Allowing Cheat Days
UnikittyRocks
Posts: 30 Member
Does anyone who is having success at losing steadily allow themselves a cheat day or 2? I'm less than a week old at this and can see a huge fail in store for me if I am not able to have one or two days to enjoy. Meaning I can have a bagel and a Dunkin Donuts latte AND wine in the evening.
I appreciate the advice for this newbie!
I appreciate the advice for this newbie!
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Replies
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I hate the whole "cheat" idea. Aren't you trying to learn better habits? Learn to eat what you enjoy in moderation and fit it into your day on a regular basis. You'll be much better off in the long run.0
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I don't, and I DO enjoy what I'm eating.
I have gotten away from the "overstuffed" mentality where I want it all in one day. I eat within my calorie allotment and am happy when I can put back the box or carton or whatever with more left over for the rest of the week. 0 -
I don't have cheat days and do not look at losing weight like that. I have what I want and make sure I am in a calorie deficit at the end of the day. I look at this as portion control. Working for me so far.0
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You can work those things into a regular day, that way you don't feel the need to "cheat"0
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Nope
If I want a donut I'll eat one and log it within my weekly defecit
Food isn't cheating, food is just food and you need to balance it to your calorie allowance0 -
If I had a cheat day it would turn into a cheat week, month and I would never be on track. I love all the foods that are not "healthy". I work the "non healthy" foods into my daily goals. I refuse to give up anything. If I overeat then I work out a little harder or I start fresh the next day. All of this goes out the window when I have PMS. LOL0
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I don't do cheat days either... it work it into my day.... whether I'm following If It Fits Your Macro's or just the plain calorie deficit.0
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Quick answer to your question, yes. You can have a cheat day and still lose weight. Just be sure to track everything, even if you go 1,000 calories over your daily limit. I also agree with @SuggaD, you should be trying to learn better habits, so limit it to one "cheat" day if you must. Just know that if every day becomes a cheat day you'll end up gaining instead of losing.0
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No, I don't cheat. If I know I want something, I pre-log my day to make it fit.
"Cheating" implies (for me) that I'm doing something wrong, and I don't like that feeling associated with food.0 -
I'm learning to make good choices most of the time so I can afford a less nutritional choice occasionally. If I think of it as a cheat, then there's guilt attached. I'm working hard at separating food from my emotions.
Last Friday I had a burger and fries for dinner on a date night with hubby. I ate slowly, and stopped when I was full. Knowing that was coming, I made healthier choices in the days leading up. Sunday we got a last minute invite to pizza at grandmas. I ate the chicken/veggies pizza instead of the pepperoni, and have eaten quality so far this week. I'm finding it's more about balance than cheating.0 -
I do something similar as others have mentioned, I stick to a "weekly allotment" of calories and this allows me days where I splurge but another day might be very low, or I exercise to make up for it.
In the past I have also tried a "3 treats" per week, so I can spread them out, plan and enjoy without guilt.0 -
I hate the whole "cheat" idea. Aren't you trying to learn better habits? Learn to eat what you enjoy in moderation and fit it into your day on a regular basis. You'll be much better off in the long run.
Totally this. I wish folks would get past the pairing of the idea of "cheating" with food and eating. Fit it into your day when you are able! I eat and drink all kinds of stuff. Have a look at my diary if you wish – I've lost over 70 pounds doing so. Good luck!
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If I had a cheat day it would turn into a cheat week, month and I would never be on track. I love all the foods that are not "healthy". I work the "non healthy" foods into my daily goals. I refuse to give up anything. If I overeat then I work out a little harder or I start fresh the next day. All of this goes out the window when I have PMS. LOL
Funny! Thanks Vada44 for understanding and not judging!
I did mention I'm new at this right?! Tracking everything to fit into 1200 cal is hard right now but hopefully in another week it will be liked second nature. At least I'm gong that workouts add a bunch of calories back in!0 -
I'm going to fly in the face of what everyone here says. I aim to meet certain macros and by the time I do that there's very little room to eat (for lack of a better term) junk. Maybe I have 200 cals left after meeting my macros if I'm lucky usually between 100 and 200 somewhere.
If I could meet my macros with 300 or 400 cals left then I might do things different but so far I haven't managed it.
I have a cheat day of sorts. I still log and I eat as normal except one meal. I've only done it once so far the first week. I have a rule no more than one time a week preferably less. I often have some calories left over on my regular days (50 or so) so I don't think it will kill me.
Also I don't eat until I'm stuffed on these days. the only thing I eat to that point is lean protein and it doesn't take much of that to fill me up.
ETA That week I had the cheat meal I still lost 2 lbs.0 -
When losing, I try to stick to my deficit during the week (including treats like wine and chocolate, but in small portions), and on the weekends I'll eat around maintenance. The weight loss may be slower, but I don't feel deprived. Not to mention a higher calorie intake on Saturday makes for a better Sunday run...0
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When I first started I would have the odd treat but as I've gone on those foods have just become unappetizing. Why would you want a whole day dedicated to unhealthiness anyway, it will only set your weight loss back and take longer to reach your goals.0
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I can see maybe having a cheat item, but a whole day? Two even? When you need to be at a deficit of 3500 in 1 week, that could completely blow what you've already worked so hard for.0
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makelemonade14 wrote: »I'm learning to make good choices most of the time so I can afford a less nutritional choice occasionally. If I think of it as a cheat, then there's guilt attached. I'm working hard at separating food from my emotions.
Last Friday I had a burger and fries for dinner on a date night with hubby. I ate slowly, and stopped when I was full. Knowing that was coming, I made healthier choices in the days leading up. Sunday we got a last minute invite to pizza at grandmas. I ate the chicken/veggies pizza instead of the pepperoni, and have eaten quality so far this week. I'm finding it's more about balance than cheating.I do something similar as others have mentioned, I stick to a "weekly allotment" of calories and this allows me days where I splurge but another day might be very low, or I exercise to make up for it.
In the past I have also tried a "3 treats" per week, so I can spread them out, plan and enjoy without guilt.
I like the idea of pre-planning my splurge days. I didn't know about the weekly deficit thing so I will look into that- thanks!0 -
I honestly don't see the point. I'm eating at a 500 calorie a day deficit. If I had a cheat day each week I could literally undo the good done on several of the other days in the week.
Friday night is my husband's birthday, and I have been planning to eat a little more decadently then, but I have been budgeting calories each day this week for that. That's really my only version of it. The goal is to still eat at a deficit for the week.0 -
UnikittyRocks wrote: »If I had a cheat day it would turn into a cheat week, month and I would never be on track. I love all the foods that are not "healthy". I work the "non healthy" foods into my daily goals. I refuse to give up anything. If I overeat then I work out a little harder or I start fresh the next day. All of this goes out the window when I have PMS. LOL
Funny! Thanks Vada44 for understanding and not judging!
I did mention I'm new at this right?! Tracking everything to fit into 1200 cal is hard right now but hopefully in another week it will be liked second nature. At least I'm gong that workouts add a bunch of calories back in!
No one is judging you. If you want to allow yourself cheat days - knock yourself out. People are explaining why they don't. I think it's really important to learn how to include foods you love on a day to day basis, so you don't feel unmotivated or deprived. Those feelings make it that much harder to succeed.
Why are you only eating 1200 calories though?0 -
Every few months I let myself go for 1 day. Probably eat 6K+ calories.
About eating your bagel, donuts, latte and wine in the evening. Yes, you can do that everyday if you want. This whole game is about calories, providing you stick to the number, you will lose weight (trust me). I've lost 20KG eating whatever I want, but logging and sticking to the calories.
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UnikittyRocks wrote: »Does anyone who is having success at losing steadily allow themselves a cheat day or 2? I'm less than a week old at this and can see a huge fail in store for me if I am not able to have one or two days to enjoy. Meaning I can have a bagel and a Dunkin Donuts latte AND wine in the evening.
I appreciate the advice for this newbie!
I don't do cheat "days", but rather several cheat meals per week. It is less damaging to your routine and you can make up for the extra calories by adjusting other meals that day.0 -
I don't have cheat days, but I do once in a while eat things that aren't part of my normal diet as a treat...not a cheat. They are exceptions to my general rule. What works best for me is to do it outside the home mainly so I'm not tempted to let my exceptions become the rule again. It also makes social situations...such as being invited to someone's home where I have no control over what is served...easier to manage.
What also helps me to not feel deprived is to do a bit of calorie cycling. I'm not formal about this at all. All I mean is that if I eat 1300 calories a day on average, on some days I might eat 1150 or 1200 and on other days I might eat 1400 or 1500...or occasionally more. Sometimes I just am not very hungry, and instead of forcing myself to eat I would rather save those calories to have a little extra on another day. Maybe that would be helpful for you.0 -
If you look at your calories on a weekly basis and want to have a higher calorie day, create a deficit on the other days. I tend to watch my calories very closely during the week knowing that I'll likely go over on the weekend. If you eat at maintenance and then splurge a day or two, you will gain weight. But if you leave yourself 500 extra calories, enjoy! Whatever works for you.0
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crucifiedead wrote: »When I first started I would have the odd treat but as I've gone on those foods have just become unappetizing. Why would you want a whole day dedicated to unhealthiness anyway, it will only set your weight loss back and take longer to reach your goals.
Because eating tasty food isn't necessarily unhealthy if it's still within your goals. Because sometimes a day with higher calories helps prevent or break plateaus. Because losing slowly will help you create a lifestyle you can stick to long after the weight is off. Because losing slowly will help prevent the loss of muscle mass so when you reach your goal, you also reach the figure you had in your mind. The key is planning your day, just as you would any other day, so it's in line with your goals.
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What works best for my cheat days is to log it anyway. It makes me realize how much is in those Limeritas and how long it would take to balance that out on the elliptical. Sometimes it's worth it to me and sometimes it's not.
A tip for those wine evenings is to have tons of veggies before hand. Having a vegetarian dinner allows you to fit in that glass of wine or two.
Hope this helps. Keep up the logs.0 -
My husband and I do a cheat day but lately I have been trying to spread it out because everything at once makes me feel really sluggish and sick. I guess what it boils down to is what works best for you. Personally, I think if you can eat clean for 6 out of 7 days, you are doing very good. But it depends on what you are trying to accomplish, i.e weight loss, gain, or maintain. I know I can clean eat for 5 days and cheat 2 days and maintain my weight. But now that I am trying to lose weight, I try to eat well everyday with occasional indulgences.0
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I've had success while allowing 'cheat' days. I don't plan cheat days like some people do, but I do think it's important to know when it's okay to let loose a little. For example, I go out with friends often and I generally try to pick things off the menu that will fit into my calorie goal for the day - but once in awhile I allow myself to have the burger and fries I've been craving for a month. There are some things that simply won't fit into a daily calorie limit, and it's okay to have days like that once or twice a month.
I'd also like to note that some people consider 'cheat' days to be days where they binge on mass amounts of calories, and others consider them to be days where they just allow themselves to go over their limit by a few hundred calories, and in my opinion there's a huge difference there.0 -
UnikittyRocks wrote: »Does anyone who is having success at losing steadily allow themselves a cheat day or 2? I'm less than a week old at this and can see a huge fail in store for me if I am not able to have one or two days to enjoy. Meaning I can have a bagel and a Dunkin Donuts latte AND wine in the evening.
I appreciate the advice for this newbie!
I don't do cheat "days", but rather several cheat meals per week. It is less damaging to your routine and you can make up for the extra calories by adjusting other meals that day.
Yes, this is how I see myself splurging. I can see making this work. I have to be a better planner!0 -
I used to do this, but then a cheat meal turned into a cheat day/week/month and 10 pounds.
Eat whatever you want, weigh it, log it well and exercise. 0
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