how do you handle "cheat" days?

tracycartwright
tracycartwright Posts: 44
edited September 22 in Motivation and Support
When you are planning on eating more than your allotted calories for the day, do you go ahead and enter what you're eating, to at least keep up with how much? Or do you just ignore the food journal for the day?

I ask because I was trying to decide whether to finish off the day without journaling or go on plugging in what I am eating, just to see the calorie numbers go way up. In a way, I think it'll keep me from splurging too much... but I didn't know how "bad" it would look to the outside world when they view my journal for today! (IF they view it...)

Replies

  • 4lafz
    4lafz Posts: 1,078 Member
    Those that do a cheat day enter their calories and move on. I don't cheat because I am learning to eat like this forever!
  • missyhse
    missyhse Posts: 189
    Enter everything anyway so you can keep track, that always motivates me for the day after :)
  • brwnsugababe
    brwnsugababe Posts: 102
    Don't worry about what the outside world thinks. If you bite it, write it. It will help you see your food intake in numbers and help you make adjustments for "planned cheat days". Its ok to treat yourself. One day will not put you back to square 1. So log everything for your records. :)
  • YeaILift
    YeaILift Posts: 580 Member
    I don't plan on cheat days. They just tend to happen. I always enter them though. I had sushi and some sake last night for dinner and it was great, but I was 1000 calories over. I went to the movies last weekend and had way too much popcorn. I was way over that night as well. But, I am currently the lowest I have ever been since middle school. My cheat days made me realize that I can eat whatever I want some of the time and still have abs all of the time. It's a great feeling. :glasses:
  • brwnsugababe
    brwnsugababe Posts: 102
    My cheat days made me realize that I can eat whatever I want some of the time and still have abs all of the time. It's a great feeling. :glasses:


    I totally agree with you :)... its all about intake management. There is no law that says we cant treat ourselves. For me, I am not going to deprive myself of things I like. But I wont be eating Tastykake out of business in 7 days either :)
  • candlegal
    candlegal Posts: 220 Member
    I agree with brownsugababe, the logging is for YOU! If anyone from the outside world criticises you for it, so be it, that's their problem. You do what WORKS for you not what works for them. This is your plan and your hard work.
  • lutzsher
    lutzsher Posts: 1,153 Member
    I have learned more about myself from "bad" days than anything . . . that is the point of logging and journaling our food. Be completely honest all of the time as it will help you shed some light on the feelings behind those calories . . . think about it while you log every morsel. Seeing it in black and white is what helps each of us overcome our own demons.
  • sassyfied
    sassyfied Posts: 10
    At the moment I am planning to log everything I eat, even unplanned stuff. I am not planning on having cheat days as such but I going to a birthday tea this afternoon and know that I may have food that I wouldn't normally have at home.
    Having said that, what I think of as a cheat day is different than if I were to have an episode of binge eating. Then I am not sure if it would be even emotionally possible to log everything that day. I probably would just guesstimate calories and put them in.
  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
    I'm doing very low calorie, and have stuck rigidly, never going over and am achieving a good loss so far but my weight loss had slowed and then last Sunday I had my first static so decided to have 2 days of higher calories to refeed my system. I did log them, didn't want to go stupid. It seems to have paid off, its looking like my weigh in tomorrow will be my best so far. I didn't consider it a cheat. I will do it again when I have another static. If i'm still losing I wont apart from my birthday thats coming up soon and Christmas day.
  • tjradd73
    tjradd73 Posts: 3,495 Member
    Tracy- i would for sure enter in all of your info for the day...that's the nice thing about this site, even if you go over people will still offer you support and motivation!!! and you are right...seeing the calories go up and up will help you stay on track a lil bit and also remind you why you didnt have the reults you were looking for the next day!! keep yourself help accountable and you will surely see better results! good luck :)
  • tracycartwright
    tracycartwright Posts: 44
    :heart: *SOB* I LOVE THIS PLACE!! :heart: :smile: :heart: :smile:

    thanks you guys, SO SO Much! I needed that reaffirmation so much. I am going to write it all down. *whew* lol. And not worry how much it adds up to!

    Catcrazy, whens' your birthday? Mine is one week from today! This is kinda why I had planned an off day today, because I'm about to go low and tough this week and next, cuz we are going on a trip the wednesday after my birthday and I want to be able to relax then!

    Who was it that said they went "static"? You are so right... what had happened is your body thought it was starving and your metabolism dropped. I've learned to trick my body like that too. :wink:
  • leah33
    leah33 Posts: 16
    I log everything. That way, if I am looking back over the week, I can see if there was an up and down pattern, or if I was really good except for a day, or if it was a bad week! Also, when it says "if every day was like today, you would weigh___ in five weeks", it motivates me to pick up the slack the next day and really make sure I stay under. Who cares about what everybody else thinks! It's about you and your goals!!
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