Cheating

Options
2

Replies

  • mud7urtle
    mud7urtle Posts: 500
    Options
    Pretty rare that I even do what I would consider a cheat meal. Whatever I eat I fit into my daily macros, so I basically don't cheat on that. I do however do carb refeeds 1 to 2 times per week. Normally I keep my carbs under 75g but bump that up to over 300 once or twice a week. Calories are usually 2K but bump up to 2600 - 2700 on high carb days.

    strong chit post



    huehuehue
  • ninav1980
    ninav1980 Posts: 514 Member
    Options
    How often do ya'll have a cheat meal? Do you cheat the entire day or just one meal? How is this working for you?

    Sorry if this has been posted before. Somewhat new here.

    Here is how it went for me

    Started out eating right mon-thursday cheated Fri-Sun, that didnt work, no loss

    Switched it up to only only one day-Saw slight improvement, so got a little more motivivated

    Switched again to only a cheat meal-saw much more improvement-again, got even more motivated

    These days, even when I have a cheat meal, its pretty healthy. For instance, I had salmon and a baked potato at my favorite steak place Saturday night. I figure I could do a lot worse than Salmon and baked potato.

    In time once you see results, its easy to scale down on cheat meals/days
  • say_pocket
    say_pocket Posts: 54 Member
    Options
    I do a whole "cheat day" once a week, usually on a Saturday. I don't go out of my way to eat crazy stuff, but I do eat whatever I want. My boyfriend and I usually eat two meals out at a restaurant on those days and there is often ice cream or gelato at the end of the day. We split meals when we eat out, though, because we've found that we're unable to finish a meal at a restaurant since we really started practicing good portion control. I still log everything I eat, and sometimes am pleasantly surprised that I stayed in calorie count without trying. (And sometimes less pleasantly surprised with extremely high overages. Ha)

    If we ate 100% clean all of the time, would I be seeing faster results? Probably. But I've still seen progress in my fitness goals, and I like food too much to do that.

    (I've also been known to eat bad things during the week as long as they fit in my calorie goals. 200 extra calories at the end of the day? Well then I can eat 3 oreos! Yay!)
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Options
    I don't really do "cheat meals" but I am very strict with my diet throughout the week so that I can let lose on the weekends.
  • suremeansyes
    suremeansyes Posts: 962 Member
    Options
    but i would argue the reason you can't stop at one slice of pizza or cookie and therefore you need a cheat day to do it is because you are not really allowing yourself to have it.

    For me, it wasn't that I COULDN'T stop myself, oh I could, I just didn't want to. If I'm gonna have pizza, I'm gonna HAVE pizza. I love to indulge, and that will slow my losses, I completely am fine with that. When I drink beer, I don't want 16oz of crap light beer. I want at least a 22oz porter or stout. My point is, I can have my life of indulgence, AND still lose/maintain my weight.

    I don't consider it binging, or cheating, it's my way of living.
  • asdowe13
    asdowe13 Posts: 1,951 Member
    Options
    How often do ya'll have a cheat meal? Do you cheat the entire day or just one meal? How is this working for you?

    Sorry if this has been posted before. Somewhat new here.

    Here is how it went for me

    Started out eating right mon-thursday cheated Fri-Sun, that didnt work, no loss

    Switched it up to only only one day-Saw slight improvement, so got a little more motivivated

    Switched again to only a cheat meal-saw much more improvement-again, got even more motivated

    These days, even when I have a cheat meal, its pretty healthy. For instance, I had salmon and a baked potato at my favorite steak place Saturday night. I figure I could do a lot worse than Salmon and baked potato.

    In time once you see results, its easy to scale down on cheat meals/days

    If you consider salmon and a baked potatoe to be cheating, you are doing it wrong!
  • rsoice
    rsoice Posts: 212 Member
    Options
    Cheat is a negative word. I find planned splurge to be much more positive.

    ^ This ^

    Because you'll hear people talk about fitting it (whatever it may be) into their macros or whatever. For me a splurge meal is something I wouldn't normally eat because it isn't going to fuel me properly or help me in my weight loss journey. Example: BW3 has killer wings and onion rings. While feasibly I could fit it into my macros to eat a meal there, that would be the only meal of the day and that isn't healthy either so I splurge once a week or every other week and have something I want that I wouldn't normally.

    But I log it.
  • sculli123
    sculli123 Posts: 1,221 Member
    Options
    I learned from the best.













    I mean reported :D
  • mud7urtle
    mud7urtle Posts: 500
    Options
    I learned from the best.

    I mean reported :D

    =D

    tell SCC I miss them (all except cakes)
  • AlysonG2
    AlysonG2 Posts: 713 Member
    Options
    I have a "cheat meal" once a week, but it's not really a cheat meal because I have it planned into my weekly calories. I eat 1600-1700 calories 6 days/week, then have my one "cheat day" of ~2500 calories.
  • sculli123
    sculli123 Posts: 1,221 Member
    Options
    I don't do that these days. I mostly just make things that taste really good but are actually good for me. I don't like to eat out often anymore either for a number of reasons anyway (money is a factor as well as the diet).

    But I would employ real cheat meal or whole cheat days in the past when I was a lot more active than I am now. I sit at a desk all day so I have to be a little more anal about things now.

    But I don't have any desire to really go on a big cheat either. Last time I did that was my birthday back in January before I started this cut. I went to Cheesecake Factory and went crazy. lol
  • sculli123
    sculli123 Posts: 1,221 Member
    Options
    I learned from the best.

    I mean reported :D

    =D

    tell SCC I miss them (all except cakes)
    Banderas.gif
  • Rainboots80
    Rainboots80 Posts: 218 Member
    Options
    I started my "diet" January 31st and so far I have not had a cheat meal.
  • AilinaHavalii
    AilinaHavalii Posts: 8 Member
    Options
    Cheat is a negative word. I find planned splurge to be much more positive.
    i don't believe in cheating, that word is not a part of my diet vocabulary. cheating implies you are depriving or restricting yourself and thus must "Cheat" to get what you want.

    i work in the foods i love into my plan. all in moderation and eating them all in a healthier approach

    These. I consider "cheating" to be a misnomer. The way I think about it, "cheating" (as on a test), is a way of getting the result you want without putting in the work to get it. A "cheat" meal, on the other hand, only wipes out a deficit and actually has the opposite result, by negating something you worked for and setting you back on when you'll see results.

    Now, I'm not saying that indulgences are bad. I've been using MFP for over two years, and while I have made great progress, I have certainly indulged both mindfully and by accident along the way. I just think that using the word "cheat" gives people the wrong idea about the concept, making it seem tempting and forbidden, instead of just something that undoes hard work if not planned for ahead of time.
  • asdowe13
    asdowe13 Posts: 1,951 Member
    Options
    These threads are always pretty standard. You'll have the OP who is asking about a cheat meal but most likely is really asking if he/she can have a binge day. Then there's the high horse group that "doesn't believe in cheating because I eat ice cream every day," as they sit and log the two tablespoons of it they ate. Then there's the few people that will answer honestly.

    When i eat ice cream i can guarentee it's more than 2 table spoons.

    I still don't consider it cheating, even if it isn't something i eat daily!
  • jenniferbertram7165
    jenniferbertram7165 Posts: 28 Member
    Options
    I love having a cheat meal. I have done weight watchers since January. They give you an extra 49 points per week, for just in case. I would stick strictly to my points each day, then one day have a cheat meal. Within two days of the cheat meal, the scales would drop. I can weigh every day and just drop a couple ounces over a few days, then after the cheat meal it'll be between a pound and two pounds.
  • MysteriousMerlin
    MysteriousMerlin Posts: 2,270 Member
    Options
    I don't cheat. I just eat and try to meet my macros.
  • kdcj17
    kdcj17 Posts: 73 Member
    Options
    I try not to 'cheat'.... If I want something bad enough, I work it into my calories. If I happen to go over, no huge deal. However, I try not to.

Categories