Cheat Days?

rachelmogel311
rachelmogel311 Posts: 5
in Health and Weight Loss
Do you Guys do Cheat Days on your diet? And if you do, how do you go about it? Do you tell yourself you have to exercise a certain amount the other days or stay within certain callorie goals for the week? ETC..... What do you let yourself eat on Cheat days?
«1

Replies

  • FindingMyself24
    FindingMyself24 Posts: 613 Member
    I give myself one treat day a week..I don't worry about counting calories or what I eat...if I want it i eat it(with moderation of course)....it keeps me focused through the week because I know I can have what I want on my treat day!!
  • dunnodunno
    dunnodunno Posts: 2,290 Member
    I don't do cheat days. I try & incorporate snacks (like ice cream, cookies, sweets, etc.) into my regular calories. I also do that if I am eating takeout or eating at a restaurant.
  • tryskinni
    tryskinni Posts: 50 Member
    I had a massive cheat meal last night. I planned for it, and I'm back on track today, but honestly I feel so gross that I might do it differently next time. Maybe instead of saying "one meal, whatever I want" I'll do an extra 500 calories or something. Just my personal experience.
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    I don't CHEAT. . . I BUDGET.

    I save calories through the week and spend them on the weekend.
  • bmskid
    bmskid Posts: 153 Member
    I don't purposely have cheat/treat days. If I'm planning to eat something bad, I exercise. Sometimes I accidentally have cheat days, where we end up eating something that exceeds my calories but I don't have an opportunity to earn those calories through exercise.
    Being completely honest, I just don't have the willpower to come back from a cheat day. One day turns into 2. If I exercise to earn it, I'm somehow able to make myself be on track the next day. Weird how our minds work!
  • Healthynut31
    Healthynut31 Posts: 109 Member
    I was trying it, I ate what I wanted, when I wanted it (one day out of the week). However, it made me feel sick every time I did it. Guess I overdid it. No more for me. :ohwell:
  • zenchild
    zenchild Posts: 680 Member
    I've found that if I try to fight cravings and hold off until a planned cheat day, I tend to go a little nuts on the cheat day. If I have a craving, I wait a day or two. If I'm still craving whatever it is, I eat some. Most of the time I forget whatever it was I was craving.
  • bmskid
    bmskid Posts: 153 Member
    I also wanted to add that most anything I would consider a "treat/cheat", has so much sodium it gets me messed up 2 days. It's SO not worth it.
  • juniperleaves
    juniperleaves Posts: 45
    I count every bit of food that goes into my mouth, every day of the week because I know if I give myself one day of freedom it'll turn into two days, then an entire week, and then it's all downhill from there!

    What I do instead is I have a calorie goal for the week and I allow myself to roll over calories from day to day if I have any left over (limit of 200 roll over per day).

    So, for instance, if my calorie goal is 1700 and on Monday I only eat 1400, I'd add 200 calories to my roll over bank. And if I did that every day of the week, I'd end up with 1200 extra calories at the end of the week so on Sunday I could go out to dinner or treat myself with something big if I wanted! Or I could just have an extra 200 calorie treat on Tuesday.

    Then at the end of the week, if I don't use those calories, they disappear and I start over from 0.

    It's a bit confusing to explain, so I hope that made sense. Basically, it allows me to treat myself without going over my calorie goals for the week and without just giving myself complete freedom to eat a bunch of junk (which is what I would do if I stopped counting for one day).
  • aloranger7708
    aloranger7708 Posts: 422 Member
    I don't do cheat days. Personally when I start eating better food then I crave better food. I'm not really into eating fast food, ice cream, and junk anymore. I tend to give myself little treats throughout the day though: dark chocolate chips, chocolate covered strawberries, pretzels, small portions of frozen yogurt, etc.

    When I tried to do a cheat day, I couldn't find things that appealed to me. I ended up eating something fried and greasy and got extremely sick.

    I think cheat days or meals are okay if the meal fits into your daily calorie allowance, or if you workout a little longer.
  • kvercamer
    kvercamer Posts: 2
    If I know I'm going to be in a situation where there's a splurge I'd really like, then I budget it into my day. Otherwise, yes, reality is such, sometimes you go over your goal. Most important is to brush it off, and get back on track. Don't allow a slip here and there to sabotage your overall plan.
  • Elliesque
    Elliesque Posts: 156 Member
    I don't do "cheat" days, since I'm not "dieting" I'm changing my lifestyle and the way I eat. If I really want something then I will incorporate it into my caloric intake. However, if I am going out to dinner for a special occasion or something, I will allow myself extra calories for that day. I've found that working things I like to eat (in moderation of course) worked better for me than all out indulgence, like a cheat day. But everyone is different and different things work for everyone.
  • DaveInSoCal
    DaveInSoCal Posts: 12
    Well, I guess I am "Cheating" a little on the weekend. I'm not counting calories on those days, but I really am trying to make good food / portion choices. Anyway I'm pretty new at this so maybe I shouldn't
  • Mmmmona
    Mmmmona Posts: 328 Member
    Either you are on a diet or you're not. If you are, you don't cheat.

    That's like saying you've quit smoking meanwhile still taking a few puffs here and there.
  • odddrums
    odddrums Posts: 342 Member
    I don't do cheat days because I don't feel like I'm dieting and I need to "cheat" on it. I generally just eat what's available and try to keep my portions from going crazy. I do have days that I drink or just go over because I'm out with friends or family or am just doing things, but I try not to get hung up on them. I'm pretty lucky though, my daily calories are around 2000 to keep me losing 1 pound a week which gives me a lot of room for decent meals and snacks. I know some girls have only about 1400 a day so if you need a cheat day every week or once in awhile then do it I say, whatever works for you is what you should do!
  • RobynLB83
    RobynLB83 Posts: 626 Member
    A cheat day just has you one day further away from your goal. I don't do cheat days. That being said, I've never had more than 10 lbs to lose.
  • Hollyhobby22
    Hollyhobby22 Posts: 114 Member
    i allow myself one meal out a week of whatever i want. it helps me to not feel deprived of the things i like.
  • frizbeemom
    frizbeemom Posts: 101 Member
    I don't have cheat days. That's giving myself full license to binge for a full day and I can undo everything I did during the week by having a whole binge day. I did in the past and it'd take me a week to lose what I gained on my cheat day. So now I try to stick to my calorie goal every day (barring a very special event/holiday). I tell myself that I can follow the 80/20 rule of eating 80% very clean and healthy and 20% treat. But then I still budget that 20% treat within my calories. And if I'm really hungry or my treat was a bit more than I had budgeted for, I try to work it off within that same day. And if I'm not having a craving for a treat, I don't necessarily do it if I am satisfied and content. I find that if I stay away from the junk/sugar/flour/processed foods, my cravings are so much more under control, so right now I'm just enjoying that.
  • djeffreys10
    djeffreys10 Posts: 2,312 Member
    Most weeks I will have one meal, anything goes. Plus a dessert. But my calories are so low through the week that I still almost always lose over a pound.
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
    I used to do cheat days when I was "dieting". Now I just fit things into my daily meals. I eat all of the foods I enjoy, just not always as much as I used to or all at once. If it fits my calories I eat it, track it, and move on so I don't need to cheat.
  • obeseandsassy
    obeseandsassy Posts: 118
    I have to allow myself cheat days. If I don't, I'm just asking to binge.

    Some people swear by cheat days, some people swear it will ruin all your progress. It's really up to you, honestly.
  • dymaxxion
    dymaxxion Posts: 9 Member
    I don't do cheat days because the whole point of me doing MFP is to track what I eat. A day where I'm not logging does not compute to me!

    If I know I'm going out or doing something special I'll eat a little less the day before and budget those calories and splash out. Lately however I seem to still lean towards better options because I don't feel like I'm depriving myself.
  • Bernadette60614
    Bernadette60614 Posts: 707 Member
    I don't consider them 'cheat days". Every now and then I may eat an additional 500 to 800 calories (and I do mean every now and then).

    I consider those "being human days".
  • gingersnaps828
    gingersnaps828 Posts: 86
    I'm pretty new to this but don't plan on having actual "cheat days" on a regular basis. That being said, when I go out to a restaurant that I know I will want a nice dinner and probably can't track exactly what I had, I will try to make a smart choice (or I might get what I want depending on my mood but will have smaller portion size), and then I will diary it the best I can. If it was planned then I try to budget for it, and get a workout in. But I will always diary something. Lucky for me I am not a candy/sweets/cookie or cakes kinda person, so I never crave any of those kind of things. Potato chips however are my weakness so I currently don't have those in my house and haven't since I started MFP. Eventually I'm going to have to allow myself to have some, or "cheat" a bit, or else I am only setting myself up for a huge binge.

    Some people are different and don't need to ever go outside of their daily cals. And that's great. I am not that person. I like that MFP allows the freedom to have a "bad" day once in awhile, and it usually doesn't affect me much as long as it is not often and as long as I get right back on track.
  • Wetcoaster
    Wetcoaster Posts: 1,788 Member
    I call it living life. I go way over my calories all the time but over time everything balances out.

    That what's worked for me in losing 98 pounds since March 2012.

    Everyone is different though and some people need the structure.
  • cupcakes_and_cardio
    cupcakes_and_cardio Posts: 369 Member
    i allow myself one meal out a week of whatever i want. it helps me to not feel deprived of the things i like.


    I'm completely with you on that. I think it's something good to look forward to during the week, so as to not "deprive" yourself from all the "goodies". I don't think a "cheat" day is bad, as long as you're not over-doing it, like going to an all-you-can-eat buffet and gorging your face with all that food
  • mamadon
    mamadon Posts: 1,422 Member
    I have a cheat day once a month, for five months now. I still log everyhing, but eat whatever I want. Everyone is different and some cant do it. For me, I think it helps me focus. Without it I would probably give up in frustration.
  • Brownsbacker4evr
    Brownsbacker4evr Posts: 365 Member
    I try and go for one day a month when I don't watch anything at all. But other than that, I try and work in foods I like that aren't necessarily "healthy" (IIFYM) if you can balance in foods you like and keep your numbers in check, I feel like it works better overall. Moderation, not deprivation.
  • Shelgirl001
    Shelgirl001 Posts: 477 Member
    I don't do cheat days. I try & incorporate snacks (like ice cream, cookies, sweets, etc.) into my regular calories. I also do that if I am eating takeout or eating at a restaurant.



    This!! :)
  • BostonStrong617
    BostonStrong617 Posts: 117
    I don't CHEAT. . . I BUDGET.

    I save calories through the week and spend them on the weekend.

    Me too =)

    I aim for weekly targets I love the MFP gives you your weekly average!

    I don't want to miss out on going out to dinner & stuff, so I don't worry as much if I had a really high day as long as I am still meeting my goal for the week

Categories