Fast Food and Cheat Meals (Days)

MeganKSchultz · April 2013

My plan was to have one "cheat" meal each week. Fast food is my weakness. I have found the last couple of weeks I have planned it, it is easier to resist the rest of the week. However, one fast food meal is often more calories than I'm allotted for the day. I'm allotted 1580, but the meal I planned to eat from Arby's today is over 1700. I have Tuesday evenings away from home (I am a SAHM) and so it's the one day I don't work out either. I haven't been at this long enough to know if my "cheat" meal is sabotaging my weight loss (last week I didn't lose because I kept copying my breakfast and it was missing about 150 calories I accidentally didn't add.)

So for those who've been at this for a while, do you think one fast food meal a week is too much? I'm not super ambitious, I just want to lose a pound a week.

shadow2soul · April 2013

I think that would depend on what you chose to eat.

I will say that I ate at McDonalds the other day and regretted it. Not because of the calories, but other than Subway I have been avoiding fast food. After the burger, I felt like crap the rest of the day and even the following day. I don't think I'll go to McDonalds again for a long, long time. This was just my experience and I honestly don't think there is harm in eating out once or twice a week.

concordancia · April 2013

Can you be satisfied making it fit closer to your goals? Could you order smaller fries and drink water? Only eat half the turnover? Have a super sandwich this week, fries with a lighter sandwich next week and just stop by for a Jamocha shake the third week?

Remember that the goal is to make long term changes to your life style. Personally, I not ever want to go back to fast food being a regular part of my diet. Since you do want to include fast food regularly, you are going to have to find ways of doing it differently than before.

CP_9712 · April 2013

What you should do is choose things lower in calories, for example: Arby's classic roast beef sandwich with arby sauce is 380 and a chopped side salad is 70 cal. I mean you could find other things that are lower in calories but will still satisfy your greasy delicious fast food cravings.

JesterMFP · April 2013

I don't see a problem with cheat meals/days if it works for you. A lot of people find it helps them to keep on track. I also don't think one fast food meal a week is too much - necessarily. If your goal is 1580, and you consume 1700, then you are very likely still at a deficit for that day. So, it's not going to make you gain (although I bet you see a temporary water weight gain due to sodium).

However, if it was me, I would probably try to find a slightly lower calorie alternative, of which I'm sure there are many options. That's just me though, fast food isn't really my thing so I wouldn't want to waste all my calories on that. If you really enjoy it though, and it helps keep you going the rest of the week, then maybe it's worth it. Or, you could compromise and find a lower calorie meal for some of the weeks, and have your favourite once a month or something. Up to you in the end, but bottom line as far as calories go: one day at 1700 (if your deficit goal is 1580) is not going to stop you losing for the week.

MeganKSchultz · April 2013

Part of my problem is that feeling of "deprivation." I applaud people who can go from eating fast food 2-3 times a day to eating a fast food salad once a week and not feeling deprived at all, but that is not me. Sweets and fast food are my vices, so cutting them out completely, immediately is not reasonable. So I go to Arby's and I *WANT* fried yumminess, and I settle for lettuce? I can't see sustaining that. I'm going from fast food 2-3 times a week (plus a one week starbucks frappe) to once a week, and keeping within my calorie goals the rest of the week. Is that not enough? If I can't lose weight making what are for me big changes, I feel like it's hopeless.

JesterMFP · April 2013

Part of my problem is that feeling of "deprivation." I applaud people who can go from eating fast food 2-3 times a day to eating a fast food salad once a week and not feeling deprived at all, but that is not me. Sweets and fast food are my vices, so cutting them out completely, immediately is not reasonable. So I go to Arby's and I *WANT* fried yumminess, and I settle for lettuce? I can't see sustaining that. I'm going from fast food 2-3 times a week (plus a one week starbucks frappe) to once a week, and keeping within my calorie goals the rest of the week. Is that not enough? If I can't lose weight making what are for me big changes, I feel like it's hopeless.

Keep it as it is then. I'm the same (just not with fast food!) It may be that as you cut down, your tastes change a bit anyway, or they might not. I always said that the most important thing for me was keeping whatever weight I lost off in the long term, and I knew I wouldn't be likely to do that if I cut out everything I enjoy eating. For me, it's about being able to eat chocolate, buttered toast, cheese and red wine. After a year of doing this, I'm actually ok with having much smaller portions of those things, and/or having them less often. I've just got used to it, and my diet is much, much better than it was at the start. Cutting stuff out was never going to work for me though, I just had to find ways of making it all fit.

sateliteofluv · April 2013

I don't think one meal per week will completely derail you. I allow myself one cheat meal per week, and I have always been successful with this method when I am actually attempting to lose weight.

I agree with the other poster that maybe you could choose something a little healthier from Arby's instead. Lately, I have been relying on Hamburger Happy Meals to satisfy my fast food cravings. I have found that I still feel satisfied that I've had a burger and some fries, but I also feel victorious that I didn't go so overboard that I completely feel terrible after. Also, there is a toy involved, and who woudn't want that?

Allowing yourself some flexibility is crucial to your long-term success. Don't give up hope!! And if you do splurge, don't beat yourself up over it. Log it and move on!

daneiel · April 2013

I started my wt loss journey at the beginning of Fed 2013, I agreed that at the end of my 2 Month I would allow myself a day to have an item or two. Something that was not a trigger food for me Pepsi, fries and cookies these thing would send me in a tailspin and not a full meal or day. In addition, this is only if I had kept to my meal plan and workout as scheduled.

stevenbatl · April 2013

Everyone's bodies will react differently with cheat meals. I give myself a cheat almost every week and I find that I'll gain some, but lose faster over the next two days. I have read somewhere that overloading one day a week will shock the body into a higher calorie burn. I don't think that is the case for everyone, so pay attention to your body. I noticed that you said that you don't workout on Tuesdays. Is that because you're not home at all that day and you only workout at home? Since I'm on-call, I have to be flexible with my exercise schedule. I normally put in my exercise at 6am, but some days it's 8pm before I can squeeze it in.

I agree with you regarding deprivation. I wouldn't be able to survive in this world if I couldn't have some Whole Foods mac & cheese once in a while. If you want to cut down/out fast food, you should wean yourself off the fast food meals first by cutting down on portions starting with one item at a time. Then, take pride in allowing yourself longer stretches without it. That's how I completely cut sodas out of my life. I went from 2-3 20oz bottles a day to none! It's been about a year since I've had one, but it took a year before that of slowly cutting them out before I could go without cravings.

dysonsl · April 2013

you're doing great! i think the fact that you're paying attention to all of this is the first step. and i noticed you're down to 3 teaspoons of sugar in your coffee instead of 4. that's exactly how you do it! and as far as the cheat meal, having a cheat meal is perfectly fine. i totally think the happy meal/smaller portion is the way to do it. you're still getting that taste you love, but the smaller portion won't over do it. it was a long long long process for me. i tried cutting out all the bad things at once and it was completely awful. i was miserable. just work on one thing at a time. once you are used to that, cut out/back on another. because when we try to do everything all at once it becomes overwhelming and way too hard. one step at a time! you'll get there. you're already doing great and making wonderful mindful changes. don't get discouraged. you have this amazing network of support!

lisamarie2181 · April 2013

I was a bit confused by what you said, your goal is around 1500 and after all your eating in the day plus the fast food you are eating 1700? Or is the fast food meal alone 1700?

If the first one is the case then no you have nothing to worry about, eating a few hundred cals over once a week should not be hurting you.

But if you are really eating 3200 cals that could possibly be a hinderance, unless you have decent deficits during the week. I would calculate a weeks worth of deficits and average out what your deficits were a day on average. Might help to see if it could be hindering a loss.

PosterGuy1 · April 2013

My plan was to have one "cheat" meal each week. Fast food is my weakness. I have found the last couple of weeks I have planned it, it is easier to resist the rest of the week. However, one fast food meal is often more calories than I'm allotted for the day. I'm allotted 1580, but the meal I planned to eat from Arby's today is over 1700. I have Tuesday evenings away from home (I am a SAHM) and so it's the one day I don't work out either. I haven't been at this long enough to know if my "cheat" meal is sabotaging my weight loss (last week I didn't lose because I kept copying my breakfast and it was missing about 150 calories I accidentally didn't add.)

So for those who've been at this for a while, do you think one fast food meal a week is too much? I'm not super ambitious, I just want to lose a pound a week.

Hello. I began this journey on 1/1.

Personally, I don't think its a good idea to have a cheat day or meal so early in your journey.

I know some will disagree with this.

mgore0404 · April 2013

If you can I would watch some documentaries, Do you have netflix? There is a great Documentary called "Super size Me", and there is also a documentary called "Killer at Large"
I would just stay away from there food because of what's in there food. What exactly are you craving? Is it something that you could make yourself at home? and maybe make it healthier. I love TACO BELL, but I have found that when I am craving tacos I love doing them myself at home, then I know exactly what's in them, and how many calories I am eating. Good Luck :happy:

shmoony · April 2013

My plan was to have one "cheat" meal each week. Fast food is my weakness. I have found the last couple of weeks I have planned it, it is easier to resist the rest of the week. However, one fast food meal is often more calories than I'm allotted for the day. I'm allotted 1580, but the meal I planned to eat from Arby's today is over 1700. I have Tuesday evenings away from home (I am a SAHM) and so it's the one day I don't work out either. I haven't been at this long enough to know if my "cheat" meal is sabotaging my weight loss (last week I didn't lose because I kept copying my breakfast and it was missing about 150 calories I accidentally didn't add.)

So for those who've been at this for a while, do you think one fast food meal a week is too much? I'm not super ambitious, I just want to lose a pound a week.

Not to change the subject, but the last statement you made was very telling of your goals, chances for success, and I think alot of peoples perspective on weight loss. As you start this journey, please keep in mind that 1 pound a week IS ambitious. Losing one pound a week is an undertaking that takes commitment, patience, hard work, and discipline. I think this skewed perspective that 1 pound per week is not ambitious is what often gets people frustrated and causes them to quit. That's 52 pounds a year. This is a marathon, not a sprint, and other other perspective is doomed to failure in the long run. Just a thought.

Oh yeah, and to the original question. I'd keep it to once a month.

kmessinger14 · April 2013

Part of my problem is that feeling of "deprivation." I applaud people who can go from eating fast food 2-3 times a day to eating a fast food salad once a week and not feeling deprived at all, but that is not me. Sweets and fast food are my vices, so cutting them out completely, immediately is not reasonable. So I go to Arby's and I *WANT* fried yumminess, and I settle for lettuce? I can't see sustaining that. I'm going from fast food 2-3 times a week (plus a one week starbucks frappe) to once a week, and keeping within my calorie goals the rest of the week. Is that not enough? If I can't lose weight making what are for me big changes, I feel like it's hopeless.

I agree with you that getting a salad at Arby's is in no way going to help your fast food craving. But you can definitely get something greasy without going over your daily limit in one meal. Instead of getting this entire 1700 calorie meal, why don't you just get the sandwich (or whatever main entree you get) and skip the combo meal portion? And if you really want something else greasy, maybe next week you can do two side/appetizer items that you didn't get the week before. If you can't downsize the first week or two, maybe you will be able to after you've limited it to just one meal a week. The combo meals are the worst. Just arrange the meal /cut out the oversized sides to make it less than 1700 calories!

Mardi_ann · April 2013

I honestly think the one meal is not going to end your weight loss journey. If you can cut back on the amount great if not ok, once a week is a deal breaker. If you start depriving yourself you will binge and then once a week becomes twice. Can you add an extra 60 minute walk in? You may find after a couple weeks you don't want the fast food. I'm just saying if you want this to work it has to be realistic and if you love Arby's then avoiding it isn't realistic. Just my 2 cents worth.

Fast Food and Cheat Meals (Days)

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