Thoughts of cheat days?

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  • babyluthi
    babyluthi Posts: 285 Member
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    The way to not do cheat days is to stop thinking you are on a diet. You can have anything you want as long as you stay within your calorie goal. By logging calories and exercise, you are making a lifestyle change.

    I don't believe in cheat days because I am not on a diet.



    This!!:)
  • Losingthedamnweight
    Losingthedamnweight Posts: 535 Member
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    I thought I could manage cheat days. Here I am 7 months later 10 lbs heavier than when I started in March. Cheat days might be ok for some people, but for me it just added to my struggle. I was always doing calculations and figuring out when my next cheat day was and that mindset made me not even stick to the cheat days I figured out. I was going to have a cheat meal every Friday. Then Thursday came around and I was already making excuses like "well it's only tomorrow. Why don't I just have it now? I've been doing so well!" So I have a junk food meal and then on Friday for whatever dumb reason, I was like "well it's Friday. My cheat day. What should I have". And I got stuck on this dependency on the need for cheat days so much I would always diet really well for a few days then undo the weeks worth of work with a 2 day binge.

    I just did it again these past couple days and I woke up this morning just wanting to cry feeling like I have no control over anything anymore. I feel like a drug addict that can't stop, being totally consumed with my need for my next fix. For the foreseeable future, I'm not doing cheat days. If I want something, I'm gonna figure it into my daily calories and work it off. I need to always feel like I'm in "positive eating mode". When I cheat, I'm off that mode and feel like I'm simply back to my old habits. My self image goes back to that lazy bum that ate whatever he wanted. I NEED TO FEEL LIKE I AM IN EATNG RIGHT MODE. If I let go, my self image of this hardworking man doing whatever he can to eat right and lose weight fades and I become what I was before. And that's why I binge. I'm done
  • ingeh
    ingeh Posts: 513 Member
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    I basically only cheat or go way over goal on birthdays, christmas eve/day and valentines day. So maybe 8 days a year in total.
    Other times Il just make sure I eat within my calories to treat myself. Like this weekend Im having a pizza in the evening, it fits into my goal so its fine!
  • andresconejo
    andresconejo Posts: 264
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    I dont have cheat days, i try to have 1 cheat meal everyday but make it fit in my macros... so if i have a muffin and a poptart i decide which to eat today, enjoy it and eat the other one on friday or tomorrow ;)
    But i make sure ive eaten pretty healthy during the rest of the day
  • Daerina8
    Daerina8 Posts: 35 Member
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    This can depend on what kind of diet you're on as well, I tried to do a cheat day or cheat meal once a week but since I'm on a ketogenic diet I found that while I lost maybe 2 to 3 lbs during the week I'd gain back 2-3 lbs of water weight immediately the day I cheat.... so it's really not worth it. Perhaps once I'm at the point where I'm looking to maintain my weight instead of lose it I'll go for a weekly cheat meal.

    I think for most diets though this can be a good thing as long as you don't go overboard. It can give you something to look forward to and keep you motivated if you know that you get to let loose slightly at the end of a long week of dieting. Just try to limit it to ONE thing, ONCE on a cheat day. For example have the french fries with dinner OR have the ice cream for dessert, but NOT BOTH! :)
  • Jestinia
    Jestinia Posts: 1,153 Member
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    Gather information from anyone and everyone on everything you're uncertain about, but only do what works for you.

    If it stops working, look until you find something new that does work. Whether it be cheat meals, exercise, ratios, or pink flamingos on your lawn, unless you're violating the laws of physics, just keep on while it works.

    And if something you're doing works and does seem to violate the laws physics, let us all know, perhaps we'll figure out how to make a perpetual motion machine out of it.
  • TXBlonde81
    TXBlonde81 Posts: 78 Member
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    I try and limit myself to 1 cheat meal a week. I try and limit my calories the rest of the day so that I am not completely pigging out and then I make sure to go to the gym the day before and the day after to help burn off the extra calories.
  • ElliottTN
    ElliottTN Posts: 1,614 Member
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    I usually don't plan cheat days or meals but rather they just happen when I'm out at social functions. I like em
  • missyont
    missyont Posts: 79
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    I don't like cheat days because 1 really bad day can screw up yourwholeweek. I do like adding cheat foods in every day though. Like a tiny bit of buttery popcorn or a couple chicken strips with green salad instead of grilled chicken, glass of wine etc but Im really trying to eat clean now!
  • joycelreed
    joycelreed Posts: 17 Member
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    I can't agree more... my cheat day started June 26th and is still going.... I was so proud too - I lost 51 pounds from October to June and now have gained 11 back. Seems that one little cheat just opened the floodgates. The first day did no harm so I kept nibbling and got in all the old habits again. Very depressed and needing lots of encouragement and a kick in the butt!
  • brendacs21
    brendacs21 Posts: 180 Member
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    I used to have a cheat day which then turned into the whole weekend. Then during the week i had to try and undo all the damage i did on the weekend. What i decided instead is during the week to give myself small treats so that i dont start planning a weekend binge. I love andes chocolate mints so i have a couple (50 calories) most days. I also love chips and guacamole, i buy the wholly guacamole (100 calories) and pair it up with 10 tostitos scoops chips (140 calories) as a snack some days. Then on the weekends i have a cheat meal each day. I really try hard to make the other 2 meals lower calorie, drink lots of water and sneak in a workout if i can. I have lost every week doing this!
  • mg720
    mg720 Posts: 212 Member
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    i personally dont have set days per week that i call "cheat days". this is a lifestyle change for me and my days where i have a birthday party, or date night with my husband, or a family/friend function, holidays, and vacations and the healthiest of options wont be available is not called a cheat but LIFE. and so i do have those days once in a while and i am okay with having them. If i prevented myself from ever having days/nights like that i would be miserable and wouldn't be "living". what i do remind myself is the important thing to move on after that day/vacation and hop right back to healthy living.
  • momof2boyz832
    momof2boyz832 Posts: 682 Member
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    Cheat days do not work for me.. It has taken many kicks at the can to figure this out... Now I allow myself one meal a week (usually Saturday evenings) and at max. eat the calories I exercised earlier in the day.. I cannot splurge for an entire day.. I find myself in the same situation as you do. It does not work for everyone..

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