Cheat days??? do you have one or not?

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Replies

  • bearwith
    bearwith Posts: 525 Member
    Sometimes it is best to exercise more on a day like that rather than to omit filling in the diary! Even if you exercise the next day, it will make you realise how hard you have to exercise to burn the calories off.
  • Domestic_Hippie
    Domestic_Hippie Posts: 108 Member
    Absolutely not! I used to do that and it was a stupid thing to do. I finally figured out that just indulging once in a while in SMALL things is the way to go. I have a small something every day. Some days it is a hersheys kiss, some days it is a little ice cream. I never restrict my diet. Eating junk like pastries, candy, cookies, or fast food once a week will make it harder to stay on the plan because you'll constantly be reminded of how good it tastes. I did cheat days in the beginning and would lose a bit here and there and gain every once in a while. When I finally stopped that I dropped the weight 58 pounds to be exact. To me it isn't worth it...


    I also found this somewhere and I really like what it says, so I thought I would share it here since we are discussing "cheat days" Sorry it is long, but it makes good sense!

    "Your diet is going great. You've been solid for close to two weeks, and the results are starting to show. However, you're beginning to get cravings for donuts and cakes and cakes made out of donuts.

    You do your best to maintain your composure, but you finally give in and eat two Krispy Kreams.

    You choked. The ball was dropped.

    So, how do you react? Do you go back on your diet as soon as possible? No! You continue to stuff your face with everything that doesn't fight back.

    After all, since you've blown your diet, you might as well go hog wild and start again tomorrow on solid ground.

    Big mistake. If you got a flat tire, would you go spike the three others with your trusty pocket knife? God, I hope you aren't that dumb!

    Well, continuing to pile on the junk after one cheat is about as smart.

    While I'm never proud of clients who give in to temptation, a small, isolated culinary incident won't completely ruin your efforts. At worst, it'll put you back a day or two.

    But if you turn that one nutritional brain fart into an all-out feast, you're going to put a huge dent in your progress. After such a binge, it'll take you around two days just to get back into an optimal fat burning mode. And I'm not even talking about the fat gain from the binge itself. A big food fest can set you back one or even two weeks!"
  • cruzcrzyMarie
    cruzcrzyMarie Posts: 251 Member
    I do not have a cheat day. I work whatever I want into my daily calories. Sure, on occasion I go over my daily calories. I am in maintenance by the way.




    Marie
  • Joshacham
    Joshacham Posts: 467 Member
    I try to avoid having a cheat day, but there's some days where I'm not going to be able to control what I'm eating and I'll declare it a cheat day. There's nothing wrong or taboo with having a cheat day and I suggest having an occasional one, I've learned that if you're too strict as to how you're eating, you might set yourself up for failure. I know I have many a time in prior diets so it was a learning experience.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    It's been very interesting to see the different responses in these threads. Some people enjoy variety in life and benefit from a cheat or treat or however they think of it, if nothing else to break up the monotony of a routine. Some people feel uncomfortable outside a routine and benefit from doing the same thing all the time. Some people like the 'thrill' of breaking the rules and a cheat is not just an eating thing but a 'breakin the rules' thing for them. Everyone has different preferences and it's cool to see that most people are able to match up their lifestyle with their preferences.

    I honestly do feel sorry for the people who can't or won't let themselves enjoy something because of fear or because they're so obsessed with 'progress' that they can't see anything else. (I'm not sure what 'progress' even means if you are maintaining a specific weight, anyway.)

    For me, I don't plan to "cheat" any specific day or in advance. I just know when it's time that I want to have something that is normally way too many calories to reasonably fit into a good day. I got done swimming today and felt like Little Caesar's so I went and got one, and ate 3/4 of it. That's 1680 delicious, glorious, savory calories. I'll probably eat beyond my 'goal' for today even though I've got calories left, but my goal is a 500 cal deficit anyway. So even if I go over by 500 today, at worst I'm going to take a whole day longer to get to my goal now. But who cares? It's not a race, and my real goal is to be healthy and enjoy life, which is exactly what I'm doing.
  • TriedEverything
    TriedEverything Posts: 188 Member
    I have just given up cheat days, as I wasn't making the progress I wanted to. However, when I was in my 20's and dieting, I ALWAYS had a cheat day, and still lost weight steadily. (And it was a full day of cheating - high calorie meals & snacks all day, and alcohol!). I really think age is against me now. :ohwell: (I'm 48).

    I would say, try it, and see if you still manage to lose weight. If you can get away with it, why not! It's nice to have something to look forward to at the end of the week, and if you have a busy social life, it can be hard to stick to the diet 24/7.

    Alternatively, you could be extra-good through the day (at the weekend) and then let your hair down in the evening, with some nice things to eat & drink - that way, it probably wouldn't harm your weight loss too much.

    Good luck anyway! :flowerforyou:
  • changejen2013
    changejen2013 Posts: 87
    Sort of. This week I allowed myself to have 2 semi cheat days which meant eating healthy the majority of the day but I ate dinner at restaurants and was slightly over my goal for the day but still under my amount to maintain.
  • MountainMoverJosh
    MountainMoverJosh Posts: 134
    Mine usually consist of a bunch of alcohol (i.e. last night) :drinker: :laugh:

    P.S. this picture is of me this morning....
  • lucasriggs
    lucasriggs Posts: 131
    I don't really have 'cheat' days because no foods are 'cheats' for me. I only have days when I fail to stay under my calories..in which I'm 'cheating' myself out of fat loss for that day.
  • xXxHBICxXx
    xXxHBICxXx Posts: 370 Member
    I used to but then I realized that when I had one, I didnt want to go back to my diet so I don't anymore and I am fine with that. I do however maybe once a week, have a glass of wine or something.
  • aclar44
    aclar44 Posts: 30
    I weigh in on Fridays. I also don't have my son on Fridays so it's the one night a week I can go out with my friends. Every Friday that I've lost at least 2 pound I allow myself to have a cheat day. I generally still eat a healthy breakfast and lunch, but then I go out to dinner with friends and order whatever I want. It's worked for me. Because then I don't feel like I'm depriving myself.
  • deb2799
    deb2799 Posts: 45
    I can't do cheat days. I tried and it was a big fail. Took me 3 days to get back on track. Now, if I want a piece of chocolate or something, I will have it, if it fits in my calories for the day. If my kids have a birthday cake, I will have a small piece and not sweat it. But whole cheat days, nope
  • Songbirdcw
    Songbirdcw Posts: 320 Member
    I do have cheat days. It's really a cheat meal/snack day where I'll risk exceeding my calorie goal. Normally, I don't exceed it because I have such a calorie deficit due to my workouts, but I try! :happy: But I look forward to 1-2 indulgences on the weekend, sometimes two days of the weekend. Monday-Thursday (my work week) I am a little more stricter with my eating habits.
  • Faithenfire
    Faithenfire Posts: 6
    I can't do cheat days. I tried and it was a big fail. Took me 3 days to get back on track. Now, if I want a piece of chocolate or something, I will have it, if it fits in my calories for the day. If my kids have a birthday cake, I will have a small piece and not sweat it. But whole cheat days, nope

    yup this is what i do too. it seems to work pretty well
  • DesertFox15
    DesertFox15 Posts: 23 Member
    I stayed below my calorie goal everyday for two weeks. At that point I thought it would be a good idea to try a cheat day; however, I felt like absolute crap the next day. Pizza, wings, and cheese fries were my dietary staples before I decided to eat better. I didn't feel guilty, but my body rebelled against me and it felt worse than a hangover. I ate well for another two weeks and had a cheat day for the Super Bowl. I ate half of what I could eat before, and today I felt even worse than last time! The sodium in the meals alone were enough to cause serious water retention and I couldn't even even concentrate on work because my head and stomach hurt so bad. At this point I can't fathom having another cheat day anytime soon. For those who have water retention issues after a cheat day: I felt a lot better after having 2 cups of broccoli and some protein. I also had some OJ. I have been reading these forums religiously and this is my first post! I think the advice on this site is great and hope to build upon the 16 pounds I've lost the past four weeks!
  • whitesox56
    whitesox56 Posts: 85
    I have four cheat meals a week.

    And most of the time I am still under my calories for the day.
  • poohpoohpeapod
    poohpoohpeapod Posts: 776 Member
    no I try to build treats or items I like everyday. I dont want to put the junk in my body I used to. IF I decided I would have maybe a cheat meal, after a whole day I think it would be hard to restart the next day.
  • Topher1978
    Topher1978 Posts: 975 Member
    I do not do cheat days. I eat food that I like, period. I eat all foods that I like, in fact. I have, however, mostly cut fast food out, barring pizza. Pizza will always be in my diet. I generally stay below my calorie goal, and when I work out hard, I eat a lot.
  • never124get
    never124get Posts: 163
    Not cheat days, but I do have a cheat meal once a week. I wouldn't be able to throw one day away by "cheating". I usually save my cheat meal for a day or night I know I'm going out to eat or when I will be around my friends or when I'm really craving my favorite food that's really bad for me. And that whole day of my "cheat meal" I try to eat a little more healthy than usual...if that makes sense. I guess just to compensate for the bad food I had. Like yesterday I picked my cheat meal as chocolate chip waffles and hash browns from waffle house...and then the rest of the day ate a little lighter and I was still on track with my carbs, sugars, fat...etc. It's all about portions and moderation :)
  • starrchiild
    starrchiild Posts: 38 Member
    There are enough birthday parties and such where I don't really need a cheat day
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    If I want something badly then I have it. Cheat days just result in days of binging for me and cheating is part of a diet mentality. You can make most foods you would get in a meal out, better at home, though not quite the same experience socially. And better to have a piece of cake on the day you feel like it most rather than holding out until a specific day.
  • Richie2shoes
    Richie2shoes Posts: 411 Member
    I have one. I still log everything. I try to keep it within reason and don't use it if I don't need it.
  • TodayYesterday
    TodayYesterday Posts: 42 Member
    Yes! I usually go for a long hike once a week. 4 hours or so with a backpack. Then I go out to eat at a restaurant, and don't worry about calories. That is the only time we are going out to eat. No hiking = no cheat meal. Sometimes we do 2 long hikes on the weekend, but still only 1 cheat meal.
  • NoahandPresleysMom
    NoahandPresleysMom Posts: 763 Member
    So I'm wondering what everyone's take is on "Cheat Day"...the one day a week you let yourself eat whatever you want. Do you let yourself have one whole day or do you just allow yourself one indulgent meal? Weekends are tough for me when it comes to sticking to diets.

    i do. but i think im going to cut it out. My "cheat day" starts turning into two or three cheat does. Im one of those do it or dont people.
  • skyline2055
    skyline2055 Posts: 49 Member
    Cheat days or cheat meals are healthy for you on the psychological level.
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
    I don't have cheat days or cheat meals.

    i eat what I want. If I want the unhealthy thing.. i'll have it.. Otherwise if i wait for a cheat day, i'll overeat it.

    Plus I'm not on a diet. I'm changing my life. I'm not gonna cheat myself. I also know how to make yummy food that is low calorie and low fat. Like today I had chocolate covered strawberries. YUM!
  • sensitivegirl
    sensitivegirl Posts: 15 Member
    I might plan ahead for a cheat meal for a special occassion (and try to save some calories), but generally, cheats usually pop up when I get invited out for dinner and I don't really have control over the menu. I try to watch the portions and just enjoy the special occassions that life will always bring. I will still count the calories regardless so that when I look back on the progress compared to the calories that week, it will teach me if I should do less cheat days, or if the amount I am doing now is ok. I am a rather black and white thinker, so too much cheating will make me lose momentum. That's how my "diets" always fail...
  • whitesox56
    whitesox56 Posts: 85
    Not cheat days, but I do have a cheat meal once a week. I wouldn't be able to throw one day away by "cheating". I usually save my cheat meal for a day or night I know I'm going out to eat or when I will be around my friends or when I'm really craving my favorite food that's really bad for me. And that whole day of my "cheat meal" I try to eat a little more healthy than usual...if that makes sense. I guess just to compensate for the bad food I had. Like yesterday I picked my cheat meal as chocolate chip waffles and hash browns from waffle house...and then the rest of the day ate a little lighter and I was still on track with my carbs, sugars, fat...etc. It's all about portions and moderation :)

    I am craving Waffle House hash browns now :) Thanks a lot! LOL
  • kirzz92
    kirzz92 Posts: 61 Member
    I don't believe in setting aside a specific day/rule regarding "cheating.
    I love eating clean and love what is does to my body. But say for eg we go to an italian restaurant on the weekend, I will order the napoletana instead of the alfredo, or the focaccia with avo instead of a cheesy pizza... I think of it as controlled cheating.
    Its still enjoyable food, but the healthier option.... If you deprive yourself fully by having a greek salad while everyone else is having pizza, well i dunno about you, but i turn into the dragon lady. lol!

    Good luck :)
  • benol1
    benol1 Posts: 867 Member
    I'm trying to implement a sustainable lifestyle change that I can maintain in the long run. So, I don't go in for the concept of a "cheat day". Having said that, I know I have to be careful on the day I weigh myself because if I discover I've lost weight I get elated and go a bit crazy.

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