Who Cheats on the weekends

raylener
raylener Posts: 39 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Ok, so i workout on the elliptical at home for 45 minutes every weekday, and i stay under my 1200 calorie limit. BUT then, on the weekends I tell myself that i don't want to totally deprive myself, so i cheat. Big time. Drinking wine, eating whatever, ect. Does anyone else do this? Am i totally messing up by doing this? I just feel like crap today and that i'm back at square one:/

Replies

  • bkr45678
    bkr45678 Posts: 62 Member
    I don't necessarily 'cheat', I 'treat'. I'll eat what I want but stay well within my calories to lose weight. For example, there is the small little mexican place down the street I like to get fajita tacos from, I will get them to go, weigh the meat and tortilla and add them to my count. The rest of the day i pretty much snack on what I want. Coffee with whole milk, cereal, Tillamook cheddar, apples and SkinnyPop Popcorn.
  • raylener
    raylener Posts: 39 Member
    hmm..then I need to buy a scale. But how do you know how much your supposed to have?
  • bkr45678
    bkr45678 Posts: 62 Member
    I also just noticed you eat under 1200 during the week, plus exercising, you are most likely depriving your body during that so on the weekends you eat more.
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
    The wife is always home on the weekends
  • Bossit
    Bossit Posts: 118 Member
    I workout and aim for 1500 cals on weekdays. Weekends I drink heavy and eat whatever. Slows progress for sure, but I am happy doing it
  • raylener
    raylener Posts: 39 Member
    I also just noticed you eat under 1200 during the week, plus exercising, you are most likely depriving your body during that so on the weekends you eat more.

    I'm not so sure if that's true. Some of the things that I log seem like they have way more calories than MFP says. I just try to under estimate. How do you see my calories? Can you see my food log too? I can't see other people's?
  • bkr45678
    bkr45678 Posts: 62 Member
    I also just noticed you eat under 1200 during the week, plus exercising, you are most likely depriving your body during that so on the weekends you eat more.

    I'm not so sure if that's true. Some of the things that I log seem like they have way more calories than MFP says. I just try to under estimate. How do you see my calories? Can you see my food log too? I can't see other people's?

    You said in your first post you stay under your 1200 calories limit. For others to see your food log you go to account settings--> diary settings and down at the bottom you can choose who to share it with.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Mentally I'm not sure how you do it... go from being that restrictive during the week to that "free" on the weekend, but that's another topic.

    Physically, if at the end of the week you are hitting your weekly goals for total cals, then you should still be losing weight. But if you are overly free on teh weekends, then you may very well be undoing all the good you did during the week.

    Why not try to find a more balanced, sustainable diet that you can manage long term?
  • LittleMissDover
    LittleMissDover Posts: 820 Member
    I also just noticed you eat under 1200 during the week, plus exercising, you are most likely depriving your body during that so on the weekends you eat more.

    I'm not so sure if that's true. Some of the things that I log seem like they have way more calories than MFP says. I just try to under estimate. How do you see my calories? Can you see my food log too? I can't see other people's?

    She can't, you said it in the OP.........
  • nicolamoonbrains
    nicolamoonbrains Posts: 72 Member
    I cheat a little at weekends but I don't go from healthy everyday too eating a bunch of crap. That kind of extreme can't be good, not to say people shouldn't treat themselves from time to time.

    I stay strict on certain foods and still don't eat stuff like soda, pastry, fast food and crisps but I may go on a night out drinking on saturday and then have a fried breakfast the next morning but thats as far as I am willing to cheat. It is difficult though if you spend more time with friends, family and partners who are not dieting and want to pig out during the weekends. If you have a boyfriend/husband and you pig out with them at the weekend, you sometimes eat as much as they do, which is more then a women should eat because men obviously need more calories then women! I have done this many times!

    I also choose not to exercise during the weekends but I try to exercise 5 days a week. I guess weekends are times to relax and have fun for me but its not healthy to just let yourself go completely for 2 days! Imagine if you didn't how much faster you would get into shape!
  • raylener
    raylener Posts: 39 Member
    ya. You guys are all so right! I guess I'm totally defeating the purpose when I "cheat"
    Ok, so for me the only way to suceed is to just stay on track during the weekends too! Thanks for all your guys' input. I really appreciate it::)

    I just have to stay focused. I think alot of my cheating is also drinking and getting the munchies! Lol
    Thank again guys!
  • missjones93
    missjones93 Posts: 74 Member
    I don't "cheat" but I forget to log and I shouldn't haha. good to know that you guys do!
  • MsKeelah919
    MsKeelah919 Posts: 332 Member
    I do, and my weight loss (or lack thereof reflects that) When I eat clean and have a cheat moment, as opposed to having a cheat weekend, I actually lose weight...and regularly. Sigh.
  • Kickstand927
    Kickstand927 Posts: 18
    raylener: I am having this problem too and it is now hitting me that I overdo my cheating on the weekends and thats why I've seen very little weight loss. Thank you for starting this convo, now I can get refocused on still clean eating on the weekends and allow myself a few(not a ton)of treats.
  • Live_To_Kayak
    Live_To_Kayak Posts: 16
    I Exercise 5 times a week but with the days off split (Mon and Friday), this means that on the weekend I can treat myself to a little more but I am burning most of it off with my workout.
  • LoosingMyLast15
    LoosingMyLast15 Posts: 1,457 Member
    i love to treat myself on the weekends but i make sure i get in at least 1/1.5 hour run one day then walk my dogs the other day. this allows me to treat myself and not feel like i ruined my hard work during the week. this girl's gotta have her wine.
  • tegantheaverage
    tegantheaverage Posts: 142 Member
    Maybe you could try eating slightly less during the week so that you have more calories 'saved up' for the weekend? Eg. Eat 100 calories less everyday during the week so that on Saturday you could eat 500 more than your goal and still lose the same amount of weight. This is what I tend to do :)
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Maybe you could try eating slightly less during the week so that you have more calories 'saved up' for the weekend? Eg. Eat 100 calories less everyday during the week so that on Saturday you could eat 500 more than your goal and still lose the same amount of weight. This is what I tend to do :)

    While that's not a bad strategy... I don't get the impression that she is asking about "having more cals saved up"... she wants to eat with no restraints. That's a good way to undo whatever good you did early on.

    There's a difference between treating yourself, having a cheat meal, and having a cheat weekend.
  • hellraisedfire
    hellraisedfire Posts: 403 Member
    I don't "cheat" on my weekend. I just kind of eat what I want. but I also have a much healthier lifestyle than most people, so "cheating" for me is having 4 pieces of bacon with breakfast instead of 3.
  • mizzie1980
    mizzie1980 Posts: 379 Member
    I don't mean to cheat on the weekends, but I often do. It's more to do with not being stuck at work. So I'm either home and tend to "graze" on whatever we have, or we are out and about and it's harder to make good food choices when you are away from home.

    In fact, I was hugely proud of myself this weekend for logging everything and staying under my calories both days. lol
  • Sweet_Potato
    Sweet_Potato Posts: 1,119 Member
    I don't log on the weekends but I keep my calorie goals lower during the week to make up for it. Although I do tend to drink more on the weekends, and eat out more, and not measure out portion sizes, I'm more active and don't eat as often so it might all cancel out.
  • raylener
    raylener Posts: 39 Member
    You guys all have really good suggestions and inspiration!! Is anyone else confused about the whole "logging" thing. When I want to log something, there are so many different calories for the same thing! How do we know which one to pick? LIke for instance, i was trying to find out how much a Costco pizza has because my friend told me that weight watchers says it's 700 calories, but then i google it and it says only 460?! How do we know what one to choose?
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    You guys all have really good suggestions and inspiration!! Is anyone else confused about the whole "logging" thing. When I want to log something, there are so many different calories for the same thing! How do we know which one to pick? LIke for instance, i was trying to find out how much a Costco pizza has because my friend told me that weight watchers says it's 700 calories, but then i google it and it says only 460?! How do we know what one to choose?

    A little common sense and some initiative go a long way. Many of the foods in MFP have been confirmed correct by other users. If you aren't convinced MFP has the right numbers, google it. Sooo many companies have nutrition values available on the web.
  • MonettSteel
    MonettSteel Posts: 2 Member
    I work hard staying under my calorie goal and getting in plenty of exercise during the week. I CHOSE/ALLOW myself to have one bad day during the weekend where I indulge all day and into the evening, whatever I've been craving and denying myself during the week. I have still experienced steady weight loss and I have been doing this for years.
  • serenapitala
    serenapitala Posts: 441 Member
    I also just noticed you eat under 1200 during the week, plus exercising, you are most likely depriving your body during that so on the weekends you eat more.

    This↑↑↑
    Whatever you do should be sustainable. Day after day, week after week, etc. If it isn't, you may want to reevaluate your routine. You are training your body right now. Your current method is training it to deprive itself and then binge. Lots of people do lose weight this way, but generally gain it back.
    The cheat method that people tend to sustain is not depriving themselves during the week, just staying around TDEE -20% then on their cheat days they eat however many calories they want. I tried that, but I thought about food constantly during my cheat days which I did not like. It made more sense for me to track my calories burned (I use an armband) and keep my calorie deficit without denying myself foods I want. I have worked a lot on portion sizes.
  • serenapitala
    serenapitala Posts: 441 Member
    To the OP and some of the other people who said they don't lose if they do cheat weekends:
    Try tracking your calories by the week, including your cheats. Are you hitting your weekly deficit? Are you hitting weekly macros? If so, you're fine. If not, there's your problem.
    Sometimes looming at things in a different way helps clear things up.
    Good luck!
  • TwinMom0804
    TwinMom0804 Posts: 18 Member
    I try not to cheat on the weekends, but so I don't go insane, I "cheat" maybe once or twice a month by making my favorite meal or even going out to dinner. I may not lose as much that week, but do not gain any. Especially if I make sure I work out the next day.
  • nicolamoonbrains
    nicolamoonbrains Posts: 72 Member
    ya. You guys are all so right! I guess I'm totally defeating the purpose when I "cheat"
    Ok, so for me the only way to suceed is to just stay on track during the weekends too! Thanks for all your guys' input. I really appreciate it::)

    I just have to stay focused. I think alot of my cheating is also drinking and getting the munchies! Lol
    Thank again guys!

    Oh man! Alcohol is the WORST thing for creating unhealthy cravings. I know how you feel! Sometimes I drink a little to much on saturday and wake up with a hangover on sunday and all I want is pizza, cola, pastry, burgers, fat, fat, fat and extra sugar! I am well disciplined though and don't give in to the cravings anymore. Thinking about it now makes me feel sick! I really genuinely don't miss eating any of that food but when I am hung over/drinking it can feel like EAT JUNK OR DIE... drinking really is the worst enemy of the dieter unfortunately!
  • dorianaldyn
    dorianaldyn Posts: 611 Member
    I don't "cheat" on the weekends. I'd only be harming myself, and why would I do that? I take advantage of the extra time on weekends and put MORE thought into my meals. I also get longer workouts in (sometimes two in one day, or sometimes exercise is built into the activties I do that day) because I don't have the demands of getting myself ready for work, the kids ready for preschool, etc.
  • mittyrox
    mittyrox Posts: 31
    IF i am careful in food choices all week I do allow myself one cheat day on the weekends where I eat chips or pizza or something. I followed a diet called IDeal protein which has 4 phases.. the last one is maintenance and it requires you take one cheat day per week. then you follow your cheat day with a very low carb day (no fruit, bread, etc) and so your body does not store the excess food as fat, because you did not allow insulin to shoot out in your body...
    ive been maintaining my weight so far

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