Cheat Day

Vinehausen
Vinehausen Posts: 3,233 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I want to hear people's thoughts on having a cheat day one day a week. I am considering it, Saturday would be my day as I go to a lot of gigs, dinner parties etc..it would just be good to not have to calorie count for a day. SO, success and failure stories..a good or bad idea?...

Replies

  • HealthyVitamins
    HealthyVitamins Posts: 432 Member
    I usually have a cheat meal on a Friday night, I don't mind going over calorie goal by 500 - 1000 but I definitely wouldn't feel comfortable going over by 2000, so just one cheat meal for me helps me stay within the 1000 calorie over limit.
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  • kowajenn
    kowajenn Posts: 274 Member
    I try not to have cheat days very often, definitely not once a week. If I know I have something coming up, I save calories over a few days to account for it. My fear is that once I get a taste of the good life there will be no going back. I love food.

    I definitely relax when I'm on vacation and look forward to trips primarily for that reason. Food in bigger quantities! I've found though that the longer I'm at it the less likely I am to truly overindulge. Eating less has become habit.
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  • PeteWhoLikesToRunAlot
    PeteWhoLikesToRunAlot Posts: 596 Member
    Frigging pizza. It will be the end of me.

    Walter-White-Throws-Pizza-on-Roof-Breaking-Bad.gif
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    IIFYM.

    Also, use the search function or scroll through 10 pages of this forum. You might be surprised.

    This.
    1. Figure out your TDEE (Google this)
    2. Eat 20% less than this.
    3. Exercise.
    4. Lose weight.

    Yeah, it's that easy. :flowerforyou:
  • t1954
    t1954 Posts: 81 Member
    Hi,
    I wouldn't do it. I have been going for over a year and haven't had one cheat day. I would be afraid that one would lead to another and before you know it you are out of control. I don't know how much you want to lose but set aside this short period of your life and commit to your objective. There will be plenty of opportunities for cheat days after you reach your goal. Be strong and stay focused without the guilt and distraction of cheat days. That is what worked for me.
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  • 3171kelly
    3171kelly Posts: 20 Member
    I do a cheat meals on the weekends, only one each day and the other times I stay within my goal. I only go over by about 500 calories , and I try to get some activity in for the day to somewhat balance me out.

    I say yes to cheat meals. Sometimes it does the body good , you don't want to deprive yourself of everything in life. Pizza on Fridays taste so yummy! Just stay focused and keep tracking and then you will realize that "Yeah , I can still eat things in moderation and be healthy" It is a great feeling :)
  • Lookmeintheeyes135
    Lookmeintheeyes135 Posts: 40
    I do cheat days, but I make up for it during the following days. Last weekend, my cheat day was the day my friends and I drank! Lol!!
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    As long as you hit your weekly calorie goal, it doesn't really matter if you go over your daily goal on any given day...
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    I've always taken a day where I don't count calories. I don't always indulge in high calorie food, but just taking a day off is nice. It's also nice if I go to a local restaurant that isn't listed in the database. That way I don't feel like I have to stress about figuring out the calories.
  • Cattfish42
    Cattfish42 Posts: 11 Member
    I'm all for the cheat days because there's no way I can keep the self control going for 7 days a week, I think it's either let off steam in a controlled manner or have it blow up in your face.

    Although I do try and exercise a bit more on Cheat Day before going to the buffet. Then I set a general "4000 cal" for my calorie count and go to town.

    I dunno, seems to be working so far
  • airangel59
    airangel59 Posts: 1,887 Member
    I don't have them (no cheat day, cheat meal, cheat weekend etc).
    I plan for what I eat and make it fit into my macros. I don't feel deprived since I arrange my day to include the food I want to eat.
    If I end up a bit over and I don;t want to burn it off, so be it.
    But I don't consider it a "cheat" ...I went over, will do better the next day.

    It's just how I've been playing this game. YMMV, you know your body & how it reacts to food better than anyone.
  • tonytedesco
    tonytedesco Posts: 68 Member
    I quit smoking over 6 years ago. I know its not exactly the same, but I try to follow the same rules with trying to get fit, healthy and lose weight.

    When quitting smoking you do not celebrate your milestones by smoking a cigarette, and the same rule should apply to weight loss. Don't celebrate your achievements by putting crap into your mouth and cheating. It is a step backward and no you cannot make up for it. Once that 2000 calories is in you... you can't take it back later in the week.

    Eat whatever you want within reason, stay within your deficit (or calorie goals), and stick to it. It is a lifestyle change. The sooner you realize that the easier this will be.

    The key to not cheating is by rewarding yourself, but you need to find another way to indulge. buy yourself a piece of clothing (that now fits nicer because of your weight loss). A movie or a pair of shoes. Whatever you fancy... every pound lost is a prize waiting for you (above and beyond the fact that you look and feel better).

    My two cents.
  • ice1200s
    ice1200s Posts: 237 Member
    I routinely do a cheat day, most Fridays, and it hasn't stopped me from losing weight. I only do it if I lose at least something that week though. It helps me stay on the wagon the other six days, because I know it's coming if I behave. Of course, you would still need to keep it under control of some sort. You could always try it for a few weeks, to see if it works for you. If not, go back to what you were doing. All it would cost you is a little more time. Good luck.
  • carlaunderconstruction
    carlaunderconstruction Posts: 158 Member
    I do cheat days. I look at this as a life long healthy living kind of thing. Most things work for me in moderation, and a couple of things I can't have (food intolerance). The way I think of it is, whatever I do to lose the weight I have to keep on doing for the rest of my life: counting calories at least 80% of the time, exercising, focusing on lower stress living. So I want to have a meal every once in. while that I don't track, or a Saturday filled with snacks and a couple of drinks that I don't track.

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