Do you have cheat days?

2

Replies

  • CherryChan81
    CherryChan81 Posts: 264 Member
    when i cheat, i will lose all control and bye bye eating healthy for the whole day or maybe weeks - until I re-committing myself..
  • rachelesmfp
    rachelesmfp Posts: 24
    I certainly treat myself to things because a life without wine, chocolate, cake and ice cream is no life at all.....I just try and fit them into my day within my calorie allowance or I try and find healthier ways of making these things. The only day I will not be logging is Christmas but now that I have reigned in my hunger issues I cant see that being a problem... and seeing as I cook for everyone I will just make sure there is a lot of healthy options as well as the usual :D
  • clbostian
    clbostian Posts: 5 Member
    No, cheat days are an easy way to fall back into bad habits. There are enough healthy alternatives to get you past your cravings. I love ice cream, I bought an ice cream maker and mix 2 cups of skim milk with 2 scoops of whey protein powder and wow its better than any ice cream I've eaten before. Look up Quest bars they are very good at curbing cravings and remember it takes years to make a lifestyle change and a minute with 1 candy bar to lose it all.
  • curvy_gamer_loses
    curvy_gamer_loses Posts: 126 Member
    I don't have cheat days. But every once in a while I will have "cheat meals", which is something I normally wouldn't have. Today for dinner, my family ordered a pizza and I had two slices. But I do work in my cheat meals into my calorie intake so I don't fall into my old habits.
  • CandySugar500
    CandySugar500 Posts: 19 Member
    I call it an eat up day it just one day out of the week when I go 500 calories over my calorie count But I do this because I heard it prevents your body from going into survival mode which is when your body start to store and keep fat rather than lose it. So I just choose one day out of the week or once every two week to go over my usual calorie count.
  • Jemellc
    Jemellc Posts: 308 Member
    Whats a cheat day?

    Since you have a goal that you really wish to achieve... I would stay focus and eat clean.
  • Zerodette
    Zerodette Posts: 200 Member
    I plan a treat every few days. I pre-log every day so I can have an idea of how things will fit. I have usually been able to stay under my calories, even with the treat.
  • mahobday
    mahobday Posts: 1 Member
    Instead of "cheating" I change my weight loss goal to maintenance one day per week. That way I know that I am not working so hard just to gain.
  • curiousgemfit
    curiousgemfit Posts: 42 Member
    Thanks for all the replies. I now realize that I am only setting myself up for failure if I continue going about "cheat days" the way I have been doing so far. Like y'all said, instead of undoing all that hardwork with an entire cheat day, it makes more sense to splurge once in a while on a well deserved cheat meal.
    Thanks again for taking the time to reply. Appreciate it :)
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
    something i find is that finding a way to fit that extra treat or bigger than average meal into your daily calories is part of learning how to eat differently, and learning to eat differently can make the difference between keeping the weight off and gaining it all back.
  • Wantingtolose1
    Wantingtolose1 Posts: 139 Member
    I don't generally do cheat days or meals just fit any treats into my calorie allowance. On Saturday night though we were going to a friends place and it would have been hard to track as we were having mostly snack food that we were just snacking on for dinner (cheese platters, antipasto platters, fruit platters that sort of thing) so I just made sure I walked a lot during the day (I have a fit bit) and saved calories. I had 1100 calories going into the dinner so I don't think I would have gone over. This is not a habit though and I generally would not do this and normally count everything I eat.
  • fitwithin
    fitwithin Posts: 210 Member
    I don't call them cheat days, but on Saturday is my day to enjoy some of the things that I do like. I plan for them so that I don't go crazy. I may have a breakfast taco with a tortilla and cheese that I would normally not have during the week. Then I'll wait until 3 or 4 to have a nice meal that I would normally not have during the week such as steak or Mexican dinner. Then I don't eat anything else for that day. I make sure I walk more and dance that evening to offset some of the calories. I can tell you that by going off program on the weekend, I gain 1-2 pounds over the weekend and have to really work hard to get it off. I used to not log my weekends, but now I do and make sure I weight on Monday to see the damage. You end up just maintaining rather than losing when you do this and it really isn't worth it, but you also want to enjoy life a little bit. Just try not to go overboard or you want reach your goal. Best of luck!
  • jrline
    jrline Posts: 2,353 Member
    If you are not trying to eliminate foods you enjoy. Just cut your quantities you should not need cheat days.

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  • farfromthetree
    farfromthetree Posts: 982 Member
    I have a cheat "meal" when I feel like it is worth it. I know many members who stall on their weight loss due to too many cheat days.
  • radmack
    radmack Posts: 272 Member

    Do any of you have a cheat day in a week when you eat whatever you want and how much ever you want? (And do you feel guilty about it?)
    Also, does your cheat day coincide with your weekly rest day?

    I plan in cheat times, but still try to be moderate and make better choices. One day of nachos, pizza and alcohol could undo a weeks worth of work! I have also learned to bank up calories for a weekend away by not eating back my exercise calories during the week before. I end up using the calories just not on the same day.
  • njadh51
    njadh51 Posts: 8 Member
    Cheat meal...not a cheat day as many here have also advised. It works for me, and I continue to lose weight. But it depends on a person's metabolism (sometimes a little spike can rev it up) and what works for one may not for another. So give it a try and if it impedes your weight loss...then you have your answer. But you should still continue to track everything you eat including the cheat meal.
  • nogreenthumb
    nogreenthumb Posts: 96
    I used to have "cheat days" but I found that it really didn't work for me. I'm more of a intuitive eater. I enjoy eating a wide range of healthy food choices and home cooked meals, and I'm tired of a lot of the fast food choices around my area anyways. Usually once every few weeks I'll go out for a greasy breakfast.

    I give myself permission to eat what I want, when I want. Oddly enough, adopting this approach as made me enjoy fresher healthier foods more.
  • AlliSteff
    AlliSteff Posts: 211 Member
    I approach it as such: I do not go seek a cheat day. I will, however, have non tracking days here and there for special occassions. This weekend, we went away for a wedding and I just let myself enjoy it. But I do not do that every week.
  • opalsqueak007
    opalsqueak007 Posts: 433 Member
    I found that cheat days don't work for me. After I have one, I go over my calorie limit for several days afterwards as well. I love food, so on a cheat day, I could easily eat four times my calorie goal for the day. That would wipe out all my work during the week.
  • mangogirl272727
    mangogirl272727 Posts: 95 Member
    I eat 100 calories less than my goal Sunday-Friday (so 1200 instead of my allotted 1300). Then on Saturday I set my goal to maintenance and add back the 600 calories I saved. So I get to eat a whole 2100 calories but without undoing ANY of the work from Sunday-Friday (as I'm not eating any excess).

    I have had my days where I've gone a little nuts. Usually it's a special occasion or something, so I don't really feel bad, but I ALWAYS LOG IT!! NO MATTER WHAT! I don't care if I feel guilty, it is part of taking responsibility. And I find I'm MUCH more likely not to overeat if I know I'm going to have to log it. Not logging is really the worst thing you can do for yourself honestly.
  • Shalva
    Shalva Posts: 55 Member
    No I don't do a cheat day... I will have a bad day periodically when an event is planned that I want to go to and not worry about what I eat, ie. Anniversary dinner but I make sure I work out on those days if I can and I still count everything and try not to go overboard. I used to do a cheat day, usually a weekend day and then spent the next half a week trying to get back to where I was before the cheat day. It wasn't worth it for me and slowed down the weight loss. Right now watching that scale go down every time I step on it is more motivating than any food I could cheat with
  • jh48200
    jh48200 Posts: 14 Member
    As often as I am tempted, I have avoided a "cheat day". I have craved things like doughnuts but keep asking myself what is more important to me. Maybe one I hit my goal, I'll splurge with a doughnut, but that is a little ways away as yet. Like seeing my numbers dropping too much.
  • pauldm1
    pauldm1 Posts: 38 Member
    Absolutely have cheat days and feel zero guilt about them. 1. I track it and fit it into macros and 2, if 98% of my diet is clean then one cheat meal a week won't offset that.

    Extreme deprivation has failure built into it in my experience.
  • mjean1229
    mjean1229 Posts: 42 Member
    Being that I am from MN, I am a die hard Vikings fan! I will make one meal for the game that will bring me above my calorie/carb intake. But, I enjoy that meal and feel no guilt about it!!
  • Anayalata
    Anayalata Posts: 391 Member
    If your maintenance is 2000 then every week you need 14000 calories to maintain weight.

    If you're dieting on 1500 and have a cheat day where you eat 4000, your weekly total went from potentially 10500 to 13000.

    Now all of a sudden you're only at a 1000 calorie deficit for the week. This is assuming you tracked everything correctly and limited yourself to 4000 that one day. I've seen diaries of people that eat 7000+ with no problem.

    If you decide to have a cheat day while losing weight then make sure you know the consequences.
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
    I usually have a 'treat' day once a week where I'll have some homemade cake or cookies or dessert, but just normal meals. I usually log, but sometimes decide not to. As I don't eat back exercise calories I figure my weekly deficit will cover me going 200 calories over. I usually exercise on a treat day anyway.

    I think if you're going to go really mad and eat and eat and eat then you need to restrict that to once a month maybe.
  • Trez32
    Trez32 Posts: 84 Member
    I don't exactly have cheat days however like many others have stated I do try to incorporate things I love eating into my daily diet. If anything I do have a lazy day where I don't plan my meals which is on Sunday. Sundays I don't pay attention to my macros and rarely hit my protein goal. It usually involves me getting a slice of pizza (which is really two slices where I go) and a blizzard from Dairy Queen and also eating a light dinner and a small snack. I tend to hover a little over maintenance on Sundays and if it's way over maintenance I go to the gym and do cardio for 30 mins to bring me back down.
  • mizroxy13
    mizroxy13 Posts: 466 Member
    Nope. Not at all. I also don't eliminate anything from my diet because it's not a short-term thing, therefore a cheat day is not necessary because I never feel deprived. Honestly, because I am allowed to eat as I please as long as it fits into my macros, I almost never want anything "bad". I also don't have an excuse to binge eat on any given cheat day which I understand can be a problem if not used properly.

    Most importantly, it's what works for you. Some people need that cheat meal to stay focused.
  • AskTracyAnnK28
    AskTracyAnnK28 Posts: 2,817 Member
    No, but I do have 'cheat events'. At least once a month there's a party or an event I have to attend and I allow myself to cheat.

    If I had a cheat day once a week I don't think the scale would ever move in the direction I want it to. Plus, at this point I don't really feel deprived enough to cheat.
  • zac775
    zac775 Posts: 199 Member
    Oh yes!!!!!! its keeps me sane

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