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Cheat Day, How Far Do You Go?

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Replies

  • robeff
    robeff Posts: 15 Member
    I didn't allow myself many cheat days until I'd lost around 50-60lb, probably just a couple times a month. Now I'll do a cheat meal, not a day. It's too frustrating to put in all the work then blow the margin just for 1 day IMO.

    Anyway I'll usually do like, a bacon cheeseburger with fries and some bourbon old fashioneds.. probably like 1000-1200 calories over normal for the day. Fries and bourbon are my kryptonite :)

    In general I try to maintain a diet of things I don't totally hate so I'm not miserable all the time which makes me go nuts on cheat meals. I did the occasional lowcal day though just to mix things up. It's not a bad plan, veggie stirfry with lots of garlic/onion can be good.. mushrooms for a lowcal meat substitute.. sauteed in soy sauce. Really low cal meal.
  • Annalisa_87
    Annalisa_87 Posts: 56 Member
    I have one cheat day a week, usually a saturday and I up my calories by 500, so usually that's a couple pieces of pizza and an ice-cream or something :)
  • linds5456
    linds5456 Posts: 1
    on my cheat day its usually a Sunday, I can eat whatever I want and not feel guilty, that's not the problem. My problem is not being able to recover after a cheat day. I find myself not being able to get back on track for the next few days.Does anyone else feel like this?
  • beachylove
    beachylove Posts: 137 Member
    I still try to keep mine within reason, i think my highest ever on a cheat day was 2400 (we were in Reno so beverages are what killed me) however for most I try to stay around my 1200 net but allow myself to have something like Pizza and maybe a beer.
    I try to still keep my total calories low and only have one meal that is outside my normal.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    Oh and I should note that I've been using the excuse of having a friend's dog here too (as well as my own, who plays ball in my yard fine for exercise) as an excuse to do a run every day - 450-1000 calories a day extra burnt, which earns me some cake and so on :).
  • corgarian
    corgarian Posts: 366 Member
    I personally dont allow myself a cheat DAY, I just dont want to confuse my body, I'm not on a diet I'm trying to make a lifestyle change. But I do allow myself a cheat MEAL. I have mine on sundays, and it always feels perfect, I never feel deprived, and I never feel guilty.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    'Confusing the body' is often considered a good thing for healthy/fitness for various reasons.

    It's thought that if your BMR has been reducing because your body is getting used to lower calories, a higher calorie day can help.
  • corgarian
    corgarian Posts: 366 Member
    'Confusing the body' is often considered a good thing for healthy/fitness for various reasons.

    It's thought that if your BMR has been reducing because your body is getting used to lower calories, a higher calorie day can help.
    yes but again I'm not trying to teach myself that I'm "dieting" I'm trying to adopt a new lifestyle and the way I see food. I dont want my brain to think of a cheat day as the happy day with food. It's all good and happy!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Well I try to stay under my TDEE, or otherwise to limit the damage. My worst has been 3200... Usually I try to keep it under 2500 (my TDEE is 2000 or so).
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    I go ALL the way. Seriously, as much as I can eat. Every now and then having a very full tummy feels good.
  • jelitor
    jelitor Posts: 22 Member
    This weekend I cheated and ate my entire daily calorie intake (1,600) in one meal. Exceeded it once you include the beverages
  • snoodled
    snoodled Posts: 57
    at least 10,000 cals

    Challenge accepted.

    Hilarious:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • kbmnurse
    kbmnurse Posts: 2,484 Member
    I eat whatever I want that day and usually have a few light beers. It is one day and ONLY one day.
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
    Why would anyone even do a cheat day? It's counter-productive.
  • Mav3rick54
    Mav3rick54 Posts: 180 Member
    Why would anyone even do a cheat day? It's counter-productive.

    I do it because it works for me. Therefore it is not counter productive.
  • firelight4321
    firelight4321 Posts: 60 Member
    Never more than my maintenance of 1750, and only 1-2 times a month.
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    I do not really do cheat days or meals, per se. I maintain on around 2500 calories per day with my workouts and fitness level, so I can pretty much easily fit in some treats anyway. I tend to allow myself a piece of cake or a little more of the less nutritious foods at the weekend, while in the weekdays I stick to a few small bits of chocolate.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    Why would anyone even do a cheat day? It's counter-productive.
    For many people NOT doing them ends up counterproductive to their weight loss AND general "learning a new way to live" thing - because the "real world" for most people has some days where they eat more calories than they need.
  • mytabouly
    mytabouly Posts: 66 Member
    I don't really have cheat days... I just eat a little less during the week and a little more during the weekend. It balances out nicely.
  • MissBabyJane
    MissBabyJane Posts: 538 Member
    My cheat day is usually suturday. Like last week, I had this amazing pancake dessert, with biscuits, chocolate creme mousse, banana and nutella and I didn't regret it! It was amazing, so delicious... I was over with 1000 calories I think? Maybe I'm overestimating calories sometimes just to be sure...
  • jackielou867
    jackielou867 Posts: 422 Member
    Same as some others posted, when on diet or maintenance I am usually a little under each day, at the end of the week I allow myself to go a little over but only enough to balance out the week. If I have an event coming up I eat a little less a couple of days before and a couple of days after.

    At Christmas for 3 days I was off the programme. I managed 3500-4000 calories a day, mostly trifle, and mince pies, and a whole bar of Galaxy posted from the UK, would have been rude not too!

    I believe as someone else posted, it pays to have lower and higher calorie days to prevent the body getting into a routine.
    oddly though, at the moment I am trying to bulk, and finding it hard to fit in even 200 extra calories a day!
    I wish I could go back a year and tell my past self how I would struggle to eat 2200 calories in one day, just to see the look on my face.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    I don't subscribe to "cheat" days/meals...I eat what I want and make it fit.

    If I am out on a weekend I eat the food and drink the vodka and usually end up within goal for the week.

    If you look at my diary you see I eat food, chocolate, burgers, pizza, etc when I want. My TDEE is currently sitting between 2000-2200 (depends on if I am doing HIIT or not) so eating 1600-1700 calories a day my weekly intake means I typically lose 1/2lb

    Over vacation I didn't log but that's because no internet but I know the food didn't put me over...the rum did...
  • trophywife24
    trophywife24 Posts: 1,472 Member
    I don't. I have a cheat meal, not day. As a former binger, that's just "safer" for me than an entire day. Usually on Sunday I'll have a meal that I would normally not partake in during the week, this week it was a reuben sandwich with fries, divine!! .. but not something I'm going to eat all of the time, not worth it. If I were to log them, my cheat meals are usually 1200 or so calories, ha.
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