Cheat Days Scare Me...Help?
Options
Replies
-
Those are valid concerns... a few thoughts from someone with similar tendencies:
1) figure out your triggers (foods, locations, time of day) and avoid/control them.
2) figure out how to work in "treats" on a daily basis rather than having a cheat day.
3) If you must cheat, allow yourself a cheat meal rather than a cheat day
All this. Personally, I am against the concept of cutting anything out completely, except that chips like to challenge my philosophies with the reality of OMGNOMNOMNOMgeddinMYMOUF.
So I don't buy chips anymore.
Alas.0 -
In reading your post it sounds like you consider a cheat day going all out.
Here is what I consider a cheat day - I went to an all you can eat buffet on the weekend and ate more than my daily intake in one sitting. That was my cheat day. I don't do it once a week, maybe once a month. It was not pre-meditated and I didn't eat myself into a coma...I just had what I wanted...some steak, pizza, mac & cheese, ribs - it all adds up but it was delicious and I logged it and the day was done.
Another example of one of my cheat days. The weather is snowy, my work week has been stressful, I've kept on track all week and it's Friday night, I'm at home alone and decide to have a few beers followed by too many chips and some salsa, then later a bowl of ice cream while I watch a movie. I went over my intake by maybe 1000 calories for the day. I log it and forget it. Sometimes I need to allow myself those moments because if I didn't, I would never be able to get back on track and stick to my plan. I cannot eliminate the foods I love - I can only moderate them.
And another note, part of the reason I feel successful in my weight loss is that I don't cut out those snacky foods all week long and then binge one day on them. I allow myself a piece of chocolate or two here and there, some chips in the evening, a glass of wine...I just adjust my calorie intake for the rest of the day to allow it. That way, I never feel like I've deprived myself of the foods I love.0 -
(Also, I don't have cheat days. I just enjoy what I want in moderation and make it fit my calories and macros. It takes some planning, but it isn't too hard. Except for chips. Sigh. But I covered that already.)0
-
I too love to mindlessly eat, so I know that "cheat days" don't really work for me. What I do instead is still track my calories but stay below the amount I would gain weight on (maintenance for me is somewhere between 2100-2200). Giving myself that extra 500 cals or so makes me feel like I've been able to have whatever it was I wanted, without actually risking putting back on any body fat. I probably do this once every week or two.
If I know I've got a big weekend coming up where things will be a little harder to control (ex. weddings, camping) I'll run a weekly total and cut an extra 100-200 calories each day throughout the week to give myself more calories to work with come the weekend.
It's a lifestyle change, and learning self-control is a big part of it. Personally I've found that I get nothing out of binging on goodies other than a sore stomach now that I've been eating healthy for a few years. That does help with the self-control haha0 -
Thank you so much. Very motivating and makes me feel a lot better and not so scared. hahaskinnyforhi wrote: »Starting a new lifestyle is hard, but after 2-3 weeks if you are still having crazy cravings, I have to wonder if you are eating enough, and if you are eating things that you enjoy. Just because you no longer have a burger and fries for lunch doesn't mean you can't eat something that is tasty and satisfying. Are you planning your meals and snacks around healthier alternatives to your favorites? Are you trying new things to discover what you might like? My second piece of advice is to banish the word "cheat." Anything can fit in this lifestyle. Also, there's a huge difference between going over by 200-300 calories and going over by 700 or more. Get past the mental block (and trust me, it's mental) of feeling like you failed because you went over, and now it's open season for all your favorites. I know it's difficult but you can do it! Good luck!
I'm just getting into my second week of this and I'm hungry and craving all the time. I'm hoping it's just my stomach shrinking and adapting to the fewer cals and more structured eating throughout the day. Healthier alternatives to my favorites...I didn't think of that.
I definitely agree that I need to try new things and find some yummy recipes because the same old fruit, veggies, and string cheese (ok I eat a bit more than that) are all getting very old and boring. Of course, that results in losing motivation and wanting the "old life" back. I'll be looking at recipes on here.
Thanks again!!0 -
All foods in moderation every day of the week and making it fit in my daily goal. Deprivation is not the key to success. Moderation is the key to success and consistency.
Exactly!! I have done this and so far, I've lost 58 pounds in a little over 160 days. If I want a piece of candy or pizza, I have it. (I know that I, too, love sweets and I love to binge eat so depravation does NOT work for me. Also, cheat days seems to turn into cheat weeks etc) Some days I am over calories, some days I am under. I walk for cardio. You will make it work for you. Good luck!!
0 -
Hey! I feel the same way. In the past I lost several pounds using MFP but I gained it back over time. Now I'm determined to get healthy and stay healthy.
I, too, am fearing "cheat days". Since I'm only on week 2 for now, I've decided to wait until I've been at this for a month to reward myself with my "cheat". It just so happens that two weeks from now is Thanksgiving, and I am going to try having one cheat MEAL instead of a cheat DAY, that way I don't go too overboard with the snacks.
My thanksgiving cheat plan, which I plan to repeat for future cheat meals, is to fill my plate with everything I want to eat. One big-*kitten* plate without calorie and carb counting. I'll also allow myself a dessert. Oh, and a beer! I miss my beer.
I think that savoring one meal is a better idea for me because the idea of an all day smorgasbord (which, undoubtedly, is how I've gained all this weight twice over) would trigger some of my bad habits (i.e. Boredom eating, Netflix eating, Social eating, Too many alcoholic beverages, etc.).
Having a plan laid out ahead of time always seems to work best for me. But whatever works for you!0 -
Thanks again to everybody! You're all extremely motivating and it's good to know I'm not the only crazy binge eater out there.
I feel much more relaxed with allowing myself something every now and then when I have the calories and I'll work on being ok with occasionally going over my goal. Self-control w/ moderation. 0 -
OP: I don't do cheat days, in the sense many people use of "a day when I eat whatever I damn well want without bothering to log it or stick to my calorie goal."
I do have days when I will deliberately go over my calorie goal, because it's a special event, or I'm going to a great restaurant and really want to enjoy myself. I factor those into my weekly meal planning. I also see my daily/weekly goals as aspirational; right now I'm almost at maintenance, and I have MFP's goal set so I lose about half a pound a week. I'm OK with losing a quarter pound, though, or even losing just half a pound a month right now.
So maybe the way to split the difference for you is to have a day every now and then when you permit yourself to indulge yourself a bit, but you do log everything. After all, your log is your way to be accountable to yourself, not to anyone else.
And as others have said, don't cut out any food that you don't want to cut out for the rest of your life. Just learn to enjoy it in moderation. As Dr. Yoni Freedhoff advises, ask yourself this: how little of this do I need to eat to be satisfied?0 -
I AM A CHEAT DAY LOVER!
it works for me there are days i go all out and days i don't, but i love it and keeps me compliant and losing and lean, and surprisingly keeps me from binging on any other day
days starts out with a handful of gummy bears, the a healthy breakfast before i hit the gym for my heaviest training day of the week, then a shake followed by pizza or pancakes or something like that, maybe some ice cream and or cookies, then dinner is pasta or mexican with a couple drinks0 -
I eat whatever I want as long as I fit it into my calories for the day. So I don't have a "cheat day". I'm not cheating if I want to eat ice cream, or pizza or whatever. It is just food, with a particular calorie count. You make the numbers work, you eat the food, you are happy. No restriction.0
-
All foods in moderation every day of the week and making it fit in my daily goal. Deprivation is not the key to success. Moderation is the key to success and consistency.
This. I don't do cheat days. I make what I want to eat fit within my calorie goals, and if I go over some days, I am fine with that.
0 -
Honestly your post made me just about cry for so many reasons. I think cheat day must have come from weight watchers, its just food. IF you want to have a few more calories then you can do so in many ways, but its still food. It doesnt cheat the scales. The upside is that you get the benefits of nicer/ food by taste and variety plus it lifts your spirits a bit. The downside is that if its excess calories, then it affects your deficit, but by how much depends to the extent at which you consume extra calories.
Call them chill out days or extra calorie days or treat days, but cheat is simply a silly name imo. Again I think its just marketing that their diet is special and they allow you to cheat because they is special.
Having these extra calories is fine, just be aware of their impact on your daily, weekly and monthly deficit. You take a hit and I can understand if its worth it. I have such food allowances floating around for various target rewards and some reserve ones if ive had enough. I link them to something. They are all there if I should need them. Generally though I just eat in moderation, make sure i am not hungry and then use my surplus calories on treats. Exercise makes a big difference here.
As for your fears.
1. You eat an unlimited amount. I have chocolate, candy, crisps on my desk now. I do remember what it feels like killing myself doing cardio a few hours ago, so im reluctant to go overboard. I want to lose the weight more than I want to eat tons of chocolate. I used to have days where I just ate chocolate candy and chips. Now im losing weight I get a bigger kick out of times on my cardio and seeing the scales drift lower. What im geting at is if you create a virtuous circle then you become more interested in your target and wanting to be slim than gacing twenty bars of chcolate. Btw if you do have the burgers, pizza, chcolate, then enjoy them they still taste fine. Its gets a bit dull after the first 500g of chcolate or 250g of chips anyway.
2. You will be corrupted and never turn back? Do you want chocolate or do you want to be slim more? Simple as that. If you cant trust yourself then dont put yourself in that position imo. All im thinking about is the moment are targets and making sure i keep on target for the rest of the year as well as making an allowance for Christmas.
If MFP is about changes in lifestyle and not excluding any food, then you just have to learn to moderate and recognise excessive chocolate might push you into a surplus which means more weight. Please dont demonise food or become too scared by it. Exercise really helps keep everything in balance.
ps I ditched pizza once I realised how many calories it has in it. theres other take aways id rather have that are nicer and less calories. Using MFP and calorie counting is a great eye opener. I dont deny food, pizza just isnt my priority.0 -
I long ago learned that "Cheat days" are a really bad trigger for me and I binge uncontrollably. I allow myself cheat MEALS now instead. When we go out to a restaurant on the weekend I allow myself to order whatever I want for the meal and I can eat all of it if I want to/can. I have found that they don't derail me and are always a welcome respite.0
-
All foods in moderation every day of the week and making it fit in my daily goal. Deprivation is not the key to success. Moderation is the key to success and consistency.
This! I allow myself treats everyday, but I work them into my calorie goal. When I go out to eat on the weekend, I usually order what I would have in the past, but make sure to substitute my 2 sides to include a vegetable (normally I would pick the 2 yummiest carb choices available, which would put me WAY over the correct range). Then, I also make sure I only eat HALF my meal: so if the total meal is 900 calories, half of it is still in my calorie range and it doesn't blow my whole day. Or if you really want to eat the whole meal, skip breakfast, do a healthy snack around lunch time, and then you really can have that whole meal for 900 calories. However, learning to set aside half of the meal really helped me to learn control and proper portions (besides the portion at a restaurant is grossly more than what a person should even need to eat on the regular). Now, I don't even miss not eating the whole thing, and I can look forward to a treat for lunch by having the leftovers If you like ice cream, try getting a fruit based ice pop for only 70 calories (Edys makes the Outshine Bars in a ton of different flavors) and I don't even feel like I'm substituting because they are so yummy! I always make sure to incorporate a little chocolate into my day, because if I don't, I go completely star-crazy. The fun size chocolates won't blow your budget, and instead of eating 4 like the serving size suggests, just have the one and really SAVOR it, TASTE it, don't just mindlessly chew and throw it down the hatch lol. This is what I have learned on my own, and it has really helped me. I rarely go over my goal for the day, and I still have little bits of the things I used to love, and it's totally ok! Good luck, you are on the right track!
0 -
I actually think cheat days originated in bodybuilding; I had a bodybuilding roommate once who ate nothing but frozen pizzas and ice cream every Sunday - he said it helped to replenish glycogen stores and keep his metabolism guessing. I think dieters adopted it because it sounds like a lot of fun.Honestly your post made me just about cry for so many reasons. I think cheat day must have come from weight watchers, its just food.0 -
Well if you don't think you can do moderation, have a cheat meal at a restaurant (lunch preferably!). You won't have more temptations once you leave, and you will be probably too stuffed to have anything else to eat that day.0
-
I actually think cheat days originated in bodybuilding; I had a bodybuilding roommate once who ate nothing but frozen pizzas and ice cream every Sunday - he said it helped to replenish glycogen stores and keep his metabolism guessing. I think dieters adopted it because it sounds like a lot of fun.Honestly your post made me just about cry for so many reasons. I think cheat day must have come from weight watchers, its just food.
THIS0 -
I am also scared of cheat days especially now that I just had my comeback workout. I'm afraid that the whole week that I spent working out and dieting, will be wasted coz I heard that I MIGHT gain it back again. Could it be true?0
-
All foods in moderation every day of the week and making it fit in my daily goal. Deprivation is not the key to success. Moderation is the key to success and consistency.
This! I allow myself treats everyday, but I work them into my calorie goal. When I go out to eat on the weekend, I usually order what I would have in the past, but make sure to substitute my 2 sides to include a vegetable (normally I would pick the 2 yummiest carb choices available, which would put me WAY over the correct range). Then, I also make sure I only eat HALF my meal: so if the total meal is 900 calories, half of it is still in my calorie range and it doesn't blow my whole day. Or if you really want to eat the whole meal, skip breakfast, do a healthy snack around lunch time, and then you really can have that whole meal for 900 calories. However, learning to set aside half of the meal really helped me to learn control and proper portions (besides the portion at a restaurant is grossly more than what a person should even need to eat on the regular). Now, I don't even miss not eating the whole thing, and I can look forward to a treat for lunch by having the leftovers If you like ice cream, try getting a fruit based ice pop for only 70 calories (Edys makes the Outshine Bars in a ton of different flavors) and I don't even feel like I'm substituting because they are so yummy! I always make sure to incorporate a little chocolate into my day, because if I don't, I go completely star-crazy. The fun size chocolates won't blow your budget, and instead of eating 4 like the serving size suggests, just have the one and really SAVOR it, TASTE it, don't just mindlessly chew and throw it down the hatch lol. This is what I have learned on my own, and it has really helped me. I rarely go over my goal for the day, and I still have little bits of the things I used to love, and it's totally ok! Good luck, you are on the right track!
THIS! Chewing and feeling is the key! 0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.7K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.8K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 395 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.3K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 960 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions