The infamous "cheat day"

2

Replies

  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
    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
    My husband and I do a cheat meal, instead of a cheat day, once a week.
  • BIW2012
    BIW2012 Posts: 97 Member
    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
    <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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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.
  • SomeWhatTwisted
    SomeWhatTwisted Posts: 12
    My husband and I do a cheat meal, instead of a cheat day, once a week.

    I do the same except not with your husband because that would be weird. :noway:
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
    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....


    That beats the whole reasoning behind 16:8 by increasing the eating window :noway:
  • Snow3y
    Snow3y Posts: 1,412 Member
    i've eaten 3 pizzas in the past 3 days, i say to em, umad?
  • Myhaloslipped
    Myhaloslipped Posts: 4,317 Member
    I don't really need them. today AND yesterday I ate 600 calories worth of brownies for breakfast and managed to hit all my macros and come in under. boom.

    That's my girl!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    It's not cheating as long as it fits your calories. Heck even if you go a bit over but you're still under your TDEE, it's really not a huge deal, although you will lose slower. If you're going to go way over your calories though, I'd keep that a once a month thing tops.
  • highervibes
    highervibes Posts: 2,219 Member
    Sometimes I go over on calories, it's usually to the tune of 500 but I have gone over by 1000-1500. It only takes a few days to "undo" that kind of damage (I feel funny even calling it that lol) Hardly life changing to reverse the concequenses of letting loose every now and then. I don't see the big deal.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    I don't quite get the idea of cheating on a lifestyle. If it's a lifestyle and those foods belong in it, then you're not cheating.

    Binging is another thing, and what I suspect several posters here do under the guise of a cheat day/meal.

    That said, if you're small, a woman, and/or older, your "discretionary calories" as some on here call them, may be quite limited. You may find it hard to eat a half a pizza, or a pizza or what not (while eating normally through out the day) and fit within your goals. I guess some folks choose to "save up" for that pizza. I'd question whether or not that approach is sustainable.
  • WhiteRabbit1313
    WhiteRabbit1313 Posts: 1,091 Member
    I decided to not make it a cheat day. If I want something, gosh darn it, I will have it.
    I just have to make sure to put it into my calorie intake for the day, but I WILL have it. :)

    ^^This

    I can't afford to have a cheat day. I will go nuts, and I don't have enough calories in my budget to average it out into still achieving a calorie deficit. A cheat MEAL, maybe...but no cheat DAYS!
  • ichibanmom
    ichibanmom Posts: 10 Member
    When I started on this path, I committed to eat clean Monday through Friday by eating vegetables, lean protein and to drink my weight in water. I also gave up alcohol. I had planned to reward myself on Saturday or Sunday with a glass or two of wine or a steak; but I have been so happy with my weight loss I decided that it wasn't worth it to "cheat", For me, it's a slippery slope that I would rather not tempt.
  • Jewlz280
    Jewlz280 Posts: 547 Member
    I see you had a lot of responses already, but thought I would add my thoughts also. I don't do cheat days. Ever. I don't see the point. I have what I want every day in moderation. Are there days I'm out and go over? But of course! But I don't consider it a 'cheat' day. Cheating to me implies it's wrong, but I don't live like that anymore. If I have an off day and I go over, then I make up for it the days after by eating a bit less. No guilt, no gorging.. nada. Just makes more sense to me than a 'cheat' day. Seems like if you were planning a cheat day you would gorge and gorge and go WAY over instead of having just an extra slice of pizza or a couple of beers like a normal person on a normal diet. An example is that I had family drop in one day last week and they wanted to go out to dinner at Cheesecake Factory. It wasn't planned, so I had not saved cals or anything. But I went, made decent food choices (wine and some chicken plus a bit of the app) and then shared cheesecake. I had what I wanted, I logged all of the cals, and I went way over. But for the following days I just cut back a bit and in the end it was balanced. I didn't consider it a cheat, I didn't gorge or go nuts. Just enjoyed myself and then cut back a bit the following days for balance. It's what works for me. :smile:
  • BenjaminMFP88
    BenjaminMFP88 Posts: 660 Member
    Once a week I have a cheat meal where I'll eat a few hundred calories over my goal. One day every three months I have a CHEAT MEAL!!!!!!!!!!! Those are usually about 10-15k meals. Not too long ago I ate a full large Dominos pizza, the full order of cheesy bread, a full 2 liter of barqs root beer, a tub of graters icecream.....for lunch......Dinner.... well lets just say dinner was legondary...
  • MooseWizard
    MooseWizard Posts: 295 Member
    All my days have become cheat days. Doing it wrong. :(
  • ImaginingJackie
    ImaginingJackie Posts: 4
    I kind of do a cheat day, but I still work out that day no matter what I eat.
  • waxon81
    waxon81 Posts: 198 Member
    I dont do cheat days, but i Once a week I have a takeaway, every other day I'm extremely careful with everything that passes my lips but on Fridays it's dilligaf night. I probably eat around 2000+ cals over. I'm still losing each week so as long as that continues so will my cheats/treats. If I didn't have one night where I could cut loose a little, frankly I wouldn't be able to do this for very long...
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
    If you allow yourself to have the stuff in moderation, you don't need to view it as cheating. If you use all forms of study material to pass a test, do you call that cheating?

    The definition of cheat is to deceive by trickery. Can't really deceive or trick your way through weight loss, so how can you truly cheat?
  • GymTennis
    GymTennis Posts: 133 Member
    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....


    That beats the whole reasoning behind 16:8 by increasing the eating window :noway:

    Exactly... If I increase my eating window to lets say 10 hours, the whole thing pretty much becomes a regular eating pattern where I can't benefit from IF... Since I have an evening job, I work out in the morning and I work out fasted, always.. Then I eat from 12pm to 8pm most of the time.. The thing works for me, I have great results, however I can't eat 3000 calories clean cause it's too much food..

    The only thing I could change would be to eat something before my workout and then post workout to take the majority of my food, but that means i would have to move my eating window, not necessarily increase..

    Another thing, by cheating, I don't mean going over my planned calories, I mean taking some food that is not as clean, but still stay within my everyday caloric intake... 70%-80% of my food is clean and healthy but I always throw in something like doughnuts, coke, snickers bar. all dressed large coffees and stuff like that.. IF or no, if you go over your TDEE for prolonged time, you'll gain weight which will mostly be fat
  • happydreamy
    happydreamy Posts: 44 Member
    I don't have a cheat day... If I feel like I'm going to die if I don't have ice cream, I have some... in moderation. If I want every junk food on the planet, I'll limit it down to one or two treats and stuff myself with greens and nuts. For me, the key is moderation, always. You can have ice cream...just not the whole tub.
  • Oh_Allie
    Oh_Allie Posts: 258 Member
    I don't have cheat days anymore. It works better for me to eat what I want in moderation so I don't feel like I'm cutting things out. If I wanted a cheeseburger or potato chips today and waited until next Sunday to have it, I'd go overboard eating a huge cheeseburger or an entire bag of chips. If I have it today, I'd me more likely to have a regular-sized cheeseburger or a single serving of chips.
  • butler8991
    butler8991 Posts: 3 Member
    Don't do a cheat day do a cheat meal! I log the "cheat" meal in advance, when possible. Then I work out harder
    and eat a little less the day prior, the day of the cheat meal and the day after so I will have a calorie deficit the day
    before and the day after to balance the situation out.
  • anonymousgirl143
    anonymousgirl143 Posts: 4
    I have found that for myself, if I really want something it's better to just give in and eat more calories that day. If, I keep holding off on not eating things I really want then eventually I end up eating more unhealthy things in the long run to satisfy my craving. You just keep eating good though, even though you have a few unhealthy things doesn't mean u give up!

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