What do you consider a cheat meal?

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Keepthefaith16
Keepthefaith16 Posts: 6 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So people say you should have a cheat meal here and there, but what' s cheat meal? A Starbucks Caramel Machiato? A piece of cake? My friend who's a trainer says cheat meal to her is eating a burger with fries.

What do you guys think?

Replies

  • lamps1303
    lamps1303 Posts: 432 Member
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    A 'cheat' meal is anything you want it to be. It may be something you've been craving all week. As long as it doesn't turn into a binge and shoot you over your weekly calorie goal it's fine. My treats (notice I said 'treat' not 'cheat') usually involves a trip to my local waffle house, or pick n mix at the cinema, takeaway...
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Baby rack ribs. I don't actually use the term "cheat meal" but there is just no way I can eat a full rack prepared the way I like and not go over on calories. So when I eat ribs, I guess you could call it cheating on my diet.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    I don't believe in cheating. I also don't believe in unnecessary restrictions in my diet.

    ETA: I do believe in treats that I will only eat once in a while. treat =/= cheat
  • Keepthefaith16
    Keepthefaith16 Posts: 6 Member
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    so what do you do then?
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    ^^^ argue semantics

    Cheat: All zhe blizzards. All of them. That's all I can think about today to tempt myself to attend Zumba and maybe have a mini blizzard afterwards :laugh:
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    so what do you do then?

    eat the foods that you like, just eat less of them and make sure that you are in a calorie deficit for the day.

    I find that pre logging helps…like tomorrow night I am going out for pizza and some beers….I went ahead and logged that and then built the rest of my day around it so I know that i will still be at a deficit….or if I end up at maintenance that is ok too …
  • janupshaw
    janupshaw Posts: 205 Member
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    I don't have a regular "cheat meal", but I do go over sometimes. I would consider a Chinese Buffet a cheat meal. I think of a cheat meal as being a meal you really want, calories be damned.
  • mschicagocubs
    mschicagocubs Posts: 774 Member
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    For me...I cheat every day so I don't really have cheat days. I eat what I want in my calorie goals.

    A real cheat day for me is when I am out of town or at a party/event in which I choose not to track at all. I still think I make decent decisions because for me this is a lifestyle change not a diet.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    For me a cheat meal is eating whatever you like for a meal without worrying about the calories.

    Not the same as a snack or a treat you fit in your calories.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    so what do you do then?

    eat the foods that you like, just eat less of them and make sure that you are in a calorie deficit for the day.

    I find that pre logging helps…like tomorrow night I am going out for pizza and some beers….I went ahead and logged that and then built the rest of my day around it so I know that i will still be at a deficit….or if I end up at maintenance that is ok too …

    ^^ yeah this

    My diet is basically choosing foods that I like that meet both my calorie and nutrition goals. To me, denying myself my favorite foods would be cheating myself. A special event like a birthday or holiday means "eat all the foods and don't trip on calories."
  • OMGSugarOHNOS
    OMGSugarOHNOS Posts: 204 Member
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    A large bowl of assorted fruit!

    -Rocbola
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
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    I've been here almost 18 months and I still don't know the answer to this question....

    Sarcasm aside, "cheat meals" are generally for those that don't really understand proper diet and nutrition and thus they demonize foods and certain macro-nutrients to the point where if they have said item, it is cheating. If they understood nutrition better they would understand that a slice of pizza for example is going to provide you with certain nutrients just like any other food will...and that yes, eating pizza all day probably isn't going to provide for proper nutrition...but having a slice of pizza or two for lunch isn't a big deal if and when overall you are meeting your nutritional requirements (which include proteins and fats which can be found in pizza).
  • mmm_drop
    mmm_drop Posts: 1,126 Member
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    so what do you do then?

    eat the foods that you like, just eat less of them and make sure that you are in a calorie deficit for the day.

    I find that pre logging helps…like tomorrow night I am going out for pizza and some beers….I went ahead and logged that and then built the rest of my day around it so I know that i will still be at a deficit….or if I end up at maintenance that is ok too …

    ^^ yeah this

    My diet is basically choosing foods that I like that meet both my calorie and nutrition goals. To me, denying myself my favorite foods would be cheating myself. A special event like a birthday or holiday means "eat all the foods and don't trip on calories."

    Yes, yes, all of this.
  • Joehenny
    Joehenny Posts: 1,222 Member
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    A cheat meal for me is a meal I eat without tracking my macros.
  • RunMyOregonBunsOff
    RunMyOregonBunsOff Posts: 862 Member
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    I don't believe in cheating. I also don't believe in unnecessary restrictions in my diet.

    ETA: I do believe in treats that I will only eat once in a while. treat =/= cheat

    Totally agree here. To me, cheating means feeling guilty. A treat here and there or even on rare occasion, going over my calories for the day is a splurge not cheating. If I am going to splurge or have a treat it could be pizza or a dinner out or whatever I really want at the time. To be honest, I have some dark chocolate nearly every day without pigging out or going over on calories and I still lose weight.
  • pseudomuffin
    pseudomuffin Posts: 1,058 Member
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    It's what you make of it! For me, it's usually a craving that won't go away and I worry about obsessing over it too much to the point where I fall completely off the wagon and binge.
  • Bounce4
    Bounce4 Posts: 288 Member
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    My cheat meals are when I go way over calories for the day. I plan one every 4-6 weeks (eat at this Chinese buffet I like). If only that was the only time I went way over my calories for the day. :sigh: Work in progress. I struggle at supper time when things get crazy.
  • suremeansyes
    suremeansyes Posts: 962 Member
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    A cheat for me is anything that I know will ruin my macros for the day.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    Example for me... A 300 calorie donut, nope. A 1500 calorie lunch... yep. Anything that can't fit in your goal really.

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