When do you have your cheat day? :)

7L551
7L551 Posts: 82 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys, so I am sure that most of you have a cheat day every while and then but when do you have that day and what do you eat for it.
I am currently going to the gym 4 days a week and my cheat day oscillates between once per week or once per 2 weeks, it also consists of having 1 medium Domino's pizza as a meal for the whole day (eat nothing else) :P :P (Yea I know I know but it is tasty XD).

What do you guys think? please include any kind of advice as well :D
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Replies

  • Unknown
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  • SkimFlatWhite68
    SkimFlatWhite68 Posts: 1,254 Member
    I don't really have a cheat day. I usually have some takeaway and a wine or two on the weekend, but I make it fit into my calories and macros. This is a lifestyle for me, if I'm "cheating" then it implies that I'm on a diet and if I'm on a diet, then I'm going to see that as a restriction and I'll want to rebel - and then it isn't pretty.

    By all means, have your pizza, just make it fit into your week.
  • Vorenus85
    Vorenus85 Posts: 112 Member
    I eat whatever I want as long as it fits into my macros, but once in a while (usually ends up being every two weeks or so), I eat at a local Chinese food place. Man, they have the biggest portions in the city. Sooo many calories...but it's worth it. Even if I don't eat anything the entire day (which I try not to), these combos probably pack an excess of 500 calories more than my tdee. Those days may be setbacks, but my weight loss has still been rather consistent.
  • BlackPup
    BlackPup Posts: 242 Member
    I have cheat days when I stay at my parents. It's to hard to log when someone else cooks and there are yummy foods and ice creams up for grabs.
    Sometimes it's every weekend then sometimes I go for a month without visiting. They live 2 1/2 hours away.
  • stacyhaddenham
    stacyhaddenham Posts: 211 Member
    We have a "cheat" day otherwise known in our house as "date night" about every 2 weeks. Those days we still log but focus more on each other than on counting calories. The rest of the time we eat what we want so long as it fits into our calories for the day. We plan out our "cheat' in advance usually by picking a new place to try and getting a groupon. That is part of how it became a cheat day. It was far to hard to go to a new place and try to figure out what a healthy option might be. This last time was a new Creole place in town.
  • Hildy_J
    Hildy_J Posts: 1,050 Member
    I have my 'free' day every two weeks, on the weekend. It's good if coincides with a birthday or a get-together. If not - I still do it! :-)

    Dominos are the best aren't they... but I have a sweet tooth, so for me it's reserved for a little bit of chocolate, cake and pastry heaven.
  • PinaByrd
    PinaByrd Posts: 3
    When I first started back in March I refused to have a cheat day until I reached a stable 5lbs gone. then I cheated once a month until I lost the first 15 lbs. now I cheat once a week but I can afford to now because I reached my goal and my diet the rest of the week is VERY clean. so usually I cheat on the weekends and ill range from eating a pizza to eating at popeyes or mcdonalds for my cheat. I usually still stay below my calories whatever I eat and I make sure I don't eat something im going to regret soon as I finish it. and cheat days are good, they keep your metabolism going by confusing the hell out of it with some taco bell:). seriously chat days are good for your metabolism and you wont splurge later and you will stick to your diet better knowing you have a treat at the end of the health tunnel (I love weekends more than ever now)
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  • jdad1
    jdad1 Posts: 1,899 Member
    I do have days where i don't give a hell. Family functions, big events, infrequent parties all that jazz. I don't have cheat days. This whole process is about true change and if a person limits themselves so much during events like some of the ones i mentioned then it takes the joy out of life. No "diet" should do that.
  • annakow
    annakow Posts: 385 Member
    I go above my calorie limit on Friday with my wine..I woke up this morning 1kg lighter lol I don't cheat
    pizza is not a cheat..unless is in your day limit, I ate kebabs and pizzas during my weight loss
  • Hannah_Hopes
    Hannah_Hopes Posts: 273 Member
    I don't have a cheat day, I have snacks everyday and fit it into my goals.

    :drinker:
  • Mini_horse_lover
    Mini_horse_lover Posts: 178 Member
    I eat what I want most days as long as it fits into my calories. :)
  • igotabulletproofheart
    igotabulletproofheart Posts: 104 Member
    I don't until I hit a plateau and need to cheat to come off it.
  • NCISFanatic01
    NCISFanatic01 Posts: 53 Member
    I have 2 days a week that I don't really have time to actually plan and put together meals for myself. Those days are Monday and Friday. Those are errand/shopping days. Those are the two days that I'm out of MY foods because I plan the meals between those days as my eating less days.Doing this I've still lost 6lbs. in the last few weeks. I'll keep it that way for the most part. I do shopping in two days because I don't like to plan more than 4 meals at a time because it's hard to do for my bunch. I make my meals based on who is actually going to be home. My husband travels for his work so the days he's home my dinners are a bit more structured (protein starch green vegetable) pretty much a meat potato veggie day...when it is just me and the kids the pasta is more likely to be a pasta instead of a potato meal. It's just always worked out that way. Meals are also smaller when hubby isn't home. so that how it is here. 2 cheat days.
  • NonnyMary
    NonnyMary Posts: 982 Member
    I do have days where i don't give a hell. Family functions, big events, infrequent parties all that jazz. I don't have cheat days. This whole process is about true change and if a person limits themselves so much during events like some of the ones i mentioned then it takes the joy out of life. No "diet" should do that.

    Thats me too. For some reason when i go on vacation or a special event, I choose to eat whatever, but try to make them better choices, but i will enjoy something if its a one time thing. Not sure if thats good or not, but its what i do for now.
  • Ejourneys
    Ejourneys Posts: 1,603 Member
    I don't have a cheat day, but there are occasional days when I eat outside my usual routine. On those days, what I eat depends on the event. Then I just treat that day as a blip on the radar.
  • larsen626
    larsen626 Posts: 99 Member
    I had a dietician say only special occasions bday holidays etc so far I have only done it once I eat 5-6 small meals and have a protein shake daily
  • sasers
    sasers Posts: 146 Member
    I have not had a cheat day yet in 55 days. But I do still allow myself pizza (I limit my quantity compared to what I used to eat) and I make sure to still stay under my calories. If I know I am going to have something like PIzza I save my calories by eating lighter earlier and use the calories for dinner. If I need something sweet, I will eat either a low fat pudding (to curb my chocolate cravings) or Honey roasted peanuts to get my nut intake and curb the sweet craving. I also prepackage all my snacks into one serving zip lock baggies so that way I can take them with me
  • Mr_Bad_Example
    Mr_Bad_Example Posts: 2,403 Member
    Whenever I feel like it, basically. But what I do is look at my net calorie report for the last 7 days and see how I've been doing. If I've been under every day, then I don't worry about going over on one day. It's a balancing act, but it keeps me sane and lets me still enjoy the things I want.
  • ElaineRN100
    ElaineRN100 Posts: 201 Member
    I don't really have a cheat day. I usually have some takeaway and a wine or two on the weekend, but I make it fit into my calories and macros. This is a lifestyle for me, if I'm "cheating" then it implies that I'm on a diet and if I'm on a diet, then I'm going to see that as a restriction and I'll want to rebel - and then it isn't pretty.

    By all means, have your pizza, just make it fit into your week.


    Ditto
  • LeslieN65
    LeslieN65 Posts: 127 Member
    I just have a day whenever I feel like it to eat whatever..be it once a week or once a month....and most every time I am still at or under my goal.....today is football and pizza....as long as I reach my exercise goal today, then no worries:-)
  • Sharon_C
    Sharon_C Posts: 2,132 Member
    My cheat days are when my husband is off work. His days off rotate so my cheat days rotate. However, that being said, I should define "my" cheat days. I usually don't follow my calorie goals per day but rather per week.I know what days I'm going to be over so on the other days I stay under for it all to even out. So if I hit my weekly calorie goal then is it a cheat day? I'm not sure.
  • ixmardukxi
    ixmardukxi Posts: 20
    I have a small cheat meal every couple of days, i manage to fit it to my macros so everything's good :P
  • KD0BIK
    KD0BIK Posts: 44 Member
    Like others have said, I too don't have an official cheat day. I've tried that with other diets, but I found I was having too many cheat days and not enough diet days. I'm treating what I'm doing (low carb) as a lifestyle and not a diet. I've learned how to continue to eat low carb even when I'm forced to eat out.

    As for cheating...again I don't have any official days for that. I just make everything fit into my daily goals.

    I just returned from a two week vacation where I didn't eat low carb. After all...it was vacation. So I guess you might say I worked really hard keeping to my low carb lifestyle, met my weightloss goals and then rewarded myself with two full weeks of cheat days. However, I kept my exercise up (walking) and covered over 112 miles of walking in the 14 day period of time.

    I'm now back to my low carb lifestyle and will continue until Thanksgiving where I will allow myself some dressing and cake. :-)

    JT
  • nicoleisback
    nicoleisback Posts: 184
    I ended up cutting out cheat days, as I found the things I was wanting on these days (fast food junk) ended up making me feel sick after 1-2 weeks of relatively clean eating. My 2 indulgences which I have daily are apple juice and chocolate. With the juice I have just cut down from 6-8 glasses pre MFP to 2-3 max a day, and with the chocolate I now buy a block of quality dark chocolate with different flavours (sometimes fruit, sometimes coconut, even mint on occasion) and allow myself 2 squares of this a day, 4 if I burn over 400 calories in exercise. The dark chocolate makes it harder to eat a heap at once because it gets bitter, but it is still enough to give my sweet tooth a treat
    Both of these fit easily in to my daily goals (except for sugar, I should really work on that), and I am steadily losing weight.
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
    I don't do cheat days ( hate that term), I don't see any point in it. I eat what I want to and make it fit into my calorie goal for that day. I don't eat fast food very often, but I do eat fried chicken, pizza, and chocolate.
  • glin23
    glin23 Posts: 460 Member
    Like the others, I generally make the math work. But occasionally they just happen. I don't really plan them.
  • Wreckyard
    Wreckyard Posts: 22
    The only time I really have a cheat meal is when we have a family dinner, which is maybe once a month. It's hard to find something that'll fit into my goal with all the high calorie/unhealthy food they make. It's so good, though!
  • kristidem
    kristidem Posts: 160 Member
    I don't plan for a cheat day. Life sometimes throws food opportunities at me, that I carefully consider and decide on. Occasionally at work we celebrate birthdays with cake; if it's got the nice sugary frosting I have a piece (or just scoop up the frosting stuck on the board). If I go to the movies, I eat an entire small popcorn with butter, though that usually ends up being a meal replacement. Today I'm taking my son to our town's celebration and I'll eat some snacks. I log it all, then get back to normal the next day.
  • kellyskitties
    kellyskitties Posts: 475 Member
    I don't set a day - it gets chosen for me. Which works better. If I know there's a dinner or party outing I am excited about - that's the day. If not, I may not have one. I base it on what is coming up. Everyday can't be one though LOL. I still log what I ate and it's often not as bad as expected.

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