Feeling gross and horrid after my cheat meal help?

For the past few weeks I've been eating really healthily and cleanly, with lots of salads and fruit and all that and I could feel my pants getting looser. However, I decided to give myself a cheat meal today just because. I ate a nutritious sandwich for lunch with veggies and chicken breast (I shared it with my parents) but for dessert my parents ordered coke float, potato wedges, a berry crumble and a chocolate Danish and I ate some of that too. But! I was already pretty full after eating the sandwich even though I didn't eat the entire thing and I still went on to eat the desserts. I of course did not finish all of it by myself but I felt all gross and horrible after that because I was so bloated. I was so close to forcing myself to throw up the food and cry but it was hard not to. I hate this feeling and I'm so scared that I'll gain weight?

I even felt like skipping dinner because of all the food. I wasn't hungry for dinner anyway.

How do you guys feel after a cheat meal? .
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Replies

  • aelphabawest
    aelphabawest Posts: 173 Member
    I don't really consider them "cheat meals." I eat poorly every now and then - because not doing what you want is not feasible on the long term, and it's also a good reminder. A reminder of why I eat healthy - because usually my system is like "Wait, what is this ****?" and then I feel like crap. Just take it as a lesson in why you're putting better stuff in your body over all and move forward. :-)
  • Goal175lbs
    Goal175lbs Posts: 21 Member
    I had a cheat meal on Sunday. I ate BBQ ribs, mashed potatoes, devilled eggs, pasta salad, Texas toast, and a piece of cake for desert, It was for a family members birthday. I did my weekly weigh in on Thursday, and I still lost 2.2lbs. One crazy meal won't kill you provided the rest of your week is good to go. Mind over emotions.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    I am sorry to hear that you over ate and that you are so upset about it. That said, just buck up and move on.
  • judilockwood
    judilockwood Posts: 134 Member
    Usually a bit mad at myself but then think 'hey, not the end of the world- only one day' and put it down to experience and move forward. It wont change a thing in the long run if you get back on track tomorrow. Good Luck xx
  • AmykinsCatfood
    AmykinsCatfood Posts: 599 Member
    It seems that as far as cheat meals goes, yours wasn't too bad at all. Don't stress over it. You're not going to gain weight over 1 meal, and if you do it's just water.
  • stevenleagle
    stevenleagle Posts: 293 Member
    @fangmouse I've been on Mfp for over 2 years now, lost weight, got fit. And I still have pies, wedges, crumble etc - in moderation of course. Never made me feel sick.
  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
    Do not throw up. With your past history of anorexia I would think that this type of thinking / behaviour could lead to a relapse. Are you still getting counselling for your problems? It honestly doesn't sound like you have quite come to terms with food yet, can you speak to a councillor about this.

    It can take years to regain a healthy relationship with food please take it slowly and don't take any drastic measures. :flowerforyou:
  • SStruthers13
    SStruthers13 Posts: 150 Member
    Cheat meals are great! I have one every week. It's normal and healthy to do something fun and pleasurable.
  • ktsimons
    ktsimons Posts: 294 Member
    Life is a series of choices...most all of us make choices that we sometimes regret. That said, as long as you don't make this decision on a DAILY basis, you will be doing great!! Just make sure you don't wallow in the guilt...you ate it, you enjoyed it at the time, stay under your calorie goal for the week and move on...let it go.
  • jackielou867
    jackielou867 Posts: 422 Member
    For the past few weeks I've been eating really healthily and cleanly, with lots of salads and fruit and all that and I could feel my pants getting looser. However, I decided to give myself a cheat meal today just because. I ate a nutritious sandwich for lunch with veggies and chicken breast (I shared it with my parents) but for dessert my parents ordered coke float, potato wedges, a berry crumble and a chocolate Danish and I ate some of that too. But! I was already pretty full after eating the sandwich even though I didn't eat the entire thing and I still went on to eat the desserts. I of course did not finish all of it by myself but I felt all gross and horrible after that because I was so bloated. I was so close to forcing myself to throw up the food and cry but it was hard not to. I hate this feeling and I'm so scared that I'll gain weight?

    I even felt like skipping dinner because of all the food. I wasn't hungry for dinner anyway.

    How do you guys feel after a cheat meal? .

    First of all its not a cheat, its a treat.
    Second of all never throw up.
    And lastly, I have treats often, sometimes a big fat all you can eat buffet, but I eat well the day before, and the day after. So by the end of the week my calories are on track
  • egh1974
    egh1974 Posts: 147
    Please don't create an unhealthy relationship with food by fearing it. That's a recipe for an ED. Enjoy a treat from time to time and move on. Just DON'T QUIT.
  • Don't be religious about this or beat yourself up over it. There are days, weeks even, where this whole MFP is just something to keep in mind rather than live by. Being overly concerned about it will just make you miserable

    I was really good yesterday, I'm at my lowest weight for the last twenty years and still, I got up at 2am and ate an ENTIRE box of 22 caramel squares and whole family sized bag of minstrels. Sometimes it just has to be done - 1500 calories in 5 mins. I can be SUCH a pig sometimes but hey, I'm at my lowest weight for twenty years.

    Have the blow-out now and again and enjoy it!
  • mdj1501
    mdj1501 Posts: 388 Member
    My problem isn't "cheat" meals... its "cheat" DAYS! And I usually feel like pooooo. You would think that would motivate me to stay on course so I don't feel that way but NOOOOO... Apparently I am a glutton for punishment. So... lots of water and healthy eating usually makes me feel better. Food hangovers suck. :sad:
  • doctorsookie
    doctorsookie Posts: 1,084 Member
    I used to have cheat meals and cheat days until I saw a pattern. Everytime I ate "bad" food in excess o got severe migraines. I stopped "cheating" and just eat like I want to in moderation. There's no way I am gong to avoid cake and cookies for the next fifty years so I eat them now while I am actively losing weight because if I don't and then start eating them when I reach goal weight I will gain it all right back. I wanna live and be happy and if cake will make me happy, I eat cake. One piece won't indo all my work and one "cheat" won't undo yours. A previous responder stated never throw up. I agree, that is not a good idea. Don't stress yourself over it and go on with you life. Now you know how you feel when you overindulge, so don't make that mistake twice. Instead, implement a treat into your diet regularly to curb that urge to splurge. Good luck
  • doctorsookie
    doctorsookie Posts: 1,084 Member
    I am sorry to hear that you over ate and that you are so upset about it. That said, just buck up and move on.

    Short, and to the point. I like that.
  • elisaana313
    elisaana313 Posts: 3 Member
    The thing that bothers me about 'cheat meals' is "Did I overdo it on something I didn't really want?" I learned this by buying nasty sugar free candy that is not satisfying, and then eating too much of it, then I am full of preservatives and fake sweeteners and sugar alcohol, whatever that is. And I still want a treat! Better to eat the one, satisfying thing my body wants anyway, like some homemade fruit cobbler, or one of those great cookies from the trendy organic bakery/coffee shop. Or even some fries!
    :smile:
  • Camera_BagintheUK
    Camera_BagintheUK Posts: 707 Member
    For the past few weeks I've been eating really healthily and cleanly, with lots of salads and fruit and all that and I could feel my pants getting looser. However, I decided to give myself a cheat meal today just because. I ate a nutritious sandwich for lunch with veggies and chicken breast (I shared it with my parents) but for dessert my parents ordered coke float, potato wedges, a berry crumble and a chocolate Danish and I ate some of that too. But! I was already pretty full after eating the sandwich even though I didn't eat the entire thing and I still went on to eat the desserts. I of course did not finish all of it by myself but I felt all gross and horrible after that because I was so bloated. I was so close to forcing myself to throw up the food and cry but it was hard not to. I hate this feeling and I'm so scared that I'll gain weight?

    I even felt like skipping dinner because of all the food. I wasn't hungry for dinner anyway.

    How do you guys feel after a cheat meal? .

    Don't even BEGIN to feel guilty! You're not gross and horrible. :flowerforyou: You've made big changes and stuck to them for weeks as you say. It's working, you say your trousers feel looser. You're doing really well! One little blow-out won't turn you round - not unless you let it.

    The trick is not that you try to live like a nutrition-saint for the rest of your life - the trick is that you change your eating habits and eat more healthy balanced meals and limit the naughty ones to the occasional treat - which is basically what you've done! If you eat wedges and pastries like that every day you'll ruin your health drive and stop losing weight or put it on, but one meal isn't going to ruin it!

    Enjoy the guzzle but keep it in its place - an occasional treat, an indulgence once in a while - you'll be fine! And you'll be a normal human being.

    For me, the thing about MFP and my logging is that I'm learning about food and my appetite, and I'm taking control which I've let slip in previous years. I want to eat rubbish - not every day, but from time to time, as an indulgence. I'm finding with a bit of planning and thanks to MFP I can plan some of that rubbish into my day - and I'll have a bit of chocolate or biscuits most days - but just one instead of the whole packet. Or I do without. Today I had half a snickers bar! There was a time when I'd just have eaten it without thinking, but today I looked at the calories, thought about what I'm up to today, and made the decision to eat half and gave my husband the other half. That satisfied my desire to eath the snickers, but compromised my desire to control my calories. No cheat in that at all :smile:

    There's no such thing as a cheat meal! There are just the choices you make, and sometimes if you choose to say "sod the calorie counting, today I'm letting my hair down" that's a legitimate choice. You're accountable to nobody but yourself, and some days indulging yourself is more important than the next fraction of a pound off.
  • Lemmynade
    Lemmynade Posts: 160 Member
    I've felt this way recently too. Guilt over the smallest cookie, aggravation when I'm over my calories by even 10!

    To get rid of the bloat, drink a ton of water, eat some fiber, it'll go away within a couple hours or a day. To get rid of the guilt, remind yourself it's a treat not a cheat like someone else here said.

    Then move on, have a walk, and have a great rest of the week.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    I am sorry to hear that you over ate and that you are so upset about it. That said, just buck up and move on.

    Short, and to the point. I like that.

    Thank you. Straight shooter here.
  • airangel59
    airangel59 Posts: 1,887 Member
    How do you guys feel after a cheat meal? .

    I don't have them. I plan my meals in advance (with a few late nite treat calories in case I need to adjust over the day), and work what I'm eating into my macros. If I'm over I'll try to burn them off but I've discovered the momentary delight on my lips is not worth the gain on my hips or the feeling I get afterwards. Pigging out got me here. :noway:

    Today's new day, a new slate, you can't let what you did ruin the next day. You did it, learn from it, and go on. :flowerforyou:
  • arcticfox04
    arcticfox04 Posts: 1,011 Member
    You're over thinking things. Take a more simple approach to eating. So you had a bad meal, tomorrow doesn't care what yesterday had.
  • page68
    page68 Posts: 220 Member
    Own it. Log it. Move on. That's been the key for me. Once I own it, I can get rid of it- put it behind and go back to my usual eating. Accountability. The kind that lets you learn and move on.
  • jfrankic
    jfrankic Posts: 747 Member
    How do you guys feel after a cheat meal? .

    Have you ever cheated on anything or anyone and felt good about it afterwards. NOTHING good is associated (that I can think of immediately anyway) with the word "cheat."

    Get that word, that mentality out of your head, get rid of any negative associations with food so you don't have "bad" foods and you won't have to "cheat." You wanted dessert, you ate dessert. It sounded delicious.

    Do you think that you will go the rest of your life with NO dessert? Of course not. Do you want to beat yourself up and feel horrible every time? I hope not. Start eating and thinking in a way now that will allow you to eat and think this way for month, years down the road.....that you can maintain for life.

    Never, ever, ever, ever punish yourself with excessive exercise, skipping meals or extreme calorie restriction the next day for enjoying more food. :flowerforyou:
  • BelleVegan77
    BelleVegan77 Posts: 70 Member
    I think most of us cheat :( but you just have to get back on the horse. Try sipping some water to help with the discomfort and just don't let this throw you off your game. It is ONE day it is ONE mistake it is ONE...just one. You can do this :)
  • 130annie
    130annie Posts: 339 Member
    Lots of lovely fruit and veggies there Vicky....Keep it going!
  • waltcote
    waltcote Posts: 372 Member
    Sounds like a little speed bump on your journey to your goal. Don't let it stop you. Get over it and keep working! Just don't starve yourself to "punish" yourself. :happy:
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
    If I've eaten enough that I feel bad physically, I always have that "why did I do this?" feeling, but I've been at this long enough to know a day like that once in a while isn't going to have much of an effect on my weight. I have a higher-calorie day about once a week -- on purpose. I don't call it a cheat meal or a cheat day. It's all part of the plan. Have a few good days, and you'll be fine.
  • dorthymcconnel
    dorthymcconnel Posts: 237 Member
    It's one meal. Hopefully you remember the feeling next time you're tempted to eat more than you are hungry for. But you get back on the horse. Get back to your normal routine of diet and exercise, and maybe drink a bit more water. You can do this. :smile:
  • Bromard6
    Bromard6 Posts: 44 Member
    Everyone has a day when we go over our goals. When I do it, I just plan an extra long workout or run to even it out. One cheat meal will not have much effect.
  • I suggest you log it in. It is a hard thing to do. But accepting it some how helps you move on. Seeing the. Calories and counting up everything motivated me to exercise to retrieve the calorie intake I needed to stay on track. Then when you exercise which is hard for most of us. You will be more carefull of what you eat because you don't want that effort you put in to go to waist. Also if you want for instance Subway, Look it up and find your alloted calories and have what you want that fits. Hang in there OK? PATTY:flowerforyou: