can a cheat day ruin my diet?

veumata
veumata Posts: 1
in Food and Nutrition
Last week I have been really stressed and I know I was not eating really healthy, I ate a piece of cake everyday but I did my workout. Then, yesterday was my friend`s wedding I was stressed I didn't eat that much at the wedding but when I got home I was so nervous (maybe because I REALLY want to lose weight) that I ate 2 bags of pop corn! (without butter hehehe) and I ate 1 1/2 eclair. I feel so bad now will this ruin my diet? and If I have been eating bad food but I`m still under my calories intake will I still lose weight ?

Replies

  • onedayatatime12
    onedayatatime12 Posts: 577 Member
    Well yes, you will still lose, but I don't think it'd be too good for your body. :S

    And no worries, everyone splurges once in a while, so consider that your splurge day!
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    Last week I have been really stressed and I know I was not eating really healthy, I ate a piece of cake everyday but I did my workout. Then, yesterday was my friend`s wedding I was stressed I didn't eat that much at the wedding but when I got home I was so nervous (maybe because I REALLY want to lose weight) that I ate 2 bags of pop corn! (without butter hehehe) and I ate 1 1/2 eclair. I feel so bad now will this ruin my diet? and If I have been eating bad food but I`m still under my calories intake will I still lose weight ?

    The only way a cheat day can ruin your diet is if it is in excess of your weekly deficit or you lack the ability to get back on track after a "cheat" day.

    Also 2 bags of popcorn and half an eclair isn't all that much and it's a little sad you didn't enjoy the food at the wedding and were focused on cals instead of enjoying a special event
  • kitka82
    kitka82 Posts: 350 Member
    As long as you still have a calorie deficit, you will still lose weight. If you go over on sugar, carbs, or sodium, you can expect some bloating and water weight, but that goes away once you get back to your normal eating.
  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
    I really don't see the point in freaking out over stuff like this... it's okay every once in a while. It just means that it'll take you an extra few days to reach your goal weight. Say, for example, you went over your goal by 1,000 calories, that just means you'll have to have a 500 calorie deficit for an extra two days. Or you could just create an extra 100 calorie defecit for ten days and it would be cancelled out.

    You said you didn't even go over your calories, so no harm done whatsoever. You might feel a bit bloated the next couple of days, but that'll pass. All that matters is that you don't let it become a habit!
  • SWSfan21
    SWSfan21 Posts: 3
    Everyone has a bad day, or even a bad week or month! I've just started my new lifestyle change less then a week ago, and every time I have an extra small snack, or a little more of dinner, I feel so terrible about it. It really doesn't mess up your diet though. You might not see weight loss on the scale, but all you have to do is go back to eating right and exercising, and you'll be good to go.

    It may be possible to lose a few pounds while eating mainly junk food, so long as you stay under your calories, but it wont fill you well, and it'll be bad for your body. You'd most likely be losing muscle weight, instead of fat weight, so its really not healthy or advantageous to do.
  • craigmandu
    craigmandu Posts: 976 Member
    No one day will ruin anything....consistently having them however, that is a different story!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    If I have been eating bad food but I`m still under my calories intake will I still lose weight ?

    Yes, but you'd probably have less stress and cravings if you strive to hit your goal, rather than be under it.
  • JulesAlloggio
    JulesAlloggio Posts: 480 Member
    I live by this...

    *One CHEAT meal won't make you fat, just like one GREAT meal won't make you skinny*

    Its ok to "cheat" every now and then. Just don't make a habit of it.
  • Afura
    Afura Posts: 2,054 Member
    No, this won't ruin your diet, but continuing to eat poorly will. Today is another day.
  • salladeve
    salladeve Posts: 1,053 Member
    It happens, you go off your diet at times. You have to live life. If you are trying to make a lifestyle change then the important thing is what you do on a daily basis. My friend who has lost over 100 lbs, actually schedules in a "free" day once a month and eats what she wants without counting calories or feeling guilty. It works for her and I think it is a great idea, that way you don't feel like you are giving up anything.
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
    Only if you let it.
  • goalss4nika
    goalss4nika Posts: 529 Member
    I live by this...

    *One CHEAT meal won't make you fat, just like one GREAT meal won't make you skinny*

    Its ok to "cheat" every now and then. Just don't make a habit of it.


    OOOoooooo I like this!
  • shaleyn
    shaleyn Posts: 125 Member
    Yeah, it will....

    ... IF you have the mindset that's it's a 'diet'. If you are changing habits for good, then nope, you won't ruin anything.
  • howardheilweil
    howardheilweil Posts: 604 Member
    As a friend of mine said to me... Just brush yourself off and keep going!
  • DoxieLove10612
    DoxieLove10612 Posts: 145 Member
    Sunday is my cheat day. My idea of cheat might be a bit different however. I eat crap (within reason) but stay at a deficit. Yesterday I had a sandwich, pasta salad, potato salad, and a Klondike. Oh my yum. But I burned well over what I ate accidentally :-/ Just don't go crazy and eat a whole ice cream cake or anything and you will be fine!
  • PapillonBleu72
    PapillonBleu72 Posts: 43 Member
    Last week I have been really stressed and I know I was not eating really healthy, I ate a piece of cake everyday but I did my workout. Then, yesterday was my friend`s wedding I was stressed I didn't eat that much at the wedding but when I got home I was so nervous (maybe because I REALLY want to lose weight) that I ate 2 bags of pop corn! (without butter hehehe) and I ate 1 1/2 eclair. I feel so bad now will this ruin my diet? and If I have been eating bad food but I`m still under my calories intake will I still lose weight ?

    I had a Mars bar today...AGAIN!!!

    Do not worry because you will loose and we won't let you down if you need support.
    I think that if your emotions influence so much your cravings, maybe you should work on this in parallel? Maybe with yoga or something. I have a friend who have trouble dieting because her food is her comfort. She has to work on the reason she feels so insecure in order to control those cravings.

    But we are ALL humans and do not worry at all.
    xxx
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,021 Member
    "Cheating," if that's what you want to call it, doesn't ruin your diet (unless it becomes your diet), but I think it does some damage to your mindset. You are freaking out about eating some popcorn and a doughnut, and my guess is that if you didn't have this idea that you aren't "allowed" to eat those things, they wouldn't be the first thing you turn to when you're nervous or stressed.

    I have a 400-calorie dessert (dark chocolate and peanut butter) literally every single night. I eat lots of red meat. Occasionally, I eat cookies or cake or chips and queso. I drink alcohol. By your definition, I'm "cheating" all the time. And I'm losing weight and managing to avoid binge-fests followed, inevitably, by guilt-fests. Planning is key, but adaptability is also crucial. What point does it serve to go to a wedding and avoid all the free, delicious food, just to go home and eat crap?
  • tooters143
    tooters143 Posts: 2 Member
    Awersome!!!!
  • Dancesintherain75
    Dancesintherain75 Posts: 70
    Only if you let it.

    This^ Exactly!!

    I had a total pig out on Mother's Day and I mean, pancakes syrup bacon eggs candy stuffed shells.... you name it, my own fault and didn't want to turn down the breakfast in bed from the kids and delicious dinner etc... I actually gained 4lbs per the scale on that one day! But... I buckled down for the rest of the week, ate really well and ran 3 days... and voila! I still lost 1.8 lbs last week in the end :o) It's ok, as long as you don't let it derail you mentally!!!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Yeah, it will....

    ... IF you have the mindset that's it's a 'diet'. If you are changing habits for good, then nope, you won't ruin anything.

    ???? So, if I eat cake everyday but maintain a deficit, I won't lose weight if I say I'm on a diet. But if I eat cake everyday, maintain a deficit and say I'm not on a diet I will lose weight?

    I'd like to see the science behind that. :laugh:
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,839 Member
    You cannot ruin your diet with a cheat day. What you eat is your diet, no matter what that may be.

    I "cheated" myself last night. I finished off a container of nuts instead of eating just one serving. What did I cheat myself out of? A day of eating TDEE-20%. Instead I had a day where I might even have eaten over my TDEE before exercise. What does that mean? It will take me a day or two longer to lose 140 pounds. I cannot undo in one day or one exercise session what I did last night. Can I undo it in a few days? Sure, by reducing food intake and increasing exercise.

    I am not "on a diet" I, like all animals, have a diet. The diet I used to have was too fat laden and calorie heavy. I exercised too little. I weighed somewhere in the 280s and was eating a diet that maintained that. My diet now is healthier and better proportioned such that I am losing about 1.5 pounds per week. I am now eating a diet that does not maintain a weight of 280+ but instead causes weight loss. That's how it works. Eat less than you are burning and you will lose weight (unless there is some underlying medical condition preventing it).

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