How often do you have cheat days?

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snappyapples
snappyapples Posts: 76
in Health and Weight Loss
Just wondering how many times a week/month you guys do cheat days, and what do you do during your cheat days? Do you just eat whatever you want, do you log it? Are you working on a self-reward scheme?
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Replies

  • Wiseandcurious
    Wiseandcurious Posts: 730 Member
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    I log everything. Never had a real cheat day so far, one whithout logging, because why would I want to cheat myself? But I have had days when I ate over maintenance, still logging everything. I don't plan those days, I just enjoy them when they happen and may be try to be a little more careful the next few days.

    I was going to post a similar topic, because I am also curious - it only recently struck me that when people say "cheat day/meal" they might not be logging it. I think that kid of defeats the purpose of the app?
  • flame_retardant
    flame_retardant Posts: 49 Member
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    I don't log and most of the time, I don't buy junk food. But once in a while, I'll let myself have a king-size kitkat bar or something & not feel too bad about it. So maybe once every few weeks is a "cheat" day, meaning I eat processed candy or something similar?
  • bajoyba
    bajoyba Posts: 1,153 Member
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    I log everything. Never had a real cheat day so far, one whithout logging, because why would I want to cheat myself? But I have had days when I ate over maintenance, still logging everything. I don't plan those days, I just enjoy them when they happen and may be try to be a little more careful the next few days.

    I agree. Even when I ate way above maintenance on Thanksgiving, I logged everything to the best of my ability, because I like knowing what I'm eating and what my numbers look like. Knowledge is power, and weight loss is all about the numbers!

    But I will occasionally eat above my goal. Sometimes it's planned and sometimes it isn't. I just log it and move on. :smile:
  • jenhunter86
    jenhunter86 Posts: 3 Member
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    I think it's important to have a splurge day, but don't cheat yourself by not logging. Even if you're going over budget, it's still good to be conscious of what you're consuming.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    Too many. I only lost 1.5 lb this month because I went over 5 times by 500+. I log everything, and I try to stay under 2500 at least... It WILL slow down your weight loss. That's why it's healthier to fit what you want in your calories (like today, I'm going out and having dessert but having a small one and it should still fit fine in my calories).
  • Clash1001
    Clash1001 Posts: 85 Member
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    I try to have one day a week where I don't worry if I go over my calories - it's not neccessarily a 'right, I'm going to eat everything I get my hands on' day, but if I want a bar of chocolate I will eat it without running the numbers through first to see if it fits into my allowance.
  • sentaruu
    sentaruu Posts: 2,206 Member
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    i can't say I ever have a "cheat day". eat what you want, log it, stay under your goal.
  • caitconquersweight
    caitconquersweight Posts: 316 Member
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    Once a week, on my husband's days off. Right now that's Mondays and Tuesdays. We usually eat out those days. I eat my regular breakfast that I'd eat on my logging days, then usually I eat whatever I want for lunch. Sometimes I make a supper that I'd eat on logging days, sometimes we also go out to eat for supper. I don't really snack too much or binge. I might have an extra cup of coffee. My biggest challenge on those days is remembering to drink enough water. I didn't do it this last week and I've been paying for it ever since. Gotta stay hydrated D:

    I work out 5 days a week for over an hour each time. I don't think I'd take a cheat day if I wasn't working out consistently.
  • zeal26
    zeal26 Posts: 602 Member
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    I don't think I really have cheat days. I've kind of gotten into the mindset of I can eat what I want as long as I stay at or under my goals. Most of the time I do eat really well because it means I can eat more (and I tend to want to eat all day), plus I've started to really enjoy healthier foods, but yesterday for example I had a 500 calorie piece of cake. I was still under my goal for the day so I don't feel like I cheated! I think a day where I just ate whatever I wanted and didn't log it would really mess up my progress.
  • craftywitch_63
    craftywitch_63 Posts: 829 Member
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    I don't really think I have "cheat" days per se. For the first time in 37 days I went to a restaurant and had a meal and went over my calorie allowance, but I logged everything and even planned the meal that I ordered. Sashimi, so that could have been worse, but the cream cheese rangoons were pretty high in calories. I ended up about 300 calories over my allowance - that could have been worse, too. I plan to "make up" for it today by keeping within my calorie allowance and working out. I tend to work out like crazy on the weekends, anyway. Although I didn't lose any weight, I did maintain my weight - I'm one of those OCD crazies that weighs every morning.
  • FloreceN
    FloreceN Posts: 7 Member
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    I know how active I am and how much I would have to exercise to get "pay off" the calorie intake. So I have finally concluded that cheating is not really worth it. I do like chocolate, but have cut that down to almost nothing ( 1 square) of very dark - where sugar is about the 4-5th ingredient. The thing with cheating is that it throws your system out of sink of losing weight and back to using easy quick sugars to digest and it can take as much as a week to get it back in sink with burning fat again. Besides I have finally concluded that my life is much better without all of that processed junk food & sugar. I just feel a lot better & not like a bloated slug!!!!
  • RllyGudTweetr
    RllyGudTweetr Posts: 2,019 Member
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    I've had maybe nine or ten cheat days since I joined, either on my birthday or during vacation time, mostly. If I can access the internet, I log them.
  • Momto4minions
    Momto4minions Posts: 173 Member
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    Once a week, i have a single meal out to eat, but try to not go over by more than 200 cals for the day. Very reasonable, for me. Once a month, i have a day i just let it go and have junk. It is,in my mind, how life can be and I need to learn to fit in fast food and celebraions. I have to be aware of the calories in french fries and fried chicken. I have to know it is a treat and not a daily event. I am trying to learn to make it fit my new life style choices. I know if it isnt something I planto do forever, it wont work,so I am teaching myself to make it work.
    I dont think of it as a cheat. I think of it as learning to make good choices 90% of the time and accomodate the other 10% in my life without gaining weight.
  • amybickmore
    amybickmore Posts: 8 Member
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    I never have a "cheat day". Is that because I can control myself perfectly? HA! Nope, it's because I am not looking at this journey as a "diet"...it's a lifestyle change...meaning I am simply modifying my everyday life. If I want to have dessert every night, that's ok, I just need to adjust for that. I either need to eat less during the rest of the day to save room for those calories OR work out harder to burn off extra.

    Depriving yourself leads to failure in my mind. How many times are you craving something, say a chocolate bar, and you eat about 12 other things trying to avoid the chocolate bar, to only then end up eating said chocolate bar too. There is a good chance you would have saved yourself a butt load of calories if you had just had the 220 calorie chocolate bar in the first place.

    You still need to enjoy the journey, just be sensible about it :smile:
  • jennthumphries
    jennthumphries Posts: 3 Member
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    Usually one day a week, but I'm trying to cut back. Like today I was really craving chocolate and peanut butter, so I looked for a healthy alternative, and made a smoothie with chocolate almond soy milk and natural peanut butter that was pretty good, and fit in my calories.
  • tiggerlgh
    tiggerlgh Posts: 73 Member
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    Usually only when I am on vacation or holiday's at home.
  • graceire
    graceire Posts: 323 Member
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    Almost never. But I do have cheat meals at least once a week.

    But I don't feel that I have to have a cheat day. My calorie goal is high enough (1860) that I don't feel deprived so don't feel a need to have a cheat day (note: calorie goal based on TDEE-20%).
  • Slacker16
    Slacker16 Posts: 1,184 Member
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    Depends on your definition.

    I have "mini" cheat days quite often. That's when I go over my goal by <300 calories and log it for the next day. I even have a special "carryover" category for that.

    I have real cheat days once a week. That's when I pig out, usually 2500-3500 calories (total, of course). Having such a day allows me to remain sane. I still log it though, just to see the damage.

    Been working for me...
  • suremeansyes
    suremeansyes Posts: 962 Member
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    I have INSANE cheat days. Well, insane for me. Some dudes can put away 5k-7k calories on a cheat day. I will go between 2k and 3k. Like today.

    Today's gonna be a good one.

    ETA: Once a week on Saturdays, Sundays are generally tamer.
  • hookemhorns2013
    hookemhorns2013 Posts: 56
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    Mostly just when I am trying to break a plateau. My appetite has dropped so drastically that I have to force myself to eat lately which is very weird for me because I love to eat.

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