How often do you take cheat meals?

nespinosa3
nespinosa3 Posts: 116
in Health and Weight Loss
This is just out of curiosity, I'm not going to go ahead and do what people here say because I know depends on the person. Me, I was taking a cheat meal pretty much every weekend, and now I'm switching to every 1 or 2 weekends. For example, last weekend I went out of town so pretty much ate out 4 times in a row, so this weekend I will stick to my diet.
What are you all doing? Any cheat meals? How often? Just a meal or meal & dessert?

Replies

  • SnowWhiteFanatic
    SnowWhiteFanatic Posts: 129 Member
    1 cheat meal per week. Sometimes I skip it though.
  • Apocalypz
    Apocalypz Posts: 155 Member
    I'm the same -- once per week is usual. Even then, I try to watch myself. During the week, I try to calm the sweet cravings by eating loads of fruit.
  • tiggerlgh
    tiggerlgh Posts: 73 Member
    Very rarely. Really only for occasions/events. I had this one as we had a happy hour with one of our clients this week for work. Prior to that it had been a while, probably when my sister was up visiting in early February.
  • lisamay74
    lisamay74 Posts: 16
    I have 1 cheat meal a week......usually supper and yes I have a dessert!!! :happy:

    Lisa
    :flowerforyou:
  • catsandtats
    catsandtats Posts: 29 Member
    I have different calorie goals for different days depending on what I'm doing (resting, working out, or going out on the weekends). Together, though, they all add up to one weekly calorie goal. It's more of a psychological crutch than anything, I think. I just know that for me personally, it would be unrealistic for me to always have the same goal every day because I know there are days where I would be much more likely to go over days and there would be days when I'm far less likely to go over. I usually put my highest calorie day on a Friday or Saturday.
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
    I don't.
  • aworkoutroutine
    aworkoutroutine Posts: 195 Member
    Once a week. That's it.
  • nerual13
    nerual13 Posts: 39 Member
    After reading so many of the "cheat meal" threads, I'm going to chime in with a different perspective on this. I don't think of it as "cheat" anything! This is all about lifestyle change for me. NOTHING is a cheat, it just has to be balanced. I had chocolate cheesecake earlier this week. Not cheating, just counted it and enjoyed as something I wanted to eat. I feel like categorizing a food as "cheating" seems to negate the whole change of mindset that lets me keep going with being healthier....

    Just something to think about, for me, nothing is a cheat. Its just a meal that has to be counted and balanced with good choices.
  • oxers
    oxers Posts: 259 Member
    After reading so many of the "cheat meal" threads, I'm going to chime in with a different perspective on this. I don't think of it as "cheat" anything! This is all about lifestyle change for me. NOTHING is a cheat, it just has to be balanced. I had chocolate cheesecake earlier this week. Not cheating, just counted it and enjoyed as something I wanted to eat. I feel like categorizing a food as "cheating" seems to negate the whole change of mindset that lets me keep going with being healthier....

    Just something to think about, for me, nothing is a cheat. Its just a meal that has to be counted and balanced with good choices.

    Right, this! The idea of a "cheat" to me is so restricting and weird, like I'm doing something wrong. Most of the time I eat good stuff, once in a while I eat bad stuff, I note the calories, make sure I'm not going over my sodium (weird inner-ear condition,) and move on with my life. I feel like if I sit around planning "well, I can have one meal at the end of the week but hey if I do without it I'll be here instead of here-" like, that would make me crazy, and it would never become a lifestyle for me.

    I log my food, I make good choices, sometimes I go out with friends and then I shrug and hit the gym. It's not worth worrying about, to be honest.
  • Clash1001
    Clash1001 Posts: 85 Member
    I don't have cheat meals - I try my best to fit things into my calorie goal for the day. If I go over by a couple of hundred I don't worry so long as I'm under for the week.

    For example, today I will be eating a full dominos mighty meaty pizza (medium, thin crust). It's the husbands birthday and they're buy one get one free ATM anyway. However, I am going on a three hour walk and will swim for an hour beforehand. (Not particularly because I'm having pizza, it's what I usually do on a Sunday) and am under my calorie goal.
  • KittiePerry
    KittiePerry Posts: 133 Member
    I do a LOT honestly. But what I do is I do a small cheat that will either only make me go a little over my calories or still meet my calorie goal. I think it's fine to have a "cheat meal" so long as it does make you go over on calories, sugar, fat, and carbs. I've been having 2-3 cookies a day when I feel I need to cheat and they aren't too many calories, and I've had 1/4 cup of ice cream after dinner before as well. I'm going to cut down though.
  • Sreneesa
    Sreneesa Posts: 1,170 Member
    After reading so many of the "cheat meal" threads, I'm going to chime in with a different perspective on this. I don't think of it as "cheat" anything! This is all about lifestyle change for me. NOTHING is a cheat, it just has to be balanced. I had chocolate cheesecake earlier this week. Not cheating, just counted it and enjoyed as something I wanted to eat. I feel like categorizing a food as "cheating" seems to negate the whole change of mindset that lets me keep going with being healthier....

    Just something to think about, for me, nothing is a cheat. Its just a meal that has to be counted and balanced with good choices.

    Exactly!

    I don't use the word "cheat meal." I'm consistent and pretty disciplined so if I want to eat a high calorie meal or whatever I do it. No planning. No calling it a "cheat meal." I add it to my calories and move on. Most the time I eat nutrient dense foods because I actually enjoy it so if I decide to have meal or whatever that is high calories I can afford to do it with no guilt or worries. I couldn't live my life planning for foods and assigning days to eat some food I enjoy that may not be the best food to have nutritionally.

    If you are consistent and disciplined most the time you shouldn't have a problem fitting in foods you love.
  • ashleyblossom1
    ashleyblossom1 Posts: 699 Member
    I don't cheat. Cheating makes me feel like I'm in trouble. I eat what I want and make it fit in my calories for the day. Granted I am a lot more mindful of the things I eat and have cut back on many things. But I don't deny myself anything as long as I can fit it in. Thats the only way I can do this. If I had to live by and strict plan, I'd feel like I was torturing myself and quit. So far the everything in moderation is working for me. I'm steadily losing weight. As time goes on I see myself making better choices. It feels good.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    Never, I do not cheat, I log whatever I eat and try to figure out how it fits in my planned calories.
  • lemonlionheart
    lemonlionheart Posts: 580 Member
    like someone else on this thread mentioned, I don't really consider it "cheating" to have a meal out where I don't have to worry about calories, but I do try to make the week average out. I don't know if many people do this or if it is recommended, but if I have a day where I go way over I usually try and compensate over the next couple of days, mainly by doing a bunch of extra exercise and not eating back the calories. Often if I have a big dinner I'm not that hungry for breakfast, so I might skip brekkie the next day and end up eating around 800-900 calories, mentally contributing the leftover towards my big meal the day before. Works pretty well for me :)
  • frangrann
    frangrann Posts: 219 Member
    Never but sometimes a chest meal just happens….dinner party, girls night out, etc
  • Cath_Taylor
    Cath_Taylor Posts: 104 Member
    I don't have cheat meals. If I want to eat more calories, I have to earn it by exercising more. It's what works for me because if I went down the route of thinking "I'm on a diet" I'd feel crap every time I'm over calories. At least with earning more and eating calories back, it helps me personally have a healthier attitude to food (& exercise).
  • wertgirlfor
    wertgirlfor Posts: 161 Member
    I basically only have "cheat meals" when people invite me out to dinner or there's a party or something. I never plan cheat days/meals.
  • nespinosa3
    nespinosa3 Posts: 116
    After reading so many of the "cheat meal" threads, I'm going to chime in with a different perspective on this. I don't think of it as "cheat" anything! This is all about lifestyle change for me. NOTHING is a cheat, it just has to be balanced. I had chocolate cheesecake earlier this week. Not cheating, just counted it and enjoyed as something I wanted to eat. I feel like categorizing a food as "cheating" seems to negate the whole change of mindset that lets me keep going with being healthier....

    Just something to think about, for me, nothing is a cheat. Its just a meal that has to be counted and balanced with good choices.

    Right, this! The idea of a "cheat" to me is so restricting and weird, like I'm doing something wrong. Most of the time I eat good stuff, once in a while I eat bad stuff, I note the calories, make sure I'm not going over my sodium (weird inner-ear condition,) and move on with my life. I feel like if I sit around planning "well, I can have one meal at the end of the week but hey if I do without it I'll be here instead of here-" like, that would make me crazy, and it would never become a lifestyle for me.

    I log my food, I make good choices, sometimes I go out with friends and then I shrug and hit the gym. It's not worth worrying about, to be honest.

    I understand, and I also agree with that point of view. It is a change in lifestyle, I am also trying to learn to stop thinking in terms of "Whenever I get down with weight loss I can eat all of this!". What I mean with cheat meal is some meal that *clearly* goes over your calories for the day. For example, I am actively trying to lose weight by eating healthier and exercising. Even with my best efforts, I only lose a pound every 2-3 weeks, if at all. And this is eating 1500 cals and exercising 6x/week, I'm just in that spot where it's the last 10 pounds and it's very slow. So that Friday that I just crave Cold Stone's ice cream, there is *no way* to make those 1,000+ calories fit in my daily goal. So that's what I'm referring to. Those meals/desserts that pretty much you go over your calories regardless.
  • DoctahJenn
    DoctahJenn Posts: 616 Member
    I never plan them, but if we decide to go out to eat as a family I don't worry about what I'm ordering. I do, however, log it when I get home, and if I can I try to work it off. If not, no big deal. They don't come very often though - I've had maybe two in two months. Generally speaking I just try to work off my bad food before I eat it.
  • nerual13
    nerual13 Posts: 39 Member
    After reading so many of the "cheat meal" threads, I'm going to chime in with a different perspective on this. I don't think of it as "cheat" anything! This is all about lifestyle change for me. NOTHING is a cheat, it just has to be balanced. I had chocolate cheesecake earlier this week. Not cheating, just counted it and enjoyed as something I wanted to eat. I feel like categorizing a food as "cheating" seems to negate the whole change of mindset that lets me keep going with being healthier....

    Just something to think about, for me, nothing is a cheat. Its just a meal that has to be counted and balanced with good choices.

    Right, this! The idea of a "cheat" to me is so restricting and weird, like I'm doing something wrong. Most of the time I eat good stuff, once in a while I eat bad stuff, I note the calories, make sure I'm not going over my sodium (weird inner-ear condition,) and move on with my life. I feel like if I sit around planning "well, I can have one meal at the end of the week but hey if I do without it I'll be here instead of here-" like, that would make me crazy, and it would never become a lifestyle for me.

    I log my food, I make good choices, sometimes I go out with friends and then I shrug and hit the gym. It's not worth worrying about, to be honest.

    I understand, and I also agree with that point of view. It is a change in lifestyle, I am also trying to learn to stop thinking in terms of "Whenever I get down with weight loss I can eat all of this!". What I mean with cheat meal is some meal that *clearly* goes over your calories for the day. For example, I am actively trying to lose weight by eating healthier and exercising. Even with my best efforts, I only lose a pound every 2-3 weeks, if at all. And this is eating 1500 cals and exercising 6x/week, I'm just in that spot where it's the last 10 pounds and it's very slow. So that Friday that I just crave Cold Stone's ice cream, there is *no way* to make those 1,000+ calories fit in my daily goal. So that's what I'm referring to. Those meals/desserts that pretty much you go over your calories regardless.

    In that case, TODAY! :p I definitely ate a whole box of Kraft Mac n Cheese. Then I logged it. Then I did a half hour on the treadmill and now its nothing. I had my favorite food, handled it and moved on. No shame here!!! :D
  • Kenazwa
    Kenazwa Posts: 278 Member
    Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many, obviously.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    I eat what I want, all of the time... as long as I hit my macro goals and stay at a deficit.. I lose. Why schedule it?
  • sonia2777
    sonia2777 Posts: 6 Member
    once in a week
  • nespinosa3
    nespinosa3 Posts: 116
    I eat what I want, all of the time... as long as I hit my macro goals and stay at a deficit.. I lose. Why schedule it?

    Yes, that works for some people...but in my case, I eat 1500 calories a day and work my butt off. So I definitely can't eat whatever I want, because a good bowl of pasta with bread and meat will pretty much be half of my calories for the entire day.

    I'm also interested...how much do you actually work out during the week in order to get a cheat meal on the weekend? I am *barely* losing weight, so my deficit must not be that high, but I don't want to go back to 1200 calories. It sucks because as much as I burn during 6 days, as soon as I eat an ice cream, I pretty much lost all my progress :(
  • DiamondDustInAnHourglass
    DiamondDustInAnHourglass Posts: 5
    Basically I only consider my food intake cheat meals/days, if it wasn't necessary for me to consume something that isn't a part of my diet but this winter was unpredictable and I wasn't prepared enough. I have to rely on the bus/taxi to take me to the grocery store and with all of the snow, I couldn't risk being stranded somewhere; if the weather became so intense, that both of those forms of transportation were ceased, so I had to order pizza. However I did have a choice about how much, I took advantage of my predicament. My pizza didn't have sauce/meat, it had spinach, tomato garlic and cheese. It was extra large, if I don't know how many Calories are in something and I didn't, I assume each piece was approximately 400 Calories; since it was healthier than one with sauce and meat. If I had sauce and meat, I would've considered the slices to be 800 Calories each. I cut each piece 4 times and ate one about every three hours. If it is a choice, I then do consider it cheating because denial is our worst enemy. If I'm not dieting, then it isn't cheating to eat something unhealthy because then it's a part of your permanent lifestyle, instead of a temporary phase; such as dieting is suppose to be because once you reach your weight loss goal, the diet is obsolete.
  • paigebeverly
    paigebeverly Posts: 46 Member
    Twice a week...but even then I only go over maybe 200 calories.
  • benlambrou
    benlambrou Posts: 42 Member
    I eat some kind of choc treat everyday really unless i go for the greek yogurt. I do sugar free/low fat fudge bars and they are only 80cals so its easy to fit in. I also eat back half my cals back from exercise to be able to eat alittle more on exercise days unless I am not hungry.
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,268 Member
    nope I never cheat. I log everything and preplan as much as I can. I don't see how binging all crazy is a smart way to lose weight. but hey that is me. now I must say that I eat whatever I feel like eating most days. I just make healthier choices. but you do what makes you feel good. :drinker:

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