Cheat Day! 18/09/2013--An apology

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m23prime
m23prime Posts: 358 Member
I don't know what the idea of Cheat Day means to you.

For me, it's basically just a rationalization for a cop out.

But hey, sometimes rationalizations are important. (Anybody remember Jeff Goldblum in The Big Chill?)
Michael: I don't know anyone who could get through the day without two or three juicy rationalizations. They're more important than sex.

Sam Weber: Ah, come on. Nothing's more important than sex.

Michael: Oh yeah? Ever gone a week without a rationalization?
Like Real Life getting in the way of Moderating, Challenging, and Cheering for all y'all.

I am very sorry that I was unable to post anything today.

September can be a very busy time for everybody.

And I don't think I logged that wee bag of Jelly Tots I scarfed this afternoon.

And I have been eye-balling more often than not this past week, rather than measuring.

"And a portion's a portion. No matter how small."

On Monday, I think I was calling it a "little slack", and on Tuesday it was "okay, because"...and today I didn't log the Jelly Tots.

I have been logging faithfully-ish, and trying hard to find the fun in the sweat equity required to address a fat mass decades in the accumulating for three months. Mostly.

The weather has been good. The endless rain and the featureless grey skies will be here too soon.

I am going out to play while I still can. I have some new good habits to reinforce.

Therefore you must challenge yourselves for a few more days. (Unless Alana rides in the nick of time to save the day...)

As always, I will respond as quickly as I can to PMs, or any immoderation on the boards what need moderatin'--but I am needed elsewhere until Monday, so my presence as a poster of gogrrls and attaboys will be more limited than usual, and my daily activity limited and dedicated to better logging of my food and exercise.

I shall be tightening this slack that turning 80 logging days old appears to have rationalized.


But the pressure is off now. Yeah, so I didn't log some candy and my portions might be creepin' up because I put away the food scales. So what?

Sew BUTTONS!

They were a critical part of the first 50 days of The Thing. My food scales must become important again.

Especially if I want to have some wiggle room to cut myself some slack again around the holidays.


I KNOW how to do this better than I have been doing it this week so far.

But I did have a really good time.

And tomorrow I will eat a logged banana instead of secret candy.





So...





Does the concept of a "Cheat Day" fit into what we are doing here? If so, where? If not, why not?

Replies

  • slh0307
    slh0307 Posts: 50 Member
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    I don't think a bag of jelly tots counts as a cheat day. No need to apologize either. You are doing great!
    Still, it is good to get back to basics and try to regain the motivation/momentum from the very beginning.

    I need to do the same. Re-evaluate and re-vamp my effort.

    Sometimes that means taking a break from the routine, so go out and play before it is too late.

    I love your attitude buddy! :bigsmile:
  • BACKTOCHRISSY
    BACKTOCHRISSY Posts: 73 Member
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    I'm in the same boat as you and BTL. I have to revamp and tighten things up a bit.
    I noticed I got to used to my only half a pound a week calorie count and would just eat cuz I had the calories not because I was hungry or the food was nutritious.

    Between the HRM, doing a loss of 1 pound a week and revamping my exercise I should be ok --

    I like you want some holiday wiggle room and come out as a loss rather than a gain during that time.

    Thanks for sharing, I totally needed to know others were in the same boat as me :blushing:
  • hollyla9905
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    I think in some ways cheats are important - such as my shopping explosion trip, I also think that treats helps us from falling off the wagon totally. I think the trick is to limit your cheats and treats otherwise your just making excuses, and to get on with it if you have an unplanned for cheat! I believe studies have shown that the real trick to wait loss is persistence! No matter what plan you work you have to work it not just learn how to work around it!
  • p1xyn1xy
    p1xyn1xy Posts: 461 Member
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    I don't believe in a cheat day. I believe in a cheat meal. One meal once in a while, that maybe the portioning slides a little or eat that dessert that you want. I don't deal well with feeling deprived... the more that I think I cannot have something the MORE I need it. I have failed at more healthy eating habits due to that, than any other reason. So I cannot be as strict... I doesn't work for me.
    But it can't be an excuse to go crazy either. Moderation. And if I'm going to do it I'd better be prepared to work it off. lol!
  • mdgivens
    mdgivens Posts: 206 Member
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    It absolutely fits into what I'm doing. In fact, a free day is integral to what I'm doing. Six days of planning, weighing, measuring, eating as strict as I can, and exercising balls-out (sorry ladies). One day to rest, not care as much, and indulge. On my free day, I still get up and do my fasted walking in the morning, but that is it with regard to planned exercise/eating. I know that it will usually take a day or so for my weight to resume its downward trend after my free day, but I know it will resume, because six days of hard work and discipline are backing it up.

    Now, am I a sloth, relegated to the couch for the day, gobbling down pizza, wings, beer, and everything else in sight? Nope. However, if there is a treat that I want, I can say, "Save it for my free day." Then, I can eat what I want without regret, and in my opinion, regret is one of the worst feelings imaginable.
  • bird5027
    bird5027 Posts: 37 Member
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    I'm with both Givens and p1xyn1xy on this one. However I sort of add the discipline/punishment factor to it. I have a day that I get only if I am strict on myself throughout the week. If I don't do as well as I should then I don't have a chance for it until the next weekend. And you know what, I find myself still eating pretty darn healthy on that chosen day too. On this day I allow myself to have that double fudge brownie (ummmm, double fudge!) if I want it rather than passing it up.
  • Carysta
    Carysta Posts: 152 Member
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    I give myself a planned cheat day, usually the first Saturday or Sunday of each month, depending on what I have planned for that weekend. I find that knowing I can have a day where I go have that one thing I've been wanting helps keep me on track the rest of the time, because I know the day is coming. Sometimes when it comes right down to cheat day I don't even have the craving for whatever it was anymore anyway! The last few times it's been poutine, which is one of my all time favourite things in the summer, from a chip stand, of course. I still keep my wheat limited on cheat day, because now that I'm off it, wheat makes me feel bloated and gross, and cheat day is about good food fun not ugh-why'd-I-do-that!

    Of course, like everyone else I sometimes also have totally unplanned eat-all-the-noms days that I do regret afterwards, usually either from the swollen feet from too much sodium, or tummy troubles. That was my this past whole week, being sick with a head cold I just let everything else slide, and I really shouldn't do that. I took a close look at what I did this week and have decided I will have to find a better way to cope when not feeling well instead of just filling my face!

    It's a new week though, so back on the wagon. Saving my cheat day in October for the 2nd weekend so I can enjoy some Thanksgiving noms :)
  • m23prime
    m23prime Posts: 358 Member
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    There are some great ideas here!

    And you see, the one thing they have in common is that however you rationalize it, the odd and occasional indulgence not only CAN be successfully integrated into a long term lifestyle change, it is nigh essential.

    Engaging in a prolonged and sustained Act of Will--like a 100+ pound body transformation--takes dedication, commitment, and a great deal of patience.

    Incorporating a little pressure valve into the new exercise and nutrition systems we are building for ourselves strikes me as important.

    As any steam engineer can tell you, better to release a little steam and maybe lose a bit of momentum, than let the pressure build until the boiler explodes, the engine stops, and there is nothing to do but eat bad food and moan in despair.

    A planned and anticipated indulgence can be a very strong motivator, and will go a long way to help defer, if not actually end, the kinds of cravings that got us into this mess in the first place!

    Thank you to everybody who shared their thoughts on this topic this weekend.