Has anyone lost weight with 'cheat days'?

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  • khoshgeleh16
    khoshgeleh16 Posts: 150 Member
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    Maybe once every 3-4 weeks I'll go out to dinner or go to a party and not really worry about the calories, but honestly, I find that I can avoid the need for a "cheat day" or "cheat meal" by working small amounts of treats (crisps, candy, pizza, whatever) into my regular eating patterns. (A homemade personal pizza for lunch one day, 30g of crisps with my dinner, etc.) That way, when I'm presented with a large quantity of a food I love, I don't immediately dive face-first into the dish and eat 3000 calories worth of it because I needlessly denied myself. It hasn't hindered my losses at all - I've been pretty steadily losing about 5 pounds a month this way!
  • HelloSweetie81
    HelloSweetie81 Posts: 55 Member
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    I've had a cheat day every week, but still kept track of the intake. But I only eat at around maintenance that day instead of just going bananas, and shoving a bunch of crap in my face. Although, reading these other responses, I'm thinking of moving to just a cheat meal, instead.
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
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    I've never successfully dieted without cheat days, and I don't care what anyone thinks about it. If I don't give myself time to eat the unhealthy foods I love, I'll give up on the diet within a month. It's worked for me. I lost 40 lbs a few years ago eating whatever I wanted on Sundays - and that's a lot of food. I actually feel like the spike in calories kept my metabolism from slowing down, but I have no clue if there's any truth to that. All I know is that I was losing 1-2 lbs a week even with a cheat day. This time around, I didn't really care if the weight came off fast, so I don't count calories on weekends at all. I haven't lost weight in a few weeks because I haven't been doing what I'm supposed to during the week, but I've still dropped 16 lbs doing it this way.

    I don't care if people think it's "idiotic," I think you have to find what works best for YOU, not people on MFP. If it works for you, who cares what these people think? For me, the "everything in moderation" thing doesn't work. I don't have the self-control to eat one tiny piece of chocolate a day, or 5 potato chips if I have a craving. No, if I'm going to eat something fattening, I'm not stopping there. Therefore, I have to be strict during the week, but knowing I have the weekend to look forward to makes that pretty easy. If I eat healthy more often than not, I'm doing pretty good.
  • somefitsomefat
    somefitsomefat Posts: 445 Member
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    You might be projecting your own issues with food, but other people use a "cheat" day so they can go out and act like a normal person who doesn't count every calorie, or is able to let loose and GASP even go over their calories.

    Just a quick news flash. The "normal person" thing to do in the US is to be overweight and being obese is going to be the new "normal person" thing at the rate the country is going. Cheat days are the same as food rewards as goals. The mentality is counter productive. You're not a dog. Don't reward yourself with food.
  • martyqueen52
    martyqueen52 Posts: 1,120 Member
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    Cheat days are idiotic.

    If you let yourself go and eat WHATEVER, WHENEVER you can easily surpass 3,500 calories from high calorie foods and gain fat, fast.

    Incorporate IIFYM lifestyle and eat what you want as long as it fits your macros to avoid "cheat" days which technically are binge days that set you way back.

    They aren't "idiotic" as you say and can easily be incorporated into anyones routine as long as there is a caloric deficit sustained.

    You can also practice both IIFYM and have cheat days.

    They aren't necessarily binges. They might be as simple as going out for a night on the town and having some good eats and drinks. Big **** you are over calories one day.
    Let's be frank about this. Cheat days keep you thinking like a fat person. It's the same "I love food so much and it's so important to me that I need to have as much of it as possible to make me feel good." Just my two cents. As a couple people have said, just work the foods enjoy in to your regular diet. Also, try to address why you feel like you need a whole day to pig out.

    Just no.

    You're idea of a cheat day (I need as much food as possible & I need a whole day to pig out) is not everyone else's. You might be projecting your own issues with food, but other people use a "cheat" day so they can go out and act like a normal person who doesn't count every calorie, or is able to let loose and GASP even go over their calories.

    I HATE these cheat day discussions..

    1. Cheat day is stupid term
    2. People project their own ideas of what a cheat day is (different to everyone)

    Most people losing weight here SHOUD have a good grasp of the basics (calorie deficit, macros, micros, etc) but the real trick is figuring out how to best sustain that.

    If someone chooses to go out and party (or stay in and go over cals for that matter) once in awhile - that isn't "idiotic" and it isn't "pigging out". It is an effective tool to help them sustain a long term caloric deficit.

    Now, if someone is "cheating" so much they can't sustain a caloric deficit - then that is an issue. I'd argue though, that isn't a "cheat day" as much as the person isn't really dieting anyways.

    Why contradict yourself?

    "They aren't "idiotic" as you say and can easily be incorporated into anyones routine as long as there is a caloric deficit sustained. You can also practice both IIFYM and have cheat days"

    Why practice IIFYM just to have a cheat day? That defeats the whole point of IIFYM and the logic behind it and it's roots of development in the bodybuilding world. "Incorporate it into anyone routine as long as a deficit is there"? Do you read what you type? Or do you go keyboard warrior at the first opportunity? That's IIFYM, like I was preaching...
  • rgb93
    rgb93 Posts: 17 Member
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    Yes. Cheating is fine so long as it's moderated. I've lost 60lbs over 7 months while having cheat days. Just don't make everyday a cheat day (or moderate and stay at a deficit).
  • wriri7_x
    wriri7_x Posts: 94 Member
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    Cheat days are idiotic.

    If you let yourself go and eat WHATEVER, WHENEVER you can easily surpass 3,500 calories from high calorie foods and gain fat, fast.


    Not really I log the meals and the day mainly consists of 2000-2200 calories.
  • ariwebs
    ariwebs Posts: 2
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    You need cheat days.
    Every person has cheat days, whether it's every week, biweekly or even monthly. You're not human if you don't crave food that you know isn't the healthiest. When I first started exercising I cheated every week; this would be candy or a sweet snack. Up until the point I took a break from working out because I got extremely busy I had lost 65lbs using this cheat method.
    Now I have two cheat days a month where I will have an entire meal and a few cheat snacks.
  • VanillaBeanSeed
    VanillaBeanSeed Posts: 562 Member
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    When I first started I had cheat weekends all the time. Ate what ever I wanted.

    Ive lost 120 so far.

    As I get closer to my goal, cheat days are having more of an effect on my weight loss.

    So I try to limit them, or just have a day where I eat at maintenance. =)
  • smudgedj
    smudgedj Posts: 4 Member
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    You might be projecting your own issues with food, but other people use a "cheat" day so they can go out and act like a normal person who doesn't count every calorie, or is able to let loose and GASP even go over their calories.

    Just a quick news flash. The "normal person" thing to do in the US is to be overweight and being obese is going to be the new "normal person" thing at the rate the country is going. Cheat days are the same as food rewards as goals. The mentality is counter productive. You're not a dog. Don't reward yourself with food.

    Can I reward myself with beer?
  • qb63
    qb63 Posts: 88 Member
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    I was wondering whether anyone has lost any weight with a cheat day once a week?
    My day goes like-

    EXAMPLE:
    Small breakfast
    Mixed kebab with chips for lunch
    Milkshake in the evening
    1 crisp and 1 chocolate and some sweets

    I eat 1200 calories 6 days of the week, so will a cheat day hinder my weight loss?

    Your idea of a cheat day and mine are very different! :drinker:
  • AyeHarper
    AyeHarper Posts: 34
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    We aren't dogs, we shouldn't reward ourselves with food by binging just because it's a cheat day. If things fit in your macros, then you can eat them in moderation. You can literally eat anything in moderation and still lose. Whole days where you let loose are unnecessary and have the potential to set you wayyyy back .
  • Jordan_Gregers
    Jordan_Gregers Posts: 35 Member
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    I just got back from a two week trip to the UK and ate and drank whatever I felt like. I thought I would have put on at least a pound or two, but I came back having lost 3... Go figure. Just stay active and keep watching your portions?
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    We aren't dogs, we shouldn't reward ourselves with food by binging just because it's a cheat day. If things fit in your macros, then you can eat them in moderation. You can literally eat anything in moderation and still lose. Whole days where you let loose are unnecessary and have the potential to set you wayyyy back .

    Apparently, that's not true for most.

    http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20140206/want-to-keep-the-weight-off-weekday-meals-may-be-key

    THURSDAY, Feb. 6, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- People trying to lose weight should pay close attention to what they eat during the week, and not worry as much about enjoying themselves during the weekend, a new study suggests.

    Nearly everyone gradually loses weight during the week and then gains it back over the weekend, a team of American and Finnish researchers reported.

    "Almost to a person, we weigh the most Sunday night and we weigh the least Friday morning," said study co-author Brian Wansink, a professor of consumer behavior at Cornell University and author of the book Slim By Design.

    But people who successfully lose weight and keep it off are those who maintain healthy eating habits during the week, the researchers found.
    ...
  • jannalovescoffee
    jannalovescoffee Posts: 118 Member
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    I think you have to figure out what works for you. Personally, Monday-Friday, I usually eat at my calories for a 2 lbs weight loss a week, plus exercise and burn about 500 calories/day, and don't eat back workout calories. On the weekends, I go to family dinners and go out to eat...hard to log a lot of it, so if I go over a bit those days, I'm not too worried. I don't see these days as cheat days, just know the stress of trying to log on weekends, and restricting from eating all that homecooked goodness will only make me overeat in the end.

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