and no long term impact.

    You could always build a load of exercise into your cheat day and the impact would be negligable.
    Personally I prefer the idea of a cheat meal rather than a cheat day but each to their own.
  • supermodelchic
    supermodelchic Posts: 550 Member
    don't make it a day , just make it one meal.
    that way you can't go to crazy.I don't do cheat day's
    if I want a treat I will just have a smalll portion of it.
  • fIashforward
    fIashforward Posts: 66 Member
    I lost over 50 pounds but never had a cheat day.
    To be honest I never really missed junk food, it was mainly sugary energy drinks.

    However every few months I would take a week off and eat whatever I wanted; usually when I had holidays from school.
  • bethany41h
    bethany41h Posts: 218
    I'd say that is a personal decision. As self proclaimed food junkie - if I eat sweets or anything I am trying to train my palate not to want - cheating is a down hill spiral of disaster for me.
  • ed33952
    ed33952 Posts: 1
    It works fine. I am opting for the special occation days. Like family gatherings for birthdays or holidays. I find in my life that it happens about once a month on the average. I don't feel guilty on those days because I planned for it.
  • cmcollins001
    cmcollins001 Posts: 3,472 Member
    Well, I don't call them cheat days, nor do I "reward" myself for sticking to my goals for the week. Having said that, I also don't deny myself a whole lot of things and I have no problems or guilt going over my calories from time to time. Let me make that perfectly clear...from time to time. If I went over everyday then I'm kinda missing the point of this whole thing. But then again, if I never go over, then I'm kinda missing the point of enjoying life.

    A "cheat day" every now and again isn't a bad thing, as a matter of fact, it has been my experience that it has helped me in the long run. There are times where it's a family outing or just hanging out with a friend and we hit the buffet, I don't try and track anything, I just enjoy myself and let it go.

    This isn't a contest or a class where you will get graded...well...not by anyone but yourself. Do you want a "Cheat Day?" Will it make you feel better? Will it help you stick to your goals more? If the answer to these is "Yes," then by all means...cheat away.
  • tutti777
    tutti777 Posts: 72
    I did the program...Crack The Fat Loss Code...which allows you cheat days. It "helped" me stay on track since I knew on that particular day or days, I could have something really good. I lost 35 lbs and lots of inches. The program is hard to learn but really does work. I just don't have it in me to do it again. Felt like I lived in the kitchen. Wish I'd never gone off the program. I went from a 16 to a size 10 and felt great. And, to me, it was a healthy program. I looked and felt the best I'd felt in years but several surgeries (back and knees) set me back and I never went back on the program. And, all I did was walk exercise during this time. Again, as for the cheat days, it kept me from going off the program knowing I could have chocolate, fries, burger, dessert, etc on a given upcoming day. Yes, you cannot go crazy on that day....keep it within reason. Good luck!

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