Cheating

If you're going to indulge yourself once in a while, you can always plan for it and make up the calories by doing a little extra exercise. That way you don't risk going over your calories.

Its not cheating, I eat normal stuff which sometimes includes pizza etc, I wouldnt do a whole, just eat what you like and watch the portions

I love the idea!!! I do the same thing. It gives your body a boost actually. And as long as you dont go over your BMR you wont gain anything (except for water weight from sodium) I know some people say that you NEVER should and you should forget some foods and blah blah blah... But the fact is sometimes you have to give your body a little bit of what it craves or you will drive yourself crazy!!

You know what, the most successful that I have ever been on losing weight are the times when I have allowed myself a "free meal". I'm not doing that right now but I was thinking that I might. I usually made it on Fridays and I had it for just that 1 meal. If there was something that I was really craving then I would decide earlier in the week that I could have it on Friday.

Actually, having one cheat meal a week is good for your metabolism!! After your body gets used to having a deficit all week long, eating something higher in calories kind of shakes it up a bit! After being on MFP for 2 weeks, I had a Sonic cheeseburger (not a great choice, I know). But the next day, I was a pound lighter!! I thought that maybe that cheeseburger hadn't had time to catch up to me yet, so I was prepared to maybe be a little higher the day after that.... nope - down another half-pound! I don't indulge in things like that very often, and I'd never eat like a whole chocolate cake for dinner... but once every week or two, a cheat meal (within reason) can trick your metabolism into speeding back up! :-) Enjoy!!

Actually, having one cheat meal a week is good for your metabolism!!

I totally agree & do this, I don't plan on it just every once in a while I let myself go over (by a reasonable amount.) I actually lose more weigh on the weeks where I have one or two days when I'm over as long as I'm under a little all the other days. It evens out. Just be reasonable!! =]

Hi there all,
I LOVE MFP!!
Have a question for all.
What does everyone think about having ONE cheat day out of the week?
I've been doing excellent, and have lost 7 pounds since joining MFP!! Go me!
I don't mean...breakfast tacos in the morning, then pizza then a burger for dinner...
Maybe just one out of the three??
I don't know if this will be good...I know I wont fall off and CRAVE all that food all the time because I have goals to reach...
Anyone have any good advice?

I think having a cheat day is good. I know for myself if I stick to a "healthy" diet that is when I will cave in and over indulge on foods that I have been missing.

I have mine in Sundays which are my official weigh in days. This is the day that we will go out to eat at a restaurant and I just order what I want. I do though skip on the soda and just drink water (mainly because it's free lol) and I order a lunch dish vs a dinner dish. When I want dessert I go to DQ or Mc D's and get a small ice cream cone if my husband doesn't have room to share a dessert with me

But during the week if I want pizza or something that is considered "unhealthy", I just have it w/ stricter moderation. I no longer go over 2 slices of pizza (unless it is a cheat or I burned alot of cals for the day) but I have yet to eat over 2 slices caue i also have a side salad (Pizza Hut big italy is only 180 cals per slice)

Cheat days are the days I will also let my husband cook breakfast

Never seen a weight gain the next day because of a cheat day...most of the time i see a lost

I have to say that if I am in deficit mode, and I go off to eat pizza or a brownie, I find myself lost for a few days. For this reason, when I am eating 1200-1500 calories a day, I stay away from the worst foods.

Funny how I never miss them until I bite into one!!

My mindset has changed since joining mfp. In the past, I would have a cheat day - and it would end up being just that, an entire day of cheating, as if I was never going to see these "bad" foods again. I always felt horrible, guilty & like a failure to myself. Eventually the cheat day became day after day and I would no longer be trying.

Since joining this site, I no longer feel I need to "cheat". To me, it is that I'm going to plan a not so "good" food but then compensate for that choice by choosing the rest of my day properly AND then adding exercise to offset my choice. I was recently able to enjoy a very nice meal out by spending the wait time - 30 minutes - walking around the area. By the time we were called, I had burned almost 400 calories! By the time I logged EVERYTHING in, I still came in under my calorie goal!

It's amazing to be in this mindset and I love it SO MUCH!!

Someday soon, I plan on having a maple bar. I crave em ever so often and they used to be my downfall. The difference with this plan though is I DO have a plan in place. I'm walking to the donut shop with my daughter. It will take us at least 20 minutes to get there and then those same 20 minutes to get back. I will enjoy my time with her, thoroughly enjoy my maple bar and finally feel a bit of control.

Sorry for the long post - It is just so amazing to have such a different outlook on food!!

Actually, having one cheat meal a week is good for your metabolism!! After your body gets used to having a deficit all week long, eating something higher in calories kind of shakes it up a bit! After being on MFP for 2 weeks, I had a Sonic cheeseburger (not a great choice, I know). But the next day, I was a pound lighter!! I thought that maybe that cheeseburger hadn't had time to catch up to me yet, so I was prepared to maybe be a little higher the day after that.... nope - down another half-pound! I don't indulge in things like that very often, and I'd never eat like a whole chocolate cake for dinner... but once every week or two, a cheat meal (within reason) can trick your metabolism into speeding back up! :-) Enjoy!!

One meal probably cannot affect your metabolism one way or the other.

Here is some additional detail:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html

I don't believe in "cheating" - I think a normal diet* includes some "indulgences" or whatever you want to call it. Very few people would have the willpower to eat perfect all of the time. I PLAN some treats/indulgences/super yummy goodness into my food plans on a regular basis.

The best thing you can do for yourself, though, is try to find healthier, satisfying treats that you can indulge with, instead of the sugar-laden, unhealthy foods like traditional cookies/cake/soda/etc. For example - I learned to make my own version of nutella as an occasional treat (spread on crackers/bananas/whatever), I also made brownies that had black beans instead of flour (it was crazy good!), and I made soft-serve bananas - which is basically bananas in the consistency of soft-serve ice cream. I eat stuff like this (omemade, all natural goodness!) and don't even miss candy/baked goods and other stuff that is loaded with processed sugars, salt and other stuff I don't want in my body.

Edited to add: You can apply the above to the foods you talked about too - homemade pizza, burgers, etc. are so much healthier and more satisfying (in my experience) than fast-food/pre-made ones!

*I use diet to mean what you eat, not some crazy starvation short-term plan or anything like that... lol

I just made the BEST chicken quesadilla ! guilt free and yummo!

When i started my diet last week, I had decided that I will allow myself one day a week *usually saturday* that I won't diet. I will still keep within my BMR (which is 1800 cals for me), but it will be so much nicer than having to stay within my 1200 cals for dieting. If I exercise that day, I get to have even more yummy food It's not really "cheat" day, but it will sure feel like it

I figure this should help with my metabolism. Also, I was planning to spend 1 week at my BMR after I lose 5 lbs, before continuing on to lose the next 5 lbs. This might make it seem slow going, but it will keep me motivated and then I have something to work towards, so that I don't have to go 6 months without some of my favorite foods.

Eating the un-healthier foods is not cheating but it can be a very slippery slope.

If you compromise one day, it can lead to old bad habits which we are all aware of, or we wouldn't be on this site.

Saying that, I burn't 2500 calories extra one day digging up the garden for 8 hours. Only having healthy foods in the cupboard and
fridge left me with a large calorie deficit as I couldn't eat any-more because I was stuffed.

I would suggest, burning some serious calories BEFORE eating the un-healthy stuff because you need to eat what you burn (starvation mode ftw!). It's also definitely not cheating then.

I would suggest, burning some serious calories BEFORE eating the un-healthy stuff because you need to eat what you burn (starvation mode ftw!). It's also definitely not cheating then.

This is how I handle my desserts at night. I love to have a small dessert at the end of the day if I have calories left over. Usually I don't until I do my workout, then I have just enough to have a small bowl of oh so delicious ice cream If I don't get to do my workout, then I don't get to have my dessert.

The above kind of says it all. The slower you lose the weight, the better. To want a new lifestyle -- not just to diet to a certain weight. Yes -- everything is okay. But in moderation.