Cheat day

I have a cheat meal everyday if I don't I will binge Everything in Moderation

When is ok to have a cheat day?

Ultimately you have to decide that for yourself. It's your body, your life. You're in control.

Here lately I have wanted to cheat a little bit but I always talk myself into thinking that if I cheat I will set my self back so far that there will be no return, while I know that this is false it works every time. So I would like to know what kind of steps people take on their cheat days because I fear that I will start to become miserable with all of my diet restrictions.

I don't have "cheat days." I have days where I decide to eat up to maintenance, about every 10 days or so usually, but it's been more like once or twice a week during the holidays. I'm still at deficit on other days, so I still lose weight pretty much every week (the only weeks I haven't lost weight I attribute to hormonal cycles). I also have days (Thanksgiving, Christmas) where I decide I can eat significantly over maintenance, knowing that if I'm at deficit the other days of the week, I should still be at maintenance for the week. Practically, though, I can't eat six days' worth of deficit calories beyond maintenance in a single day. I only ate 600 or 700 calories above maintenance on Thanksgiving, and my daily average goal currently is 700 calories below maintenance. So I lost two days' worth of deficits. I still lost weight that week. I may have to rethink this when I get to a smaller daily deficit, or to maintenance, but for now this is working.

Also what will you guys be doing for christmas??

There are other threads on this subject you might want to check out.

...... Also what will you guys be doing for christmas??

Holy non sequitur, Batman!

When is ok to have a cheat day? Here lately I have wanted to cheat a little bit but I always talk myself into thinking that if I cheat I will set my self back so far that there will be no return, while I know that this is false it works every time. So I would like to know what kind of steps people take on their cheat days because I fear that I will start to become miserable with all of my diet restrictions. Also what will you guys be doing for christmas??

What would a cheat day look like for you?

Pizza and beer or wine for dinner
Maybe lucky charms for breakfast lol.
My cheat day would be more of a cheat meal.

You consider that a cheat day? ;-) I thought you were going to say it would consist of eating a pumpkin pie or something lol. A beer or glass of wine ain't that big of a deal. And how many calories could 1 cup of Lucky Charms possibly have in?

After years of making a huge lifestyle change, I realize that I let food control me. I was an emotional eater.

Now I eat an intentional cheat meal every 1-2 weeks. But there are days I may have that piece of Halloween candy or my favorite dessert. I don't beat myself up. I just don't bring the crap foods home, I eat OUT and don't bring the leftovers or entire box of donuts,lol!

I workout 5-6/ week, so I enjoy myself,my life and don't let food be the focus. Just do what feels good to u.

Life is short, enjoy!
???? ⛄Have a very Merry CHRISTmas Eve❗ ❗ ????

Shan

If the whole point of MFP is calories in vs. calories out, then a "cheat" day or even a "cheat" meal does not make sense. If you're within your allotted calories, then you're not really "cheating." If you go over, then you won't lose (or you won't lose as much). That being said, I eat less during the week and allow myself to eat (and drink) more on the weekends. I guess technically those are "cheat days," but I still log everything. Overall I still stay within my weekly calorie allotment. Ultimately though, you have to do what works for you.

I have what I call a "free day" every Saturday, as opposed to a "cheat day". I eat whatever I want. It is not unusual for me to eat 3 to 4000 cal on that day. I have dropped 22 pounds since 10/13/13, going from 217 down to 195. If I get any cravings during the week, I would just tell myself "I will have that Saturday" and then I do not feel like I am missing out on something. Many times, by Saturday I'm no longer craving whatever that was. If I am craving it still, then I Will eat it. I also exercise six days a week, therefore I am working very hard to take the weight off. This works very well for me but everyone has to figure out what works best for them and makes them happy.

I don't "cheat." I eat tasty foods I like every day. In fact, very few things I put in my mouth are not tasty foods I like. I just make sure that enough of those tasty foods are protein, enough of them are fat, enough of them are fiber, and so on... and then I make sure not to eat ALL THE TASTY FOODS at once.

I may go over my calorie net once in a while. Sometimes I compensate for it by going lower on other days so it balances out within the week... sometimes I just don't worry about it. I've been maintaining around my goal weight for about 6-7 months now. If I had to spend most of my days eating in a manner that made me feel deprived, I wouldn't be at my goal weight now.

The basic math of weight loss is universal and simple, but how to approach it is very much an individual thing. When choosing an approach, do consider whether you can see yourself doing it that way for the rest of your life... or even the next 3-5 years. If you can, then your transition to maintenance will probably be easier, and your likelihood of staying there higher.

Howdy Ag! Class of '80 here. There's good advice on this thread already. It's okay to eat stuff you like. It's best if you can fit it in within your goal numbers. But going over for a special occasion is fine. We didn't gain the weight in a day; we won't lose it in a day. Long term sustainable habits are the goal.

"Working out" doesn't mean going to a gym and busting your hiney, either. Any place you can add some extra movement helps. If you're on campus, I know you're doing a lot of walking. Make sure you have your activity level set properly.