gotta cheat sometimes?

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philberkman
philberkman Posts: 5
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey everybody,
I joined MFP about 2 months ago. Okay exactly 66 days. I tracked religiously for a month or so and then kind of had the hang of the counting, etc. I think everyone's a little different but I find I need to 'cheat' about once a week or else my weight loss stalls out - it goes up slowly and I have no energy (starvation reflex I suppose). If I loosen up the diet for a day or 2 (read: comfort food for a few meals) and then return to the diet, it seems to work well for me. I exercise daily, that's just somehow easier for me too.. I don't lose momentum that way. Does anybody else find that to be the case? Anyway, I lost around 10 pounds before i joined by making minor changes for a month and then in these 66 days I've lost 20 lbs :happy: ... so I'm down from 300 to 270 and not going to stop.

Does anybody else find they need to cheat? Do you find it's easier to stick to exercise if you do it every single day, or does 3 times a week work better for you?

Interested to hear your responses everyone. Thanks!

Replies

  • philberkman
    philberkman Posts: 5
    Options
    Hey everybody,
    I joined MFP about 2 months ago. Okay exactly 66 days. I tracked religiously for a month or so and then kind of had the hang of the counting, etc. I think everyone's a little different but I find I need to 'cheat' about once a week or else my weight loss stalls out - it goes up slowly and I have no energy (starvation reflex I suppose). If I loosen up the diet for a day or 2 (read: comfort food for a few meals) and then return to the diet, it seems to work well for me. I exercise daily, that's just somehow easier for me too.. I don't lose momentum that way. Does anybody else find that to be the case? Anyway, I lost around 10 pounds before i joined by making minor changes for a month and then in these 66 days I've lost 20 lbs :happy: ... so I'm down from 300 to 270 and not going to stop.

    Does anybody else find they need to cheat? Do you find it's easier to stick to exercise if you do it every single day, or does 3 times a week work better for you?

    Interested to hear your responses everyone. Thanks!
  • frithir
    frithir Posts: 179 Member
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    I find if I don't exercise every day, it's far too easy to lapse into nada zilch zip so it's one of those set-in-concrete-written-on-the-calendar things. I have tried having a set cheat day but I found that it's too tempting for me to extend that day into a week, etc. At least for me, a set schedule and set boundaries is the only thing that's going to keep me at it.
  • pros696
    pros696 Posts: 80
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    I workout every day except sundays and for the same reason as frithir. If I stop for a couple days it takes alot to get back on track
  • alifelessevident
    alifelessevident Posts: 390
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    i do some form of exercise everyday, if i'm gonna have a good meal- some junk food or eat out, i will try to do an extra tough workout that day, so i can still eat some of the things i love
  • eriny
    eriny Posts: 1,509 Member
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    i do at least 3 times a week which equals one cheat day ex 1. breakfast only 2.maybe lunch 3. dinner only one of those meals at any time during the week really seems to help oh almost forgot weekend :drinker:
  • nichols
    nichols Posts: 240
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    im the same way. i can stick to a strict diet and training schedule but when i stop dropping weight for a couple of days, if i take a cheat day, i start seeing results again the following week once back on schedule.
  • clairegl
    clairegl Posts: 82
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    I feel you brother. If I don't reward myself then I feel deprived so it's better to dangle that carrot in front of me so that I can stay on track. I usually have a weight watchers giant fudge bar every night and then one night a week eat regularly for breakfast and lunch and my workout but then have a cheat dinner and dessert!
    I exercise somehow, every day at least a bit.
  • lisabeavers
    lisabeavers Posts: 115
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    I agree with having extra calories on a couple of days. I read alot about people who have a cheat day in the week. I think as long as you aren't going too far overboard and you can contain it... ie one day doesn't turn into a month, that you okay. i try to get to the gym every day, but i don't and ive found if my weight loss stops and i skip the gym for a couple of days and eat more than what im supposed to it starts moving again. so maybe its a bit of the same thing. I go about 10 days at the same weight, then i drop suddenly 2 or 3 pounds. then it starts over. I think that you've done great in losing and if its working for you, keep doing it until it stops. It will eventually, cuz you'll hit a plateau, but hopefully that won't last long and you'll pass through it quickly until you meet your goals. good luck!
  • Phoenix_Rising
    Phoenix_Rising Posts: 11,417 Member
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    I allow "cheat room". I try to be good and stick closely to my calories, but life happens and I'm not going to be so strict that I get fed up with this lifestyle and quit.

    For example: this weekend was my high school best friend's wedding. Friday night-- dinner at a steakhouse, drinks at a comedy club. Saturday, rehearsal dinner. Sunday, the wedding reception food. I didn't even bother to log. No telling what I consumed, calorie-wise.

    But I'm not going to restrict myself (entirely.... I did exercise portion control) from events like these, or make myself miserable by not eating at them.

    While a healthy diet/lifestyle is super important, so is LIVING LIFE and enjoying everything it has to offer. :drinker: :bigsmile: :glasses:

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