cheat days

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cuz86
cuz86 Posts: 45 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Do you guys have cheat days? how did you decide on how many calories to eat on a cheat day ?

thanksss :)

Replies

  • swordsmith
    swordsmith Posts: 599 Member
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    I have no cheat days per se. To me a cheat day means using empty calories to fulfill the 1200 cal minimum. I average about 1500 cals/day of solid, healthy food and my goal-in theory- is 1800 but frankly I cannot eat that much as I'm just too full now trying to get the 1500 into me.

    However, every other week I have my buddies over and they bring usually tons of cookies, donuts, etc. Knowing this I lay in a stockpile of fruit for me but I plan on having say 2-3 cookies or a small slice of pound cake, etc.

    My current exercise burns about 600 cals per day so I figure between my normal deficit of 300 cals plus exercise exchange that 2 or 3 oreos will not put me in the red.

    I have a philosophy that denying oneself small pleasures may make one binge later on down the road. This is a diet- not a denial.
  • anbegley
    anbegley Posts: 163 Member
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    I have one cheat day a week, usually Sunday. I don't set a calorie limit. I eat what I want or have been craving, helping me not binge later. I have noticed that my cheat days are less extravagant than when I first started. Must be this lifestyle change thing.:laugh: Anywho, if you feel more comfortable setting a limit go for it. I haven't been harmed my having one yet. Good luck.
  • wonnder1
    wonnder1 Posts: 460
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    I have a cheat meal (cause frankly my cheat day turns into cheat dayS)

    I walk the 40 minutes to the market to get a homemade deep fried spring roll from the market. Then I sit and people watch and spend the 5 minutes it takes to eat it thinking about how much work it was to get it!
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
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    I have no cheat days. I'm a bit more relaxed with food on the weekends. If I want something I will have it. I just don't shove crap food down my throat like I used to. And I try and keep portions under control (just one Little Debbie is very, very hard to do). I was never very overweight or obese but had very, very bad sugar and junk food habits. When I turned 38 my diet started to take a toll on my weight and my health.
  • Katieladie40
    Katieladie40 Posts: 45
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    I don't have cheat days really with food. I have relax days with working out. cause i normally run 90 minutes and burn 1309 calories. which is how much i take in. So some days i get so tired with school work and exercise that i just sit and relax, focus on my school work so i don't get behind. I have time to lose weight, not time to retake classes.
  • V44V
    V44V Posts: 366 Member
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    I don't have a cheat day as such, I eat under the rest of the week and have them on a Friday and Saturday when I don't eat as well and have a drink or two.

    I tend to still exercise tho and eat/drink back all of my calories!!!
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
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    I don't have cheat days. I allow myself to eat at maintenance once or twice a month, and at the end of every 3 months, I get 1 week of eating at maintenance. I don't let myself overeat, ever.

    I used to, and I obliterated my deficit(s). Rather pointless, in my opinion.
  • astovey
    astovey Posts: 578 Member
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    no cheat days! At least planned ones. I only have a cheat meal if it is something special like an anniversary, and I still try to not go too crazy.
  • LindseyC87
    LindseyC87 Posts: 178 Member
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    My cheat days are Sunday.. I am still not gonna go extravagent and over-indulge.. But I am gonna eat REAL bread and have more than 2 oz of pasta. I will still stay in my calorie limit for the day, but I am not gonna worry about my carbs. Its whats keeping me motivated...I miss garlic bread so bad that I wake up cravng it :sad:
  • Kat120285
    Kat120285 Posts: 1,599 Member
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    I don't have cheat days. If there's something I want, I have it and then make whatever I eat for the next meal or what have you, healthy.

    For me, it's about portion, moderation and just balancing. When you have something not so healthy make the next meal a healthy one.

    Then again, it's a lot easier for me than some others because I don't really crave or care for "junk food"

    I do however, love my beer and wine =]
  • alexbowser
    alexbowser Posts: 322
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    I walk the 40 minutes to the market to get a homemade deep fried spring roll from the market. Then I sit and people watch and spend the 5 minutes it takes to eat it thinking about how much work it was to get it!

    I do the exact same thing, but my grocery store is only a 30 minute walk.
  • sparrow747
    sparrow747 Posts: 87
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    My only cheat days tend to be when I go out for drinks and end up usually 300-500 cals over my goal... this is usually once or twice a week (and typically coincides with a no-excercise day, so I don't have tons of bonus calories floating around) and the rest of the week I'm at or slightly below my calorie goal.

    I think it's great to keep your body guessing (diverse workouts and diverse menus!) but without going overboard with food on "cheat days".
  • elliecolorado
    elliecolorado Posts: 1,040
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    I personally don't like the idea of a 'cheat day' or a 'cheat meal' to me 'cheating' implies that you are doing something wrong. I am not on a diet and I am only making changes to the way that I eat that I know that I can continue doing forever. I don't think that it is realistic to think that I'm not going to go out to eat, go out drinking, eat cake or cookies. I eat the things that I want. I try to budget them into my daily calories, but I don't really worry if I go over. I also don't do those things as much as I used to I am just trying to use more moderation, but if I really want something I allow myself to have it. Depriving myself of things just makes me want it more.
  • Butterfly524
    Butterfly524 Posts: 3
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    "I am just trying to use more moderation, but if I really want something I allow myself to have it. Depriving myself of things just makes me want it more."

    I completely agree with this. If I want something I have it, but I don't over do it. If I want a candy bar, I will split it with a friend or only eat some of it. I notice the more I tell myself I can't have it, the more I want it. So I just eat some of it. It helps that I have great friends and family that help me and sometimes eat the other half LOL I'll get to my goal it will just take some time :)
  • marber
    marber Posts: 118 Member
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    I don't have cheat days I have maintenance days where I go up to 500 over as my settings are for 1lb a week. These tend to be days I don't got to the gym but I have started giving the dogs an extra walk to counter balance a little.

    I have also found that as I have been doing this for a long time I find it harder t over eat. I went out for lunch yesterday and though I finished mine when my mother offered me her fries I refused I could not eat them and I did not feel guilty for leaving them either. Before I would have eaten them.
  • Merihell
    Merihell Posts: 7
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    This topic has given me a lot to think about. I was considering whether to take a cheat day or not and i think instead i will allow myself a night off a week. I intend to keep the calories within maintenance, probably only having a couple of hundred more calories than i would usually stick to.

    If i don't let myself have a night off i'll crack and eat a whole jar of peanut butter (like i did when i was on slim fast!).
  • Nelle914
    Nelle914 Posts: 13 Member
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    I say, if you want to have a cheat day, then go for it! One day isn't going to throw everything off track unless your one day turns into 2 then 3.. etc. I usually have my cheat days on Sunday. Then on monday, start fresh. Having a cheat day actually makes it easier for me to diet because I think "if I do good all week, I can eat really good on Sunday!" :D:D
  • jnite
    jnite Posts: 108 Member
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    No cheat days but if I am going out for supper etc, I don't worry about it I just eat what I want for that meal, though I usually don't have lunch if I know I'm going out. I used to do cheat days but I found that I pigged out crazily so I had to stop that.
  • TheBraveryLover
    TheBraveryLover Posts: 1,217 Member
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    Yes on Fridays/Saturdays but I usually don't go over by too much. Usually a few hundred over my normal cals and that'd still equate to losing weight. I don't think I've came close to my maintenance cals at all since I began this 8 weeks ago. I'd feel way too guilty since I'm in this certain mindset now.

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