When a cheat meal goes wrong?!?!

londontart
londontart Posts: 27 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've begun to enjoy going ahead with the whole 'cheat meal' or 'YOLO meal' a week. Today me and my boyfriend went to TGI Fridays....well I knew this all week so allowed today to be a cheat meal but oh my! We shared a starter, a main and ice cream and had a drink each. I drank a couple of glasses of water with the meal. I was feeling happy with the fact we'd split everything and felt okay. However as we went to leave I felt AWFUL. The calories clocked in at 1,303....that's almost my whole daily intake - imagine if we hadn't split everything!! It's been about 5 hours, I'm so thirsty from what I assume is the salt, I have a headache - I assume from the vast amount of sugar and my belly still feels like it's about to kill me. I've got a bottle of water on the go and knocked back some peppermint tea. When I got home I went straight in to a food snooze! Due to the way my body feels I also feel racked with guilt, which is so unlike me on cheat meal day!

Anyone else had a cheat meal gone wrong?! And what tips for making this discomfort ease a little!?

Replies

  • TX_Rhon
    TX_Rhon Posts: 1,549 Member
    1st - we do not say YOLO - that was so 2013!

    2nd - you called it a cheat meal for a reason. did you enjoy it? then great! stop beating yourself up for it. drink lots of water to combat the extra sodium. today is a new day.

    i do not call them "cheat" days. i do have splurge days but i try my best to make it for it throughout the rest of the week. it's all part of the process.
  • londontart
    londontart Posts: 27 Member
    Yeah I'm not sure what we're all calling it now days......I don't think I've ever used YOLO before in my life.... :|
  • jlshea
    jlshea Posts: 494 Member
    Don't let it get you down. Move on. Tomorrow is a new day.
  • TX_Rhon
    TX_Rhon Posts: 1,549 Member
    Yeah I'm not sure what we're all calling it now days......I don't think I've ever used YOLO before in my life.... :|

    LOL! That was more of a joke - well, i did mean it though :laugh:

    Simply put though - don't fret one or two splurge meals.
  • quixoteQ
    quixoteQ Posts: 484
    Yeah I'm not sure what we're all calling it now days......I don't think I've ever used YOLO before in my life.... :|

    If you've never said YOLO before, it's a good thing that you can check it off your To Do list now. You only live once, you know.
  • CelebrityStatus
    CelebrityStatus Posts: 84 Member
    My key to a cheat meal is moderation!

    I love chicken wings. They are almost always my cheat meal. So I order 1lb of wings, not breaded and get them baked if I can, and get the sauce on the side, so that I can dip my wings in them. I get baked sweet potato fries instead of french fries. It almost cuts the calories in half, and still tastes just as delicious!

    I plan to THOROUGHLY enjoy every single cheat meal that I have, but it is still about training your body to know its limits and try to make healthy choices. It's a learning curve! Don't beat yourself up too much!

    Never regret what you ate after you ate it ... if you feel bad, go for a walk with your boyfriend and burn some of those calories! I always try to think of "over eating" (not necessarily a cheat day, but a binge even) as fuel for a great workout! You can't un-eat the food that you already have, so put it to good use instead :)

    Don't sweat it ... a cheat meal is exactly that ... and it doesn't matter how many calories it was because you enjoyed it!
  • RllyGudTweetr
    RllyGudTweetr Posts: 2,019 Member
    I'm still fuzzy on how a "cheat meal" is something that's supposed to keep you within your calorie limit for the day. Doesn't that make it a "cheat day"? And, if it doesn't push you over budget, how are you "cheating"?

    Anyway, beating yourself up over it won't do any good. It's done. Don't try to 'atone' for it tomorrow, just get back to your regular caloric and macronutrient goals.
  • londontart
    londontart Posts: 27 Member
    Yeah I'm not sure what we're all calling it now days......I don't think I've ever used YOLO before in my life.... :|

    If you've never said YOLO before, it's a good thing that you can check it off your To Do list now. You only live once, you know.

    I think it's well and truly been ticked off the list today haha
  • jkolbe94
    jkolbe94 Posts: 23
    I feel like we all need some greasy food on occasion. Don't feel guilty. Just move forward. :)


    Unless you wanna go fully raw or vegan or something.
  • londontart
    londontart Posts: 27 Member
    I appreciate your comments....usually I don't get so caught up emotionally by it, I'm not sure why today is so different. But you are right about putting the calories to use. I'm really looking forward to my run tomorrow!!!
  • amoxy
    amoxy Posts: 1
    On Wednesday, i went to a sub shop that I have gone to a lot in the past. Great sandwiches, but it was the fresh baked bread that made it sooo good.
    Got my sandwich, took it home and was ready to devour it when I realized they changed the bread!! Wasn't the same bread, it was store bought. And the sandwich was nowhere near as close as it was before. I imagine it was close to 800 calories for the sandwich. At least it should have tasted good for the cheat!
  • QueenBishOTUniverse
    QueenBishOTUniverse Posts: 14,121 Member
    Just tell yourself it's not a "cheat day" it's a refueling day. I love my mango habenero wings from BWW's and I know I'm going to pay for them the next day, but if I enjoyed it, and it killed a craving, totally worth it!
  • NikkiTracker
    NikkiTracker Posts: 1 Member
    I had a 'free' day last weekend and split a large plate of nachos with my husband. I had cut out almost all dairy (I always had a mild alergy to milk) and had limited my meat intake to fish and occasional chicken.

    The half pound of cheese and ground beef plus tripple my usual salt intake had me curled up in pain for an hour or so. I think you did the smart thing with water and tea to flush it out of your system. I wish I had thought of that myself.

    Free days do sometimes go bad, and to be honest, those foods I had been craving didnt even taste half as good as I'd remembered but I guess it worksout for the best because for this weeks Free day, I got an exotic fruit tray. Sharons, pineapples, strawberries and all kinds of other foods that will overload my sugar for the day but over all a much more enjouable splurge.

    Live and learn!
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    Doesn't sound particularly bad as far as the calories go in the grand scheme.

    If you're really bothered, why not do a bit more exercise over the next few days to 'make it up'.

    As above - I'd just accept it as a 'refuel'.
    I only see it as a problem if it goes on to become a day, then a weekend, then a week - as I've found it so easy to do in the past.
    (Been 'on plan for 2 1/2 months now with 16/8 working well for me - that and heavy weights/cardio so I can eat 2400+ most days and still be <1000 down :) ).
  • londontart
    londontart Posts: 27 Member

    Free days do sometimes go bad, and to be honest, those foods I had been craving didnt even taste half as good as I'd remembered but I guess it worksout for the best because for this weeks Free day, I got an exotic fruit tray. Sharons, pineapples, strawberries and all kinds of other foods that will overload my sugar for the day but over all a much more enjouable splurge.

    Live and learn!

    Funny you say that....while I was sipping away at my water I was thinking 'That didn't even taste as good as I was hoping it would'
    That's a good idea about the fruit!! I love fruit and started to cut it down a bit due to the sugar.
    Slowly learning that a little bit of craving will satisfy you for a long time!!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Considering that your maintenance calories are probably in the neighborhood of 2,000 plus calories I fail to see how this is a big deal or a "cheat meal going wrong."
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
    If you plan for it...it isn't cheating.

    I have pizza every Sunday. I know how many calories it will be so I just work around them...maybe leave off a snack so that I can have an extra piece. I save some of my workout calories throughout the week to use if I need to.

    The way that I see it...we have to learn to eat out...learn how to handle a meal that is high in calorie...learn to eat special meals. I think that it is better to do that while we are trying to lose weight instead of waiting until we hit goal weight.
  • alibee88
    alibee88 Posts: 31
    In what way would it even have been a "cheat" if you'd been within your calorie goals for the day?

    If you ate sensibly the rest of the day, I would think you'd still be around your maintenance calorie level so all that's happened is that you haven't lost today. One day at maintenance isn't really going to set you back :)
  • londontart
    londontart Posts: 27 Member
    I'm only just realising what you are all saying about the maintenance calories! I'm so use to the limit set on MFP, I forget that anything over is only going to be maintenance, not a gain (up to a point, obviously!!!) *smacks head against wall*:noway:
  • QueenBishOTUniverse
    QueenBishOTUniverse Posts: 14,121 Member
    I'm only just realising what you are all saying about the maintenance calories! I'm so use to the limit set on MFP, I forget that anything over is only going to be maintenance, not a gain *smacks head against wall*:noway:

    LOL, yes that part is easy to forget. Eating up to maintenance every once in a while I think is really a good thing. Technically my calorie goal is actually set to "maintenance" for the weight I want to be when I'm done. I've only got a little left to go, so I figure I'll be in good shape when I eventually get there, since I've already been eating at maintenance for months! But going over here or there really just isn't going to make that big of a difference.
  • lizzyclatworthy
    lizzyclatworthy Posts: 296 Member
    I totally hate having a meal i earn't loads of calories for and it's really disappointing. I am willing to admit that sometimes i don't bother
  • action_man
    action_man Posts: 21 Member
    I've had this happen. Don't worry about how much you ate, or how much sugar or whatever. If you're feeling the painful bloaty crappy feeling, just try to eat slower. In my experience that all comes from eating too much too fast. Just take it easy and listen to your body. Cheat day or not, if you don't feel hungry anymore, don't eat anymore. But even if you accidentally hit the food-coma zone just relax, take a nap, move on and try not to do it again, if for no other reason than it feels unpleasant.
  • maegmez
    maegmez Posts: 341 Member
    This is a life journey, these types of meals keep it sustainable so to me, it's not cheating. I ate at least 2100 calories today and included an Indian takeaway and thortons premium chocolates. No a single ounce of guilt.
  • paxbfl
    paxbfl Posts: 391 Member
    The discomfort that comes from a cheat meal/day always reminds me how much better I feel when I stick to my program and eat healthy. It motivates me to get back on track and have an awesome week. So don't sweat it - use it to your advantage!
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    I have had plenty go wrong. I tend to go totally off the healthy eating rails if I have a cheat meal or cheat day, generally, so I avoid them for as long as possible. I always feel sluggish if I have things like pizza and cake, which tend to be my main cheats. I go as long as I can and then when I feel I might be heading for a binge, then is when I allow myself a cheat meal, or a day where I allow myself foods I usually try to keep out of my diet. You will feel your usual self once you get a good workout in, basically. That always sorts it all out for me and then I am back on track. The worst thing to do, is to allow the next day sluggishness, to interfere with your workout plans.

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