Should there be a 'cheat' day?

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  • soysauce6626
    soysauce6626 Posts: 118 Member
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    I'm more of a fan of a cheat meal every now and again. I believe cheat days promote binge eating.
  • ginjakkr
    ginjakkr Posts: 6 Member
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    A cheat meal. Once a week. Absolutely. If you're doing well the rest of the week, one meal will not throw you off track.
  • JanetFaye75
    JanetFaye75 Posts: 5
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    I was letting myself have cheats days, and then they turned into cheat weekends, and so on...... Maybe not the entire day, but a little treat every once in a while may be fine :) Good luck!
  • pacsqueen
    pacsqueen Posts: 88
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    I havent really given up anything that i really want to eat. if i want it i eat it. i adjust by using smaller portions or less at other meals. once in a blue moon i go over. If this is truly a life change, than you cant say you'll never eat something again or only eat lettuce for the rest of your life. I say make every day work, not just a day here and there. switch out something you want for a salad at lunch to compensate. :o)
  • CashierCantin
    CashierCantin Posts: 206 Member
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    Its been four days and you're already wanting to add a cheat day? I think you need more days under your belt before you can even think of having a cheat day. Plus why have a cheat day? Why aren't you incorporating the foods you want in your daily life? Want a donut? Cut back on dinner or exercise more that day. Want a piece of cake? Go light for lunch with a salad and exercise more that day. Can't handle one donut or one piece of cake-then perhaps you should abstain or it will derail you.

    You're setting yourself up to fail if you have the mindset already on day 4!
  • sunshyncatra
    sunshyncatra Posts: 598 Member
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    I try not to view foods as naughty. There are just some foods that I might have to plan ahead for. If I know I'm going to have cake, tater tots, a dinner out, or a glass of wine (etc.), I try to set aside calories for it so I don't end up going over. If you log everything, you might be pleasantly surprised that some "naughty" foods aren't so bad, or you can do them in smaller quantities to stay under your goal (half a big cookie or just one scoop of ice cream, etc.) Try not to limit yourself to specific foods. Add variety in a healthy way.
  • email4jenp
    email4jenp Posts: 52 Member
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    I think cheat meals are great IF you can only have your cheat meal and move on. I am the type of person who can't have a cheat meal because then my next meal is a cheat meal and I tell myself i will just start over tomorrow and tomorrow never comes and next thing I know, I am back to square one! LOL!!

    But I have TOTALLY seen the cheat meals work for a lot of my friends. If I can get to a point one day where my cheat meal can seriously be just a cheat meal, then i think I would do it. I do think a cheat meal is a good idea anyway, IF you can stick to just a cheat meal. It throws your body off just enough to speed up metabolism if it's done correctly.
  • imamonster2000
    imamonster2000 Posts: 43 Member
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    I used to have cheat days. I started having them after a month of starting my new lifestyle. Once I started having cheat days I stopped losing weight. I would binge so badly to the point of eating a whole tub of ice cream or a whole batch of cookies. Now I just fit my favorite foods into my calorie limit. Yesterday I had dippin dots and a caramel frappucino, and it was all within my calorie limit. Also, this is a lifestyle plan so remember to enjoy life. If you are invited to a barbeque or a wedding or you just want to go out to eat, enjoy yourself and don't worry about eating so restricted. Just do not binge
  • ncmedic201
    ncmedic201 Posts: 540 Member
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    It's a personal preference whether you have a cheat day or not. I don't do cheat days. If I have a special occasion then I don't stress over it. It's life and if I go over my calories, oh well, I just go back to better eating the next day.

    I also love chocolate so I work it into my calories most days. I eat healthy most days but if there is a day that I want a slice of pizza then I have some, in moderation.

    I have high blood pressure that I'm now controlling with diet so there are certain things I avoid just for my health. If you don't have medical issues then just work those yummy things into your day. Just make sure you find a way of eating that you can sustain for life.
  • imamonster2000
    imamonster2000 Posts: 43 Member
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    It's a personal preference whether you have a cheat day or not. I don't do cheat days. If I have a special occasion then I don't stress over it. It's life and if I go over my calories, oh well, I just go back to better eating the next day.

    I also love chocolate so I work it into my calories most days. I eat healthy most days but if there is a day that I want a slice of pizza then I have some, in moderation.

    I have high blood pressure that I'm now controlling with diet so there are certain things I avoid just for my health. If you don't have medical issues then just work those yummy things into your day. Just make sure you find a way of eating that you can sustain for life.

    ^THIS
  • Fancy_Nancy2
    Fancy_Nancy2 Posts: 545 Member
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    I think a cheat day is not the best ideal! Now if my husband takes me out on date (they are rare) will I be stressing over the calories or enjoying time alone with him? I will enjoy the time alone with him. If my husband make me a Romantic meal that he plans I also will enjoy the meal. But I have not 100% given up anything I love I just enjoy it in moderation if I were to say 100% no more chocolate and ice cream I would fail. This is my 2nd time log and really being proactive about losing weight I lost close to 80 lb but 2 baby, finding out my daughter has Autism and loosing my mom while pregnant with my 2nd child done a toll on my weight. Don't give up on your favorite thing other wise when you do have them you will go way over board.
  • chezjuan
    chezjuan Posts: 747 Member
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    I don't cheat, I just eat. :wink:

    I make sure that what I eat fits into my goals (both calorie and macro) for the day. If life happens and I end up going over because of a special event, it's no big deal.

    I found that my diet basically self-regulated once I started tracking/logging. I would need to make decisions to fit within my goals... a glass of wine with dinner vs. a bowl of ice cream for dessert. Also, I would gravitate toward more nutritionally dense foods because I needed to get to my macros within my calorie limits.
  • stupidwilliams
    stupidwilliams Posts: 9
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    I have a cheat meal. I found a book called, "abs are made in the kitchen...not the gym" and I started cooking out of it and lost 5 lbs in a week. AND it stayed off. I have a cheat meal now and I choose my foods from that book and eat whatever I want from it.
  • mheebner
    mheebner Posts: 285 Member
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    The way I look at it, cheat days, or cheat meals are for people on diets. In my mind I have chosen a lifestyle change, not a diet. I am choosing to live within a set caloric range, and I can eat what ever I want within that range. Most times I choose to try and eat healthy, but sometimes I just want a couple slices of pizza. If I have the calories to spare, I will have no issue eating that.
    I think the mindset needs to be changed so that it doesn't feel like you need to cheat on what you're eating. Have a couple of things that are more in the 'non-healthy' list, in moderation of course but also make the effort to eat more nutrient dense foods as well. After a while I think you will be surprised how little you need to 'cheat' when eating healthier.
  • Koldnomore
    Koldnomore Posts: 1,613 Member
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    Its been four days and you're already wanting to add a cheat day? I think you need more days under your belt before you can even think of having a cheat day. Plus why have a cheat day? Why aren't you incorporating the foods you want in your daily life? Want a donut? Cut back on dinner or exercise more that day. Want a piece of cake? Go light for lunch with a salad and exercise more that day. Can't handle one donut or one piece of cake-then perhaps you should abstain or it will derail you.

    You're setting yourself up to fail if you have the mindset already on day 4!

    THIS ^^

    You shouldn't need to 'cheat', just eat. It's only 'cheating' if you are on a diet as some have said. I am not on a diet, I eat what I want just less of it. If I want to go have a big meal then I will walk a little more, eat a little less that day or just do it and move on tomorrow. Been doing this for almost a year, still losing weight. I think after 4 days possibly you can't really handle eating like you are for as long as you think if you are already looking for rationalizations for eating more. Maybe your plan is a little too aggressive?
  • sammyantics
    sammyantics Posts: 191 Member
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    The research on long term weight maintenance says people who stick to their calories but eat enjoyable food throughout keep weight off.

    I'm not an expert, but I do write a lot about health studies, and this is totally true. Cheat days encourage you to eat unhealthily, but if you let yourself enjoy say, a funsize candybar, every once in a while, it'll keep you happy. Don't avoid foods you love just because they're not leafy green veggies. Just don't order a large fry and eat the whole thing by yourself. Moderation!!!
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    Some people say that the healthy, clean way of eating is a lifestyle - it is for me, however, I find that sometimes, I just want to enjoy comfort food, or a BBQ, or pizza with my friends.. I don't think it's bad to cheat yourself. I am to the point where I have been eating healthy/clean for so long, that I don't even desire a cheat day, but rather a cheat meal! If I know my friends and I are going to my favorite restaurant over the weekend, or that I'm going to be out on the town, I will know not to eat pizza or anything like that during the week.

    It's all in moderation - usually I let myself have 1 cheat meal, 1 cheat dessert, and 1 cheat drink each week.

    Hope this helps :-)

    I agree. But I don't think that's a cheat day. That's just eating.
  • Joehenny
    Joehenny Posts: 1,222 Member
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    I don't cheat, I have refeeds.
  • celestelovesmoney
    celestelovesmoney Posts: 16
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    I let myself have a cheat day far too early in the game. Then I got off track for 3-4 days and I feel that it sabotaged my efforts that I had made early on. However, I feel that the need or want for having this cheat day comes from feeling deprived on an ordinary basis. Therefore, I incorporate some of the foods I normally enjoy with my diet (or lifestyle change, it sounds better than diet) while making sure that I don't make extremely "devious" decisions (i.e. twinkies!) - foods that I find pleasant, but are also very reasonable.
  • simonc14
    simonc14 Posts: 76 Member
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    I guess it's down to personal choice. I certainly don't believe in anything being off limits, so the concept of 'cheating' doesn't really work for me. If you start on the basis that you're in it for the long-term then you're bound to have some days when you've 'over', and some days when you're really 'over', but as long as you fit it all into your calorie limits on a week to week basis you won't go far wrong. I tend to exercise hard on day's when I know I'm going to be eating more, and that helps compensate.

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