Cheat Days

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  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
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    I wouldn't blow an entire day but I have done cheat meals on weekends. I still make sure I log EVERYTHING, that way I have an accurate assessment when I look back in my food diary. My goal is to stay under 2,000 calories on the cheat meal days. Not a number I aim for daily but a needed sanity break allowing me to keep things low cal all week. This also allows me to go out to eat once in a while without being stuck eating dry salads with only a touch of dressing. I still make smart(er) choices but will allow a little indulgence. I don't think I could eat this way forever if I didn't allow some junky things in there once in a while, like sweet potato fries! :devil:
  • Rozzie75
    Rozzie75 Posts: 20
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    I agree it us a personal choice it also depends on your will power to get back on track. I've been tossing around the idea if a cheat day for awhile but I think it will be just a meal to see how that test my will power. I think my first planned cheat meal will be on my husbands birthday we go to Monterey Bay restaurant every year it is a very elegant place. So I will see how that goes on march 17th.
  • NOLAdy
    NOLAdy Posts: 133 Member
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    I suppose I cheat on weekends, if you want to call it that. That's when we eat out, if we do. For example, I like the veggie sub at Quiznos. It's got cheese, and advacado, not to mention a lot of bread. I don't do low carb but I do monitor my carbs and choose the healthy ones. Same goes with fat, so advacado is good thing for me. But that sandwich would put me over the top for the day.
    My husband and I both love sushi. For some reason it's not as "healthy" as one would think LOL. BUT, heart attacks and obesity in Japan are a rarity so I'm not sweating it.
    I'm not anal when we go to restuarants with friends either. I just try to order the most healthiest thing. And, no, not just a side salad and water.
    I will say that I used to be a yo-yo dieter. Stress over what I was eating. Eat a side salad and than crash the next day and go to McDonalds.... I started being aware of what I ate and how I looked in highschool, so now at 35 it's all kind of a no brainer to me. You learn to love the healthy foods and be comfortable with the non-healthy stuff from time to time because you know that there is no frickin wagon to fall off of.
  • ellen1980
    ellen1980 Posts: 23
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    See I think for me I actually think about 'cheating' way more then I do. If I stop for a cup of tea I think about the donut/cookie I could order and eat with it, but I don't. Or I cruise around the grocery store and think about the chips or ice cream I could pick up and eat but I don't bother. It's like my mind is always wandering to the "dark side" of food choices and although I almost always stay on track just once in a while I would like to give in, but without feeling guilty, kwim?!
  • MattAxtell
    MattAxtell Posts: 73 Member
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    You should not have a day where you dont care at all.

    Think of it this way.

    You want to lose 1 lb a week, so you need to comsume 3500 less calories than your body needs in a week.

    Say you require 2000 calories a day to stay the same weight.

    6 days in the week you eat 1400 calories.

    on your cheat day you over indulge and eat 4000 calories.

    You still net negative 1600 calories.

    So theoretically a cheat day would not be bad if you did it once a week. But it will definitely slow your progress... A LOT

    In this scenario you would lose weight half as fast as you would without a cheat day
  • desirawr
    desirawr Posts: 9
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    I admit, I have many cheat days, and they usually occur on the weekends that I go hangout with my family (i'm a college student). But I have still lost weight by just counting my calories throughout the week and staying at an equal balance of carbs/cals/sugars/and fats. I haven't been working out for a few weeks, just my usual walk to classes, and i've lost about 15 lbs so far. But I also feel like, if I hadn't had those cheat days, perhaps i'd have lost more weight.

    Overall, it's your decision. I would say to have at least one or two cheat days a month. And also, try to see if you feel a difference when you eat bad vs. good foods. For me, I feel absolutely disgusted when I eat bad, and my stomach is too full and always grumbling, and i feel very lazy. So this feeling keeps me motivated to try and stay on track throughout the week. :)
  • humblemonkey
    humblemonkey Posts: 576 Member
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    The over-arching theme is here is that yes, an Off Day can be beneficial if you understand why you're doing it. It's not for you to eat as much *kitten* food as you can...it's to keep you sane. If someone told me today that I could never have slice of pizza, or a medium rare NY strip, or one of my choclolate chip cookies ever again there is zero percent chance of staying with it. So, once you did have one of those, you have essentially failed, opening the door to old habits and ways (i.e. fat and lazy).

    So, the Off Day gives me sanity. During my Off Day...I much prefer that over "cheat"...considering I'm not cheating, I'm doing as I planned - so no cheating involved, just a scheduled diet change. I typically take Saturday evening through Sunday lunch off. During this time, there is no way I want to ruin my progress by over indulging, but I do want to satisfy any cravings. I'll have a couple glasses of wine and a gorgeous prime NY strip...but I'll skip the bread and butter. In the morning, I'll eat some serious bacon and a bloody mary, but no waffles for me.

    Does that make sense? Kill the urges with a reward not ruin your progress with gluttony. Also, this is a REWARD for me. If I have not hit the majority of my goals for the week in terms of fitness, I consider my Off Day was already used, and I bust my butt and eat clean through the weekend as well.

    this is perfect-- my friend and I were just discussing this! if you tell yourself you can never have something you love ever again, you will dwell on your craving for that item and you will lose sight of your fitness or whatnot... If I said I could never have a drink while I'm out with friends once in a while or never have another scoop of rocky road ice cream I'd cry!! I know that if once a month or so I have plans to go out with friends and do have a drink, so long as I stick to healthy options the rest of the week it's OK... I dont eat crap food all day on an "off day" but I will allow myself to enjoy something I have wanted. To me, it makes me stay on track better!
  • liveskinnyxo
    liveskinnyxo Posts: 259 Member
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    cheat days can help prevent platues because it shocks your system...it's the same concept as muscle confusion, except it's variety in your food. i know i eat pretty much the same things everyday, but on my cheat day (which for me is just a meal) i'll eat something that i normally dont eat. sometimes if i weigh myself the next day i'll see a slight jump in the scale, sometimes it wont even show...but either way it never prevents me from losing that week. if you binge for a day then you might gain weight & have to work it off again, that could hinder your weight loss, but you'd have to eat A LOT more than usual....
  • laurabeth02
    laurabeth02 Posts: 37
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    Try a 'cheat meal' instead of a cheat day. I would be afraid of bingeing if I allowed myself an entire day.
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
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    I use the 95/5 methodology for my life - so no "cheats" here but regular life! 95% of my life I eat healthy, unprocessed, home cooked foods (because I like them and I like being healthy), the other 5% I drink wine, or liquor, or eat some junk.

    FWIW, I will tell you I am 100% sure that if you're trying to lose weight and you have a "cheat day" you can completely and totally undo your progress for the week in one 3500 calorie meal (which is WAY easy to do - try a big meal at Outback) - 1 pound is 3500 calories...just remember that!!! But I will say if you want to treat yourself to A TREAT (of normal proportion) once a week it won't be a big deal.
  • derbygirl90
    derbygirl90 Posts: 38
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    I think cheat days are a way to fall off the wagon. So I try to allow one cheat meal a week (i don't always adhere to it though!) Maybe I'd better think about upping it to two cheat meals a week....?
  • hedgertiger
    hedgertiger Posts: 51 Member
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    I never believed in a cheat day but I do now. Last few weeks i was struggling to lose any weight despite being very disciplined. Last thurs I went out with the lads and had a total drinking session (about 15 beers!) and had a huge McDonalds at the end of the night. My weekly weigh-in was next morning and surprisingly I lost 2lbs (and remain lost so wasnt dehydration!)

    A cheat meal every week can really help!
  • karensoxfan
    karensoxfan Posts: 902 Member
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    Allowing myself "Cheat days" (or meals) would be a real "slippery slope" problem for me. I already have enough challenges & hurdles that I face in this effort. What if I took a cheat day (or meal) and then the next day had an unexpected challenge pop up. The cheat day/meal would put me at a disadvantage facing the truly unexpected hurdle.

    For me, it would just be asking for trouble. To each his/her own though. If some people are structured enough to make it work for them, then more power to them, but it's not for me at all.
  • stuvb12
    stuvb12 Posts: 4 Member
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    I'd say more of a cheat meal on a weekend day. That cheat meal ends up being as much as my whole normal day so having 2 cheat meals in a day would be way overboard. Depends on what a cheat meal or day is to each person though.
  • crystalDRA
    crystalDRA Posts: 28 Member
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    I have a cheat "day" in which I'm over on my calories, but technically it is really only a cheat "meal." I pick one meal a week that I am going to just eat what I want without thinking about the consequences. Doing this almost always puts me over in calories within reason whereas a whole day of eating what I want puts me way over my calorie/fat beyond what is a reasonable overage (in my opinion). The cheat "meal" does help me stay on course through the week and it also gives me something to look forward to...similar to a reward for being so diligent.
  • amandapucheu
    amandapucheu Posts: 1
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    I don't do cheat days. Instead, I do reward meals. For example, if I've made all my workouts and stuck to my calorie limit all week, then I'll celebrate by getting something that I really love but that is absolutely not good for me. My personal favorite is Chinese takeout, if you really want to know. I don't do reward meals if I haven't completed my workouts and eaten clean the remainder of the week, though. I like the reward mentality because I feel like I'm getting something I've earned rather than cheating.

    At the same time, listen to your body. If you're really craving a particular food or a glass of wine, then have it. But don't let that become a slippery slope into having a huge portion of it or having it on a regular basis.
  • GlutenFreeWench
    GlutenFreeWench Posts: 127
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    Cheating days don't work for me. I'll do one meal a week that's out, 1 meal a week fast food.

    Otherwise, it turns into a free for all.

    500 calories extra a week to eat whenever has also done the trick:)
  • cnash81
    cnash81 Posts: 30
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    I personally cannot do a cheat day because I am far too prone to just falling of the wagon completely. I would have too much trouble going back to eating healthy after an entire day of debauchery. I have historically had a problem with too easily falling back into my bad eating habits. Thus, I have to be pretty strict about it and only allow myself a cheat meal once a week.
  • kimmerroze
    kimmerroze Posts: 1,330 Member
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    My whole thing is that I dont "cheat" persay. I "maintain" my maintainence level of calories is 1750 so I just try to stay under that on saturdays. THat is my hardest day to be good. If Im under I am good. I know that I wont lose any weight but I most certainly wont gain any.
  • sjdoman
    sjdoman Posts: 81 Member
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    I don't have to cheat because my number one rule is I can eat anything I want. If I really want a doughnut, I'll eat one. But I make sure I stay within my calorie allowances. And 95% of the time I'm eating healthy, I just always know I can have a treat if I want to. So its not a temptation.

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