Cheat days/ Cheat meals??

ayannabayer
ayannabayer Posts: 153 Member
edited November 16 in Health and Weight Loss
So I've been sticking to my healthy eating and I desire a cheat day. Someone told me they cheat all day twice a week. Someone else says they only have one cheat meal a week. I have not yet decided. But then again I've been doing so good I'm thinking cheating might mess up my groove. I'm not sure the best route on this one.

Replies

  • denali26
    denali26 Posts: 20 Member
    I don't do cheat days. I have treats everyday and fit it into my calories.
  • ForeverSunshine09
    ForeverSunshine09 Posts: 966 Member
    You are going to have to do a little trial and error. Just remember a cheat day/meal is not a free ticket to gorge yourself.
  • almondbutterbay
    almondbutterbay Posts: 221 Member
    I feel like everyday is a cheat day in my life lol but somehow it all works. I just eat what I want and try to make it fit around my calories/exercise
  • KingBoo10
    KingBoo10 Posts: 45 Member
    I don't believe in cheat days. Eating the "bad stuff" in moderation shouldn't set you off too badly. Just get back on the horse the next day, eat right and exercise. You have to live your life and not live in fear of food. :)
  • scorpiophoenix
    scorpiophoenix Posts: 222 Member
    almondbutterbay wrote: »
    I feel like everyday is a cheat day in my life lol but somehow it all works. I just eat what I want and try to make it fit around my calories/exercise

    This. Moderation is a beautiful thing. If you go in with the mindset of "cheating" you're doing yourself a disservice.
  • FoolishPhilosopher
    FoolishPhilosopher Posts: 1
    I usually have two cheat meals a week (so like not to full days of eating poorly just two meals scattered however I like throughout the week-oh, and dinner and dessert count as one meal hahaha). I find that this way I can work-in social get-togethers which often involve less than super healthy food . What I find helps me is if I drink lots of water before and after the meal and make sure that I get lots of exercise before the cheat meal
  • ayannabayer
    ayannabayer Posts: 153 Member
    FoolishPhilosopher wrote: »
    I usually have two cheat meals a week (so like not to full days of eating poorly just two meals scattered however I like throughout the week-oh, and dinner and dessert count as one meal hahaha). I find that this way I can work-in social get-togethers which often involve less than super healthy food . What I find helps me is if I drink lots of water before and after the meal and make sure that I get lots of exercise before the cheat meal

    Lol that's exactly what I do when I each any meal. Lots of water.
  • xtiansalcedo
    xtiansalcedo Posts: 25 Member
    Like others said, as long as it fits into your calorie goal, it's not really cheating.

    That said, are you currently losing weight or are you in maintenance mode? If you're just looking to cut loose and not worry about it for a day or even a meal, I found that it was much easier to do while in maintenance, rather than during times when I was trying to lose weight. Personally, if I'm just doing maintenance, I look more at my weekly calorie goal rather than daily and plan accordingly. If I know I have a special event, or big weekend coming up, or even just feel like eating out or having some beers that night, I'll adjust the rest of the week accordingly....extra workouts, eating less on the other days, etc., to compensate, so it all works out about the same over the course of a week. That's a bit harder to do if you're also trying to keep up a calorie deficit...but if you're one of those folks that can reel it back in after one day/meal, go for it.

    Bottom line: some people will just go crazy if they *never* indulge. For some, it's a way to stay sane and have something to look forward to. Nothing wrong with just simply enjoying yourself once in awhile.

  • ayannabayer
    ayannabayer Posts: 153 Member
    almondbutterbay wrote: »
    I feel like everyday is a cheat day in my life lol but somehow it all works. I just eat what I want and try to make it fit around my calories/exercise

    That's kind of how it used to be for me. But I just felt it was best not to everyday bc I haven't trained myself to know when enough is enough. So i decided I need a set day or time so I don't just drink pop once a day or eat a family sized bag of doritos within a weeks time.
  • SNOTMONKEY
    SNOTMONKEY Posts: 12 Member
    I stopped recording calories and exercising on Sundays. I know by now what I should be eating and just have reasonable meals. A day off helps me stay focused the next 6 days.
  • ayannabayer
    ayannabayer Posts: 153 Member
    xtiansalcedo wrote: »
    Like others said, as long as it fits into your calorie goal, it's not really cheating.

    That said, are you currently losing weight or are you in maintenance mode? If you're just looking to cut loose and not worry about it for a day or even a meal, I found that it was much easier to do while in maintenance, rather than during times when I was trying to lose weight. Personally, if I'm just doing maintenance, I look more at my weekly calorie goal rather than daily and plan accordingly. If I know I have a special event, or big weekend coming up, or even just feel like eating out or having some beers that night, I'll adjust the rest of the week accordingly....extra workouts, eating less on the other days, etc., to compensate, so it all works out about the same over the course of a week. That's a bit harder to do if you're also trying to keep up a calorie deficit...but if you're one of those folks that can reel it back in after one day/meal, go for it.

    Bottom line: some people will just go crazy if they *never* indulge. For some, it's a way to stay sane and have something to look forward to. Nothing wrong with just simply enjoying yourself once in awhile.

    I definitely agree. It is something to look forward too. I'm still learning to eat wisely. I know that I can't each treats everyday in good moderation. So I want to restrict it to once or twice a week. Like today I made my family tacos, I used black beans instead of the delicious taco meat, no sour cream, plenty of veggies. And it was great but than I was thinking "that meant smells so good, maybe I'll have some." But I didn't dare eat it bc I knew if I ate one taco with the meat, I'd want to eat two. And if use sour cream & I'd eat it until I was absolutely full.
  • Noelv1976
    Noelv1976 Posts: 18,948 Member
    Normally Fridays and Saturdays nights for me. I drink about two beers and eat some burgers or wraps. Of course I workout really hard so it pays off
  • ayannabayer
    ayannabayer Posts: 153 Member
    SNOTMONKEY wrote: »
    I stopped recording calories and exercising on Sundays. I know by now what I should be eating and just have reasonable meals. A day off helps me stay focused the next 6 days.

    That's new. I actually love that idea.
  • amberstevens7906
    amberstevens7906 Posts: 55 Member
    I was doing so good on my diet then i added a cheat day in and it completely destroyed it for me. It turned into several cheat days and took me forever to get back on track so i wouldnt recommend it
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
    I just don't see the point. Depending on your definition of cheat it just seems wrong.

    Eating more calories in a day on purpose when it's not a special event like a birthday or Christmas. Seems more like a lack of will power.

    Eating something because you have massive cravings seems like poor planning. Why not incorporate a little of what you crave into your normal day/week with out the need for a cheat day.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,611 Member
    edited April 2015
    "Cheat meals" are how I got here in the first place ... I would eat quite well during the week, and then weekends I ate all sorts of stuff that probably wasn't very good for me. I would steadily lose weight during the week, hit my weekly low weight on Saturday morning, and by Monday morning I'd be right back to my previous weight again, if not a gram or two more. It took me 4 years to gain 15 kg that way.

    So now, while I'm here, everything I eat has to fit within my calorie limits (1250 calories).

    That said, there are a lot of good foods out there which are low cal. I've been eating more variety since I started here 2 months ago than I had in several years. I've been looking at everything in the grocery store, checking the calorie contents, and if it is low and looks like it might be nice, I go for it. :)

    Also, exercise raises my calorie limits. I rarely eat all my exercise calories, but a brisk walk can ease the restrictions enough so that I can have my delicious low-cal yogurt with a dab of whipped cream on top in the evening. Or maybe an extra piece of fruit during the day.

    And if I do want something special ... like the cheesecake on my birthday, or a meal out with friends ... I exercise for it. Lots of cycling and hiking, etc.

    So no cheating involved ... it's just a matter of working for it.
  • SNOTMONKEY
    SNOTMONKEY Posts: 12 Member
    I'm no expert, but I consider my "cheat day" a calorie shifting day.
  • higgins8283801
    higgins8283801 Posts: 844 Member
    edited April 2015
    Cheating implies guilt and wrongdoing.

    I eat what I want and make it fit. If it doesn't, oh well. Log it and move on.
  • KingBoo10
    KingBoo10 Posts: 45 Member
    higgins8283801 wrote: »
    Cheating implies guilt and wrongdoing.

    I eat what I want and make it fit. If it doesn't, oh well. Log it and move on.

    ^ This.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    I don't like the word "cheat" either. There are times when I have to eat more calories than my daily allotment. I keep my calorie intake low for a few days before to "bank" the calories. I also don't eat back my exercise calories. I am not losing weight as quickly as I originally hoped, but I am losing. If I were to eat my daily allotment of calories plus eat back my exercise calories plus have one or two "cheat" days a week, which would probably turn into three or four, I'm quite certain I would be right back at 60 pounds overweight where I started from.
  • cosmo_momo
    cosmo_momo Posts: 173 Member
    edited April 2015
    If you give yourself "cheat meals" (definition being that you go over your allotted calories) you are only cheating yourself out of weight loss. If you can make it fit, I wouldn't consider that cheating, that's what moderation is. For instance, I love making and eating tacos. So this week I made tacos, with regular beef, full fat sour cream, full fat cheese and I enjoyed 4, 6" tortilla tacos. But I worked out HARD yesterday, came home, weighed everything out, logged it, and then ate it and enjoyed every delicious bite. I ate 2,100 calories yesterday, but I was still in a deficit. Either you make it work, or you don't and in the end you will know which one you've done.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,611 Member
    cosmo_momo wrote: »
    If you give yourself "cheat meals" (definition being that you go over your allotted calories) you are only cheating yourself out of weight loss. If you can make it fit, I wouldn't consider that cheating, that's what moderation is.

    Absolutely!

    There's no reason why we can't eat delicious food ... and keep it within our calorie limits. No cheating involved. :)

  • uvi5
    uvi5 Posts: 710 Member
    almondbutterbay wrote: »
    I feel like everyday is a cheat day in my life lol but somehow it all works. I just eat what I want and try to make it fit around my calories/exercise

    This is what I've started doing. The exercise can be hard while I'm doing it, but when I'm done, I can eat something nice and not feel like i'm cheating myself. Also, I feel physically and mentally fanFreakinTastic :smiley:
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    uvi5 wrote: »
    almondbutterbay wrote: »
    I feel like everyday is a cheat day in my life lol but somehow it all works. I just eat what I want and try to make it fit around my calories/exercise

    This is what I've started doing. The exercise can be hard while I'm doing it, but when I'm done, I can eat something nice and not feel like i'm cheating myself. Also, I feel physically and mentally fanFreakinTastic :smiley:

    I have so much weight to lose that I don't want to eat back my exercise calories! Another 20 pounds, and I'm going to start taking it a little more slowly.
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