Cheat Days?

slgthatsme
slgthatsme Posts: 79
in Health and Weight Loss
I don't plan on having a whole day of cheating but I am considering a cheat meal or a cheat treat once a week where I eat something I wouldn't normally allow myself.

Do you do cheat days?

How often?
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Replies

  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,064 Member
    I have cheat meals once or twice a week.
  • angie007az
    angie007az Posts: 406 Member
    Thanksgiving will be a cheat day. I normally don't allow them because they slow down the weight loss and I am impatient!!
  • Msergoi1
    Msergoi1 Posts: 10
    Any serious trainer has one cheat day and they eat whatever they want. Enjoy your life or you will fail.
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
    1-2 a week when bulking. 5k-7k calories typically. 1 every 2-3 weeks when cutting.
  • breakhearts
    breakhearts Posts: 110 Member
    Because I simply can't control myself, I try to limit it to once or twice a month!
    Cheat days are super good for you! :)
  • nytrifisoul
    nytrifisoul Posts: 499 Member
    Im no longer in weight loss mode but i always gave myself 1-2 splurge meals. I dont call them cheat meals because there not really a cheat. If you are daily in a deficit you are just using some of those calories at a later time in the week.
  • mundaetraversa
    mundaetraversa Posts: 21
    I don't count anything on special occasions (weddings, birthday parties, Thanksgiving, etc,). It's frequent enough that I usually have something to look forward to, but not so frequent that it messes me up.
  • LessthanKris
    LessthanKris Posts: 607 Member
    I usually save my cheat meals for days we eat out which is once every week or two. I still log all the food that I can but do not worry about going over. I try saving some calories other days throughout the week to keep the impact at a minimum.
  • Sedna_51
    Sedna_51 Posts: 277 Member
    I call 'em treat days (ah, lingustics) and I usually have one every month or two. I still log everything, but I give myself free rein to kick up my heels without worrying about the final calorie count. Thanksgiving will probably be one. :D I think the anticipation of planning one and knowing it's coming up is half the fun.
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    Don't see the point. I just log what I eat.
  • twinketta
    twinketta Posts: 2,130 Member
    When I first started on MFP I kept my diary everyday with no cheats...I learnt a lot from the forums about macros...proteins/carbs

    I also learnt a lot about the importance of exercise/weights

    Sadly, I did not take as much notice as I should have done about weights and am now playing catch up.

    I suppose what I am trying to say is if you want to take it slowly and add in treat/cheat days then that is your choice.

    Or you could just work it all around your diary and add treats/cheats to fit in with the exercise.

    BTW I was using the 1200 cals a day offered by MFP for a year. I have been maintaining for a year and now have cheats/treats
  • sirvivor007
    sirvivor007 Posts: 45 Member
    A cheat DAY is not such a good idea. You can easily go over your TDEE by thousands (plural) of calories. However I do have a cheat meal 1-2 times a week.
  • tuulikki30
    tuulikki30 Posts: 99 Member
    I usually have a cheat meal on date night, about twice a month. I always eat what I want within reason, but on date night, I eat meals that someone else cooks and I cannot always accurately calculate calories. This is a life style choice and not a short term diet. Enjoy your food in moderation.
  • MichMunchkin
    MichMunchkin Posts: 94 Member
    I do cheat nights twice a week. Not entire cheat days, mind you, but on Wednesdays and Saturdays, I'll eat normally for breakfast lunch, and supper, and then later in the evening I'll have a junk food snack that I don't normally have. Some people might say that's not the "right" way to go about losing weight, but the way I look at it, it's like this: better to have it twice a week than every day of the week.

    I don't see anything at all wrong with "cheat' meals/days. For a lot of people, it keeps them from feeling deprived, and if this is truly going to be a lifestyle change, then there's no point in telling yourself that you can never eat "X" again.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    I don't plan on having a whole day of cheating but I am considering a cheat meal or a cheat treat once a week where I eat something I wouldn't normally allow myself.

    Do you do cheat days?

    How often?

    Cheat day is a phrase that suggests a pretty unhealthy attitude, it's about choices. One chooses how much one eats, and accounts for it.

    Sometimes I eat more than my target, sometimes I eat less. Both are choices.

    Or looking at it the other way, who does one "cheat"?
  • angie007az
    angie007az Posts: 406 Member
    Any serious trainer has one cheat day and they eat whatever they want. Enjoy your life or you will fail.

    I enjoy my life. Haven't failed yet.
    Using the 5:2 plan allows me to eat what I like most days. However, like someone else said, who are you really cheating? Right?
  • DDSA52
    DDSA52 Posts: 11 Member
    I usually have a cheat day once every week or two. Try to keep them for times I'll be eating out. I rarely if ever go over my TDEE though. Just go over calories set to lose the weight. I find, for myself, it helps me concentrate more on sticking to the plan the rest of the time. However, with winter here and double depression { I suffer from SADS and chronic depression}, I'm struggling to keep the calories down and the food healthy anyways. Still working on maintaining weight by setting plan up to lose half a pound a week and not freaking if I go over a few calories.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    oh hello old cheat day thread friend, I see you are back for the millionth time....oh what, you dont know about the search feature?

    in...for the cheating, and then the guilt...
  • CTONDO
    CTONDO Posts: 43 Member
    I cheat every Sunday. If I don't I would indulge everyday in so many horrible things. It gives me something to look forward to. Also, I don't cheat all day. I will cheat on lunch or dinner. I have cheated on both a few times.
  • ktsimons
    ktsimons Posts: 294 Member
    I don't do so well with a cheat "DAY" - it turns into a cheat 3 days....but one meal a week seems to work pretty well...
  • slgthatsme
    slgthatsme Posts: 79
    A cheat DAY is not such a good idea. You can easily go over your TDEE by thousands (plural) of calories. However I do have a cheat meal 1-2 times a week.

    Yes. The title was a bit misleading. As I said I was thinking more of a cheat meal or a treat vs a whole day.
  • slgthatsme
    slgthatsme Posts: 79
    oh hello old cheat day thread friend, I see you are back for the millionth time....oh what, you dont know about the search feature?

    in...for the cheating, and then the guilt...

    Funny, I think I have seen you post a couple of sarcastic comments like this one on other threads. The search didn't bring up what I wanted specifically (I didn't search the entire list though).

    Really though, if you have an issue with threads such as this, feel free to skip right on over them and meander off somewhere more interesting :)
  • skinnybythanksgiving
    skinnybythanksgiving Posts: 159 Member
    No, I don't do cheat meals. There IS a reason though. I have a very hard time reining myself back in. When I was heavy I had many out of control meals. Going back to uncontrolled eating is just a step back in time to the me I don't wanna be! Sure I eat junk food and fatty meals, but I count every calorie.
  • mortuseon
    mortuseon Posts: 579 Member
    I have a 2000kcal net cheat day on the 11th of every month.+ special occasions.
  • slgthatsme
    slgthatsme Posts: 79
    No, I don't do cheat meals. There IS a reason though. I have a very hard time reining myself back in. When I was heavy I had many out of control meals. Going back to uncontrolled eating is just a step back in time to the me I don't wanna be! Sure I eat junk food and fatty meals, but I count every calorie.

    My issue was the opposite. I wasn't eating enough and when I did it wasn't the right things.
  • MzzFaith
    MzzFaith Posts: 337 Member
    Yes once a week
  • Hezzietiger1
    Hezzietiger1 Posts: 1,256 Member
    1 meal once a week.. never w/in 3 days of each other so I can get the sodium bloat away.
  • keem88
    keem88 Posts: 1,689 Member
    i think allowing yourself something every now and then that is an indulgence is fine. there's nothing wrong with having tasty desserts or pizza or loaded pasta dishes, idt that really interferes with weight loss if you are honest and thorough with logging the rest of the time. as long as you fit your macros for the week then i thnk it's okay
  • Jacson53
    Jacson53 Posts: 62 Member
    Im no longer in weight loss mode but i always gave myself 1-2 splurge meals. I dont call them cheat meals because there not really a cheat. If you are daily in a deficit you are just using some of those calories at a later time in the week.

    Agreed.
    Weekends I have strayed occasionally, but the surplus is balanced in a day or two.
  • Failing2Thrive
    Failing2Thrive Posts: 33
    I don't have cheat days or meals. If I want pie, pizza or anything else, I have it as long as it fits in my calorie goals. Good luck. :smile:

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