"Cheat" days?

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Darling_Jay
Darling_Jay Posts: 20
in Health and Weight Loss
Does everyone on here allow themselves one day a week to go over a little on the calories, for say a night out, or a friends birthday etc? If so, how much over do you allow yourself to go?
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Replies

  • epj78
    epj78 Posts: 643 Member
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    I know people who can do this successfully, I'm not one of them!! I can easily eat a whole week's worth of calorie deficit in one day if I'm not careful. What I do if I know I have a special occasion coming up that I want to splurge a little on - I'll put myself in a 100-200 calorie deficit all week and give myself that ONE MEAL to have what I want within reason. Not a whole day! If it is drinks out - I'll allow myself a certain number of drinks. To just call it a "Cheat Day" - can't do it. I'll never lose!!
  • karenmi
    karenmi Posts: 242 Member
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    Yes, I do, usually on Fridays. Honestly I eat more my allotted and exercise calories probably 2-3 days a week, and still keep losing an average of a pound a week, which is what I want.

    I find it's just closer to "real life" to do it that way, I don't feel deprived at all.
  • Amandac6772
    Amandac6772 Posts: 1,311 Member
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    I think that is where most of us go wrong. If we stop living and enjoying special times with our friends and family we'll feel deprived. If I know I have something coming up, I've been exercising a little more the day off and the day after and adjusting my calories so it's not a total blow out. We have to learn to live healthy and life events are just that part of life. Try to minimize it. Eat a smaller piece of cake, drink water instead of sweet beverages or alcohol.
  • smile2010
    smile2010 Posts: 27 Member
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  • karenmi
    karenmi Posts: 242 Member
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    Sorry, forgot to say that I'll go over on "cheat days" by about 500 or so calories, and maybe 200 on the other couple of days.

    I find as long as I'm working out 5-6 times a week, burning an average of 325 calories a workout, that I still lose.
  • oohnee1
    oohnee1 Posts: 34
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    I dont do a cheat day, but I do have one cheat meal per week. There are guidelines though. The meal can never be over 1200 calories. Jackie Warner tells her clients those guidelines, and it works for me, so far. Still lose weight even with the ONE meal.
  • simona1972
    simona1972 Posts: 355 Member
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    I'll allow for cheats on special occassions. Sunday we're celebrating my brother's birthday - Im making salmon and veggies for me - the rest of the family is getting fried chicken cutlets and all the fixings but I will have a piece of birthday cake, so Im splurging/cheating with that. I logged my calories for that day already and I may be over by 200.
  • trainguy917
    trainguy917 Posts: 366 Member
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    I have a treat whenever I want to, within reason, but I generally burn some extra calories on days when I know I'm going to.
  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
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    Nope not every week, when i want to "cheat" every FEW weeks I will have 1 meal that is bad, and usually exercise it back off. As far as family and friends, you dont have to starve or deprive yourself any social activies, just find better ways of doing things and eating right. Talk to your family and friends tell them what you are trying to accomplish, all my friends and family know and they will be more supportive on what types of activies they will want to do, maybe pick a heathier restaurant etc
  • glfprncs2
    glfprncs2 Posts: 625 Member
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    I allow one cheat meal per week, but I'll be honest...I rarely take advantage of it.
  • PapaPolarBear
    PapaPolarBear Posts: 459
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    if I'm planning on something extra a particular night, i make a point of doing more during the day to make up for it, (run an extra mile, mow the lawn, mop the floors) something I don't do everyday. also I'll just eat a little less durning the day to make up for it so i usually have about 1500 calories to play with at the end of the day for splurging.
  • amelia_atlantic
    amelia_atlantic Posts: 926 Member
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    I usually let myself eat something "bad" on sundays...and it's usually PIZZA! I just keep portions in mind and if I go over it's usually only about 300 calories.

    If I'm going out for dinner and drinks, I DEFINITELY eat as clean as possible all day and work out before going out!

    One day will never sabotage all your hard work, indulge a little! You'll notice after eating well for so long you won't even want as much!

    ENJOY!
  • pennylbunch
    pennylbunch Posts: 122
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    What a great question! I was wondering the same thing! Great question, and wonderful answers! Thanks everyone! I was thinking of having a cheat meal once a week but was afraid that I would end up sabotaging myself. Then I think, if I don't, I will sabotage myself because I will give up! If I work hard all week, I can reward myself with a favorite meal. I have a serious sweet tooth, and tried for three days to avoid chocolate, I realized that I ate more calories avoiding the chocolate I wanted than if I had had just had a cup of cocoa or a hershey"s kiss! But I am LEARNING and THAT is important!
  • imagymrat
    imagymrat Posts: 862 Member
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    Love it or hate it, this is my view on cheat days The first problem with a cheat day is that it implies that you are “on a diet.” Your hard work and effort needs to be rewarded. Rewarding yourself with bad calories, trans fat, and sugar is a bad mental game to play with yourself. It’s wrong and not the key to getting a better body.

    The second problem with cheat day is based on the first. Assuming you paid no attention to anything I just said and you are “on a diet,” you’re the person that thinks they are eating right during the week, but in actuality may be eating wrong, but just because you’re seeing results you continue to do what you do. (If you don’t eat anything for 2 days and lose weight, it means that diet is working but is it good for you? Of course not.)

    So after all this hard work, your cheat day turns into exercise within itself. You build a forest of soft drinks, French fries, cookies, mozzarella sticks and chomp through it like an angry beaver. You sweat because eating all this food is hard work. But it feels great. This is your reward.

    People take the cheat day way too far. They eat and eat not knowing that all of these calories add up fast. Sure it’s a cheat day, but you can spend the next 2 to 3 days working off the damage from your cheat day. What’s the point of all this hard work if you’re setting yourself back at least one day. Almost 30-40% of your week is lost due to your cheat day and recovery. It’s like a self-imposed tax on your progress and we all know how much taxes take away from us.

    What a Cheat Day Should Be
    A cheat day shouldn’t even be a day. It should be a meal or two on that day where you eat a lax version of your regular diet. These meals should not include fast food and 2 pints of ice cream because those are foods you need to avoid forever. (There’s nothing bad about having a little ice cream, but a pint of it? C’mon.). Examples could be adding a buttered potato to your steak, croutons and cheese on your salad, or a soda with your regular meal. A small treat as opposed to devouring everything on the table makes a lot more sense if you’re trying to build a better body.

    It’s simple. Don’t let these diet gurus tell you that you can have whatever you want on the day of your choosing. It is detrimental to your goals and leads you to believe you are allowed to reward yourself with something bad for doing something good. Change your cheat day into a temporary lax version of your regular diet. If you must eat out at a restaurant, chose something that’s relatively good for you and don’t pig out. Reward yourself with something good for doing something good and you’ll feel better about yourself. You’ll hit the gym harder on Monday because you didn’t screw up all your progress by eating crap. You’ll be less disappointed when you remained at weight rather than seeing the scale jump 3 pounds. You’ll reach your goals quicker than you thought possible.

    And that's what I think about cheat days. :wink:
  • Darling_Jay
    Darling_Jay Posts: 20
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    Thanks for all the answers guys :) It's my sisters hen night tonight you see, and it's a set menu and someone else has picked the restraunt - I choose something that I felt wasn't as bad as a burger, pizza etc. Good thing is I'm not a big drinker anyway, so i'll probably have a couple of cocktails and do my best to work it all off tomorrow.

    It's also her wedding in two weeks, and I can't really avoid eating more calories as the menu is a three course meal which my sister and her husband to be have put together and paid for, so I'm not going to leave any as this would just be rude, plus it's not every day that my family get together for such an occassion. I think that some things are hard to avoid and it's not junk food, fat and sugars that I find hard to ignore, its family gatherings with good hearty home cooked foods.

    As this life change is constantly on my mind, I know I will never just stuff my face with fast food and call it a cheat day - but I do think it will be unrealistic of me to think that I am going to eat 1200 everyday until I reach my goal - I know it's not going to happen and some day's I will slip and that doesn't make me feel bad about myself, it makes me feel good because I know that I'm doing this for all of the right reasons and that a few calories here and there aren't going to kill me, but feeling like I'm putting myself into a boot camp where I cant enjoy a meal my fiance cooks for me, or Christmas dinner with my family would be stupid and probably result in me giving up.
  • thickntired
    thickntired Posts: 76 Member
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    I don't personally do cheat days. I think it would allow me to much freedom to cheat and keep going. So I would have to be strict and stick to my new way of eating. What I try to do is work in a "cheat" meal into my day but I work it into my daily calories. If an event is coming up, the I would try cutting out of some of my calories for the week and kicking up the exercise or just pick healthy or healthier food options at the event. But in the end if you over do it it's not the end of the world and you can get back on track and do a little more exercise afterward.
  • lee112780
    lee112780 Posts: 419 Member
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    I think cheat DAYS can be dangerous, because if you literally eat everything you want itn a whole day, you could sabatoge your week. However, I think its important to treat yourself once in awhile. See how it effects your weight loss. If you can afford a cheat meal or two a week, go for it. It's important not to deprive yourself TOO much ; )
  • LastFighter
    LastFighter Posts: 175 Member
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    I have my goal set to maintain. My personal goal is to never go over the alloted amount. To hit my weight goals I try to stay at least 1k caloies under it. I have treated myself to some nicer meals but if I got close to the amount I stopped for the day. One day I was close to going over I spent several hours in the gym and ended up losing a lb. If you want the bad stuff work for it.
  • leix
    leix Posts: 176
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    Yes i have cheat days, in my eyes you need to treat yourself from all hard work you do.
    My cheat days dont involve binging for whole 12hrs or so that i am awake. Its still about controlling yourself on the 'amount' you eat. I also exercise 3/4 worth of my cheat day food.
    I dont always have 1 once a week, sometimes once a month, once every 3 weeks.
    Tonight im having a cheat meal, i had 2 last weekend. Dont see this as a huge problem.
  • leftyy2k4
    leftyy2k4 Posts: 71
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    The reward for hard work is a healthy body. If you feel the need for a cheat day you need to change your relationship with food.

    Food should not be a reward. It is fuel. Having a piece of cake at a party etc is not a cheat day. Thats living life.

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