Cheat days
mblair4185
Posts: 26 Member
So three/almost 4 weeks into this Im wondering when and how people get to have those days where they don't worry about how many calories are in what they are eating and just enjoy themselves.
My favorite thing to do is eat..and if I had to do this for the rest of my life I would go insane. I was on a medication that was the main cause for gaining 30 pds over the past 5 years. Other than that Ive always been able to eat what I want..in large quantity if I wanted.
I decided to do this long enough to lose the 30 pds (as Im now off the medication) but assumed I would be able to go back to say 2000 calories a day at least or something. According to this however, Im looking at now even 1800 a day.
Do most of you have a cheat day? When is it okay to go and eat a couple cupcakes, some dip and chips and candy etc. Like for example, on Christmas day or Thanksgiving. If you take a day and eat what you want does it completely throw off all of your work for that week?
Is it possible to just eat what you want say, once a week?
I loath the idea of having to get out and exercise everyday in order to enjoy a small piece of cake.
Are there any of you that have lost the weight you wanted and are in maintain mode that pretty much are able to eat what you want?
Sorry, if this is whinny and negative sounding but I keep reading where people are saying the weight just flies back on once you stop basically starving yourself (which at 1450 calories a day right now I feel like I am.)
My favorite thing to do is eat..and if I had to do this for the rest of my life I would go insane. I was on a medication that was the main cause for gaining 30 pds over the past 5 years. Other than that Ive always been able to eat what I want..in large quantity if I wanted.
I decided to do this long enough to lose the 30 pds (as Im now off the medication) but assumed I would be able to go back to say 2000 calories a day at least or something. According to this however, Im looking at now even 1800 a day.
Do most of you have a cheat day? When is it okay to go and eat a couple cupcakes, some dip and chips and candy etc. Like for example, on Christmas day or Thanksgiving. If you take a day and eat what you want does it completely throw off all of your work for that week?
Is it possible to just eat what you want say, once a week?
I loath the idea of having to get out and exercise everyday in order to enjoy a small piece of cake.
Are there any of you that have lost the weight you wanted and are in maintain mode that pretty much are able to eat what you want?
Sorry, if this is whinny and negative sounding but I keep reading where people are saying the weight just flies back on once you stop basically starving yourself (which at 1450 calories a day right now I feel like I am.)
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I eat candy, cake, ice cream, etc. several times (or more) a week. I just factor it into my daily food plans. I'm newly in 'maintenance mode' and aim to eat 1800-1900/day. Portion control is still a relevant topic.
Even when I was eating 1400-1600, I didn't consider anything cheating. Sometimes I had a day where I ate at maintenance. Sometimes I had a day where I ate higher. One day will not make or break your life goals. Its the habits you form that are important.
If you feel hungry/deprived on your current calorie intake there are a few things you can do. Decrease your deficit -you'll lose slower but may be more satisfied along the way. Move more in order to burn more, earn more calories in. If you have some sedentary activities - do them while moving. Watch tv with the family? Run in place. Just an example.0 -
I'm only giving up foods that were really bad for me that I was eating...Like Pizza, fried foods, etc. BUT when it comes to Skittles, I will never give those up. I did "cheat" yesterday and bought a 2.17 bag of them and ate the whole thing in the course of the night. I say, eat what you want in moderation. My mother always told me, "It's not what you eat, it's how much you eat of it."0
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Sadly, no. I'm resigned to the diet for the rest of my life unless I want to get fat again. I chew a lot of gum and drink a lot of water. I get 1200 calories, and even so I don't lose any at all unless I work out hard and often. Once a month or so, I can have one day that I permit myself some extra calories. Any more than that, such as once a week, and I start gaining it back quickly; I've tested that out. (middle age plus head meds plus busted thyroid.) I've just had to accept that my eating days are over.0
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I don't often eat fried food - but won't/don't rule anything out. I do regularly eat pizza and fast food - but I'm aware of my options/choices.
I think we all have things we know to avoid. For me its the bags of Twizzler Nibs. The little cherry flavored candy. If I open them, I'll eat them. All. And then feel that sick-in-the-stomach-I-can't-believe-I-did-that kind of feeling. Like a kid on Halloween night after Trick or Treating and before Mom takes the candy away for the night. So I don't buy them. Other things I can have on hand and eat a little at a time.0 -
It isn't cheating; it's overeating.
I plan to do it on Thanksgiving. I am not going to ask my cousin to measure things, lol. I'm not going to ask about calories. I'm going to eat the stuff, not log it, and move on with my weight loss journey.
If you aren't on a special diet, it's all about what you want. If you want to take a day off, do that! If you don't, don't!
It really is that easy. Do what makes you happy.
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Technically, I could eat a bite or two of some of the foods I like but honestly, no. Most of what and how I am used to eating cannot be fit into a calorie counting diet. As it is if I want to be able to eat anything late at night (I am up until 12-1am working) I basically can't eat breakfast. Im eating about a 300-350 calorie meal around noon...maybe 100 calorie snack pack of some sort and apples with a tablespoon of peanut butter in the afternoon and then about a 450-600 calorie dinner (at most, sometimes on 350) then I can eat another frozen meal (300 calories) or bowl of cereal with milk or something later in the evening. All of those meals are frozen meals btw..tiny. IF I eat breakfast in the morning I can't have anything after dinner because there isn't anything left. I don't see how people are eating what they want on this restriction? Even when I am in maintain mode it will only be a few hundred more calories than what I currently have. Its really discouraging to me.0
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Prepackaged meals will leave you feeling like you have not eaten much. Try making more of your own, or supplementing by adding a salad.
Examples:
Salad of mixed greens, veggies w/ .5 ounce reduced fat cheddar or blue cheese crumbles and light dressing: 100-150 calories
Scrambled egg whites w/ veggies & some 2% cheese 100-200 calories
Lean meat (4-6 ounces) with baked/grilled veggies 150-250 calories
PB&J sandwich on light bread w/ no-added-sugar jelly or jam 250ish calories
My diary is open if you want to browse. I eat real food. And I log realistic amounts based on scale weight. I don't really worry about sodium, as I have no health reasons of concern that are related to sodium.
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For Thanksgiving this year, I intend to be hiking/camping and not gorging on food. But... I do have "cheat" days when I reach certain goals (the first time, not again after I lose the weight I gain from the cheat day). There are occasionally days I will call "overeat" days where I'll go maybe 1,000-2,000 calories over, and I do this when I'm really down (last time was about a month ago, and I do this every month or 2 it seems). My last "cheat" day was in August, and it generally takes 3-4 months to get to a cheat day (or to get to the weight where I allow myself a cheat day). For me, a cheat day is a day where I will eat whatever I want without regard to what it is or how much it is. I did log what I ate last time (I think it was around 12k calories, which is much less than my planned 30k calories but I found I cannot eat as much as I used to be able to eat).0
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Ever since i started trying to lose weight I've had a cheat day every Saturday. It may have slowed it down, i don't know... but i know for a fact that if i didn't have a day where i could eat what i wanted to...i wouldn't have got this far. Eating what you want for one day will do nothing, just like eating what you should for one day would do nothing. Hope this helps you 0
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I think it depends on the person and what it is... portion control is amazing! I learned that if I want to have my diet goals intact, I can't have bags of trail mix lying around : ( I "cheat" all the time when I know I'm going for a long run or have worked enough calories off that I can have a treat, but certain things are DISASTEROUS! You'll find that when you give something up for awhile (like pop is a good example) you actually stop craving it and you'll find you don't like it. As far as Christmas and Thanksgiving? GO FOR IT! One "skinny" mean won't make you skinny, just like one "fat" meal won't make you fat... and there are healthy versions of things you can make. You can always leave the marshmellos off the sweet potatos and have a great meal! One day at a time, right?0
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These are all really great points! I think I do need to take a look at what meals some of you are fixing...maybe I would feel more satisfied!!!0
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I think a day off here or there isnt going to do too much damage as long as you follow the rules and eat balanced the rest of the time. Maybe slightly different if you are just starting out as you need to get some momentum going but once you have lost some weight and know how to lose more then damn right allow yourself some time off!0
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aha. Frozen meals. That's why you feel like you're starving to death. You might as well be eating a kleenex. Those are low volume, low satisfaction, low nutrition. Bake up some skinless chicken breasts. Cook up tons of nonstarchy vegetables. Have a broiled salmon filet. Boiled eggs. Kashi cereal and lowfat milk. lowfat or nonfat yogurt. Be very moderate about most starches such as rice, potatoes, pasta, and bread. Use light salad dressings. Eat 4 oz portions of lean meats. And then, low cal fruits and vegetables will fill up your stomach. For grains that work, did you know grits are only 100 cal per serving? Oatmeal is pretty low cal too. A cup of frozen blueberries is only 80 calories. Those are my dessert nowadays. Or cut up, core and peel an apple, stew it with cinnamon and just a touch of sugar. Strawberries, fresh. Pre-prepared/processed stuff will never leave you satisfied and is full of chemicals also.0
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yes you definitely need to find more satisfying meals than those frozen meals and/or cereal. you should divide up your calories throughout the day where you want to eat. i tend to be hungrier at the end of the day like most people so i eat most of my calories in the evening. i eat light breakfast and lunches which is easier for me to do. but i make all my meals. like breakfast is oatmeal which sticks to my bones and keeps me filled.
as for treats, definitely fit those in so you don't feel deprived. you can get those mini store bought bakery cupcakes and they are what 90-150 calories. surely you can fit that in.
i don't believe in cheat days, thats a setup for disaster.
you can still have days where you have a high caloric meal. just do it and move on. but make it special. eat something you don't normally eat or can't make at home. for example, french fries aren't that important to me so i don't bother with the fries when i eat out. i eat something i really want. record it and move on. I've lost 50 lbs so far. you just can't eat like that every meal, its all about balance.0 -
No, you can't eat everything you want and expect to keep the weight off. Your choices are:
- go back to your old habits and old body. Gain back everything you lose, and then some.
- find some smart substitutions: fresh fruit for candy, seafood for steak, air-popped popcorn for chips, vegetables for carbs. The longer you do this, the more you'll find foods you enjoy that satisfy you.
- add in some exercise. You don't have to kill it in the gym. A moderate 45 minute walk daily will give you 200 extra calories so you can have a beer or some chips that evening.
- eat what you like but cut back portions. Do you really need "a couple cupcakes" at 300 calories each, or will one or even a half do just as well?
If you feel like you're starving, something's wrong. You're probably eating foods that don't fill you. One thing is that sugar and starchy carbs make you ravenously hungry. Try cutting them way back and adding lean meat, fish, and as many vegetables as you can stand in their place. If you do that for a week, you'll be surprised how little you miss them.
Feel free to add me. You sound just like me a few years ago.0 -
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I don't have cheat days, I have cheat meals. And max 2 a week. The rest of the time I strive for clean, wholesome foods that I find filling and nourishing.
In my experience if you lose the weight through a real lifestyle change, maintenance comes naturally. For most of this year I didn't count calories and ate pretty much whatever I wanted. However I am extremely active and by weighing in once a week I knew when I had to dial back on the food some. On long weekend vacations I'd put on 3-4 pounds but they'd fall off within two weeks without even trying. However, I want to drop weight so I am back to calorie counting.
I saw a video with a sports psychologist who talked about how your body automatically resets after doing something for a long enough duration. For example when you first start running it's really hard because your body isn't used to it and it "fights" it. If you do it long enough, your body resets and if you stop running your body will fight it. You'll feel restless, antsy, etc. Same goes with food. If you eat tons of sugary stuff your body is used to it and wants more. Stop eating it and your body will protest. If you keep eating healthy your body will reset and if you feed it sugary food it will not react well.0 -
I know I can't eat greasy stuff any more. The last time I tried, I felt so sick and like I was going to explode for several hours. And the amount was quite moderate. Bleurgh, goodbye fried crap!0
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Ah, but I understand. I've been dieting for months and I've been hungry for months. I would like to be able to tell you it gets better, but it does not. There are 2 things that I've found fill me up enough, but that is it. For those who say that packaged foods are the problem, you are wrong. Even when I eat non-packaged foods, I still cannot get enough to eat. So I go hungry in order to lose weight. I will be hungry even at a maintenance calorie level.
By the way, here are the 2 foods that fill me up and allow me to not be hungry even when eating at a deficit:
1. Watermelon
2. Salad, but only if prepared in a certain way. It took months to figure out the right combination/preparation. I could eat 3-4 lbs. of lettuce and still be hungry (but within my calorie goal). Or, I could add loads of ranch dressing to 2 cups of lettuce and be satisfied, but way over my calories.0 -
midwesterner85 >> you are correct. just because you eat non-packaged food doesn't mean it will solve your hunger problems. its all about WHAT you are eating that makes you feel full, but also satisfies hunger. but NOT eating processed food is a start.
you should not be so hungry. eating well should not be miserable you should take a closer look at your diet and also check your emotions. are really hungry, stomach growling hungry or are you really bored stressed procrastinating <fill in the blank> think about it the next time you eat a well rounded balanced meal and are still hungry.0 -
Yes, @beamer0821, I understand the differences between stomach hungry, mind hungry and heart hungry. I'm stomach hungry. My hope is that someday I will lose enough weight to get past that problem, but I probably won't. It doesn't help that I have some health issues. As a type 1 diabetic, I am unable to make insulin and that is very well known. What a lot of people forget is that I also do not make amylin. That affects hunger a lot.0
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I maintained a very modest calorie deficit when I was losing...it was a mere 500 calories per day to lose about 1 Lb per week...I really didn't miss 500 calories per day all that much...I wasn't in misery...I never found the need to have a cheat day or cheat meal or whatever.
I also hate that entire concept and it just wreaks of a negative relationship with food. I most certainly had days when I ate over my calorie goals when i was losing...I didn't ever consider that "cheating"...usually it was a holiday or a special occasion...nobody gets fat because of a holiday or special occasion.
I've been in maintenance for over 18 months now...I eat pretty much the same as I did when I was losing...lost of whole, nutritious food...lean proteins, 6-8 servings of fruit and veg daily...whole grains, and healthy fats. The only difference is about 500 calories which generally just allows me a couple more beers in the evening or an extra snack that I didn't partake in while I was losing.
None of this should be miserable...if it is, you're doing it wrong.0 -
ok well if you have other medical conditions affecting your hungry than thats one thing.
but for must of us being hungry still after a balance rounded meal seems like a red flag that something else is going on. i don't think its as obvious to people as they might think0 -
The best way to fill yourself up on minimal calories is to eat whole foods. Fruits, veggies, lean protein etc. Make your carbs complex ones. Think sweet potato, brown rice, oatmeal and quinoa. They will not only fill you up but help with cravings. If I have something as simple and innocent as a piece of white toast with butter and no protein I start a cycle of poor nutrition decisions and find it very hard to stay within my calories for the day. If I lay off the processed foods like lean cuisines, white pastas, breads, rice, refined sugar etc and stick to whole foods, I can eat all day long, feel satisfied with my food and still have calories left over for reasonable treats. Some people do well this way and others like to have a whole meal or day where you let yourself indulge. I have to be careful doing that though because it is possible to undo your weekly deficit if you really go overboard.0
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Bodies change over time. What worked when we were a little younger is no longer enough. There is no rule that says you can't enjoy a limitless day. In fact, you can eat what you want any time. The catch is that you have to either make up for it on other days or accept that your weight loss will be slower. I mostly eat what I want, but I cannot eat as much as I want. I practice diligent portion control because that is how I got to be 30 pounds overweight.0
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I used to have 'cheat days' I intended to just have one a week, a Friday, but they usually carried on until Sunday night. Now I just eat at maintenance on a Friday instead so I get some treats but don't completely ruin everything. Allowing cheat days doesn't end well in my opinion you just end up eating EVERYTHING.0
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I don't give up any food, you just fit them into your allotment. I have a treat daily and this is just part of life; like brushing your teeth.0
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mblair4185 wrote: ». All of those meals are frozen meals btw..tiny.
That's part of your problem right there! Learn to fix meals for yourself! Homemade food tastes MUCH better and you can eat a whole lot more for the same amount of calories!
Also, do not do anything to lose weight that you aren't willing to do FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE because, if you are miserable losing weight, you will NOT keep it off. As we age, it is natural to lose some metabolism and not be able to eat the same things and keep the weight off as you were in your 20's. That is life, unfortunately. So, the best course of action is to learn how to lose weight sensibly and by eating things you enjoy so that when you lose the weight you want, you can continue eating sensibly and keep the weight off.
Having said all that, one day of not counting calories or eating sensibly is not going to ruin a diet. You lose or gain weight by a pattern of eating. I've lost 85 pounds and am still losing, but I still manage to enjoy Thanksgiving, Christmas, my Birthday, etc. just fine. I do not count calories on those days. I also don't count on vacations. The difference now compared to when I was gaining instead of losing is that those days are one day only and I get back to counting the day after. Vacations are also only the length of the vacation and no excuses to getting back to counting when I get home.
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