Cheat day?

Sure you can. You can even do as I do (if you want, not compulsory)

My cheat day has all the cheats worked into my calorie goals anyway. So I still lose. My cheat day looks like this (hope you're sitting down):

Breakfast: 2 candy bars (500 calories)

Lunch: 2 doughnuts (600 calories)

Dinner: 100g of chocolate (500 calories)

The total calories are 1600. Which is what I eat to lose. So even though I ate nothing but sweets, I still lose because I was in my calorie goal. It's only a cheat day because I gave no attention to nutrition.

Yup. Glitch

Food should not make you feel guilty. If I know I'm going out to eat, I save up a few more calories throughout the week to compensate, making sure I'm still in a deficit. I enjoy what I love in moderation, and I don't feel deprived the rest of the time.

Maybe a cheat MEAL... Lol a cheat DAY sounds like too much fun. ☺️

I don't put nearly that much thought into it. I don't plan to go out and prepare for it days in advance. It just sort of happens. Hubby calls me on the way home from work an says hey, meet me at Buffalo Wild Wings. So I do. And I drink and I eat. Sometimes I get plain grilled chicken, sometimes I get wings covered in sauce. I don't feel guilty at all. I love food. I love alcohol. I love life. I just log it and see the results. If I do it too much (which you can look at my dairy and see i've consumed A LOT of calories via alcohol in the past 2 days), then I stay in the gym 20 extra minutes. Or I cut back a little more on high cal foods today and tomorrow.

Every single day, every single meal is not a make or break it thing. It's a fluid, ever changing lifestyle. Relax and enjoy your meal and company

Absolutely fine. Feeling guilty is pointless and counterproductive. You do need to understand how it fits into your plan though, perhaps you can manage your weekly calories to fit this in or do a bit more exercise and set the calories aside.

I think its fine as long as you make it up the rest of the week! I have good/bad days all the time but if by end of the week I'm still in the green, I'm good and still lose. You can't deprive yourself totally or you won't make it long term.

i dont have cheat meals or days. i eat what i want, as long as it fits within my daily goals.

MrM27 wrote: »

You don't need to follow such a restrictive diet where it makes you feel like you can't eat the thing you like. Eat plenty of whole foods, fruits and vegetables helping you hit your macronutrient and micronutrient goal while being able to fit the things you still enjoy. You should not feel guilty about eating food.

that can be said for 95% of posts on these boards. It is a staple answer and completely unhelpful. I am not attacking you, I just think responses could be more informative.

OP, it is all about calories. If you have made some room for you to have a little something, sure, go ahead. But if you are at a 500 calorie deficit each day, and you hit your mark for 6 of those days, but on the 7th day, you took in +500 calories over maintenance (a red -1000 as you see it), then your net deficit for the week would be 2500, which would result in a loss of about 2/3 lb. If you did not have that cheat day, and hit your mark on the 7th day, then you will have lost ~1 lb, theoretically.

While other factors play into what that actual number is day to day (alcohol consumption makes people bloated and usually has them gain weight), over the long term, that is the result.

On a literal level, it will slow your progress, but weight loss is often two steps forward, and one step back. So, it is really a judgment call for you to make.

This is sort of unrelated but can I just say bagels are most definitely not a "health food" as you make them out to seem. If you love them and they fit then kudos and continue. But if you are eating them because you think they are healthy then stop.

My whole weightloss has just about been one long cheat day, it's just being smarter about eating calories. I still eat Chipotle a couple of times per week, although most other fast food has been cut, and I go out to dinner often as well.

However, if I'm having soda, it's always diet/zero calorie soda, and I eat smaller portions, or make different choices. Either that, or I eat a small breakfast/lunch, and then a large one for dinner if I'm going out.

peachyfuzzle wrote: »

My whole weightloss has just about been one long cheat day, it's just being smarter about eating calories. I still eat Chipotle a couple of times per week, although most other fast food has been cut, and I go out to dinner often as well.

However, if I'm having soda, it's always diet/zero calorie soda, and I eat smaller portions, or make different choices. Either that, or I eat a small breakfast/lunch, and then a large one for dinner if I'm going out.

me too.... its not brain surgery....

I'm a firm believer in cheat days! Have fun once in a while.

alishadunham94 wrote: »

Should I be worried or is it ok to have that one meal?

The only way to know for sure is to work out your calories and see. It's very possible to wipe out a week's worth of deficits with one non-outrageous meal out - logging your food and getting calorie counts for the cheat meal will tell you if that's the case.

callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »

i don't have cheat meals or days. i eat what i want, as long as it fits within my daily goals.

THIS^^^