Cheating

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Leanbean65
Leanbean65 Posts: 176 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Interesting that this is just posted, I have a question too. Is it OK to have a "cheat" food or meal? And if so how often. Some things I've read suggest a full cheat day to "confuse" your body and accelerate weight loss, but aren't calories just calories???

Won't cheating just slow down the weight loss overall? That said, when I do crave something sweet should I just eat a tangerine or is it OK to have jujubes?

Replies

  • kk_140
    kk_140 Posts: 518 Member
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    I don't necessarily agree with the "confuse your body" theory of a cheat day. Calories are just calories.

    I don't think that there is anything wrong with having a meal each week where you just eat what you want and not worry about what is inside it. I have one on the weekends generally at least once. Looking forward to it helps keep me on track the rest of the week.

    I mean you SHOULD have a tangerine. But it wont kill you to have jujubes lol. I normaly have some form of candy everyday, just fit it into your goal :)
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Calories in/calories out are what matters, so eating jujubes (or ice cream) if you want it and can make the calories fit is fine. The only issue is how it effects you. If it makes you hungrier or makes it harder to stay on plan you will learn that. Before watching what I ate, I used to eat too many sweets too much and my energy level would be up and down all day and it definitely made me hungrier, but I don't get that effect when I just incorporate them in moderation as part of an overall healthy diet. Some people say they do, so go with what works for you after trying it.

    Re "chest" meals, depends what you mean. First, you aren't cheating; whatever rules exist are the one you make. Second, yeah, if a cheat or treat meal makes you go over your calories for the week, that will slow you down. The confusion thing is just one of those weight loss myths. That said, I find it helpful to be able to fit in restaurant meals on occasion and be able to exceed my usual daily calories just for mental reasons. I try to do this through exercise calories--I do a longer run or bike ride on that day--but I also sometimes build up extra calories on other days when I can't match it with a big exercise day. For me I always log and certainly don't stuff myself or go totally nuts, but people have a variety of ways of doing this, including just not doing it.
  • Leanbean65
    Leanbean65 Posts: 176 Member
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    I tend to be great all day, I stick to my plan and eat enough but my pattern is after 7 or 8 pm I start craving sweet stuff. I'm trying to find alternatives to raiding the cupboards. But I don't get why the urge hits just at those times. Would building it a little room for extra calories at the end of the day help or hurt?


    I understand eating the bulk of your food earlier in the day is better, so maybe I just have to get out of the house for a walk or just go to bed earlier :)

    PS watching TV at this time is deadly, ever notice the number of pizza commercials!!!
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    I tend to be great all day, I stick to my plan and eat enough but my pattern is after 7 or 8 pm I start craving sweet stuff. I'm trying to find alternatives to raiding the cupboards. But I don't get why the urge hits just at those times. Would building it a little room for extra calories at the end of the day help or hurt?


    I understand eating the bulk of your food earlier in the day is better, so maybe I just have to get out of the house for a walk or just go to bed earlier :)

    PS watching TV at this time is deadly, ever notice the number of pizza commercials!!!
    Why not plan some sweet stuff that you enjoy for 7 or 8 pm? Just make it fit into your calorie goals
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Yeah, plan the sweet stuff at the end of the day. Try it and see if it works for you.

    Also, itI doesn't really matter when you eat--all the don't eat after whatever time (or avoid carbs after 5) and the like are also myths. I lost at 2 lb a week while routinely eating dinner at 9-10:30 due to work. The only problem is if you are exceeding your calories.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Oh, on why at that time of day, often it's habit or having time to think about it.
  • IGbnat24
    IGbnat24 Posts: 520 Member
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    Why "cheat" when it's perfectly easy to work whatever it is you crave into your daily meal plan? And you surely aren't confusing your body.
  • RllyGudTweetr
    RllyGudTweetr Posts: 2,019 Member
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    Interesting that this is just posted, I have a question too. Is it OK to have a "cheat" food or meal? And if so how often. Some things I've read suggest a full cheat day to "confuse" your body and accelerate weight loss, but aren't calories just calories???

    Won't cheating just slow down the weight loss overall? That said, when I do crave something sweet should I just eat a tangerine or is it OK to have jujubes?
    I do not understand what you mean by a "cheat food" or a "cheat meal." If the food fits within your macros and daily calorie allowance, why is it cheating? If the meal doesn't take you over budget, how is it a cheat meal; if it does take you over your budget, then why is it a "cheat meal" and not a "cheat day"?
  • segovm
    segovm Posts: 512 Member
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    Interesting that this is just posted, I have a question too. Is it OK to have a "cheat" food or meal? And if so how often. Some things I've read suggest a full cheat day to "confuse" your body and accelerate weight loss, but aren't calories just calories???

    Won't cheating just slow down the weight loss overall? That said, when I do crave something sweet should I just eat a tangerine or is it OK to have jujubes?
    I do not understand what you mean by a "cheat food" or a "cheat meal." If the food fits within your macros and daily calorie allowance, why is it cheating? If the meal doesn't take you over budget, how is it a cheat meal; if it does take you over your budget, then why is it a "cheat meal" and not a "cheat day"?

    Do you really not understand the commonly used phrase "cheat meal" that is used to explain a meal that specifically DOES NOT fit into meeting their daily goals or are you just fishing for a fight to so you can go on about how no food is bad for you?
  • kertlj
    kertlj Posts: 4
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    We can make ourselves anxious about doing this "right" and then the anxiety drives the food cravings. As for me, I have a cheat day on Friday. A cheat day for me is a meal or a treat that I normally wouldn't eat. For example, I went out to lunch at a Chinese Buffet yesterday, but now that it is my habit to load up on veggies, I didn't actually go over my calories for the day. So, at 9pm I had a serving of Doritos. Last week it was a caramel Sunday at Dairy Queen. The week before it was an order of fries. This works well for me. Also, I have 2 squares of dark chocolate daily, which also seems to keep me on track. Otherwise I am eating lots of healthy veggies, plenty of protein, and fruit. Lots of good, healthy, non processed foods. I always need a snack with my tea at the end of the day, so I keep 100 calories for teatime Could be fruit, a cheese stick, or even 8 potato chips. It depends on my mood. I don't feel deprived, and I think this is key to doing this on the long term.
  • omnisis
    omnisis Posts: 85 Member
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    I used to be obsessed with "clean eating", whatever that means but I've learned over time how to eat what I like while still maintaining my calorie target, which I think is more maintainable in the long run. That being said, it's a lot harder to stay under a good macro target with craptastic foods like potato chips and the like so generally for me I eat healthier as a side effect of controlling my calorie intake, esp if I am in a deficit.

    Even on a long term deficit I do allow myself to have a "refeed" day every 7-14 days and I personally find that it has little or no impact on my long term goals while still giving me a psychological boost from constantly being under maintenece. I don't use the word "cheating" any more though because I think its a bad connotation. For me personally at least staying consistently under maintenance for weeks on end esp while working out is too strict and makes me crabby.
  • markiend
    markiend Posts: 461 Member
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    I don't do cheat meals , i eat what I want and like in moderation. Far easier for me to eat properly for long periods if I am not restricting what I really like and want

    moderation and will power are key.

    Eat well , don't deprive yourself and as long as you aren't devoid of self control. you'll do great
  • Cerakoala
    Cerakoala Posts: 2,547 Member
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    I do not believe in the theory of cheat meals personally :) Those cheat meals just help me get off track and fall into a spiral. I agree with what most everyone has said here. You can have the candy you like or crave but why not plan on fitting it into your daily calories? As long as your day is full of healthy and nourishing meals a few pieces of candy shouldnt hurt you :)

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