How often do you have a cheat day?
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Frequently. Just dont tell the wife. Oh, were you talking about food?....0
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When I was on weight-loss in 2012, I did not do cheat days in order to reach my goal. When I completed my initial goal (lost 55+lbs), started to do one cheat day a week cause I was a bit afraid of putting back on weight. When I came to realize that with proper exercise and sufficient water intake, I could maintain and even lose more lbs....I started counting calories, etc. and eat everything my heart desires, just within my calorie goal. So I'll have chocolate, cheescake...anything I wish, but ensure cals, fats, sugars, etc. stay within my daily calorie goal.0
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I have one day off a week, usually a saturday! We have takeaway and alcohol. Sundays are my exercise day and back to normal in the week.
i always eat what I fancy - I never ignore a craving. I just eat the things I love in moderation if I really want them.0 -
I've been dieting for about 2 weeks straight now and I'm starting to get a little sad that I can't eat the way I used to! So tonight I'm treating myself to a ridiculously fattening 1000lb + calorie kebab. I already feel guilty though cos I feel like I'm just throwing away all my hard work
I know I can still eat the food that I love in moderation, but there's no way I can fit that kind of food into my "diet". Does anyone else have really fattening favourite foods that they treat themselves to occasionally, whether they're on a diet or not?
why can't you fit it in everyday??? I do...
I don't have a relegated "cheat day" I eat what I want when I want as long as it fits in my goals..
My diary is open so you can see I have a "cheat" everyday...yesterday toaster struddle...the day before cheese cake pop covered in chocolate and salted carmel...0 -
I have a 'treat' day every week. It's not a 'cheat meal' or 'cheat day' because I still stay in my regular calorie range. Yesterday I had a red velvet muffin - it was amazing and it will me going for another week.
I think 'cheat' meals or days all depends on how committed the person is. Clearly if you binge out and eat everything in sight you're not serious about your goals. That being said - even if you DO binge on this 'cheat' day - you still need to carry on. You're still doing better than you were before you started caring about your diet/fitness.
IMO - I feel like 'treat' days should be acceptable for those who don't have a lot a weight to lose and that aren't used to over-feeding themselves. I feel like your mind set changes once you have experienced weight loss.0 -
It depends on what you mean by cheat. I stay within my calories.
I eat the things I like and fit them in to my daily calorie amount.
The only one I would be cheating is myself and I did that for way too long. This is the way I live now, and it is a better life.0 -
Hubby and I cheat every Friday night !! Once a week. Whatever we want for supper. I usually get McDonald's or Pizza Delight. We have chips and dip as a snack. Then I finish it off with some wine that I don't have to measure out !! We start out the day by eating healthy and then when supper time hits just forget it all !!! It's the greatest. We set the night in stone. It is something to look forward to and it keeps me on the straight and narrow when it comes to eating healthy. Plus who wants to cook after working all week !!!!
Good luck !!
Just what I do, it takes away the feeling your missing out & doing this has made no difference to my weight loss over time.
Just don't do it all week
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I havent read everyones posts, but why dont u make your own kebab? i got a wicked schwartz chargrill seasoning which is yum on chicken, or cut up some lamb and make a nice one yourself. the leaner meat and less unknown crap and grease will defo ease the guilt, and not actually be that far off from being a good day rather than a cheat.
i know what it is like - i am soooo addicted to something sweet after dinner and post 5pm is so hard for me. especially cos i live alone most of the time (housemate is often out) and dont have any support indoors or anyone to hide my food from. thats why i am building up my contacts on here, and it defo makes a difference!0 -
We have take out every friday Kids really enjoy it Pizza, Subs, Chinese, and or mexican I just try to limit my portions but I normally go over but my weekly average is still under.0
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Not necessarily a cheat day but every three days of awesomeness I take one off with no exercise and eat enough so that I feel nourished. On the days that I don't exercise I don't really like to eat bad because then I feel like crap the next day.0
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Every two weeks.. TOO LITTLE!!!!!!!!! AARRRGGH0
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I'm learning that as long a a cheat meal doesn't turn into a cheat day, it's ok.0
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Sundays.
I just let myself eat what I want when I want (within moderation)
I don't want to spoil my weeks work, but if I fancy a cupcake I'll have the cupcake - simple as that.
I think its healthy this way because it motivates you to work hard in the week and then when it finally hits Sunday, you don't feel guilty for treating yourself! xx0 -
I have a cheat day about once a month. If I indulge anymore than that, I will go back to my binge eating. 0
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Only Cheat Meals for me.
And only when driven by the innate human need for social interaction over food--and the fact is, not everyone wants to eat like they're on a diet.
Menu-wise, if they won't come to me or at least meet me in the middle, I have no choice: I go to them.0 -
I don't really think I've been healthy eating enough to have a specific answer to this!
I do however, agree with a lot of people in that I'll treat myself occasionally, e.g a family's birthday, a special occasion.0 -
It's impossible for me to "cheat" on my diet because my diet is eating whatever I want. :drinker:0
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I've been dieting for about 2 weeks straight now and I'm starting to get a little sad that I can't eat the way I used to! So tonight I'm treating myself to a ridiculously fattening 1000lb + calorie kebab. I already feel guilty though cos I feel like I'm just throwing away all my hard work I know I can still eat the food that I love in moderation, but there's no way I can fit that kind of food into my "diet". Does anyone else have really fattening favourite foods that they treat themselves to occasionally, whether they're on a diet or not?
why can't you fit it in everyday??? I do...
I don't have a relegated "cheat day" I eat what I want when I want as long as it fits in my goals..
My diary is open so you can see I have a "cheat" everyday...yesterday toaster struddle...the day before cheese cake pop covered in chocolate and salted carmel...
Agree! Fit it in!
A kebab is like meat and veggies grilled on a stick.... I'm struggling to see how that would be difficult to fit in any normal diet. Grilled is the lowest calorie way to eat meat. And veggie calories are practically null.
So confused.0 -
Don't cheat yourself. Reward yourself. Cheat is a negative word and comes with guilt. Give yourself a reward meal, no less than once a week. This should be a reward for all the hard work and consistancy you have put in for the week. I also follow IIFYM. It gives me a chance to eat the foods I want with out the guilt.0
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I eat what I want just less of it now, so I don't need to cheat. And if I'm over one day not a big deal as long as I'm not consistently going over I will and have continually lost weight.
My diary is open and you will see all kinds of treats in there0 -
I have probably two days a week where I go over by between 200 and 600 calories. It usually works out on the averages and if not I put it down to experience.
As for crazy days (I call them 4k days as it usually ends up about that and if I lose track, that's what I log) - maybe once a month? I don't try and work them back - too demotivating - and I find one 4k day in isolation has amazingly little effect on the scale as long as you know you did it, you LOG IT, and you get straight back on plan. Christmas was another matter as there were a few clustered together - but even so, take a look at the chart. I put on a bit over Christmas, but overall I was still losing.
Crucially, my 4k days are intentional. I choose to go over, and I enjoy it! If there's one thing that's been key for me this time around it's to drop the guilt, and the 'must's and 'should's. Losing weight is something you want to do. So is eating that kebab. Your decision, your choice. And if my experience is a guide, you can probably do both.0 -
I just started, but I know realistically there are gonna be some days I go over. I'm still gonna log them but I realize some days I set myself back from my goal, I just have to learn not to let it be a common occurrence.
Like today for instance, this is the first time I've had homemade hot chocolate in a while (its -5 degrees out), and when I went to log it, I about fell out of my chair when I saw how many calories it was and how it had eliminated half my sugar for the day. I have not even had breakfeast yet!! Its a learning experience. :P I'm not gonna stress about it.
I do however, have no plans to log on vacations and Christmas/Thanksgiving.0 -
just about every weekend!0
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I have found that if I try to diet and restrict and eliminate foods that I enjoy from my diet I will fail every single time. This time I am eating what I do like, but in smaller quantities. I'm beefing up on other stuff such as beans and veggies. I am finding it much easier to keep under my calories goal when I do this because I'm getting to eat what I want but in a healthier way. So I really don't have to do a cheat day.
Cheat days in the past have distracted me from dieting because after the cheat day, it's hard to go back to dieting for me.0 -
Hubby and I cheat every Friday night !! Once a week. Whatever we want for supper. I usually get McDonald's or Pizza Delight. We have chips and dip as a snack. Then I finish it off with some wine that I don't have to measure out !! We start out the day by eating healthy and then when supper time hits just forget it all !!! It's the greatest. We set the night in stone. It is something to look forward to and it keeps me on the straight and narrow when it comes to eating healthy. Plus who wants to cook after working all week !!!!
Good luck !!
THIS.....I do the same thing. If its not Friday, its one day over the weekend. I allow a "cheat" day, or "cheat" meal is more like it. It feels good to be able to still eat something I love...like McDonalds, or wings, or....well, the list would go on for days, b/c I love food. But I have also noticed, if I eat within my calories all the other days, when I have a "bad" day, the scale goes down the next day. I have read all about staggering calories, and those people might be on to something. Anyways...good luck. If this is going to work for you, you still have to eat what you love.0 -
I usually let 'er rip on Friday night and/or Saturday night when we are out on a date or out with friends. Can't say 'no' to a martini, right? ;-)
However, I am pretty careful most of the week and build in a bit of buffer.
Essentially IIFYM on a weekly basis more than a daily basis.
Cheat MEALS make sense to me. Cheat DAYS can be a bit of a slippery slope. If I went 'all in' on a cheat day, I could be looking at a 12,000 calorie day. THAT would be tough to make up.
Good luck!0 -
As to cheat days, I do it a little different than everyone else. I don't really have "cheat" days persay, but allow myself to have one small treat per day. It keeps my cravings at bay and I fit it into my calorie goal. I might have a can of Mt. Dew one day, or a Milky way another. Maybe a small amount of pasta, or whatever it is I am craving. Some days I am up to 300 calories under my goal, and so if I go over the next day I do not worry about it too much. I just watch my weekly caloric intake and make sure I hit my goal there.0
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Once a month I go over my TDEE, in average. If I'm still under my TDEE I don't consider it a cheat day though (and yeah, it happens more).0
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I used to do a free for all on weekends, and I was still losing, albiet slowly. I decided to make that just one meal and some drinks on Friday or Saturday, and the pounds started to melt off very quickly.0
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