Cheat Days?

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  • obeseandsassy
    obeseandsassy Posts: 118
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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: 476 Member
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    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
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    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
  • allyowl
    allyowl Posts: 2 Member
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    Don't do it. Honestly, if you are going to cheat...do it with the cleanest things possible. Like say you want a huge ice cream sandwich..instead opt for frozen yogurt with almonds and eat it before night time...do not get caught up on cheat days...in fact if you are in the double digits of body fat then stay away from cheat days. I had to learn the hard way...and I ate clean while cheating...honestly everyone is different...but try it out if you think it will help...but if you are at like 24%+ body fat then I would stay away from cheat days...go for a pro shake with ice before bed...or veggie yourself to death :) not carrots of course.
  • melindasuefritz
    melindasuefritz Posts: 3,509 Member
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    i would never do a cheat day(where u eat and record nothing and binge and eat stupid all day) u are only cheating yourself
    i do however eat what i w ant, log it all , exercise and stay under caleries
    i did 60 minutes cardio today had 4 oreos, logged them and was under caleries
  • genofreek
    genofreek Posts: 75
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    Half the time I don't even take my cheat day; I get to it and then realize I'm totally cool with just carrying on as I've been doing, but if I didn't allow myself to have it at all, I'd want to rebel and eat everything in sight and the cravings would just be so much worse. It's all psychological. Since I know I CAN go crazy if I really want to, most of the time I end up behaving.
  • thatjulesgirl
    thatjulesgirl Posts: 200 Member
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    If you're on a *diet*, it's CHEATING...

    If you've changed your *lifestyle*, it's LIVING LIFE .


    If you've set your eating up so that you're never allowed a single, unplanned / craved morsel, you're not really basing your food consumption on long-term, sustainable reality.

    I don't ever ever want to stop my new way of living / eating / exercise so spending 6 days a week OBSESSING about a bite (or a bowl) of some unhealthy food is going to be detrimental overall - the whole point of this is that I *stop* centering my life around food.
    IIFYM works for me - I eat chocolate every day and I don't have to be a social hermit until my allotted 'cheat' day to go out for a meal with friends - I BUDGET my calories and my macros and it's working. Not to mention... cheat days encourage the worst fat-person habit there is: no portion control. If I know I have 60 spare calories, I can have one square of dark chocolate, satisfy my craving and move on. If I'm 'cheating' and not thinking about calories at all, I could easily eat a whole block of chocolate. BAD habit. :)
  • dadof2boyz
    dadof2boyz Posts: 156 Member
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    I don't think you need to cheat. If you build in some extra nice things that you like, into your daily or weekly meal plans, then you won't have to cheat and won't feel like you've let yourself down each time you do cheat. It's not about cheating. It's about finding the right balance that works for you. Tough to do, but when you do, you'll be glad you did. :-)
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,835 Member
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    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.

    wow. can't see the logic here.

    Do you know the term "moderation"? Flexible dieting? IIFYM?

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