cheat meals

bmkxox
bmkxox Posts: 27 Member
in Food and Nutrition
do you guys do cheat meals? Or even cheat days?

when you're having your cheat meal, do you eat as you normally would all day then have your cheat meal? OR eat extra healthy during the day and then cheat meal at night? do you notice a difference on the scale from having a cheat meal or does it not affect you?

Replies

  • Iloveyogaandchocolate85
    Iloveyogaandchocolate85 Posts: 18
    Some cheat days are just that, all day. But usually once a week it's an evening and I still eat normal all day. And normal is calorie concious. To me cheat meals are very important for one thing it's a reward for healthy eating all week and sometimes I eat so much candy that I don't even want any for another week. Hehe
  • Kelly_Runs_NC
    Kelly_Runs_NC Posts: 474 Member
    I'm not saying this is right or wrong...but I do have a cheat meal once every other week on Saturday for dinner. I keep my same good diet all day that day and have the cheat meal for dinner that night. I keep it in moderation. For eX: Last week I wanted a burger...I ate the burger and instead of fries I got a side salad. It's just one meal for one day of the week.

    Others may do things differently - this is just my way. I may notice a little difference on the scale but I work out enough that it all evens out week to week. I find it helpful as it will kill any cravings I may have.

    P.S. - I fully intend to eat a Reese's Egg in leiu of a cheat meal upcoming! haha
  • asdowe13
    asdowe13 Posts: 1,951 Member
    I don't have cheat meals, or cheat days.

    I eat what i eat when I want to eat it, as long as I have the calories for it.

    I tend to eat chocolate everyday in some form!
  • mlanders22
    mlanders22 Posts: 140 Member
    I don't have cheat meals, or cheat days.

    I eat what i eat when I want to eat it, as long as I have the calories for it.

    I tend to eat chocolate everyday in some form!

    Pretty much this. I had a 1,000+ calorie brunch buffet last weekend and made it work.
    The scale went up temporarily from water retention, but it's back down again now.
  • fat2skinny50
    fat2skinny50 Posts: 104 Member
    I have cheat meals from time to time, however I try to keep it within or close to my calories allowed for the day. But if I crave something I have to eat it or I tend to really go over.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    I don't have cheat meals, or cheat days.

    I eat what i eat when I want to eat it, as long as I have the calories for it.

    I tend to eat chocolate everyday in some form!

    Agreed.

    Tonight I am having crispy breaded pork chops with milk gravy, mashed potatoes, and green beans. It fits into my calories with no problem. But I also do TDEE minus 15%-20% and not something super low like 1200 because I believe that the vast majority of people don't have to eat a stupid low amount of calories to lose weight.
  • suremeansyes
    suremeansyes Posts: 962 Member
    I have a cheat weekend.
  • mschicagocubs
    mschicagocubs Posts: 774 Member
    I guess I would say I cheat every day and that is why I have had success.

    If I want ice cream, I work it into my calorie goal.

    If I want to eat out, I work it into my calorie goal.

    I do have days where I am out of town or on "vacation" and I don't log. But if I want a big breakfast while I'm out of town, I usually pick a better alternative for dinner.

    If you are using the word "diet" you are doing it wrong.
  • SKME2013
    SKME2013 Posts: 704 Member
    My cheat is an ice cream from time to time. I usually make sure it fits into my daily calories.
    Stef.
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  • dacspace
    dacspace Posts: 109 Member
    I don't have cheat meals, or cheat days.

    I eat what i eat when I want to eat it, as long as I have the calories for it.

    I tend to eat chocolate everyday in some form!

    This right here!
  • Maddalen101
    Maddalen101 Posts: 307 Member
    If I eat something that's not consistent with how I am eating now, I do not call it cheating.
    More, it's having something outside my current way of eating.
    Like many responders to this post, I focus on keeping it within my MFP calorie guidelines.
    and I log, log, log!
    So ... if I want, say, Peeps or jelly beans, or a chocolate bar or a serving of cookies, or even a Starbucks lite frap with whip, I check my totals, and if I want, I have .. and I log it.
    My suggestion: be VERY aware of how your body responds to the foods you are deeming 'cheats'. Chances are, they are making you even hungrier than you were before you had the goodie! Keep that in mind ...
  • tycho_mx
    tycho_mx Posts: 426 Member
    In general, no. What or who are you cheating, anyway? Yourself.

    Put it this way. Your goal is to lose 10 lb in 12 weeks. You have a "plan" that involves a certain calorie restriction, paired with the necessary accuracy to record your caloric intake and activity level. This plan can be as strict or as loose as you make it.

    So, what is a cheat? Not recording your intake? Or simply eating beyond the "plan" and acknowledging that you are going off-script?

    When you track your progress 6 weeks from now, ideally you'd be approx. 5 lb lighter. If you're not, then something is happening:

    a) your calorie intake records are wrong
    b) your activity tracking is wrong
    c) your basal metabolic rate estimate is wrong.

    If you "cheat" and falsify your records, you have no idea what is it. You don't know if you need to be more accurate in your food records (buy a scale?). You don't know if you need to improve your activity tracking estimates. Or if simply your TDEE is wrong and you need to adjust it.

    Not that this doesn't mean not eating some cake. Or all the cake. Weight management is only one aspect of our lives. In my case I have tried (at a different time and a different tool) an aggressive weight-loss program. It "worked", except that my cycling suffered - and that is the main reason I care about my weight. So I needed to pare down. I wouldn't have realized if I didn't keep a reasonably accurate record of my food at the time.

    So if I REALLY want another peanut butter sandwich, I'll eat it. I'll try to "ride it off", but if I come up short and exceed my caloric budget that's it. When I get back to review my results, I can see what can be improved, and whether those improvements are worth it (I am not giving up my PB banana sandwiches!!!). But that is not cheating, is a failure to adhere to the plan, duly recorded and filed for reference if needed.

    Or life happens. I had a vacation with my family abroad a couple of weeks ago. I was close to burning out with work/family responsibilities. So my vacation included my weight management. As a result, I regained most of the weight I had lost over Dec-Feb. But it was a reasoned decision. I am not happy I regained so much, but I am happy that my training is going well, work is going well, and I am not about to tear people's heads off at the slightest irritation.

    So - don't lie to yourself. Accept that we have limitations in our diet, willpower, and even the control we have over some circumstances. As one coach once told me "what gets measured can be improved".
  • kbmnurse
    kbmnurse Posts: 2,484 Member
    Yes, usually either Friday or Saturday. I drink numerous beers and eat what I want. WILL NOT GIVE THIS UP.
  • Cheechos
    Cheechos Posts: 293
    I don't have cheat meals, or cheat days.

    I eat what i eat when I want to eat it, as long as I have the calories for it.

    I tend to eat chocolate everyday in some form!

    I'm personally taking this route.
  • Timelordlady85
    Timelordlady85 Posts: 797 Member
    So far I have just been doing as others have mentioned and fitting any snacks I want into my calories for the day.
  • suremeansyes
    suremeansyes Posts: 962 Member
    I have a cheat weekend.
    When you start spinning your wheels and don't know why, look back a your post.

    I log everything and it fits into my weekly, so...there's that.
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  • suremeansyes
    suremeansyes Posts: 962 Member
    I have a cheat weekend.
    When you start spinning your wheels and don't know why, look back a your post.

    I log everything and it fits into my weekly, so...there's that.
    So then how exactly is it a "cheat weekend"?

    It's junk. It fits my weekly calories (not my macros) but it's junk. Instead of spreading out the junk through the week, I eat it on the weekend. Works better for me.

    Some people only consider un-tracked food a cheat, some people only consider junk a cheat, I don't think cheat has a specific meaning to the community as many people have different definitions of it.

    Yeah, I'll lose weight slower. I don't even have a 3500 calorie deficit weekly, more like 1500-2500. Doesn't matter.
  • rebeccaLburchfield
    rebeccaLburchfield Posts: 3
    probably once a week.. hard to pass up some foods :)
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  • mmm_drop
    mmm_drop Posts: 1,126 Member
    I don't have cheat meals, or cheat days.

    I eat what i eat when I want to eat it, as long as I have the calories for it.

    I tend to eat chocolate everyday in some form!

    It wasn't until I learned how to do this that I became successful at losing and keeping my weight off.
  • TheEffort
    TheEffort Posts: 1,028 Member
    I do cheat meals every couple of weeks or so....my personal preference is to do this for just one meal not an entire day.
  • suremeansyes
    suremeansyes Posts: 962 Member
    And what constitutes something being labeled "junk". What does the weekend consist of?

    We are just arguing semantics. Obviously I believe my way of eating is fine, I have no shame in it. I've been doing it for years. The issue I had was I stopped logging and slowly crept my weight up.

    If I have a burger, chili cheese fries and three beers then log it, no biggie. If later I decide to have more than one serving of ice cream, and I log it, no biggie. Only reason I consider it a junk weekend is I never hit my protein macros, the carbs are insane. I don't care, to me it's worth it.
  • peleroja
    peleroja Posts: 3,979 Member
    I can't when I'm trying to lose because my TDEE is pretty low and one bad evening can kill my deficit for the week if I'm not careful.

    In maintenance, though, I do have meals/days/weekends every couple weeks or month where I eat anything that looks good without logging. But I'm pretty cautious about my logging other than that and it hasn't caused me to gain anything back yet.
  • Dsanders460
    Dsanders460 Posts: 12 Member
    I absolutely have cheat days! Friends invite me out to the casino and want to stop at Red Robin for dinner? You betcha! Generally I try to make the healthiest choices I can prior to the cheat meal to limit the "damage" to my daily caloric goal, and I will make minor sacrifices even to my cheat meal. Choosing the "lettuce bun" rather than the giant carb overload regular bun for example, and I refused an additional basket of fries...but I enjoyed every greasy cheesy drop of that burger, and savored each fry!

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