Cheat Days: Necessary or Inappropriate

I definitely have always had to fit one in. When I first started losing, I had cheat weekends because it was hard for me to keep up the good habits when I went home from college on weekends. When I was home for long stretches of time, I'd hide in my room, away from the dining room area because Mom was always munching on chips, and my dad would always buy boxes of doughnuts and eat 4 of them in one sitting.

I got to a point where I would just stay at college for as long as I could and maybe have a cheat day once a month with my friends. Now that I'm married and 800 miles away, I thought it would be even easier since my friends and family won't be there to tempt me.

Nope. My husband and I go out to eat with his grandmother every week, and it's basically impossible to stay within my deficit when we go to Applebee's every Tuesday.

I do try to reward myself occasionally but what I have noticed since I'm over 40 now, cheat days have a tenancy to really mess me up and get me off track. Anyway, in the early stages of dieting and counting my calories, I try to be as strict as possible so I can start seeing progress right away which makes me really thinking about if I want to cheat or not.

I read about it often but I still don’t understand the concept of a cheat day. I can’t imagine the emotional challenge it must create to have self imposed restrictions. One thing I like about a caloric deficit program is that no restrictions are placed on food, only limits on calories. So, I don’t need to fight any temptation because I can eat anything.

If by cheating a person means exceeding their daily caloric requirement, I think that defeats the purpose of a caloric deficit program.

If a person defines cheating by using food as a reward for achieving a goal, then I’ve also cheated. For example, when I lost the first 25 pounds, I treated myself to dinner at my favorite restaurant.

If exceeding daily-caloric intake on special occasions is considered cheating then I’ve done that as well. However, I knew those occasions were coming weeks in advance so I prepared for them with a slight reduction in my caloric requirements and a slight increase in exercise. So basically my monthly caloric numbers remained the same.

Maybe it’s just the term “cheating” that I have a problem with. Loosing weight can be challenging enough without adding unnecessary emotional elements to the equation.

In the past, I've always had "cheat" meals or "treat" meals or whatever you want to call them. You know what's also always happened in the past? I've always "fallen off the wagon" and regained whatever I've lost. For me, being so strict that I feel the need to allow myself to not care for one meal or one day or whatever means that I'm not going to succeed long term.

While I really don't like the whole "this isn't a diet, this is a lifestyle change" mantra, that is my goal. For this to really be a lifestyle change, then I need to eat like I want to eat for the rest of my life. For me, if I log everything I've eaten for the day, it's a good day, whether my calories are in the green or the red or whether I've had pizza and cookies or salad all day. If I'm at or under my calorie goal, great, if not, oh well. Life happens and as long as my averages over the course of a week or so are at maintenance or lower, I'm happy. Sure, my weight loss is much slower than it could be and much slower than it has been in the past, but I'm not feeling the need to quit this time around.

If I shared my diary, some people would probably think I have "cheats" every day or at least 4 times a week because I regularly have chocolate (and not just 100 calories worth) or pizza or Oreos or ice cream or a big fat burger or a combination of those things. I eat plenty of fruits and veggies, lean protein and dairy products and then fill my day with whatever I'm in the mood for. On Monday I had a 1200 calorie bacon cheeseburger from Five Guys and didn't feel one iota of guilt about it. I've set my weight loss goal very conservatively and I exercise so that I can still eat 2200+ calories per day and never feel the need to "cheat" and for the first time in over 15 years I'm really feeling like this is doable for forever.

I think sustainable weight loss is really about what works best for you as an individual. For me, I don't believe in having designated "cheat days." I also think that treats can be fit into your day most of the time. My son just had a birthday and I fit in a small piece of cake without going over my daily calorie goal. It's doable. I also like to think I'm realistic about it...there are special occasions, holidays, vacations etc where I'm going to indulge, and I don't beat myself up about it. Eating healthfully is a lifestyle, and it's never going to be long-term if there's an unhealthy relationship with food.

A slice of pizza is normal food. I don't see how it's cheat food, considering it's easy to fit in a day's calories.

For me cheating is eating a 2000 calories meal or something. And I do it once in a while, just because I don't want to stop living when I go to a restaurant that doesn't seem to have much in term of lighter options and I don't want yet another salad with dressing on the side.

I don't think it's that clearcut - either eat only things you hate or go over your calorie limit to prove you're alive. You can fit treats into your calorie limit. It's honestly more fun doing it that way. Yesterday, I had 2/3 of a peanut butter kitkat after salad for dinner, and a later sugary ginger milk after exercise. Right now, I'm having vanilla ice cream. You can fit in that slice of delicious pizza, just do more exercise that day and eat more bulky vegetables for other meals.

There's nothing wrong with cheat days if they help. For me, they are a binge trigger! I would never, ever have thought I'd be able to fit in treats in small quantities, but I'm eating more treats now than before I started sticking to my calorie goals - before it was deprivation then binge.

Another thing is to make low cal versions of nice food. Then you can have more than one slice of pizza - if it's made on a tortilla with your favourite pasta sauce, some topping and a measured amount of grated cheese.

I have decided to do a cheat meal once a week rather than a full day.

I don't think it's that clearcut - either eat only things you hate or go over your calorie limit to prove you're alive.

This sentence bothers me. Why would you eat things you hate?

They are neither necessary nor inappropriate. It's just a method that will suit some individuals and not others.

Note: For what little it's worth, I don't' like the terminology of "cheat days" as a descriptor. I prefer refeeds, periodic surplus eating or, my favorite, a night on the town.

I agree with others that I don't have "cheat days" but instead "cheat meals" and perhaps maybe more than once a week such as order Chinese for dinner Saturday and eat the left overs on Sunday. I never have more than 2 in a week however. I try to keep my portions low depending on the food (the Chinese food has a lot of veggies but also a lot of sauce so if I'm already having a high sodium day I make sure to keep the plate small and finish eating it over another day. For something like a burger and fries, there is a lot of fat and I don't like to save that type of food for another day so I eat it all and then another day I just have a lower fat day). I think as long as you PLAN AHEAD for your cheat meals and you keep them under control it is ok. I track everything before I eat it (despite what my diary says because I just started using MFP, used Livestrong MyPlate previously). If I'm going to cheat I try to stay within my macros and calories for the day. "Cheating" definitely helps me stay sane and stay on track (for the most part other than my cheats) because I don't feel completely deprived. Also allows me to go out with friends and not feel guilty about what I order as long as I know I'm balancing it.

Good morning everyone. My name is Chelsea and I have been struggling with weightloss all my life. This past year I have made big strides to get to my goal weight and am well on my way. Whenever I speak to other people who are dieting or trying to lose weight, I always get mixed reviews about cheat days.

I feel that Cheat Days are a must. I feel like some people when they are dieting are so determined and dedicated that they make food the enemy. I commend these people on their effort, will and determination, however, depriving yourself of your favorite foods seems mentally unhealthy and impossible (you will eat pizza again someday lol). Of course I am not saying go on all out binges but I do believe that once a week you should have that greasy slice of pizza with stuffed crust. Is it good for the waistline no, but its a reminder that you are human and that food is not the enemy, infact more an ally in your weightloss journey. I love food and I feel like once a week you need to have a cheat day so that you can enjoy the foods you love and remind yourself that you can enjoy food in a healthy way and in moderation. Food doesnt have to become a calculation for the rest of your life because this once a week you are allowed to enjoy and not worry. Some people are super against them and call them a crutch, whereas other feel they are very important to include when trying to lose weight. What do you guys think?

Totally agree with you!! On Sundays I don't track my food and I eat whatever I like. My only stipulation is that I stop once I'm full. This has always worked for me!

I don't think it's that clearcut - either eat only things you hate or go over your calorie limit to prove you're alive.

This sentence bothers me. Why would you eat things you hate?

Hint: sarcasm.

Lol I don't have any "rules" for my diet that are really strict, so I don't consider anything "cheating"..

Life events come into play. Father's day was a great example. I ate pretty lean all week with the hope of reaching a certain weight. Not only did I eat lean but I did a lot of different activities to burn calories. After weigh in I let loose a bit. I enjoyed some larger portions and I ate cake. I drank a few beers. Beer doesn't seem like food to me but the calories really add up. In the long term, in order to permanently keep the weight off I will need to manage these social settings where eating dense foods and drinking are the norm. So I don't plan for "cheat days", but I do have to deal with the mentality of increased calories and eating and then return to "food as fuel" versus "food as fun".