"cheating"

Well my "cheat" day is on Sundays.. I don't over indulge I just have a few "bad" things here and there and enjoy my "day off".. I weigh in on Fridays so it doesnt affect my weigh in day at all.. I have heard that u should cycle and have at least one "cheat" day a week becuz if not then ur body is going to go into starvation mode and u will stop losing weight.. Its kinda like stoking the fire when the flames go down ya know? Hope I helped, and good luck :-)!!

P.S. I chose Sunday becuz even god took Sundays off to rest :-P

Sunday's are my 'cheat' day. This is a day i spend with my church family and my own family. this is the day i have a cookie for breakfast from the welcome center @ church and then i take my kids out to lunch. it's usually their pick on where to eat. we go between Mexican, Chinese or a local steakhouse. I usually overeat and lunch and am full all day. supper is usually a frozen pizza or my husband will get a take out pizza from a local pizza place. or it may popcorn with LOTS of butter and salt while watching football or a movie. My weight in day was Tuesday's and its now Fridays. Hope this helps:happy: Good luck to you all!

dont do it, cheat days are for the weak IMO and anyone I know that has these entire days of cheating never lose any fat.

I don't necessarily call it cheating, but I do tend to take it easy on the weekends - I try not to binge, but I don't feel guilty if I eat a few extra calories on the weekend. My usual weigh in day is Thursday so if I have a terrible weekend I have a few days to try to make up for it. One thing I have found is that if I give myself a little treat a few times a week then I don't have the cravings nearly as bad on the weekend - my newest favorite treat is Chocolate cheerios - virtually the same nutrition info at multigrain or honey nut cheerios, but chocolatey :happy: If I have some extra calories at the end of the day I reward myself with a small bowl - 1/2 cup cheerios and 1/4 cup milk.

I don't really have a cheat day, but to echo the others, the weekends are little bit more difficult to stay within the guidelines - with kids and going out to eat and all. However, I try to exercise extra during the weekends so as to mitigate the unintended cheating. I kinda fall off the wagon on the drinking 8 glasses of water in addition to the increased calories. Anyway, no advice here, just know that you're not alone.

dont do it, cheat days are for the weak IMO and anyone I know that has these entire days of cheating never lose any fat.

I'll agree cheat days or weeks or cheat monthes or years. LOL are dangerous. If you're asking about how they work, it might be something you want to avoid entirely.

Simply eat healthy and incorporate some of the regular foods you enjoy in small quantities in your everyday food plan. If you don't feel ready to add in certain foods and KNOW without a doubt they'll only trigger you to eat large quantities of carb junk food. I'd suggest you might consider keeping them away from your daily food diary for awhile.

I've never had a 'cheat' day well that's not true, I had 'cheat years' before joining MFP. :blushing:

After joining MFP I don't have the urge to eat crappy anymore, some ppl that join feel they need to steer clear of any junk to stay safe and focused, others incorporate it every so often so they don't find it triggering them.

Sometimes we have to figure out these things on our own as we're all so different.

Becca:drinker:

I don't have a cheat day...but 1 cheat meal. I've also found that when I keep the portions under control, I don't even go over in calories on this day. Its fine to do when your new to your diet, but I found it personaly easier just to practice portion control and call it a cheat day anyhow. :bigsmile:

dont do it, cheat days are for the weak IMO and anyone I know that has these entire days of cheating never lose any fat.

Imo..I am NOT weak for having a cheat day. I have made a change to my eating habbits and working out, when I never did before. I'd say that takes strength to do, and I am losing weight and body fat. :flowerforyou:

If you have no self control and can't keep it to one meal/one day, than don't do it. Just try to keep things simple and free from temptation. Later on down the road it might be easier to control what you eat, or you may find you don't even want those foods anymore.

Sorry, I can't help ya here. I haven't been able to have 'cheat' day since joining MFP . I know what works for me, and If I have one of those days , I will not be able to get it back together again the next day. So for me, its best to steer clear of the junk I was eating before, but thats just me. Everyone is differant and u have to play around with calories/cheats/ etc and see what works for you :-)

Good Luck in whatever you decide to do for YOU

i try to have one at least once a month, and usually on the day when i know i'll have the least control over what i eat. DH and i are incredibly busy people so i choose Saturdays since that day usually turns into "catch-up, visit friends, shop, errands, events, etc" day. anddddd... therefore my weigh-in day is Friday morning, the day before.
pros: any time i experience cravings or temptations during the week, i can just plan to treat myself to whatever it is that i'm "craving" on my cheat day. it's easier for me to say no when i know that i can have it in just a few days. you develop healthy habits that you can carry on when you're no longer trying to LOSE but to maintain instead.
cons: it does lead to cravings, progress can be a bit slower, but it's also more steady.

edit - just to clarify - i usually have a cheat MEAL. not day. and i don't worry about staying with in my calories for that day... because heck. if i can stay within my MFP guidelines, why not have it every day of the week if i want to? healthy living isn't punishment. but i do log it - i think that's very important.

dont do it, cheat days are for the weak IMO and anyone I know that has these entire days of cheating never lose any fat.

from the looks of things i've lost exactly the same amount as you but i went the "weak" route. oh and if you're concerned with the time issue? i did it in 6 months. i've been in maintenance mode for a while due to not being able to afford a whole new wardrobe.

i feel the same way since i joined MFP i dont want to cheat....it helps us to sat on top of it.. i f i have something that i know is high in calories i come to MFP and log it and start fresh.with the calories i can still have....i love it....i find ive only went over 1 time in a month...

[. i've been in maintenance mode for a while due to not being able to afford a whole new wardrobe.

Awww...poor thing! Go to the thrift stores on the rich side of town and get your wardrobe on girl! Thats what I do. It takes some extra time to shop and check in several times for new arrivals, but its worth it and cheaper than retail. :flowerforyou:

what size do u need now..

i think cheat is the wrong word as well. i have one meal a week where i allow myself to have something special within limits and portion moderation, of course. I think it's healthy and it's a good way (for me, at least) to make this whole thing a way of life.

I prefer to think of them as "high calorie days" and I have them and I have been doing juuuuuust fine losing the fat. I don't think this means I am weak at all, but I like to have pancakes for breakfast on Sundays and go out with my boyfriend for a delicious Kobe beef burger and cupcake from one of my favorite bars in town. I don't go out of control or mindlessly eat. I plan it and I decide what I really want. I skip the alcohol and the french fries because they don't do much for me and I enjoy the calorie-rich foods that I do love tremendously. (I also have desserts and things that some might think of as "cheats" most every day of the week and try to build them into my calorie plan.)

I think that if you find that you are someone who cannot stop at just one "cheat" -- be it a bite, a meal, a day, whatever, then maybe it isn't for you. But I think that is less about the particular food and more about a person's relationship the food.

Just a few questions. I have read on here several times before where people have a "cheat" day or meal. I have NO self-control...one bite turns into the whole thing that turns into a bad meal that might as well be a "bad" day and so on. Anyway I was just wondering what you guys do and how it works for you? Do have a "cheat" day or meal? How close do you have it to your weigh-in day and how often do you have it? How has it made an impact on your weight loss? Just wondering these things so I thought I would ask. :flowerforyou: Thanks in advance for any helpful information.

I didn't take a cheat day for about the first 5 or 6 months. I too had very very little self control, so I didn't tempt myself. Once I started mixing the old foods back in my weight loss slowed dramatically. Just my opinion though. I think cheat days are bad initially.