Does anyone else feel guilty after cheating on their diet?

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  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    No, I don't feel guilty at all. For me this isn't some short term "diet", it's a nutritional way of life. Some days I drink beer and eat junk, most days I don't. There's no guilt involved because in the end it's just me and my body. I'm not doing this for anyone else and there's no pressure to meet a specific goal at a specific time.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    I don't 'diet' and I can't 'cheat' on myself.

    To me diet is noun. Its the sum-collective of all the food I eat. To diet, as in to eat special foods expecting some special result, is silly in my opinion.

    I eat what I want - tempered with a system where what I eat (total) each day needs to fit in certain parameters. Sometimes that means I decide I don't want XYZ enough to fit it in today, or if I do then I a) have a limited portion of it or b) remove something else from my daily food plan or c) move more & burn more calories so that I can add it in.

    No guilt. The guilt stopped when I stopped mindless eating. I would feel bad about that I suppose.
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,732 Member
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    Not in the least.

    I look at it this way: My goal is 500 calories less than I burn. If I indulge one day, if I keep it under 500 calories then I'm just not progressing toward my weight goal that day. If it goes over 500 then I just wiped out my deficit on another day. And it's no big deal because I'm not in a race, and I like eating around maintenance when I've had a heavy workout anyway because I want to add a bit of muscle.

    I want to maintain a healthy relationship with my food, and I want to enjoy it rather than have it be a source of anxiety. But I also keep my average deficit small (around 350 cals) and steadily lose about 1 pound every 10 days, and I fluctuate by eating under my goal for a few days and then over for a day, so I never feel deprived.
  • JasonPC2
    JasonPC2 Posts: 19 Member
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    I've got a sorta funny story about this.


    I ate a square of mom's baked ziti yesterday and wrote it off as a generous 900 calories (it was a normal portion, but the recipe used lots of cheese and meat). But then I saw my log (written). I was already at my daily goal for the day. So I was seriously upset with myself. I jumped in the pool (water was cold but I wasn't taking any excuses) and swam for an hour (interval laps/rest). Towards the end, I realized I must have double counted something earlier.


    So in all I got extra exercise and had a light dinner. So far I haven't overeaten at all since the start of my diet nearly 2 months ago. :)
  • richardheath
    richardheath Posts: 1,276 Member
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    I try so hard to eat healthy, but when I'm at home for the summer I'm around my family who do not eat generally very healthy. So I find it hard not to fall to my cravings, and then once I fall I fall hard and binge. After that, I feel ridiculously guilty and upset and feel like I just wasted a week of good eating. It is really upsetting. Does anyone else have this problem? How do you handle it?

    Sounds to me like maybe you over-restrict with your "healthy" eating, then binge when presented something on your "unhealthy" list as you don't normally let yourself eat it. My suggestion would be to not restrict too much in the first place, then you would probably be less likely to binge. Try to eat a balanced diet that includes foods you love (in moderation).

    I may be wrong though...or YMMV.
  • 6ftamazon
    6ftamazon Posts: 340 Member
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    You shouldn't feel guilty for eating more every once in a while. eVERYONE overeats on occasion. Don't let food be your life.
  • sassyrayofsunshine
    sassyrayofsunshine Posts: 499 Member
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    no. do it. move on. make better choices next time. don't sweat the small stuff :) Cheats are good for your diet every now and then
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,266 Member
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    My weekend days are like that. I preplan first thing in the morning or the night before everything I will be eating that day. I make sure I get in extra exercise above what I usually do so I can have extra calories. I keep fruit like grapes, blueberries and bananas in the freezer. WHen shopping I make sure I buy low cal snacks and easy to make stuff like almond milk (makes a good smoothie with my almond milk) or lettuce so I can have a "taco" salad with salsa, lettuce, tomatoes and black beans. I drink extra water before I let myself grab extra stuff beyond the meal times to eat. I also make sure I have it planned to eat six times a day. Sometimes I am just counting the minutes until my next meal when I feel extra snacky or hungry. I think preplanning helps out so much to help us stay on track. Its my best advice to anyone. I say to plan your food around your typical days. Grab a bowl of frozen grapes (1 cup/100g) and snack away guilt free. I feel guilty when I don't preplan or workout. You aren't alone in this.
  • Iwishyouwell
    Iwishyouwell Posts: 1,888 Member
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    I did. For over 20 years I did, ever since I started dieting in middle school.

    Over the last year something inside me clicked that moralizing food choices was stupid, foolish, and unproductive. Who have I "cheated" on? I decided to free myself from all that bull#(@! and give myself permission to eat what I wanted, as much as I wanted, without guilt or shame.

    Utterly lifechanging. I discovered that when I took the morality out of eating it became much easier to say "maybe later". And if I do have "too much" of one of my previously "bad" foods? I enjoy it and move the hell on.
  • Luckyfish72
    Luckyfish72 Posts: 19 Member
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    I know when I cheat, like mcdonalds I had for lunch, I shouldn't eat it. By the time I made it back to work to dive into my Big Mac I made myself nauseous thinking about all the fat and calories I was going to consume! I are like 3 bites and trashed the rest. When I do cheat or eat something I shouldn't, I make sure I double up on my nightly exercise and the next day is a clean day. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't...
  • Bri_Becq
    Bri_Becq Posts: 146 Member
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    No guilt... just remember to eat according to your goals. And that if you don't hit your goal one day, it is okay. There shouldn't be guilt or that can lead you to a bad path... Remember, food is not going anywhere. You can have only 1 slice of pizza and have some pizza again in the future. :)
  • KylaDenay
    KylaDenay Posts: 1,585 Member
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    Cheating on your diet can mean so many things. I personally eat what I want on a daily basis and do not feel guilty about that at all. What I would feel guilty about is if I do go over my weekly calories. That defeats the purpose as to why I am trying to lose weight in the first place, so I get upset, but maybe for a few hours or so then say eff it.

    I dislike this cheating, cheat day, cheat meal nonsense. We only live once and I don't understand why people deprive themselves.
  • Eli716
    Eli716 Posts: 262 Member
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    If it's a cheat day, do guilt.

    But if it's one of those days where I know I shouldn't but do anyway... maybe a little guilt, but it's over in minutes, usually.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
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    I would suggest contemplating your "guilt" on a really long walk or run. After which I guarantee you'll feel better. Best. :smile:
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
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    Nope. Dunno why.
  • scode83
    scode83 Posts: 42
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    Eating properly is a lifelong thing, so don't panic if you go off track - you've got the rest of your life to correct it, but it'll only take a week or so.
  • stacynoell
    stacynoell Posts: 41 Member
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    I start over and deal with one day at a time. Usually after I indulge, it doesn't seem very worth it, so I am careful for the rest of that day and get back on the plan the next day. I have a plan for healthy eating, but not a diet. I realize a donut or a milkshake won't help me meet my goals, but it won't derail me unless I make it a habit, instead of an exception.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    Yes, I do feel guilty sometimes but I try to tell myself that one day is not going to put my weight back on. Then I go to the "Reports" tab and check my net calories for the previous seven days. If my weekly total is still at a decent deficit I can let myself relax and continue onward and downward.
  • remieres93
    remieres93 Posts: 45
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    Yes. I always feel guilty having a "cheat day" or even a "cheat meal", I actually posted a topic about grocery shopping fear because I feel like I'm afraid of anything thats even seemingly unhealthy. BUT, thanks to a lot of people's support on MPF, I realized it's not wrong to have a cheat day, or a cheat meal. Not to mention, if you dont want to cut something 100% out of your life, then you shouldn't stop doing it all together. I actually heard it's good for your metabolism to have cheat days now and then. Just have to remember to eat your favorite foods in smaller proportions.
  • laynerich15
    laynerich15 Posts: 1,918 Member
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    Would say the same as everyone else, yes

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