CHEAT! Cheat! Cheatitie! Cheat!?

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  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
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    I always think "WHO am I cheating?" Then I have a salad:laugh:
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
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    0-1000 over, once a week. I plan it in; It's not a "cheat".

    It won't "ruin your diet". That's like saying back when I was a fatso, if I ate at a deficit once a week it would ruin my fatness and I'd get all thin from my once a week "good day".

    Had to scroll up to see who said this. Brilliant!!

    That is how I feel about a cheeseburger. So what? I ate it..........next.......:tongue:
  • locomotion
    locomotion Posts: 67
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    0-1000 over, once a week. I plan it in; It's not a "cheat".

    It won't "ruin your diet". That's like saying back when I was a fatso, if I ate at a deficit once a week it would ruin my fatness and I'd get all thin from my once a week "good day".
    Well said!

    I have a cheat meal occasionally to kill those cravings.. sometimes planned, sometimes unplanned. For planned cheat meals I will eat at a deficit a day before and a day after. Didn't hinder my weight loss. :smile:
  • BrownSkinBeauty1990
    BrownSkinBeauty1990 Posts: 59 Member
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    I eat whatever I want but withing my calorie allowance.

    I have a cheat day once a week sometimes. I'll go over by about 800 cals, I haven't had a problem & still lose weight. I used try to eat a bit less for the rest of the week.
  • Fenyx
    Fenyx Posts: 87 Member
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    I've actually found ways to cheat without going over lol. The best way is to find foods you like that are available in a healthier choice. I have found that the desserts by Smartones are excellent when I want a sweet. It's low cal and tastes pretty good. Also, when I know I'm going to want something extra in a day, or even if I just eat something extra, I exercise a extra for it. The way our diets are set up in MFP we are already on a deficit that is sufficient to lose weight without exercise whatsoever. So, when you do exercise it is recommended that you eat back those calories (or at least a portion of them). It doesn't "ruin the work" you spent exercising. Exercising does not burn fat, it burns calories. Exercising too much and not feeding the body back what it needs will cause you to go below what your body needs and starvation mode kicks in, reducing weight-loss. So The way that's worked for me, find healthier solutions, but if you want to go over, ya gotta work for it! At this point I've found exercises that take minimal time and give a lot of burn. So in 20 minutes I've burned over 200 calories (according to my chest band heart rate monitor) that I get to spend on extras throughout the day =)
  • GinnyBarnes
    GinnyBarnes Posts: 2 Member
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    Hey I had my first cheat day today and I must admit I loved it. Back to the normal tomorrow.:laugh:
  • jlbay
    jlbay Posts: 473 Member
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    I'm trying not to have "cheat" days. I don't want to set up that dynamic in my diet. Instead, I'm trying to learn portion control. It is still hard!

    So, for example, if I go out on Friday night with our friends (who are big wine drinkers), I have wine - a glass or two - not the whole bottle. I try to drink water first and in between alcohol. Bottom line, I'm trying to allow myself foods I love, but in moderation. Maybe I have a creamy pasta for an entree that one night a week we eat out - but I try not to eat the bread before, have a green salad with and skip dessert. Most restaurant desserts are high on calories, low on satisfaction for me, so I don't waste calories on them just because I have a sweet tooth.

    My other favorite "trick" - order whatever I want on the menu, immediately portion it into two (placing extra on side/bread plate) and eat half. I figure, if an entree is really high cal (even 1000) at 1/2 I'm only getting 500. Which is much better.

    When I went off the wagon last summer, every day seemed like a cheat day and I went overboard - gaining back weight. I'm trying to change this with the above plans - trying to not indulge every craving, and still enjoy food - which I love a lot!
  • zoebea33
    zoebea33 Posts: 74 Member
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    i trick my mind into thinking i'm cheating by doing something like an extra lean beef of turkey mince burger lovely and not too many calories :happy:

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  • R_is_for_Rachel
    R_is_for_Rachel Posts: 381 Member
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    i find the advice of eating slowly reduces my need to scoff a load of bad stuff these days.
    For example, last night we had pizza, normally we would have a pizza each -just over 1000 cals. Last night i slowed my eating right down and by the time i was finishing my 4th piece i was well and truely stuffed! which meant i only had just over 500 cals and because i'd eaten well that day i was well within my calorie limit.

    The problem with a cheat day is if you stuff yourself, there's a tendancy to feel sick and ill and then guilty and i think it's harder to go back to healthy eating the next day
  • marber
    marber Posts: 118 Member
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    I have maintenance days.

    I have set my weight loss to 1lb a week so me deficit is 500 cals so allow myself to go over by that amount.

    This does tend to be on non gym days as I find it easier to keep within calorie goals on gym days without feeking deprived.
  • stephanielynn76
    stephanielynn76 Posts: 709 Member
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    0-1000 over, once a week. I plan it in; It's not a "cheat".

    It won't "ruin your diet". That's like saying back when I was a fatso, if I ate at a deficit once a week it would ruin my fatness and I'd get all thin from my once a week "good day".

    dude you're a genius.
  • suzycreamcheese
    suzycreamcheese Posts: 1,766 Member
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    i think its never going to be maintainable long term if you cant even allow yourself a treat now and again.
  • Cytherea
    Cytherea Posts: 515 Member
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    I think the concept of "cheat" days or meals is just the wrong mindset.

    If you want to succeed, what you are doing here is making a lifestyle change, not going on a diet.

    You CAN eat whatever you want, and as long as you stay within your calorie goals, you will still lose weight. However, I've found that for me, a lot of things aren't worth it. That hershey's kiss sitting on my desk at work has 9 grams of fat. That's almost a quarter of my day's worth of fat, and that's just not worth it for me. But if there is something that I really want, and I value it as "worth it," I will eat it, but I make sure to plan it into my day and work around it. Get a workout in so that you can eat more.

    And there will be days where you go over, and that's ok, too. What I like to do is see how many calories I can eat to just maintain for the day, and I don't go over that. If you eat less than that amount, you'll still be losing, and if you eat that amount, you won't be gaining, just staying the same. So I think that might be a good solution- if you have a day where you want to eat more, that's fine, just don't go over that amount. And sometimes those days where you eat more actually helps; it keeps your body guessing, and you will continue to lose weight just fine, if not even better!
  • teakaz
    teakaz Posts: 3
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    Not cheats they are treats!! We all need those once in a while.
  • LOVINLIFEGUY
    LOVINLIFEGUY Posts: 47
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    Call me crazy but I have a "reload" day where I will eat 5000-8000 calories. It has not hindered my results, as long as I'm working out!
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
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    When I first started. I tried to plan in a cheat day but then I was so crabby because all I thought about was the food I wanted and how I couldn't eat it because it was so awful for you. Now though, I eat what I want but I plan it in on MFP. So if I want a burger and fries then thats what I going to get but I'll only eat half the fries and all of the burger. Then I'll go to the gym and work out, so that those calories fit into my goal. It's all about moderation and fueling your body.
  • Parcelline
    Parcelline Posts: 8 Member
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    I will probably once a week have a bad day where I go over my calories, but I combat it by working off those calories the next day without counting them.
    I don't know how effective it is for weight loss, but I always feel better.
  • OLP76
    OLP76 Posts: 768 Member
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    You have a Cheat day - even a clean one...! Michi's ladder can show you how to do that...Cheat meal or day doesn't always mean go eat JUNKfood, Processed foods or Fast foods....:wink:
  • PoleBoy
    PoleBoy Posts: 255 Member
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    I never have a cheat day. If I did, I'd probably be 50 % under.
  • Janworkingitout
    Janworkingitout Posts: 434 Member
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    I think the concept of "cheat" days or meals is just the wrong mindset.

    If you want to succeed, what you are doing here is making a lifestyle change, not going on a diet.

    You CAN eat whatever you want, and as long as you stay within your calorie goals, you will still lose weight. However, I've found that for me, a lot of things aren't worth it. That hershey's kiss sitting on my desk at work has 9 grams of fat. That's almost a quarter of my day's worth of fat, and that's just not worth it for me. But if there is something that I really want, and I value it as "worth it," I will eat it, but I make sure to plan it into my day and work around it. Get a workout in so that you can eat more.

    And there will be days where you go over, and that's ok, too. What I like to do is see how many calories I can eat to just maintain for the day, and I don't go over that. If you eat less than that amount, you'll still be losing, and if you eat that amount, you won't be gaining, just staying the same. So I think that might be a good solution- if you have a day where you want to eat more, that's fine, just don't go over that amount. And sometimes those days where you eat more actually helps; it keeps your body guessing, and you will continue to lose weight just fine, if not even better!

    Now this is clever!

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