Cheat Meals??

CountryGirl8542
CountryGirl8542 Posts: 449 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Do you have cheat meals?? If so what is classified as a cheat meal?? and how often do you have a cheat meal??

My hubby and I have date nights on the 15th and last day of every month... the date nights consist of dinner and a movie.... I am good with drinking water at both... but what about the popcorn? and a full plate of pasta.... I know you are not supposed to eat lots of pasta... but it is a cheat meal?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Right!?!?!?!?!? Or do we not have cheat meals... because eating healthy and exercising regularly is not a temporary diet to get down to your dream waist size or weight... it is a lifestyle change... Are cheat meals considered a part of the healthy lifestyle?? Help!

Replies

  • LizC28
    LizC28 Posts: 6
    I've found that cheat meals help you keep to your healthy eating on other days---You can't go forever without "guilty" food---so why not plan days out that you can look forward to :)
  • JessMahoney1
    JessMahoney1 Posts: 86 Member
    twice a month? yes of course you can have cheat meals then! you could even have a cheat meal once a week! Don't stop yourself from having these, or you will crave and will end up having a treat day or treat week!! Have what you want and enjoy it! If you really feel that guilty about it, cut down on other meals that day/ the next day!
  • laceylucas86
    laceylucas86 Posts: 120
    you gotta live a little, I say two meals a month where you throw caution to the wind is a good idea, I do it to and have lost 42 lbs. you would loose your mind if you didn't let loose once in a while, at least you are not adding wine to it as well! koodos for choosing water, I am not so strong lol :)
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    No. I don't have cheat meals.

    I eat whatever I want as long as it fits my goals/macros. Done.

    Take the stigma off of "bad" food. Develop a healthy relationship with it. Understand that it's fuel. Make what you WANT to eat fit in to what you NEED.

    If you're stuck on the 1200 train, for whatever reason, it's gonna be a lot harder to do... so readjust.
  • HornedFrogPride
    HornedFrogPride Posts: 283 Member
    Yes, I do try to have about 1 cheat meal per week. Was doing one "cheat meal day" per week and that encouraged too much eating the wrong thing. It does seem to instill some discipline to allow yourself rare occasions to have 1 cheat meal (w/o going too crazy). For example, last night we ate at Cheesecake Factory and it was a cheat meal since it was my birthday. So we ordered turkey avocado sandwiches from the "slim" menu (all menu items were 590 cals or less), salad with dressing on side, ordered dessert to go (only ate 1/8 of it), and shared dessert.
  • laserturkey
    laserturkey Posts: 1,680 Member
    I have days when I go over my calorie goals, but I don't call them "cheat meals" because "cheating" reinforces the notion of guilt with regard to eating. There should be no guilt involved. Foods should not be seen as "good" or "evil" and eating a lower number of calories is not punishment any more than overeating is a reward. Food just IS. I set my goals here and I am in charge of how well I follow them. I really think it's much healthier to take the emotional baggage out of eating so we can just enjoy food in healthy amounts.
  • andijean31
    andijean31 Posts: 139 Member
    I eat pretty much whatever I want on the weekends and don't usually stay within my calorie goals. With that being said, I'm still averaging a 1 pound loss per week.
  • mjlong
    mjlong Posts: 73 Member
    I have a "cheat meal" once a week. Last week was pasta Gluten-Free of course, the week before that was PF Chang’s.
    I only have cheat meals to keep me sane, and not go on a binge. IMO I wouldn't exceed your TDEE to much. I usually go about 200 over, if any. Plan Plan Plan if you know when your cheat meal is, make sure the rest of the day is perfect.
  • tmpecus78
    tmpecus78 Posts: 1,206 Member
    No. I don't have cheat meals.

    I eat whatever I want as long as it fits my goals/macros. Done.

    Take the stigma off of "bad" food. Develop a healthy relationship with it. Understand that it's fuel. Make what you WANT to eat fit in to what you NEED.

    If you're stuck on the 1200 train, for whatever reason, it's gonna be a lot harder to do... so readjust.

    THIS
  • ze_hombre
    ze_hombre Posts: 377 Member
    No, but I do treat myself to something 'bad' when I do something I feel warrants it. For example, I ran a duathlon the other day and treated myself with a great big plate of creole food (mmmmm). Yesterday I hiked 8 miles with a backpack weighed down so I had some ice cream with dinner. When I treat myself I make sure the food is arguably good for you (ice cream is full of calcium, right? right?) but high in calories so its something I normally wouldn't have.
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,474 Member
    sure!
    everyone loves a good greasy burger with French fries every now and then.
  • Runhard13
    Runhard13 Posts: 138 Member
    No. I don't have cheat meals.

    I eat whatever I want as long as it fits my goals/macros. Done.

    Take the stigma off of "bad" food. Develop a healthy relationship with it. Understand that it's fuel. Make what you WANT to eat fit in to what you NEED.

    If you're stuck on the 1200 train, for whatever reason, it's gonna be a lot harder to do... so readjust.

    Too true!
  • alg42
    alg42 Posts: 45 Member
    I have treats on a Sunday, usually when I'm watching a movie in the afternoon as I find that if I want a cheat meal, I'll just overdo the pasta and bread basket! I've found though that if I just eat a little bit of something, then it satisfies my cravings for the treat. The only thing I really try to avoid is refined sugar products as I'm diabetic but aside from that, I treat myself every week and its much easier to keep on track for the rest of the week knowing I have a few treats at the weekend
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    I have days when I go over my calorie goals, but I don't call them "cheat meals" because "cheating" reinforces the notion of guilt with regard to eating. There should be no guilt involved. Foods should not be seen as "good" or "evil" and eating a lower number of calories is not punishment any more than overeating is a reward. Food just IS. I set my goals here and I am in charge of how well I follow them. I really think it's much healthier to take the emotional baggage out of eating so we can just enjoy food in healthy amounts.

    Thumbs up.
  • crazebeck
    crazebeck Posts: 70 Member
    I have them once a week, sometimes twice a week (weekends) I dont believe in depriving yourself and by having a "day off" so to say,I find it easier for me to maintain my goal to being healthier. I also find that now, my cheat days are still better than my days before watching what I eat. Another thing for me, I still log my foods on my cheat days. I think it helps keep me from going overboard.

    Enjoy!
  • aloranger7708
    aloranger7708 Posts: 422 Member
    No. I don't have cheat meals.

    I eat whatever I want as long as it fits my goals/macros. Done.

    Take the stigma off of "bad" food. Develop a healthy relationship with it. Understand that it's fuel. Make what you WANT to eat fit in to what you NEED.

    If you're stuck on the 1200 train, for whatever reason, it's gonna be a lot harder to do... so readjust.

    This.

    The majority of my day is healthy, but at night I like to have an ice cream bar or some cookies. I do this every night and have lost almost 30 pounds in ~3 months. As long as you have enough calories leftover at the end of the day, I say eat something that you're craving.
  • lewandt
    lewandt Posts: 566 Member
    If i know i have something special to go to where there will be a lot of temptations and i don't want to worry about what i eat, i try to plan for it.

    I workout when i get up in the morning and i will make it a bit longer or try to burn extra calories (like around 500 if i can) then shower and wait a bit then have a brunch. That helps me to skip a meal and use the extra calories for the dinner or party or whatever the outing is. That plus the extra calories burned and i don't worry about what i eat.

    If i cannot plan for it, i try not to worry about it. I won't weigh myself for a day or two and get back on plan the next day.
  • therunninghippie
    therunninghippie Posts: 53 Member
    I don't think of my soul food as cheat meals. Life is about balance and a big plate of pasta or pizza or whatever won't hurt. For me it's a CHOICE, not a cheat. Some days I choose to eat a big plate of pasta. :)
  • ames105
    ames105 Posts: 288 Member
    I say if you only have two dates a month...go for it. However, maybe just try to cut back on the portion size. Don't eat the full meal, box up part of it. Or don't eat a ton of bread...have the small popcorn. Just because you are on a diet doesn't mean that you have to stop enjoying the things you like. Everything in moderation.

    You could also try to balance out your calories in a week, eat a little less for a few days (without getting too hungry) so you can go over calories on your date night.

    Good luck in your weight loss journey!
  • cmorga02
    cmorga02 Posts: 34 Member
    I don't have a cheat meals.

    A piece of advise I was given was to have a Last Supper, where you eat whatever you want, how much you want with no concern of the calories or anything. Once that meal is done and over with you do your diet to the max.

    My problem with cheat meals only make me want those foods more, which makes watching what I eat even more difficult, because I'd rather have a piece of pizza than chicken.

    This is just what I do, and what I've dealt with. Everyone is different and find success in various ways.
  • curly1986
    curly1986 Posts: 98 Member
    Yep I have a cheat meal once a week. I weight myself on a thursday morning and thursday night I have pizza for dinner and a can or 2 of full fat coke. Pizza is one of the very few things I dont mess around with. I mean that as its a meal I wont try and make low fat or healthy. Pizza is pizza and I know its high fat. So I never even log it, kinda takes the fun out of it if I get a takeaway pizza and Im trying to work out the calories and weigh it etc. And its the one time a week I drink fizzy juice as I refuse to drink diet coke as I dont get on with the artificial sweetners. Its my motivation to be good the rest of the week.

    And I have several friends who have always been slim and healthy but they still occasionally splurge and go for meals out and not think about the calories or fat content of their meal. So I dont think its something that just people who are losing weight do, so I dont think its a bad habit.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    What the hell is a cheat meal? I've been around here for 9 months and nobody seems to be able to give me a real answer to this. It would seem to me that one would just eat food and develop a positive relationship with food...rather than calling it cheating because you had a brownie or something. Food, regardless of nutrient content isn't inherently evil. Meet your calorie goals and your macros goals and enjoy your life.
  • highervibes
    highervibes Posts: 2,219 Member
    The only time I consider it a "cheat meal" is if I'm over my TDEE, or I'm totally screwing my protein for the day. I don't really do cheat meals because i"m pretty good at budgeting my calories and making it fit my macros but the odd time it happens. I wouldn't sweat it once or twice/month if you're even remotely close to TDEE for the day.

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