Am I allowed to have a cheat meal?

fangmouse · November 2013

Okay this week I've been eating more food but they are generally healthy with lots of veggies and brown rice and sandwiches and stuff but today, I ate a slice of log cake. Yesterday I had a soy dessert (it's like a soy pudding and it isn't something that I normally eat so I called it a cheat as well..) i don't know, am I allowed to have a cheat meal?

I exercise 6 days a week with a 3km run all 6 days and 2 strength training sessions and on rest day, I head out for a 30 minutes brisk walk so basically I'm exercising daily).

Lately I've been eating over 1200 kcal but usually below 1300 kcal but I'm afraid that I'll gain weight because previously I've been eating below 1000 kcal. However today, it's only 2pm on Saturday and I've already had 1224 kcal. I mean I'll definitely exercise more later, doing 3km run and a 45 minute strength training session but I feel guilty. Anyone else here has had cheat meals before?

I think I have 1-2 cheat meals per week which is pretty bad

Achrya · November 2013

You're a grown up, I assume, and are allowed to do anything you want to do (within the confines of the law of the land you live in.)

AJ_G · November 2013

Depends what you consider a cheat meal. I don't have cheat meals, cause I eat whatever I want and fit food into my calorie and macro goals, so there is no need to "cheat" since I don't exclude any foods from my diet in the first place.

DamePiglet · November 2013

This is a question only you and your diet can answer.

Do you have an open relationship? Or would your diet be disappointed and heartbroken to discover your infidelity?

It's all about trust.

CptJinxx · November 2013

Well, first off, your calorie intake looks dangerously low, unless you're an old female with a very sedentary lifestyle who wants to lose much weight extremely fast.

But, if you've been doing it, and kept losing weight regularly, while not having any health problems, not starving yourself or having constant headaches, etc. Then just keep doing what you're doing.

Now that was about your calorie intake.

As for the "healthy" and "unhealthy" foods;

if by healthy, you mean anything related to weight loss; there's no good or bad foods, they're all a source of energy, in calories, to the body..

You will lose weight if your total calorie intake,over a period of time, say a week, not a day, was below your maintenance level.
And you'll gain weight if you were above it, regardless of the food source/type.

However, if by healthy, you mean foods that contribute to an overall better health, then a loaded pizza or most junk food, soda, etc, is not your best option, in large portions

because they may contain trans fats,bad type of fats, or too much sugar,which MAY lead to diabetes in the long run or something..

You get the point, a food is unhealthy only if it can have negative side effects on your HEALTH, not your weight.

So if you were talking about weight gain/loss, just eat whatever you want within your calorie limit.

Although some foods, like fibrous veggies, can help weight loss, because they make you feel full at a low cost of calories, so you can stay at your calorie limit at the end of the day, that's not a reason to call them healthy.

If you want a healthier approach to this, try to aim, daily, for a minimum of 0.8g of protein per pound of body weight and a minimum of 0.4g of fat/ lb, then fill the remaining calories with whatever you please.

lynn_glenmont · November 2013

Okay this week I've been eating more food but they are generally healthy with lots of veggies and brown rice and sandwiches and stuff but today, I ate a slice of log cake. Yesterday I had a soy dessert (it's like a soy pudding and it isn't something that I normally eat so I called it a cheat as well..) i don't know, am I allowed to have a cheat meal?

I exercise 6 days a week with a 3km run all 6 days and 2 strength training sessions and on rest day, I head out for a 30 minutes brisk walk so basically I'm exercising daily).

Lately I've been eating over 1200 kcal but usually below 1300 kcal but I'm afraid that I'll gain weight because previously I've been eating below 1000 kcal. However today, it's only 2pm on Saturday and I've already had 1224 kcal. I mean I'll definitely exercise more later, doing 3km run and a 45 minute strength training session but I feel guilty. Anyone else here has had cheat meals before?

I think I have 1-2 cheat meals per week which is pretty bad

As someone said above, it's up to you. There's certainly no rule on MFP against eating over your daily calorie goal occasionally; I'd guess most people do. If you mean will you still be able to make progress toward your weigh loss goals if you occasionally eat something that isn't on some predefined list of foods that you or some fad diet has decreed are the only foods you eat, then I would say, sure. I'm a lot older than you (and hence I likely have a lower BMR than you), and I don't exercise nearly as much as it sounds like you do, and I've been losing pretty steadily for three months netting about 1400 kcal a day.

In the week that I lost the most (5 pounds), most of my calories on Saturday came from potato chips, onion dip (made with greek yogurt), and Ben & Jerry's ice cream; on Sunday I ate pancakes at IHOP (OK, it was one of their "simple and fit" options, and I didn't quite finish it) with more of the chips, dip and ice cream on that day; on Monday I ate a 460 calorie peach "hand pie" (sort of a turnover) from the cafe where I got my 540-calorie salad trio and roll for lunch, as well as another serving of ice cream in the evening); more chips as a snack Tuesday evening; more ice cream, chips, and a chocolate chip cookie on Wednesday; more potato chips on Thursday; on Friday I had a couple of those peanut butter cracker sandwiches and a little bit of a Hershey's chocolate bar. The only thing I regretted a little was that the chocolate chip cookie had some trans fats, but I don't feel "guilty" about that. Who did I hurt other than myself? There was no sin committed, no law broken. (I also had lots of fruits and veggies, some whole grains, dairy, and a couple servings of fish, which was one of my weekly goals at the time.)

You'll probably have more success in the long run if you don't demonize any food, and just aim to eat close to your goal calories on average most of the time.

BTW, congratulations on raising your consumption from below 1000 to above 1200. It's going to be a lot easier for you to get all the nutrients you need with those additional calories to work with. Remember you need to fuel your workouts, so eat back your exercise calories.

arcana7609 · November 2013

Depends what you consider a cheat meal. I don't have cheat meals, cause I eat whatever I want and fit food into my calorie and macro goals, so there is no need to "cheat" since I don't exclude any foods from my diet in the first place.

Smart Answer!

xayles · November 2013

I eat pretty much what I want within reason for most of the week. MFP has me on 1200 calories per day - I am under 4,10". I exercise pretty much six times per week (and I then proceed to eat most of those calories too - but not all of them) I tend to find that if I am good for most of the week and then don't do any exercise and eat what I want for one day per week then I lose more weight than if I don't (On my last "day off" I went to the cinema and had popcorn as well as two pieces of chicken (skin on) and chips at KFC - I can hear a gasp of horror - and no I don't have fast food every week). I tend to find that if I diet constantly then I don't lose weight. I still eat chocolate and crisps on the days when I am "being good"... but I eat them only if it is within my calorie/macro goal.

My (and probably your) body needs a day to rest so that it can adjust to the changes.

teamAmelia · November 2013

Okay this week I've been eating more food but they are generally healthy with lots of veggies and brown rice and sandwiches and stuff but today, I ate a slice of log cake. Yesterday I had a soy dessert (it's like a soy pudding and it isn't something that I normally eat so I called it a cheat as well..) i don't know, am I allowed to have a cheat meal?

I exercise 6 days a week with a 3km run all 6 days and 2 strength training sessions and on rest day, I head out for a 30 minutes brisk walk so basically I'm exercising daily).

Lately I've been eating over 1200 kcal but usually below 1300 kcal but I'm afraid that I'll gain weight because previously I've been eating below 1000 kcal. However today, it's only 2pm on Saturday and I've already had 1224 kcal. I mean I'll definitely exercise more later, doing 3km run and a 45 minute strength training session but I feel guilty. Anyone else here has had cheat meals before?

I think I have 1-2 cheat meals per week which is pretty bad

Well, I'm concerned that you're eating between 1200-1300 cals and calling this "more". What were you eating before??? And, you didn't state that you're eating back your calories. You've eaten 1200 cals so far bc you're hungry either bc your cals are set too low and/or you need to eat more after you exercise. You're eating pretty healthy meals. So, good job on that, but you need to eat more if you're exercising so much. I don't really believe in "cheat" meals. I think that anything that's within your macros is okay (as long as it's not just junk food).

Nana_Booboo · December 2013

you make the rules, love.

airdiva1 · December 2013

I feel that every once in a while, an indulgent is good for you.
But what I find that even allowing myself a small weekly indulgent is not as vital like it use to be.
I used to allow myself once a week a small scoop of ice cream. By the third week, I found myself not thinking about it.
I did go to Five Guys one week and savor a cheeseburger and fries

.
If you do a cheat meal every week, I say no. But once a month is not a problem.

QuietBloom · December 2013

Okay this week I've been eating more food but they are generally healthy with lots of veggies and brown rice and sandwiches and stuff but today, I ate a slice of log cake. Yesterday I had a soy dessert (it's like a soy pudding and it isn't something that I normally eat so I called it a cheat as well..) i don't know, am I allowed to have a cheat meal?

I exercise 6 days a week with a 3km run all 6 days and 2 strength training sessions and on rest day, I head out for a 30 minutes brisk walk so basically I'm exercising daily).

Lately I've been eating over 1200 kcal but usually below 1300 kcal but I'm afraid that I'll gain weight because previously I've been eating below 1000 kcal. However today, it's only 2pm on Saturday and I've already had 1224 kcal. I mean I'll definitely exercise more later, doing 3km run and a 45 minute strength training session but I feel guilty. Anyone else here has had cheat meals before?

I think I have 1-2 cheat meals per week which is pretty bad

Well, I'm concerned that you're eating between 1200-1300 cals and calling this "more". What were you eating before??? And, you didn't state that you're eating back your calories. You've eaten 1200 cals so far bc you're hungry either bc your cals are set too low and/or you need to eat more after you exercise. You're eating pretty healthy meals. So, good job on that, but you need to eat more if you're exercising so much. I don't really believe in "cheat" meals. I think that anything that's within your macros is okay (as long as it's not just junk food).

fangmouse said he/she was eating 1000 kcal in the post you quoted.

fangmouse, Eat what fits into your macros, be it log cake or lichen scraped from a tree. :happy:

Am I allowed to have a cheat meal?

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