Cheat days getting out of control...

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  • tarabole
    tarabole Posts: 166 Member
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    Sugar causes me to feel like I want to eat everything when I am trying to lose weight. If I go off of sugar for a 5 days I stop craving. Perhaps having one cheat meal, versus cheat day would be a better option and staying away from sugar/refined carbs. So have a nice steak or some cheese for your cheat if that's something you enjoy versus having a piece of cake to avoid messing with your blood sugar levels. I would also try to do some damage control, if you go way out of control and comsume more than a few hundred calories above maintence, then skip your next cheat meal and add some extra exercise for the week. Then try the cheat meal again and see if you can do better. Good luck :)

    ETA: if you go out for dinner for your cheat meal and don't bring leftovers home that can help too. If you buy ice cream and intend to eat part or buy cookies and intend to eat some, then its harder to stop, versus letting yourself have a special meal.
  • ksy1969
    ksy1969 Posts: 700 Member
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    I have been having this same issue, only for the last couple months. It is on and off. There always seems to be something going on at some point during the week that ruins me for the rest of it. I have always been of the mindset that if I have one bad meal then the rest of the day is shot so might as well eat what I want versus what I need. When that happens I suddenly start asking myself, "what have you been craving", and then I go get it.

    As of this Saturday I decided to change that. I am going to have off meals, but that doesn't mean the rest of the meals that day have to be off. It also doesn't mean that the rest of the week has to be off either. Heck, I even got to have a Medium Oreo Mint Cookie Blizzard on Saturday and it was still within my calories. I just made sure, in my head, I knew that was a treat and I need to keep focused with the rest of my meals. It worked. There were no mad dashes to the fridge or cupboard that evening because I already ate a Blizzard so might as well eat what ever I want because the day is messed up now.

    the bottom line, I need to learn how to incorporate these off days and these foods that are triggers into my diet or I will end up back over 300lbs again. I cannot have that. I know if I go there again, I will die there. :sad:
  • Smallc10
    Smallc10 Posts: 554 Member
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    I don't have cheat days really. I allow myself small 'treats' occasionally and that keeps me happy. When we go out to eat with friends I will order a soda - this is once a week max and then when we have a major day of laundry or chores I will let myself go out for ice cream with my fiance and get a small shake. I want to make this something I can keep up forever and in order to do that I have to have some leniency with what I eat so I don't feel deprived all the time and then have a giant cheat day that sets me back physically and mentally.
  • celtbell3
    celtbell3 Posts: 738 Member
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    You might want to just reorganize what you are allowing yourself. Start logging (I write my daily calories in/out in a little book but this site is good too) everything you eat and everything you physically do that gets the heart pumping. Then you can 'reorganize' what is acceptable to you for you.
  • ElliottTN
    ElliottTN Posts: 1,614 Member
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    You already know the answer to your own question OP.
  • Sassyallday
    Sassyallday Posts: 136 Member
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    Having a "cheat day" is just rewarding yourself for not overeating by overeating.

    Why not just plan for an enjoyable dining experience within your calorie limits? It's so much better to have something delicious without days of guilt and panicked overexercising and undereating afterward!
  • missdibs1
    missdibs1 Posts: 1,092 Member
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    @elliot thank you (for the eye candy)
  • sm1zzle
    sm1zzle Posts: 920 Member
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    I wouldn't do cheat DAYS, maybe one meal or something but a lot if damage can be done in one day or weekend.

    this is the best advice.
  • Saraisamom
    Saraisamom Posts: 26 Member
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    I make rewards for sticking to my calorie goals non-food related. This helps me by encouraging to change my reward system away from food. If I'm going out to eat with my family or having pizza night. I don't deny myself and still maintain my calorie goals by eating less of the bad food and working out more.
  • astrophysically_fit
    astrophysically_fit Posts: 11 Member
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    I've read somewhere that eating sweets and treats actually makes you crave them more often. I'm not saying you should cut them out entirely but just save it for special occasion, or just every once in a while.
  • happysherri
    happysherri Posts: 1,360 Member
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    You already know the answer to your own question OP.

    this

    I do an 80/20, some weeks better than that. But I usually watch my portions and not go over my calories. How many calories do you burn? Saturday I had 2 pieces of pizza and a breadstick. After I logged it, I was like Whoa, so I went for an hour Power Walk! This is a lifestyle change, so I'm learning to make healthy decisions at least 80% of the time. However when I do eat the "unhealthy", I'm learning portion control! I also try and complete an extra workout on party/special event/etc days.
  • keeptehpeace
    keeptehpeace Posts: 189 Member
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    Stop having cheat days, log your food as you eat it and instead have cheat meals - one meal every weekend where you can have whatever you like.
  • agdyl
    agdyl Posts: 246 Member
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    Cheat days didn't work for me either - but mostly because I realize how crappy I felt after I'd eat that stuff, while craving more all at the same time. I tried it for a month about a year ago now and after a couple of them my cheat days evolved into just eating a bunch of extra fruit and nuts and eventually realized that I feel better just ditching the cheat days and just eat what makes me feel good. I actually get way, way less cravings without them.
  • jennybennypenny
    jennybennypenny Posts: 90 Member
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    I don't have cheat days, but I do get really hungry every few weeks and I've learned fighting those hungry days is what leads me to those big calorie throw-it-all-out-the-window binge days. So when I'm feeling really hungry, I allow myself to eat up to my TDEE for a few days--I even ate TDEE for a week in recent memory. I try not to beat myself up if I am hungry enough to warrant going a few hundred over TDEE for a day or two. So yeah, in short, I'm trying not to fight with myself as much as possible. It's easier that way. I don't plan cheats, because I know my body will tell me when I need to eat more for awhile.
  • Bssh
    Bssh Posts: 123
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    I don't have planned cheat days but my weekends are incredibly sociable and focussed on food so the weekends are generally well over my TDEE. But I take the weekly view of calories in/out and adjust accordingly. Generally my Monday through Thursdays are undereating TDEE and Fridays through Sundays are overeating my TDEE. Averaged out across the week I'm eating 15% less than TDEE daily. I've lost all my weight doing it this way. Again, it's not planned, it's just how my life pans out across the week.
  • roniredd
    roniredd Posts: 48
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    I don't schedule "cheat" days per se, but I have days where it's just life. For example, the other night we had a work function ... and I ate! Ate way over ... but that was life. Right back to "normal" the next day.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
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    Give yourself a calorie limit for your cheat day. If you normally eat 1700 a day, give yourself a max of 2200 or something. Just until you get out of the "eat everything!!!" mindset.
  • markpmc
    markpmc Posts: 240 Member
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    You already know the answer to your own question OP.

    Yep. You know the answer, why ask the question.
  • footiechick82
    footiechick82 Posts: 1,203 Member
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    I'm the same way... this is just the past 2 weeks... Last Saturday I managed a Med Blizzard and a Small Blizzard... the weekend before, a whole bag of All Dressed Chips... very very dumb!

    I decided this week, enough is enough, I'm pre making my food for the week so I don't go over and do stupid things. IT's the alcohol... I drink, I eat... it goes hand in hand. I stay away from Alcohol and I'm usually pretty good - are you like me? Can't stop once a couple of drinks are in you?
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
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    4000 calories in one day what did you eat ? a 2 pound block of cheese (?) (it happens) 10 Ben and Jerry's?

    I can pound 4000 calories without blinking an eye. You don't have to eat a lot of food to eat a lot of calories.

    this. 4k is easy.

    refocus, OP.
    get your mind back in it.

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