Cheat Day...?

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SugarQueen_x
SugarQueen_x Posts: 117
in Health and Weight Loss
So I totally pigged out at a party. -_-
I felt super guilty, so I asked my mom if I had utterly destroyed my diet. She said that when one of her friends went on a diet, they allowed themselves one "cheat day" a week to eat pretty much whatever they wanted, and they still lost weight.
Is it okay to take a cheat day? I mean, can you still lose weight just as long as you're good every other day of the week?
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Replies

  • MissChyna
    MissChyna Posts: 358 Member
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    Two of my doctors told me that cheat days are ok...as long as you don't go overboard :)
  • jojohnson090
    jojohnson090 Posts: 80
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    I allow myself "cheat times" occasionally. If they are infrequent and you have worked hard then you deserve them!
    like right now, I have had wayyyy too much to drink but I work hard so tomorrow I will work it off. :-)
    It's all about moderation.

    eta: my drinking was NOT moderation. it was my bday and my mom came to visit me so we had a fun time and drank a lot/ate a lot.

    cheers!
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
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    What day? Sorry cheat day you said. You are only cheating yourself. Plus diet is a bad word, diets always fail. :explode:
  • TrishLG
    TrishLG Posts: 173 Member
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    One of the trainers for Biggest Loser was saying that a cheat day per week is good, otherwise you re-set your metabolism low and plateau. That cheat day re-sets it higher.
    The worse thing about going off for a day is getting a defeatist attitude--"I blew it and can not succeed."
    Just put it behind you and start again.

    Every 5 pound increment I reward myself. If I gain, I can not have a reward for the same marker.
  • Platypusimus
    Platypusimus Posts: 33 Member
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    What day? Sorry cheat day you said. You are only cheating yourself. Plus diet is a bad word, diets always fail. :explode:

    I had a trainer tell me essentially that. But the extra calories of a "cheat day" can actually help with a spike in metabolism.

    Plus, every once in a while, having that guilty pleasure helps one to maintain a healthier diet. Don't be so harsh.
  • ty987678
    ty987678 Posts: 3 Member
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    I have heard that cheat days are ok. I guess I just try and do the math so that I am still burning more calories per week than I am consuming. Not sure that is a great method though.
  • mgobluetx12
    mgobluetx12 Posts: 1,326 Member
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    A cheat day every single week is a bad idea. Why feed into bad habits by overeating over the course of a whole day every week? Just work some of the foods you love into your macros during the week and you won't feel the need to "cheat' at all. Anyway, if you're working on a new healthy lifestyle, there's nothing to cheat on.
  • MarshaMole
    MarshaMole Posts: 142 Member
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    I started MFP the second week in January..today was the first day I went over my calorie allowance and I didnt exercise..I had planned to exercise because I knew the meal I would have at night was not one I would be making myself but the kids that were making the meal needed help so the 3 extra hours I had today ended up not being extra hours =)..

    Anyway I do not feel guilty for going over my calories but wish I could have exercised but tomorrow is another day and I will work extra hard tomorrow.

    I dont really want to have a cheat day because I know I can go overboard but I do allow for a meal that I would normally not eat for special occasians
  • fionahay
    fionahay Posts: 44
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    As opposed to a cheat day it's better to have a cheat meal - like a chinese or dessert or something once a week. I try and eat fairly cleanly all week then have a bit of cake or something at the weekend to avoid feeling like I'm restricting myself too much and so will end up having a binge. Like tomorrow is mothers day - so I'll have some cake with my mum tomorrow - but back to normal eating after that.
  • MeeshyBW
    MeeshyBW Posts: 382 Member
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    I don't agree with a cheat day as it is counter productive to your healthy eating habits.

    If you allocate a designated cheat day you are almost setting yourself up to make poor food choices.

    My view is if the occasion comes up to decide that you want to eat that slice of cake, glass of wine, bowl of ice cream to then decide if you want to and if you believe it is worth it.

    Cheat days set yourself up to fail if you ask me.
  • wyrdmage
    wyrdmage Posts: 4
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    There is nothing scientifically wrong with a cheat day, but some people can't do it. If you still have the mentality of "I really want that, but this diet says I can't" then even after losing the weight, you will revert back to old habits and regain everything you lost. The point of a diet is not to lose weight, but to change the way you view food. Eating isnt about pleasure, it is about fuel. It is not something you look forward to, it is something that needs to be done. That doesnt mean that you cant enjoy it, it just means that it isnt something that should be an actual activity for you, and a cheat day simply reaffirms the idea that healthy foods are bad, and unhealthy foods are treasures.
  • JJordon
    JJordon Posts: 857 Member
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    Depends on your goals. If you gotta ALOT to lose, perhaps just a cheat meal, instead of a cheat day. Now, if you are at or near goal weight, sure, I guess a cheat day makes sense.
  • never124get
    never124get Posts: 163
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    I'm all for it, in fact I do it, except in meal form. Once a week and one meal, but I try to keep the rest of the meals healthy. I know myself and I know if I don't allow myself to have it and I restrict myself too much I WILL fail because I will end up gorging myself with food. I'm over coming a horrible binge purge cycle that controlled my life. My doctor has told me that cheat meals are a good idea for me....I track everything I eat and everything that I use (oil, spices etc) to cook with. This site has helped me tremendously with the fact that I can actually see what I'm eating and it's helping me realize it's easy to have a healthier lifestyle while still being able to enjoy life. Rather than just grabbing food and mindlessly putting it into my mouth I make better decisions. I don't see cheat meals as setting yourself up for failure...because I'm succeeding...and beating something I thought I would deal with the rest of my life. :smile:


    I guess you just have to know yourself...and your limits...

    Sometimes I feel like I want more and more and more but then I will take out my phone or log onto the computer to MFP and it reminds me how far I've come and why I'm doing this. If you know you can control yourself do it, not everyone is the same and sometimes a thing that will work for one person won't work for another.


    But as for your predicament with eating at your friends party, one day doesn't make a lifetime. To have a healthy/healthier lifestyle I know I have to take baby steps, for others it's easy for them to go cold turkey. I know I surely can't. :noway:


    To sum it up if you can do it in moderation I say go for it.
  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
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    There is nothing scientifically wrong with a cheat day, but some people can't do it. If you still have the mentality of "I really want that, but this diet says I can't" then even after losing the weight, you will revert back to old habits and regain everything you lost. The point of a diet is not to lose weight, but to change the way you view food. Eating isnt about pleasure, it is about fuel. It is not something you look forward to, it is something that needs to be done. That doesnt mean that you cant enjoy it, it just means that it isnt something that should be an actual activity for you, and a cheat day simply reaffirms the idea that healthy foods are bad, and unhealthy foods are treasures.
    For me eating is all about pleasure. I just had a "cheat" week and no regrets at all! I vaca on a Carribean island for my birthday. I had 3 wonderful meals per day including dessert. I had some wine and vodka. We walked to the beach each day and snorkeled for hours. I gained 4 pounds but its ok. It was worth it and now I'm back and the extra weight will be gone soon and I'll have amazing memories. It's all about your general healthy lifestyle and I don't call it cheating-I call it life.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    It's fine as long as you don't eat so much that you blow your deficit. A lot of people go with a cheat meal instead. When I was losing I would occasionally just eat my maintenance calories if I had a special event. I didn't have them every week though, just when I really needed it.

    What I did instead of a weekly cheat is just to work what I wanted into my calories. So if I wanted a bacon cheeseburger I had it, but I made it fit my goal. That way I didn't lose any progress. It worked really well for me.
  • dimedawg
    dimedawg Posts: 3 Member
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    They have worked for me...I build in 1 per week (Sunday) but follow it with a fast day...I've never lost more
  • wvgirlnfl
    wvgirlnfl Posts: 30
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    As opposed to a cheat day it's better to have a cheat meal - like a chinese or dessert or something once a week. I try and eat fairly cleanly all week then have a bit of cake or something at the weekend to avoid feeling like I'm restricting myself too much and so will end up having a binge. Like tomorrow is mothers day - so I'll have some cake with my mum tomorrow - but back to normal eating after that.

    I agree with this! Plan something special that you want to eat and go for it! The main thing is to forgive yourself and get back at it! That's what the danger in a cheat meal or day is for me...
  • meeemy
    meeemy Posts: 26 Member
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    You didnt destroy ur diet by it, as long as you go on eating healthy again the next day.
    And you shouldnt feel guilty about it too. It happend..so what?
    If u did enjoy it than just be happy and move on :)
    Its not like u will gain all the weight u lost back by just making some bad choices once
  • Nissi51
    Nissi51 Posts: 381 Member
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    I have a controlled cheat meal once per week. I have lost over 100lbs, kept it off and am prepping for a figure comp and STILL have one meal outside of my rigid meal plan every week. One meal will not make you fat anymore than one good meal a week will help you lose weight! They also keep me sane

    "Cheat" meals go wrong when they are actually binges and/or they derail you. No one eats perfectly all he time, we have life hat gets in the way!

    Great article:

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/flexible-versus-rigid-dieting.html
  • aloranger7708
    aloranger7708 Posts: 422 Member
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    I take "cheat" days but prefer to call it a "treat" meal :happy:

    I don't completely indulge for the entire day. I usually plan to go to a restaurant for dinner, maybe a drink OR dessert. The whole day leading up to that ONE meal I eat small, light meals and spend a little extra time running/working out.

    I think cheat days can be good if you utilize them the right way, but eating junk from the moment you wake up until midnight isn't the right way to go (that's my opinion, anyway...)

    Actually, I find ways to incorporate sweets into certain dishes because I'm someone who LOVES chocolate and wouldn't be able to make it a week to my cheat meal without it :laugh: For lunch I'll have some 'cookie dough' greek yogurt (pb, honey, vanilla, cchips) or melt some dark chocolate and dip strawberries in it.

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