How Often Do You Cheat?

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chayjean
chayjean Posts: 3
in Motivation and Support
For those who are trying to lose weight,
So, I am wondering how often everyone lets themselves cheat and just pig out, indulge in the fattiest foods possible just to keep your sanity? I am thinking that once every weekend for me and I should be fine, but I am also finding myself craving a big juicy burger and a mountain of ice cream quite often.

On a side note... I live in South Korea and foreign food is expensive and kind of hard to come by at times (hence the serious cravings). However, ther liquor is cheap, the food is fantastic, and rice is served at every meal... other temptations.

How often do YOU cheat?
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Replies

  • Edie05
    Edie05 Posts: 10 Member
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    I would never spend a whole day cheating/binging but I have had a cheat meal every now and then. If I go and eat a cheeseburger and fries for lunch then I'll eat a very light meal at dinner (salad or grilled chicken) and vice versa.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    You can work these things into your diet without it being "cheating"....having a juicy burger isn't inherently a bad thing...I grill up a burger at least once per week. I also eat ice cream a couple of nights per week. I have reasonable servings of these things and hit my calorie goals.

    It sounds to me like you're just being way too restrictive. You need to be able to look at your diet as a whole rather than getting wrapped up in the minutia of individual food items and erroneous perceptions that certain foods are inherently "bad". A burger is just some dietary fat (essential to proper nutrition by the way) and protein...what's so "bad" about that?
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    If is fits in your day for calories its not cheating.

    If you are trying to build muscle on a day you must eat then its not cheating.

    We have completely different means of cheating. I would saying cheating would be drinking alcohol which I have done twice in the past three months
  • kk_140
    kk_140 Posts: 518 Member
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    My family has get-togethers, BBQ's, and reunions at least once a month. So I don't worry about what eat those days. My fiance and I normally go out to eat at least once every weekend and I don't worry about what I eat on those dates.

    Just about every single Saturday I eat whatever I want. All I do is try to control portion size, but I don't really count the calories those days or I make a rough estimate like "between 2000 and 3000 calories"

    I normally just eat at a larger deficit during the week to make up for it. I'm still consistently losing a pound a week, so I guess it is working lol.
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    I don't cheat because to cheat implies I'm doing wrong. If I want some pizza I'll have some normally within my calorie goals if though on occasion I do go over it doesn't worry me. I don't restrict types of foods I eat because food isn't bad nor evil it's just food. I eat balanced diet which contains these foods. if you class foods as naughty or special in a lot of cases it will make you want them more. it will also make you feel bad for eating them. I refuse to punish myself for eating something that is tasty
  • mamaleftwich
    mamaleftwich Posts: 256 Member
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    I don't have cheat days...I eat pretty much what I want as long as I have room for it in my day. You have to look at this journey as a "life style change" and something that you'll be doing the rest of your life. (At least that's how I feel about it) and I like pizza, ice cream, cake and other things that I'm not going to say that I'm never going to eat again so if I want them, I'm going to find a way to work it into my calorie count. I believe that everything in moderation and portion control. I just think you have to find what works for you but I don't think you should look at it as cheating.
  • AJOjr
    AJOjr Posts: 24 Member
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    I try to eat less during the week, eating 200-500 calories less then my goal, then on Friday and Saturday dinner I eat and drink what I want. I do exercise a lot, burning between 600-1000 calories a day from exercise, so I typically eat around 1800 calories a day. This worked for me to loose over 30 lbs. I hit my goal weight last July and have gained some weight since (hubby and I started eating out too much) so am working myself back into that structure.
  • He1loKitty
    He1loKitty Posts: 212 Member
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    I don't have a set cheat day, although weekends tend to be more naturally indulgent. Which is why I try to behave and work out on Saturdays and Sundays. I also try not to do a cheat day, but rather, a cheat meal. But these days, it feels like even the slightest variation from my diet contributes to a stall in my losses. So I try not to cheat too much!
  • Seabee74
    Seabee74 Posts: 314
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    For those who are trying to lose weight ??? I'm guessing you wrote this first sentence because you posted this at lots of different locations because although I may be wrong but to my knowledge everyone comes to mfp to lose weight !
    Other than that I think the answer was covered very well by all posters before me !! Me, I eat whatever I want, no restrictions so I can lose and not lose my sanity. I hope you can figure out how to Eat Everything that you want and do so in a way that will help you continue to lose weight and create that healthy lifestyle that we all desire !!
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
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    i must be weird. as i don't do cheat days or meals, and i eat the same 1200 net calories 7 days a week. the main reason is that i'm trying to set new eating habits since the old habits are what got me here in the first place. when i want a couple extra hundred calories, i walk it off - sometimes in advance.
  • Cerakoala
    Cerakoala Posts: 2,547 Member
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    I don't plan cheat days. :) IF I happen to go over one day I try to exercise it off. If I don't have that option I just move on and forward. I know myself and if I plan a day I will go overload lol. :)
  • Red_sparkling_Titania
    Red_sparkling_Titania Posts: 485
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    Never
  • Imadorkable
    Imadorkable Posts: 415 Member
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    I try not to have cheat days. If I know we are going to be having something that will put me over my calories I try to work out to make up for the calories.
  • cincysweetheart
    cincysweetheart Posts: 892 Member
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    I agree that if it's within your calorie goal… it's not cheating. I have managed to enjoy restaurants, desserts, juicy hamburgers, chocolate truffles, potlucks, etc all without going over my calorie goal. So, with that definition, I've had 2 cheat days in 2 months. The two days I was out of town for a wedding. And even then, it was still below maintenance level. It was interesting to me though that I felt LOUSY afterward. I couldn't wait to get back into my routine of healthier eating and working out.
  • Jkj95
    Jkj95 Posts: 64 Member
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    I don't have cheat days, but I always have a little bit of foods that some would consider "cheat" foods. If you have a little bit and cut back on something else later, I don't see the harm. A whole weekend off, though, that might throw off your whole week if you eat too much.
  • fredgiblet
    fredgiblet Posts: 241 Member
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    Every week or so I end up with something that doesn't go in the log for one reason or another, but it's usually just more than 200-300 calories. Since January I've probably 3-4 days where I said "**** it." and ate what I wanted.

    Every 10 pounds I'm taking a week at +500 calories as well.
  • Goliath1357
    Goliath1357 Posts: 65 Member
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    For those who are trying to lose weight,
    So, I am wondering how often everyone lets themselves cheat and just pig out, indulge in the fattiest foods possible just to keep your sanity? I am thinking that once every weekend for me and I should be fine, but I am also finding myself craving a big juicy burger and a mountain of ice cream quite often.

    On a side note... I live in South Korea and foreign food is expensive and kind of hard to come by at times (hence the serious cravings). However, ther liquor is cheap, the food is fantastic, and rice is served at every meal... other temptations.

    How often do YOU cheat?

    First of all, extremely jealous that you live in South Korea because I want to go very badly as it has become an obsession of mine over the past couple of years (love the food, culture, movies, tv shows, music, etc). I allow myself a cheat day every other week but I try not to go too crazy and stick near my caloric goal.
  • mamadon
    mamadon Posts: 1,422 Member
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    While I was losing weight, I had a cheat day once a month. and yes, I called it a cheat day lol.
  • akbp77
    akbp77 Posts: 20 Member
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    My cheat days are more like cheat meals, and I don't really plan for them. I continue to eat healthy and exercise during the day, but if there's something I want, then about once every 2 weeks I'll allow myself to have it. Over the weekend it was ordering pizza when I visited with family.
  • torichantel2005
    torichantel2005 Posts: 42 Member
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    I really don't do "cheat" days. I eat the things I want within my caloric goals, like everyone else has mentioned. I have a max of 1400-1500 calories, and I try not to really EVER go over that (sometimes that includes subtracting calories for exercise), but I try most days not to go over 1200 calories.

    There are, of course, exceptions. There have been a couple days that I have gone WAY over, but they are few and far between. And I still ALWAYS count calories (specifically if I can, although sometimes I just estimate). There hasn't been a week yet (after 6 months) that I went over, even though there have been days.

    Like others have said, it's all about moderation. If you want a hamburger, then I have one, but have a small one, or eat it with a small bun or no bun. There are ways to have what you want, and you HAVE to eat the things you crave at least sometimes, or will you end up REALLY cheating or being miserable (or both).

    Good luck!

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