Cheat Meals/Days: Are they worth it?

It's important to do what works for you. I don't really use the term "cheat days", because that implies that I'm doing something bad, and also that I'm on a "diet". But I do owe a huge part of my success to allowing myself to indulge on the weekends, but some people find it easier to avoid temptation all together.

Well, I must say that I screwed up.... kind of. My husband and I had a planned anniversary get away to a place that's known for good food. It was for 2 days and nights. I planned on splurging but carefully. I watched my portions and we walked and walked and walked and I even went swimming. Still, I gained 4 pounds back in those 2 days. I cant believe how fast I gained it back. I must be super susceptible to gaining weight. So, I guess I will be digging my heals back in hard. BTW....our weekend was so fun and I think it was sort of worth it. 20 years with my husband is worth a pound or two

To put on 4 pounds of fat, you would have had to have eaten 14000 extra calories in those 2 days.

What you are seeing is water and glycogen. Drink a healthy amount of water in the next couple of days, and those 4 pounds will disappear.

This happens to me almost every weekend. I'll jump up 2 or 3 pounds on Sunday, and then it all goes away (plus my 2 pounds to lose) by Friday. I eat saltier food and drink less water on the weekends, typically.

It may not be for you. Or it may not be for you NOW, but someday you'll be able to "cheat" without it derailing your efforts.

I think it's a mental thing. When I started logging my food here, I decided that at least one day a week I would eat closer to, or above, maintenance. I call it an "eating" or "treat" day/meal, which to me sounds less negative than "cheat." I'm not cheating. I'm making a conscious decision to do this. Yeah, I fit treats into my calories most of the time, but if I dine out or go to a family party or go away for the weekend, it's not always possible to estimate calories or I just need the break for my sanity.

Since doing this, I haven't fallen off the wagon after treating myself. I keep right on going, and maybe it's slowed my progress a little, but I want this to be a relatively easy-feeling process instead of a chore. Before doing this, cheats would derail me terribly. One "bad" meal on Friday night, and I'd be all, "Welp, might as well eat brunch and pizza nonstop until Monday."

For me, it’s all about balance. I don’t want to completely derail my progress, but I also want to enjoy social events, eat foods that I love, and keep my sanity. If I know that I’m going out to dinner or to a party, I try to pre-plan what I’ll eat and work it into my day. That being said, occasionally I’ll go over a couple hundred calories – and that’s okay! I’m under most of the time, so it balances out. Indulging once in a while doesn’t hurt, and it keeps me from binging down the road.

I've found that I'm okay with a cheat meal once I'm WELL on my way. The first time I did the "get in shape" thing I started allowing myself 1 cheat meal per week once I'd lost 40 pounds.

This time I had a month of success so I gave myself a cheat meal. It spiraled and I ate poorly for 2 months. I knew it was wrong, but I didn't have the willpower to get back on track until a week ago.

At this point I'm not taking the risk until I'm nearing my goal.

***The other time a cheat meal has helped me is when I am stuck on a plateau for a couple weeks. I have a cheat meal and for some reason it allows my body to start losing weight again. *shrugs*

The only cheat days I take are holidays or birthdays. I can't handle a regular cheat day, once I have bad things I begin to crave them more.

Well, I must say that I screwed up.... kind of. My husband and I had a planned anniversary get away to a place that's known for good food. It was for 2 days and nights. I planned on splurging but carefully. I watched my portions and we walked and walked and walked and I even went swimming. Still, I gained 4 pounds back in those 2 days. I cant believe how fast I gained it back. I must be super susceptible to gaining weight. So, I guess I will be digging my heals back in hard. BTW....our weekend was so fun and I think it was sort of worth it. 20 years with my husband is worth a pound or two

To put on 4 pounds of fat, you would have had to have eaten 14000 extra calories in those 2 days.

What you are seeing is water and glycogen. Drink a healthy amount of water in the next couple of days, and those 4 pounds will disappear.

This happens to me almost every weekend. I'll jump up 2 or 3 pounds on Sunday, and then it all goes away (plus my 2 pounds to lose) by Friday. I eat saltier food and drink less water on the weekends, typically.

So, how does drinking excess water get rid of water weight? Can I count coffee, there's water in that? I see 3lb. swings some days that cannot be related to what I ate.

Curious.

Sean

I can't do cheat days. Sometimes I can do cheat meals, but the guilt is overwhelming and not worth it. I find myself using unhealthy ways to try to compensate.

Sean, do you weigh yourself at the same time each day, preferably first thing in the morning? You'll have the least water weight swing then. But don't let the difference bother you, it's all about the downward trend. That's why a lot of people only weigh themselves once or twice a week.

The water helps make all of your organs run more efficiently and with good fiber, helps to make the food go through you more efficiently. If I don't drink the water, I won't lose as much weight, and I don't feel as good. I did Weight Watchers (successfully) years ago and our group leader used to have a formula for how many "points/calories" over your goal you were, and how much water you had to drink to help drag the food out of you by the weigh in. Sounds silly but it actually worked. I can't remember the equation though.

I've tried a variety of "cheat" options. Giving myself a whole day off is bad news for me - it led to binging and giving up on trying to change.

Personally, I manually set my net cals to 1300, and what I actually aim for is 6 days in the 1200-1400 range and one day in the 1200-1800 range, each week. That's basically a small dessert once a week or going out for a burger and fries instead of soup or salad and fruit bag lunch.

I think learning how to handle days when your calories fluctuate is important, and I don't call it a cheat day. I don't like the implications of the word "cheat" because it implies that there is restriction the rest of the time. Life happens: holidays, birthdays, work lunches, etc. Learning how to work in higher calorie days without going crazy is important to making this a true lifestyle change. Good luck!