cheat night always seems to turn into awful weekend

I keep myself going sometimes by telling myself to wait for my cheat meal, seems to backfire into a near binge weekend, I usually gain back half of what I've lost through the week by the end of it. I'd be down 50 or 60 by now if it wasn't for this. Does anyone else have problems with this? If so, how do you combat it?

I think at one time or another everyone goes through it. Some more than others. I have improved a lot the past 60 days. I used to eat McDonalds at least 2 days a week. I would eat pizza a few days a week too. I loved to drink coca cola. I have been fast food free and soda free for over 60 days now besides a breakfast I had at McDonalds.

I do not really crave it anymore. After going 2 months without it and feeling so much better my body has been craving healthy food. I had a piece of pizza from Little Casesars that I was craving. I took a few bites and was disappointed in the taste. It was not as good as I remembered it being.

What worked for me at first was whenever I had a craving for a greasy burger and fries or cookies, pop, and chips I would remind myself of how hard I have been working to get to where I am. I say to myself "Is that burger and fries really worth a workout that I just did going to waste?" I have been doing P90X with some intense workouts and the burger and fries would just set me back another day. I used to think that just because I exercise that I can eat whatever I want. I was so wrong and now years later my body changed. It took me years to get my body out of shape and I know it will take awhile to get it back to where I want it. I think of each binge as a setback and an extra workout needed to get back on track.

I have Day 1, Day 27, and Day 57 photos. I look at them when I do have a craving. I am on day 68 now and I believe that I will never go back to my old eating habits. The healthy food along with my workouts have being a habit instead of a hassle.

You can do this. It is a mind over matter. A lot of times cravings will go away after 5 or 10 minutes. Instead of eating it do a quick 10 minute workout. Have a glass of water and then get your mind off that craving. It just might work.

Good luck in your journey to a healthier and new you. It just takes time.

Such a brilliant, and detailed reply!!! well done to you man, talk about being motivated! :-)

I have a MAJOR problem with this. I started making my "cheat meal" (my fiancé and I call it our date meal instead) on Fri nights instead of lunch on Sat or Sun. I'm able to keep my routine of eating right during the day at work, do my evening workout, then we have only enough time to go have dinner, without setting ourselves up for an entire binge day (I'm really bad about "Well I've already had this, may as well EAT ALL THE FOOD"). That's what ended up happening when we moved date meal to Sat or Sun; excuse to binge because our weekends don't have routine, which is what we both need at this stage in our lifestyle change :drinker:

I keep myself going sometimes by telling myself to wait for my cheat meal, seems to backfire into a near binge weekend, I usually gain back half of what I've lost through the week by the end of it. I'd be down 50 or 60 by now if it wasn't for this. Does anyone else have problems with this? If so, how do you combat it?

Yes sadly I have had the same problem. Its not until I have cut chocolate and biscuits out completely that I have noticed I have stopped craving them. Even if I eat them in moderation it leads to really bad cravings to binge on them. I honestly think I have to do all or nothing unfortunately. It's sad but I think it's true in my case. Moderation is not my friend. Hopefully in the future I might be able to just do the having a little bit of what I fancy thing but for now I have to stay away from foods that make me binge as it's hindered my fat loss a lot I think.

How does your partner (if you have one of course) deal with this? mine is constantly asking me ''why I'm on a silly diet anyway'' (even though I'm NOT losing weight or trying to) ''why I can't have a piece of chocolate/pizza'' I actually feel like it's affecting our relationship, as silly as that sounds. but for MY sanity and for MY wellbeing I just can't do moderation.

Are you recording your binges? I find that if I force myself to record every single day good or bad, that it will keep me from a long term binge...I'll see "OMG, I ate 800 calories over my daily", I better pay attention to tomorrow.

I use to binge and not record at the same time, that ALWAYS ended up in multiple poor eating days.

I keep myself going sometimes by telling myself to wait for my cheat meal, seems to backfire into a near binge weekend, I usually gain back half of what I've lost through the week by the end of it. I'd be down 50 or 60 by now if it wasn't for this. Does anyone else have problems with this? If so, how do you combat it?

A picture of Homer Simpson on the fridge and cabinet doors may help.

This was me tonight, but I was in a really foul mood.

I started using MFP on 4/16/2013 and was doing GREAT. Was logging everything I put in my mouth and had dropped 29lbs. in 3 weeks and also had been off of my daily 4 shots of insulin. Was feeling wonderful with increased energy and going strong. You would think that just not having to stick myself four times a day with a needle would be motivation enough to keep me on the straight and narrow but I wasn't happy just falling off the wagon I had to do a swan dive. It all started on a Saturday morning. Got up and logged a good breakfast and then the phone rang. It was my wifes brother who she hadn't seen in 5-6 years and he was coming thru town on his way back to Key West. He only had time to stop for lunch but wanted to meet at a Hardees for some lunch and to see her and two of our kids he had not met. Well we got to the Hardees and I convinced myself (wasn't to hard to do) that a thickburger meal would be okay, after all I had done so well so far. I bit into the burger and all I could taste was salt. That should of been enough to make me put it down but I didn't have the sense to stop. After her brother got back on the highway my wifes sister said why don't the four kids come spend the night at my house. I thought man that sounds good as my wife and I had not been out alone in six months. So off to the movies we go. Before I knew it I had set there and finished off half of a large popcorn. So not feeling all that good about myself we went home and I woke up in the morning feeling like a camel had taken a crap in my mouth. Well first thing Sunday morning my wife who at 32 and four kids later weighs the same 95 lbs that she did when she was 16 says lets go to Golden Corral for breakfast since the kids won't be back till about one o'clock. So like the idiot that I am off I go down yet another slippery slope. Needless to say by the time I threw the breaks on that run away train I had put back on 5lbs. and my self esteem would have had to climb up to see out of a thimble. So I have decided that a cheat day is out of the question for me. Thankfully I am back on track and have been able to stop the insulin once again and have planned out every meal for the weekend. Hopefully this works as I don't want to go thru that again. Good luck on your journey and if I can be of any help feel free to add me.

I have a hard time, too, with returning to restaurant eating. Yesterday, I ordered pizza, but I made a thoughtful determined decision to listen and feel for when I was full. I thought, man, I'm going to eat a whole pizza! But I had three pieces and I specifically ordered stuffed crust so that I would not eat the crust.

I am doing better. It's the whole mind over matter thing. I don't make it off limits, because, as the bad girl, I will want what I can't have.

I have a moderate portion, knowing that I can always, at a later time, have something else if I desire it.

I keep myself going sometimes by telling myself to wait for my cheat meal, seems to backfire into a near binge weekend, I usually gain back half of what I've lost through the week by the end of it. I'd be down 50 or 60 by now if it wasn't for this. Does anyone else have problems with this? If so, how do you combat it?

Yes sadly I have had the same problem. Its not until I have cut chocolate and biscuits out completely that I have noticed I have stopped craving them. Even if I eat them in moderation it leads to really bad cravings to binge on them. I honestly think I have to do all or nothing unfortunately. It's sad but I think it's true in my case. Moderation is not my friend. Hopefully in the future I might be able to just do the having a little bit of what I fancy thing but for now I have to stay away from foods that make me binge as it's hindered my fat loss a lot I think.

How does your partner (if you have one of course) deal with this? mine is constantly asking me ''why I'm on a silly diet anyway'' (even though I'm NOT losing weight or trying to) ''why I can't have a piece of chocolate/pizza'' I actually feel like it's affecting our relationship, as silly as that sounds. but for MY sanity and for MY wellbeing I just can't do moderation.

Well i'll be honest, it is a LOT harder sticking to my plan when he is around. He's away for a few months at the moment so it's easier for me to focus. He has mentioned the word 'obsessive' before now though with regards to my calorie counting. Meh is what I say lol.

I keep myself going sometimes by telling myself to wait for my cheat meal, seems to backfire into a near binge weekend, I usually gain back half of what I've lost through the week by the end of it. I'd be down 50 or 60 by now if it wasn't for this. Does anyone else have problems with this? If so, how do you combat it?

this seems to be a problem with people who deny themselves everything during the week and then go nuts at the weekend turning it from 'cheat day' into 'horrific car crash weekend'
Look at your calories each day and figure out what you can eat.... try and reward yourself with something small during the week to keep yourself satisfied so that you're not gonna go nuts at the weekend.
Are you exercising? If you are surely you have it in your calorie allowance to have a beer or a sweet treat or whatever it is you like on the odd day throughout the week?
I don't understand the whole starvation and total denial thing ... it doesn't work and leads to what you have described at the weekend...
Eat moderately all week (within your allowance) and you're less likely to slip up , especially if you're exercising as well which will allow you to eat a little extra

I don't get cheat days. Are you eating enough food? I wonder if that's why you go overboard on a cheat day or weekend.

I eat the foods I love and have no urge to have a cheat day. This is a lifelong journey, don't deprive yourself, just keep it within your calorie goals.

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I was having this issue. Then instead of a cheat meal I've started allowing myself a cheat "item" so to speak. If I get up and go to the gym before work, then I can have that beer or that snack later in the day. What finally started clicking for me was seeing how many calories of what I exercised that one snack would take. You just need to stop beating yourself up over it. You've made great progress, so don't allow the guilt you're feeling from preventing you from continuing!

I don't know what your situation is, but what helped me on weekends (as I'm a weekend binger) was I got a second, part time job. The extra money is nice, and that's an extra day a week I'm not at home looking at my cabinets and picking at them. Maybe this is a bit extreme, but it's been working great for me (and staying on my feet for 8-10 hours that extra day burns tons of calories).

I don't like the term "cheat". It implies something I should feel guilty about, so I really don't think in terms of "cheating". I generally eat pretty clean and I have incorporated into my lifestyle some treats that taste like luxurious indulgences to me, but are actually beneficial foods.

I use a lot of healthy fats, which I think is KEY to not needing "cheat days". I eat avocados, nuts, seeds, salmon, etc...and I add coconut oil or avocado oil to a lot of the foods I eat. The fats help keep me satiated for extended periods of time and my energy levels are through the roof.

You can add coconut oil to lots of foods. I make my salad dressings with it, add it to smoothies and my raw, cacao shakes (Mmmmm, chocolate!), I add it to my canned tuna (Packed in water tuna), to give the tuna a nice fatty mouth feel.

Figure out ways of making beneficial, chock full of nutrient foods, sinful tasting to you. There are so many great ideas and MFP members post a lot of great recipes too.

My latest revelation...
I love my one, 16 oz. cup of coffee each morning. It is a ritual I do not want to give up. For the last couple of months, I've been creating my own, high-protein coffee creamer, using Tera'swhey Grass-Fed Organic Whey supplement and almond milk. AWESOME and creamy! Today I experimented with added a teaspoon of coconut oil to the creamer when I mix it. Holy cow! I wouldn't have thought my coffee could taste any better than it already had, but this was the best. So, now I've found yet another way to incorporate a healthy fat into my daily intake.

I bet it would be great for making chai tea too. I'ma try that next.

Who needs cheat days?

As part of my daily calorie allowance, I make room for treats (sweets or takeout) so I don't feel the need to "cheat". I understand where you're coming from though - so maybe just don't put yourself in that situation if you know it will tempt you.