The infamous "cheat day"

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  • sickscorpion12
    sickscorpion12 Posts: 13
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    I used to have my cheat days the same days as weigh-in ... I like doing my weigh-ins on Thursday, because for me it really breaks the week up. Like, weigh-in Thursday, weekend right after where I get to relax a bit, and then only four weekdays before I weigh-in again. It always really kept me on track, because by Monday I'm like, "Crap! Better work hard, weigh-in's only 3 days away!" Anyway, it meant my weekends I could be a bit more relaxed and I never saw it effect my weigh-in on Thursdays.

    Oh okay I see, front loading your calories around the time you weigh in. Because the next time you weigh, you've had a week to compensate. I like that.
  • MercenaryNoetic26
    MercenaryNoetic26 Posts: 2,747 Member
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    I don't plan them either. If I party like I did last night, it's going to be a free for all with food. Even then I manage to stay around +500 calories. I don't party much so I have no regrets. I did workout hungover, tho. I almost never miss a workout.
  • GymTennis
    GymTennis Posts: 133 Member
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    I cheat every day basically.. Even though i try to eat healthy as much as i can, I need 3000 calories just to maintain my weight and it's almost impossible for me to eat healthy all the way.. Since i do intermittent fasting most of the time (16 hours fasting, 8 hours eating window) i just can't eat clean cause it's just so much food that i feel sick... That's why i throw in some "sin" food and drinks every day to hit my numbers.. Works perfect for me
  • angelzprophecy
    angelzprophecy Posts: 130
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    i say, as long as you dont gorge yourself to the point where it hurts on your cheat day or in other words, eat a lot of junk food trying to cram it all into that one day then it shouldnt be detrimental both physically and mentally. A cheat day should be like any other day diet wise - eat until your full and dont eat again for another 5 hours (or until whenever youre hungry), not a eat constantly and non stop eat all these cookies and pizza and donuts
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
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    In almost 700 days I've never once had a cheat day. What would be the point in cheating myself & going back to the way I was?


    BTW I do 4:3 and eat nothing for 0 calories 3 days a week each fast lasting 40 hours..... starvation mode is a myth.....I'd be way into it now with being 6000+ calories a week in deficit...add more cause I burn off about double
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
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    I cheat every day basically.. Even though i try to eat healthy as much as i can, I need 3000 calories just to maintain my weight and it's almost impossible for me to eat healthy all the way.. Since i do intermittent fasting most of the time (16 hours fasting, 8 hours eating window) i just can't eat clean cause it's just so much food that i feel sick... That's why i throw in some "sin" food and drinks every day to hit my numbers.. Works perfect for me
    How about increasing your eating window....
  • angelzprophecy
    angelzprophecy Posts: 130
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    In almost 700 days I've never once had a cheat day. What would be the point in cheating myself & going back to the way I was?


    BTW I do 4:3 and eat nothing for 0 calories 3 days a week each fast lasting 40 hours..... starvation mode is a myth.....I'd be way into it now with being 6000+ calories a week in deficit...add more cause I burn off about double

    it would take more than 1 day to go all the way back...
  • EvaW1977
    EvaW1977 Posts: 20 Member
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    I don't think a whole day for "cheating" is a good idea. If a craving of something is strong, have a small portion of it. Enter it into the calorie count and adjust the days intake accordingly.
  • novakac
    novakac Posts: 22 Member
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    If "cheat day" were a good thing, then I'd be feeling great right now. But I feel like crap. I "cheated" all day. I read somewhere that for a "cheat"... pick one. Either eat ONE unhealthy food.... OR eat too much of one healthy food. Not, do all of the above, all day.

    Scheduling cheat days is setting yourself up for failure.

    However, fail days are different. Days when things just don't go the way you plan. Days when friends give you food, or depression taunts you into indulging, or whatever your triggers are. Those... just move on. They happen. They happen to all of us. So your weight loss will take 2 week longer than originally planned.... big deal. So what. 2 weeks? Seriously? Who cares. I hit my goal weight on April 21 instead of April 7. Put things in perspective.

    But yeah, go under your calories some days (weekdays are easier), and over on others (weekends come to mind). But to just completely binge? Ridiculous.
  • drop_it_like_a_squat
    drop_it_like_a_squat Posts: 377 Member
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    That sure isn't *my* definition of a cheat day. Doing that once a week is a great way to undo a week's worth of deficits.

    This.

    I have a deficit of 3.5k in 7 days, so if I had a "cheat day" let's say once a week, it would be super easy to go over by 3k calories if I wouldn't at all pay attention to what I eat/drink.
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
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    If "cheat day" were a good thing, then I'd be feeling great right now. But I feel like crap. I "cheated" all day. I read somewhere that for a "cheat"... pick one. Either eat ONE unhealthy food.... OR eat too much of one healthy food. Not, do all of the above, all day.

    Scheduling cheat days is setting yourself up for failure.

    However, fail days are different. Days when things just don't go the way you plan. Days when friends give you food, or depression taunts you into indulging, or whatever your triggers are. Those... just move on. They happen. They happen to all of us. So your weight loss will take 2 week longer than originally planned.... big deal. So what. 2 weeks? Seriously? Who cares. I hit my goal weight on April 21 instead of April 7. Put things in perspective.

    But yeah, go under your calories some days (weekdays are easier), and over on others (weekends come to mind). But to just completely binge? Ridiculous.

    So unplanned "fail" days where you give into emotion and binge are okay but a planned higher-calorie day that you work towards and wait for is a recipe for disaster?
  • CristalDeal
    CristalDeal Posts: 7 Member
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    My husband and I do a cheat meal, instead of a cheat day, once a week.
  • BIW2012
    BIW2012 Posts: 97 Member
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    A cheat day can undo a week of deficients. Go for a cheat meal every couple of weeks. Have a couple of courses and a glass of wine/beer and track your calories.

    My best cheats are when my husband and I go for a big hike in the hills for 3 hours or so, then eat back every single calorie + my usual dinner calories. It still slows my weight loss for a few days while the water weight drops off, but overall, it's less damaging.
  • novakac
    novakac Posts: 22 Member
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    <quote>So unplanned "fail" days where you give into emotion and binge are okay but a planned higher-calorie day that you work towards and wait for is a recipe for disaster? </quote>

    If you actually plan for it an wait for it... awesome. If you carry a deficit all week and then 'cheat' so that your weekly calories are still in line with your goals? That is amazing. I applaud you. I'm not there yet.

    I'm specifically referring to those of us who barely make our calorie totals DAILY. Who look longingly at things we used to enjoy, and feel all sorts of emotions towards them. Food is emotional. You logical types are way beyond us. For us emotional types, the vending machines at work make us sad. Every aisle in the grocery store makes us sad. Driving down the road and passing 5 fast food restaurants make us sad. Saying "I'll eat anything I want ever Sunday my favorite NFL team plays" is a cop-out that seems.... harmless. Or at least, we want it to be harmless.

    Fail days are NOT OK. If it sounded like I said they were, I apologize. What I really meant to say is, "if you try, you rock. If you try and succeed, you are amazing. If you try and fail, you still rock... Just keep trying."

    Cheat days seem like give-up mode to me.. That's all.
  • Samstan101
    Samstan101 Posts: 699 Member
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    If I know I have a day or even a weekend where I don't want to log or count everything then I make sure I have a deficit before and hit the gym a bit extra before and after. Eg Saturday was a day of beer & junk food out in town all day. As it turned out I was actually under maintenance for the day but over my usual deficit (but still did a 9km run yesterday to get rid of the booze!). This coming weekend my parents are coming down for Mum's birthday so I know we'll be eating out one day and I'll be doing a big family roast the next both days will involve copious amounts of alcohol. I'll be extra careful this week and next to balance it out. I have to be able to live my life whilst losing weight and once I have lost it so the infrequent day where I may be at or above maintenance needs to be factored in. The rest of the time if I really fancy something then I factor it into the day's allowed calories. That way no cravings and still losing 2lbs a week :)
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    What are you cheating? By making something naughty and a cheat all you are doing is reinforcing a bad relationship with food. In the same way as classifying food as good and bad you are putting human emotions upon it. If you have to 'cheat' you are not eating sustainably. I have occasions I technically I go over its not a cheat it is life I move on knowing that the exercise and normal calorie intake for the week will counteract it. No cheating just living. To me calorie goals are not chiseled in stone they are a guide.
  • mamadon
    mamadon Posts: 1,422 Member
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    If "cheat day" were a good thing, then I'd be feeling great right now. But I feel like crap. I "cheated" all day. I read somewhere that for a "cheat"... pick one. Either eat ONE unhealthy food.... OR eat too much of one healthy food. Not, do all of the above, all day.

    Scheduling cheat days is setting yourself up for failure.

    However, fail days are different. Days when things just don't go the way you plan. Days when friends give you food, or depression taunts you into indulging, or whatever your triggers are. Those... just move on. They happen. They happen to all of us. So your weight loss will take 2 week longer than originally planned.... big deal. So what. 2 weeks? Seriously? Who cares. I hit my goal weight on April 21 instead of April 7. Put things in perspective.

    But yeah, go under your calories some days (weekdays are easier), and over on others (weekends come to mind). But to just completely binge? Ridiculous.


    I have scheduled a cheat day once a month for the last ten months. No failure so far. Having said that however, cheat days arent for everyone. Some people do have trouble with getting right back into their groove the next day and will continue on a bad path.
  • ThePlight
    ThePlight Posts: 3,593 Member
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    Haha, and I forgot to add.. I have a VERY delicious slice of pizza that I wasn't able to eat today, to eat tomorrow. I should just go to sleep so the day gets here faster LOL!!
    Strong enough to not eat it, but not patient enough to wait for time :) hehehe

    ETA: I just know if I take a couple of bites and finish off my 70 calories left, I won't be able to stop eating it. Dear god, I want that pizza hahaha.
  • Jenifer_Duron
    Jenifer_Duron Posts: 53
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    To me, its something I don't plan like most of the people do. They plan cheat days once a week or 15 days usually. I really enjoy healthy eating so I don't need to cheat. But once in blue moon, when I really feel like to have something unhealthy I just go for that so it's kinda cheat meal instead of a whole cheat day. And keep doing the workouts so it makes no odd if I rarely take something unhealthy.
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
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    In almost 700 days I've never once had a cheat day. What would be the point in cheating myself & going back to the way I was?


    BTW I do 4:3 and eat nothing for 0 calories 3 days a week each fast lasting 40 hours..... starvation mode is a myth.....I'd be way into it now with being 6000+ calories a week in deficit...add more cause I burn off about double

    it would take more than 1 day to go all the way back...

    Not on a cheat day & not once a week.

    No need for a cheat day.

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