cheating on cals one day and working hard the next?

healthynthin
healthynthin Posts: 29
edited September 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I was looking for some opinions on going over calories by a lot one day and then the next day working out and not eating exercise calories to kind of make up for the cheat day.....since calories are looked at over a weeks time would this work to balance out my cheat day?

Replies

  • SmilinNKK
    SmilinNKK Posts: 2
    I say do the work first and then cheat!!
  • michellefish
    michellefish Posts: 1
    There's a diet out there that uses this principal - it's called Up Day Down Day.

    http://caloriecount.about.com/up-down-diet-ft22402
  • healthynthin
    healthynthin Posts: 29
    yea usually i just wouldnt cheat at all but i got a sweet tooth on valentines day so thats why im wondering
  • krissy_pooo
    krissy_pooo Posts: 111 Member
    I would say yes. You can never take back what you ate yesterday (I ate bad too!) but by working out harder today you are helping yourself burn the calories you need. because remember it takes a certain amount lost to lost the weight. So I think it's a good idea to tell yourself today is a new day, and I will make up for yesterday! Not by starving yourself... make sure you are getting to your minimum caloric intake for the day but make mostly healthy choices :)
  • VialOfDreams
    VialOfDreams Posts: 217
    In my opinion cheat meals are okay, but cheat days are not. The reason is the fact that during a cheat day you can gain several lbs of WATER weight, and that can be very discouraging. Also, if you work yourself out to exhaustion the next day, and don't eat any recovery calories, you can end up with unnecessary soreness.

    I'm not perfect, and I do have cheat days, but generally one cheat day takes me 3 days to work off. And it's not fun.
  • Aetarac
    Aetarac Posts: 135 Member
    it would not be advised. Eating to few calories on any given day could cause your body to think it is in state of starvation and make it want to hold on to fat and weight. My advise is that if you do go over in a day then rack it up as a day you went over; tomorrow is a new day and new chance to do it right.
  • healthynthin
    healthynthin Posts: 29
    thanks =]

    I don't usually take cheat days im just calling it a cheat day cause i hadd cookies and chocolates and junk.... hahah it probably wasnt to to bad i didn't eat a ton but I was just interested in knowing if i can work off the previous days mistake =]
  • healthynthin
    healthynthin Posts: 29
    oh and im still eating my calories for today just not the exercise ones.
  • jkestens63
    jkestens63 Posts: 1,164 Member
    I actually hate the word "cheat" because what are you cheating on??? The idea is really changing a lifestyle and making good choices. So you may have made bad choices one day but then its up to you to make good choices the next if you truly want to lose the weight AND, more important, keep it off forever. Don't try to go back and undo something that was already done. Just look at it as take the next opportunity to develop and keep good habits.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,337 Member
    There should be no problem doing this. You will do just find cutting your calories the next day to help make up. Those who talk about going into starvation mode are worrying about something that will not happen. Even not eating for a whole day won't do that. It takes most of that day, about 18 hours from your last meal if I recall correctly, for your body to stop taking any nutrients at all from that meal. It is really only then that you go from a fed to a fasting state. If all the people who claim humans were once hunter/gatherers are correct, then our bodies are not going to start consuming muscle that was needed to hunt the next meal when we are out of food for one day. It takes continuous low calories or lack of food to have your body start thinking it is starving.

    Thinking of both your calories eaten and your calories used in terms of a week is probably more useful than thinking day to day. It allows the freedom to eat a little less on a day before you know you will be eating a little more to even things out and still be able to enjoy a birthday, anniversary or the like.
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