Cheat days?

Jperez08
Jperez08 Posts: 18 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I was wondering what everyone's thoughts were on "cheat days"? I'm not talking like you go through a whole day just eating nothing but chocolate,high fatty foods so on and so fourth. But not being as good as you would be on a normal basis. It's a little hard to explain but I was wanting some feed back if anyone else does this and is it considered okay or not? Thank you and hope everyone has a great day!

*~*Jen

Replies

  • cedarghost
    cedarghost Posts: 621 Member
    You're going to have to find a way to eat, guilt free that works for you and that you can sustain for the rest of your life. So yeah. If it works for you it's ok. You don't need anyone's approval (even if you do want to eat chocolate all day).
    So if it works for the goals you are trying to achieve, go for it.
    What makes it ok is whether it works for you and helps you stay on track, not whether I or someone else says it's ok or not.
    I try to eat close to my TDEE one day a week. That works for me. Some people cycle calories on a daily basis. That works for them.
    Some people swear processed food is the Devil and if that works for them, then more power to them.
    At some point though, we all have to take responsibility for ourselves and find what works for us.
  • angelz_love
    angelz_love Posts: 36 Member
    I just started doing it and I love it. Though someone said to do it as a cheat meal not a day and that works way better for me:) I do once a week but I will have say a piece of candy ( like 4 peanut m and m's) every now and again through out the week as a lil cheat.
  • sunlover89
    sunlover89 Posts: 436 Member
    I do "higher calorie day" once a week. I don't like the phrasing of cheat day because it gives a bad connotation to food.
  • da1128
    da1128 Posts: 212 Member
    I wouldn't do an entire day, but one meal, sure! I just work to burn off more calories and if pizza is calling my name, I'm not going to ignore it! :bigsmile:
  • paxbfl
    paxbfl Posts: 391 Member
    I do the cheat days and have consistently lost weight while doing it. I'm actually at the point where I'm going to scale back the free day a bit... maybe make it one meal and a dessert. I find if I eat like crazy all day long I actually feel like crap. I still won't log that day, though... and if I want a piece of candy or some potato chips or whatever, I'm just going to do it. I'm just going to keep things semi-under control.

    The bottom line is that we need to eat healthy the rest of our lives. The cheat day is a little relief valve that helps us let off some steam and not feel so "deprived". For me, it also motivates me to be extra good the rest of the week.
  • DorkothyParker
    DorkothyParker Posts: 618 Member
    My body doesn't know that I ate pizza and beer on a Saturday night. It doesn't tell time. I try to look at the big picture and look at the weekly trend. Some days under, a day over, whatever. It averages out for me over the course of a week.

    I know some folks are sticklers about sticking within 100 kcal of your goals every day, but I don't require that level of discipline.
  • erinpooh
    erinpooh Posts: 90
    I went way over my calories today. I'm travelling for work and got some Indian food here in New York. It's not something I would normally do at home, but I'm not going to get worked up over it because I'm usually really far under for calories every day. Plus, I know I'm not likely to be as hungry tomorrow. I'll hit the hotel gym early and burn off some of tonight's carb load before my first meeting!

    That said, I wouldn't be able to do a whole cheat day because I just can't eat that much. I don't worry about the occasional big meal though.
  • liltenji
    liltenji Posts: 69 Member
    If im going out, which is rare, i know im going to drink. i also know the drinking is going to lead to a hangover day which leads to a hangover pizza. 2 days out of 7 good ones is not a big deal to me. So i dont mind cheating. Sometimes all i have is said pizza. so its still under my calories. however i do usually only have one cheat day a week.

    my way of thinking is that once ive lost the weight im going to want to have days where i eat pizza or cheese or whatever. I might aswell incorporate them into my weightloss journey so i dont end up gaining it all back in the future. I am teaching myself that i dont need to eat junk all the time and about portions. A cheat day for me will be the same as a regular day but with a takeaway for dinner rather than the massive 3000 calorie binges i have had in the past.
  • emilybrianne15
    emilybrianne15 Posts: 31
    As much as I'd love to do a whole cheat day, I usually just have a cheat lunch or dinner. :) I usually do it every time I hit a specific weight loss goal. I think with cheat days it just depends on the person..For me if I had cheat days every week I would probably fall back into my old ways :( and that would be no good. I envy people who have the self control to have a cheat day each week :p
  • loneworg
    loneworg Posts: 342 Member
    I used to but since i started eating what want in moderation that seems to work well for me
  • jupe1407
    jupe1407 Posts: 7
    I don't regularly have these, but as my "weigh-in" is a Monday morning, I'll cheat on Mondays, as it gives me plenty of time to work it off.

    My weapon of choice varies, tonight - melted cheese on toast, and plenty of it.
  • Jperez08
    Jperez08 Posts: 18 Member
    Thank you everyone for the feed back! I really appreciate it! I got a lot of good ideas from you guys and not feeling so guilty about my times I do let loose a little. I like the idea of a cheat meal rather then a whole day as well as letting loose on the day you weigh in for the week! Thanks so much for the support and always looking for more friends! Have a good night everyone!
  • djames92
    djames92 Posts: 990 Member
    personally i feel that cheat days only lead to falling off and not watching what you eat at all
  • Allyice
    Allyice Posts: 122 Member
    I don't do cheat days, I feel like they set me back a week. Cheat meals here and there on the other hand are definatly my thing.
  • blonde20fan
    blonde20fan Posts: 233 Member
    I wouldn't do an entire day, but one meal, sure! I just work to burn off more calories and if pizza is calling my name, I'm not going to ignore it! :bigsmile:

    THIS!!
  • RepsnSets
    RepsnSets Posts: 805 Member
    Nup, this time around Im going to eat right all day, everyday :)
  • suz2411
    suz2411 Posts: 33
    My weigh in day is Saturday...so my routine is weigh in first thing.....then eat healthy all day but have a scrummy dinner and wines on Saturday night! Each week I plan a different recipe to try out on my husband and we have date night Saturday nights :-)...Works for me and the wine/food never show up on the scales (well havent yet!)

    Gives me something to look forward to :-)
  • TrueBlueBruin78
    TrueBlueBruin78 Posts: 311 Member
    Yes please. My cheat days were on any day that ends in "y." J/K. But not really, before that is how i approached nutrition.

    Cheat days are a good thing, i rather call it a refuel day. At the end of the week, you have something that you can strive for, so that salad or what have you, that you are eating everyday at lunch doesn't seem so mundane. Having that planned refuel day gives you a better chance of succeeding through the week of healthy, planned, and nutritious meals.

    Hopefully this helps
  • bdbiggs
    bdbiggs Posts: 1
    Just be honest. If you're willingly cheat, fine. If you slip or are in a situation where even eating the minimum (e.g. pizza buffet) puts you over your daily calorie count, simply record it accurately. I have been over a couple of times by 600 to 1300 calories. That does not happen often, however, it did happen. Tomorrow starts another day. You can go back and review your mistakes. Just be honest. And by the way I have lost 59 pounds and am 1 pound away from my goal weight. I wish you luck.
  • paxbfl
    paxbfl Posts: 391 Member
    personally i feel that cheat days only lead to falling off and not watching what you eat at all

    For me the opposite is true. I feel so disgusting after my cheat days that I'm much more motivated to have really good days the rest of the week - and so I do. Then, by the end of the week I'm ready for a cheat day again. :)
  • VorJoshigan
    VorJoshigan Posts: 1,106 Member
    I call them mental health days. Losing a lot of weight takes a LOT of time. If I never take a break, I get burnt out.
  • htimsm87
    htimsm87 Posts: 104 Member
    Instead of scheduled cheat days don't feel guilty when something comes up and you deviate from plan. For example there was an event at a local Pizza Ranch restaurant this past Saturday. Went to the event and indulged some. Also have some upcoming trips planned with the kids sports teams, on those trips may go out to a restaurant and not eat as healthy as other times. Basically instead of a planned meal / day a week for a cheat time, I just allow myself to indulge at various times based on the circumstance.
  • Fat2Fit145
    Fat2Fit145 Posts: 385 Member
    I'm 10000% FOR IT...I would nto have lasted this long without it....but i dont 'cheat' an entire day..... i just select a day where if i decide i want something, i get it.... and welll i still maintain control..... in the past the constant deprivation would result in me OVEREATING days on end... so I try to get in foods I want to eat, that are not so good every once in a while.... like right now i'm having chineese noodles lol. But imma work it off in the gym later though..... 'cheat days' are good.... sorry for who else disagrees, but it works for ME. All the best :)
  • Annieapple12
    Annieapple12 Posts: 122 Member
    I don't deliberately have cheat days / meals. If I know I am going on a night out / out for dinner I try and eat lightly in the day and work out enough so I have spare calories to use. If I go l sightly over one day I will work out so I am slightly under the next.

    However, life isn't always controlled and neat so if I do happen to go over one day I don't beat myself up about it.

    Also, don't forget that mfp sets you at a deficit and you have to eat over your maintainence to gain so unless you have an enormous binge and then do nothing to rectify you won't gain. It might just make you lose a little bit more slowly which doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things.
  • tisha_rae
    tisha_rae Posts: 216 Member
    I allow myself to eat without too much worry of what on a weekend day - and consider that a cheat day....but really I don't deny myself much - If I really want something I allow myself 2 bites.

    You have to make this liveable - and when I feel deprived - I get mad and want to quit, so "cheat days" make things seem much more bareable to me.
  • nexangelus
    nexangelus Posts: 2,080 Member
    I do "higher calorie day" once a week. I don't like the phrasing of cheat day because it gives a bad connotation to food.

    ^^^^^^^^This, being good, bad, cheating, guilt, what the frell, those are all ED words...*sigh*
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
    I've never done a cheat day or meal since I've been on here (except xmas day and one day in August when I went to a wedding) but I do allow myself to have an occasional treat if it's within my calories. I try not to eat sweet stuff every day, but if I want a cookie then I will have one, just account for it.

    My personal trainer has a cheat meal, I think he does it once a week.

    I think once I hit the point where I'm maintaining I might do it, but not while I still have a bit to lose.
  • xoxobollywood2
    xoxobollywood2 Posts: 62
    No, don't have cheat days. You should rather have cheat meals. I'm telling u this based on my experience. Last year, in May 2012, I begun dieting + exercising for good to lose weight. I had a day in the week, mostly Saturdays, to eat whatever I wanted to, because I was eating clean the other days. But So wrong could i be. Even though I lost 23 lbs in 3 months, I still didn't get the results as I expected to. Then, in September 2012 - I started eating normal again, which means 2500 calories a day, and gained around 25 lbs. So cheat meals are better than cheat days. They should fit in ur daily intake :*

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