Do any of you feel guilty on cheat days?

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bcerk
bcerk Posts: 41
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all!

Today is my scheduled cheat day this week. I just ate lunch and I officially feel guilty. I already plan on hitting the gym hard after work today and eating light at dinner.

Do any of you guys have a guilty conscious when trying to enjoy a cheat meal?
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Replies

  • Apothys28
    Apothys28 Posts: 56 Member
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    Nope, I know its a cheat day and I don't even track on this day. I only have them once or twice MAX per month. It usually ends up being half of a very greasy delicious pizza or a big plate of butter chicken or a HUGE plate of Pad Thai. lets just say I pig out and gain my sanity back lol. The scale goes up for the next 3 days but that's because of the massive amounts of sodium.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    I don't do cheat day. Cheat makes it sound like you're doing something wrong. If I want food, I eat it, track it, move on.

    edited to say "and yes, I DO whine about it first", because I can.
  • Camo_xxx
    Camo_xxx Posts: 1,082 Member
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    If I said I don't feel guilty would that change how you feel ?

    Anyhow, I am not a cheater so no I don't feel guilty.
  • AskTracyAnnK28
    AskTracyAnnK28 Posts: 2,834 Member
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    I don't do cheat days. But you know...events come up and I've enjoyed snacks and whatnot. I just log it and don't feel bad about it.

    And Lifting4Lis is right - cheating makes it seem like you're doing some evil thing. It's just lunch. No biggie :)

    ETA: if you feel that guilty maybe don't do 'cheat meals' and instead fit it into your calorie goal/macros. As long as you're eating at a deficit you'll still lose.
  • chesnity3
    chesnity3 Posts: 960 Member
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    No, I just make it fit.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    It's not cheating; it's overeating. If you plan accordingly, eating under your goal for six days and then over on the day you indulge, it isn't even overeating.

    I routinely go over and under my number. I feel no guilt, either way. I'm actually trying to focus less on the number and more on eating to hunger. I sit down and take a look sometimes. Once a month, I average it out.

    But no shame. Pointless and useless to feel shame.

    Enjoy your overage, log it and move on.
  • corgarian
    corgarian Posts: 366 Member
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    nope
  • 365andstillalive
    365andstillalive Posts: 663 Member
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    You need to get out of the mindset that there is food that should inspire "guilt" or "shame".

    We all like ice-cream and pizza etc, I just don't restrict myself enough that I need a cheat day. If I really want pizza, I just make sure it fits my macros. Might take a little planning, but hey.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    Since every day is a potential cheat day for me, never.
  • RainbowMint
    RainbowMint Posts: 2 Member
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    Nah, it's not a big deal to me, especially since I rarely go over. If I'm 200 or so over my limit, I just go with it. I know one day of being over isn't going to make me suddenly gain 10 pounds.
  • dcamell
    dcamell Posts: 40 Member
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    I practice similarly to apotyhs, spacing them out about two to three weeks. I feel terrible for a few days following it as I watch the scale skyrocket. Invariably, though, if I stick to my guns post pig out, the effect reverses, if not intensifies weight loss. Two months ago I'd idled in the mid 160s for quite a time. I hit a patch of depression, went off my diet in a huge way for two weeks, and ending up spiking past 180. Gritted my teeth after that, put the scale away, and got back to eating right and left walking. Last week I weighed in at 155.

    Not recommending binges like mine, but they can "help."
  • sofulnaturalee
    sofulnaturalee Posts: 391 Member
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    It depends on how much I go over my cals :cry:
  • AskTracyAnnK28
    AskTracyAnnK28 Posts: 2,834 Member
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    Personally, I think the concept of 'cheat days' (and the guilt that follows) just makes people have an unhealthy relationship towards food.
  • tibby531
    tibby531 Posts: 717 Member
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    I do "non logging" days, not cheat days. when I feel that "twinge" of possible guilt, I stop and ask myself if I'm eating it because I actually WANT it... or if I'm just eating it because I don't have to log it later. if I want it, I eat it guilt-free. if it's just because I'm "feeling sneaky," I make myself stop.
  • Aero1dynamic
    Aero1dynamic Posts: 702 Member
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    I don't look at it as "cheating"....Every Sunday is my "refeed" day. I allow myself up to 2000 cals and on Monday, back to the counting. Guilt is uneccessary, as eating is not "evil".
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
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    Agree with lifting4l depends what you mean by cheat days. As part of MFP is to log and track everything to get an accurate record of concumption over what you burn then as long as you keep your deficit going you lose and if you dont you maintain or gain.

    Most people have their cheat/ bonus/reward days already factored in as part of their weight loss plan. track it and move on.

    Im toying with the ideas of using reward meals for hitting certain targets, but am doing a little bit of extra cardio on account for these.
  • alyssareyans
    alyssareyans Posts: 88 Member
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    Nope. I don't do cheat days. I eat what I want when I want. I just make sure to keep within my calories so I don't have to worry about it. I also don't eat outside. I cook everything at home so it's super easy for me to control what goes into my recipes. Then I can pretty eat anything on any day and not go over my calories.
  • Dansk_USA
    Dansk_USA Posts: 32 Member
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    I don't have cheat days. And I agree with a lot of the above posters, the term implies something bad. I know that I don't eat the best all the time, so I have to make it work into my plan. If I want to enjoy a piece of that pie I made, I make it work out, or I exercise more. I do have eaters guilt, and I also have had an unhealthy relationship with food for a majority of my life. If you feel guilty on those days, don't do them, just make your choices work into your life :)
  • trudywc2
    trudywc2 Posts: 233 Member
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    I don't do cheat day. Cheat makes it sound like you're doing something wrong. If I want food, I eat it, track it, move on.

    edited to say "and yes, I DO whine about it first", because I can.


    ^^^This^^^
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
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    Yes, sometimes I spank myself

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