How important are cheat meals or cheat days?
Options
Replies
-
Is shakeology part of your lifestyle change, meaning you'll do that for the rest of your life? If so, that's fine, but you should make changes you can sustain long term.
Cheat days are mostly for sanity, so if you need one, take it! I like to eat what I want (within my goals) every day instead. Don't worry about stalling out or slowing down. Just stay consistent with your calories and it'll happen!0 -
jenncornelsen wrote: »to me a lifestyle change isn't cutting out entire food groups. do u plan to never eat them again? do this in a way u can keep up for life. i have tried cutting out foods too. then i end up giving up or binging. i don't have cheat meals or days. i just make foods work in my calories. 1000 calories a day is nothing. add a tablespoon of peanut butter or something and ur there.
I guess my thought is, I just need to get this weight off. And to me, breads, pastas, and sweets are an enemy. Because when I do eat them, I have a hard time stopping. So if I can lose weight without it, then I will avoid it for as long as I can. Not sure if that makes sense or not.0 -
Oh honey.
Unless you plan on drinking the Shakeology shakes for the rest of your life, I'd stop drinking them now. You want to create new habits that are sustainable long term. IMO shakes aren't.
You don't need to do cheat meals/days. You need to learn how to eat in a way that you can still enjoy the things you've always enjoyed, thereby rendering a "cheat" pointless.
Carbs are not the enemy.
Eat breakfast. Or don't - it won't impact your metabolism.
You're losing weight very fast, which for the first little bit, is okay (especially if you have a lot to lose), but IMO you're not eating enough.
My advice:
Get a food scale, weight all your food.
Start viewing your calorie goal as just that - a goal which you work hard to *meet*.
Don't view foods as bad or good - all food is fuel and has no moral value. There are foods that you want to eat always (like fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean protein) and foods that you want to eat sometimes (cake, ice cream, etc).
Be gentle, but firm with yourself.
The goal here is to eat as much as you can, while still losing weight. I've lost 77 pounds so far, doing the above. It's something you can do.0 -
thorsmom01 wrote: »Why have you cut out all these foods and why are you paying all that money for beach body products? They really are low quality and expensive. You could buy a much better quality protein shake for less money.
Which protien shake do you suggest, one that includes probiotics as well?
0 -
katieballenget wrote: »jenncornelsen wrote: »to me a lifestyle change isn't cutting out entire food groups. do u plan to never eat them again? do this in a way u can keep up for life. i have tried cutting out foods too. then i end up giving up or binging. i don't have cheat meals or days. i just make foods work in my calories. 1000 calories a day is nothing. add a tablespoon of peanut butter or something and ur there.
I guess my thought is, I just need to get this weight off. And to me, breads, pastas, and sweets are an enemy. Because when I do eat them, I have a hard time stopping. So if I can lose weight without it, then I will avoid it for as long as I can. Not sure if that makes sense or not.
those foods are not your enemy, lack of will power is.
Do you really think that you are going to avoid breads, pasta, and sweets for the rest of your life? if you view them as the "enemy" then every time you eat them you are going to fail like a failure because you "cheated" and you are setting yourself up for a cycle of guilt….
Instead, why not lean how to incorporate them into your day so that you can eat them in moderation and not feel like a failure every time you do so ….
I eat ice cream, bread, and pasta every day and I have had no problem with losing weight and getting to sub 15% body fat…0 -
groovigyrl wrote: »thorsmom01 wrote: »Why have you cut out all these foods and why are you paying all that money for beach body products? They really are low quality and expensive. You could buy a much better quality protein shake for less money.
Which protien shake do you suggest, one that includes probiotics as well?
gold standard whey
you don't need probiotics with your protein…you could just get some yogurt that has probiotics in it...0 -
I can understand avoiding trigger foods. I stick to low carb (for the most part) for that very reason - sugary foods and starchy foods trigger me and I have a hard time stopping myself, so I avoid them.
You cutting out breads, pastas, and sweets is the least of your concerns. You aren't eating enough food, period.
How long have you been "stalled"? You said you lost 19.6 lbs in 3 weeks - you didn't really think the loss would continue at that rate did you? You know that when you go low carb the first two weeks you lose buckets of water, right (I lost 6 lbs in my first week, but that didn't last!)? If you find low carb helps you, great. But what you are doing isn't even what I would call low carb - you're starving yourself. It's not sustainable and once you start actually eating again you will pack on everything you lost, and possibly more!0 -
TheVirgoddess wrote: »Oh honey.
Unless you plan on drinking the Shakeology shakes for the rest of your life, I'd stop drinking them now. You want to create new habits that are sustainable long term. IMO shakes aren't.
You don't need to do cheat meals/days. You need to learn how to eat in a way that you can still enjoy the things you've always enjoyed, thereby rendering a "cheat" pointless.
Carbs are not the enemy.
Eat breakfast. Or don't - it won't impact your metabolism.
You're losing weight very fast, which for the first little bit, is okay (especially if you have a lot to lose), but IMO you're not eating enough.
My advice:
Get a food scale, weight all your food.
Start viewing your calorie goal as just that - a goal which you work hard to *meet*.
Don't view foods as bad or good - all food is fuel and has no moral value. There are foods that you want to eat always (like fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean protein) and foods that you want to eat sometimes (cake, ice cream, etc).
Be gentle, but firm with yourself.
The goal here is to eat as much as you can, while still losing weight. I've lost 77 pounds so far, doing the above. It's something you can do.
Thank you so much for the advice. I actually really enjoy the shakes. And I have friends who have lost weight using them and have kept the weight off. And since I'm not really a breakfast eater, I'm not missing normal breakfast foods.
I have quite a bit of weight to lose. I started at 254 and am working towards my goal.0 -
katieballenget wrote: »I do log the cheat meals and still stay under my calorie goal. I've gotten more notices on not having enough calories than anything else.
Then its not really a cheat because you are at deficit, you are just not at as big a deficit as you would like.
I make the following points in agreement with above.
Lifstyle change = for life= will you be drinking expensive shakes forever? Why not real food? Learn a skill you can use for life.
1000 or below is way too little nutrition for you. 1200 is the min and even then you can eat more and still lose. How many times have you tried before and given up? Sustainable weight loss is slow and consistent. Also healthy.
You will also be losing muscle if you go too fast and dont do weights. Muscle is very hard to replace and it also burns more calories so you wnat to keep it.
etc about cutting out food groups, whats wrong with a normal varied diet? Im worried you are about to educate yourself into some very strange habits that arent going to be helpful. Shakeology have a vested interest in selling you their product. you might have lost a lot in 3 weeks, but you hit a buffer and you dont understand fully why youve lost that large amoint and the consequences.
Please eat more. id scrap the shakes and eat real food plus spend some time learning about weight loss so you can make better decisions. Do you think you will keep the same roitine up after 30 weeks? Your weight loss will slow. As it stands what you are doing at the moment is your choice, but its unhealthy and more restrictive than it needs to be.
0 -
LovelyIvy466 wrote: »tlflag1620 wrote: »You've lost about 20 lbs in 3 weeks.....
Am I the only one seeing that as crazy? Subsisting on meal replacements so you can lose 6-7 lbs a week is not a "lifestyle". It's a crash diet.
You say you've "stalled"? How long have you been "stalled"? Obviously most of what you've lost in the past 3 weeks has been water (and some muscle). Do you really expect to sustain a 6-7 lb per week rate of loss?
THIS.
20 lbs in 3 weeks and eating under 1000 calories a day? This is the epitome of a crash diet. If you don't increase your calories and start eating real foods (not crap shakeology nonsense) this is going to rebound on you in the worst way. You are setting yourself up for a lot of dysfunction.
FINALLY someone said it! Geez.
On a side note, I'm not sure why everyone is saying you don't have to eat breakfast and it won't affect your metabolism. Not eating breakfast causes many people to feel sluggish and tired in the morning, then they binge eat later. And of course, the more meals you have, the faster your metabolism will be. 4-6 small meals a day is better than just having 3 average meals.
0 -
katieballenget wrote: »But in the last 3 weeks I have cut all of the addictive eating habits out.
But thye are still there, cutting them out doesnt mean youve done anything other than delay them. On MFP people eat foods they like in moderation.
0 -
katieballenget wrote: »jenncornelsen wrote: »to me a lifestyle change isn't cutting out entire food groups. do u plan to never eat them again? do this in a way u can keep up for life. i have tried cutting out foods too. then i end up giving up or binging. i don't have cheat meals or days. i just make foods work in my calories. 1000 calories a day is nothing. add a tablespoon of peanut butter or something and ur there.
I guess my thought is, I just need to get this weight off. And to me, breads, pastas, and sweets are an enemy. Because when I do eat them, I have a hard time stopping. So if I can lose weight without it, then I will avoid it for as long as I can. Not sure if that makes sense or not.
I get it. I am a self-professed lover of carbs and chocolate. Before losing weight, I saw no issue in going back for seconds and thirds of pasta, potatoes, bread, and dessert. In the beginning, it was really hard to limit my intake of those things, but once I took a serving and ate slowly and did this consistently, I am now satisfied with one dinner plate instead of having more. I still do have seconds of bread and sweets occasion, but I limit that because it's not worth the extra calories. I'm not really a binge eater, so I don't know if this helps.0 -
katieballenget wrote: »But in the last 3 weeks I have cut all of the addictive eating habits out.
But thye are still there, cutting them out doesnt mean youve done anything other than delay them. On MFP people eat foods they like in moderation.
I agree, I don't think 3 weeks is enough time to say the addictive eating habits are gone. Give it some more time
0 -
tlflag1620 wrote: »I can understand avoiding trigger foods. I stick to low carb (for the most part) for that very reason - sugary foods and starchy foods trigger me and I have a hard time stopping myself, so I avoid them.
You cutting out breads, pastas, and sweets is the least of your concerns. You aren't eating enough food, period.
How long have you been "stalled"? You said you lost 19.6 lbs in 3 weeks - you didn't really think the loss would continue at that rate did you? You know that when you go low carb the first two weeks you lose buckets of water, right (I lost 6 lbs in my first week, but that didn't last!)? If you find low carb helps you, great. But what you are doing isn't even what I would call low carb - you're starving yourself. It's not sustainable and once you start actually eating again you will pack on everything you lost, and possibly more!
I've been stalled for about a week. And no I don't think I will continue to lose at that pace. I eat when I'm hungry. I'll have snacks like almonds, or carrots, or fruit. I was having Atkins bars as a daily snack for awhile, but I have cut those out after a little research. I try to reach my calorie Intake goal, but it is very difficult for me. But I will try harder to do it. Thank you for the advice! All of it is really appreciated!0 -
katieballenget wrote: »But in the last 3 weeks I have cut all of the addictive eating habits out.
But thye are still there, cutting them out doesnt mean youve done anything other than delay them. On MFP people eat foods they like in moderation.
The cravings for those foods are gone. I just figured it was because I cut them out. I think once I've lost the weight I want to lose, which will take quite some time I know, I will be able to eat those items in moderation. But like I've said, I'm new to this and have no nutrition background.0 -
To answer the question you have - cheat meals are important to some and not important to others. I'd not do this if I couldn't have the food I love and enjoy. I MAKE it fit into my daily calorie goals and I enjoy it and smile. This is about a lifestyle change not just about cutting out foods and being restricted. Cheat meals, to me, are important. Though I don't even call them cheat meals since I make it fit into my daily calories.
As for the other stuff on this thread that I've read - 1000 cal a day is going to hurt you more in the long run. It's not sustainable. If MFP is giving you 1900 cal, eat to that. That amount is already a deficit for you to lose weight. You didn't gain it all over night, you cannot expect to lose it over night either. I don't believe in Shakeology but I don't know enough about it to really share anything about it. I am not a fan of breakfast either so I tend to use GNC Protein drinks - that fills me. But I also start work at 7am and my lunch break isn't until 1pm, so I NEED to have something with a lot of protein in the morning. And I just am simple not hungry until around 9am usually, unless I use the protein drink. However, to each their own for that, right? But still, the minimum for a woman is 1200 a day. But still, why deprive yourself? Can you see yourself eating like this for the rest of your life? Eat the way you will once you've hit your goal. It's important to incorporate healthy and sustainable eating patterns now so you can stay at your goal later on. Also, you said it's been a few weeks only, you haven't yet stalled out. A plateau is weeks upon weeks of no change. Give it time. Eat more. Weight your food. Enjoy food!0 -
LovelyIvy466 wrote: »tlflag1620 wrote: »You've lost about 20 lbs in 3 weeks.....
Am I the only one seeing that as crazy? Subsisting on meal replacements so you can lose 6-7 lbs a week is not a "lifestyle". It's a crash diet.
You say you've "stalled"? How long have you been "stalled"? Obviously most of what you've lost in the past 3 weeks has been water (and some muscle). Do you really expect to sustain a 6-7 lb per week rate of loss?
THIS.
20 lbs in 3 weeks and eating under 1000 calories a day? This is the epitome of a crash diet. If you don't increase your calories and start eating real foods (not crap shakeology nonsense) this is going to rebound on you in the worst way. You are setting yourself up for a lot of dysfunction.
FINALLY someone said it! Geez.
On a side note, I'm not sure why everyone is saying you don't have to eat breakfast and it won't affect your metabolism. Not eating breakfast causes many people to feel sluggish and tired in the morning, then they binge eat later. And of course, the more meals you have, the faster your metabolism will be. 4-6 small meals a day is better than just having 3 average meals.
sorry but that is wrong and a myth.
Eating small meals throughout the day has no greater impact on metabolism than if you ate three meals or one meal.
Brakfast has nothing to do with metabolism. If skipping breakfast makes you eat more and go over your calorie goal, then yes, one should eat breakfast; however, that has nothing to do with metabolism.
0 -
extremelygrumpycat wrote: »To answer the question you have - cheat meals are important to some and not important to others. I'd not do this if I couldn't have the food I love and enjoy. I MAKE it fit into my daily calorie goals and I enjoy it and smile. This is about a lifestyle change not just about cutting out foods and being restricted. Cheat meals, to me, are important. Though I don't even call them cheat meals since I make it fit into my daily calories.
As for the other stuff on this thread that I've read - 1000 cal a day is going to hurt you more in the long run. It's not sustainable. If MFP is giving you 1900 cal, eat to that. That amount is already a deficit for you to lose weight. You didn't gain it all over night, you cannot expect to lose it over night either. I don't believe in Shakeology but I don't know enough about it to really share anything about it. I am not a fan of breakfast either so I tend to use GNC Protein drinks - that fills me. But I also start work at 7am and my lunch break isn't until 1pm, so I NEED to have something with a lot of protein in the morning. And I just am simple not hungry until around 9am usually, unless I use the protein drink. However, to each their own for that, right? But still, the minimum for a woman is 1200 a day. But still, why deprive yourself? Can you see yourself eating like this for the rest of your life? Eat the way you will once you've hit your goal. It's important to incorporate healthy and sustainable eating patterns now so you can stay at your goal later on. Also, you said it's been a few weeks only, you haven't yet stalled out. A plateau is weeks upon weeks of no change. Give it time. Eat more. Weight your food. Enjoy food!
Thank you very much for your advice! I will definitely try to add more food to my diet. I enjoy the shakeology, but will do some more research on it. It was given to me by a friend who has lost a good amount of weight, but she has also told me I need to get in more calories.0 -
katieballenget wrote: »extremelygrumpycat wrote: »To answer the question you have - cheat meals are important to some and not important to others. I'd not do this if I couldn't have the food I love and enjoy. I MAKE it fit into my daily calorie goals and I enjoy it and smile. This is about a lifestyle change not just about cutting out foods and being restricted. Cheat meals, to me, are important. Though I don't even call them cheat meals since I make it fit into my daily calories.
As for the other stuff on this thread that I've read - 1000 cal a day is going to hurt you more in the long run. It's not sustainable. If MFP is giving you 1900 cal, eat to that. That amount is already a deficit for you to lose weight. You didn't gain it all over night, you cannot expect to lose it over night either. I don't believe in Shakeology but I don't know enough about it to really share anything about it. I am not a fan of breakfast either so I tend to use GNC Protein drinks - that fills me. But I also start work at 7am and my lunch break isn't until 1pm, so I NEED to have something with a lot of protein in the morning. And I just am simple not hungry until around 9am usually, unless I use the protein drink. However, to each their own for that, right? But still, the minimum for a woman is 1200 a day. But still, why deprive yourself? Can you see yourself eating like this for the rest of your life? Eat the way you will once you've hit your goal. It's important to incorporate healthy and sustainable eating patterns now so you can stay at your goal later on. Also, you said it's been a few weeks only, you haven't yet stalled out. A plateau is weeks upon weeks of no change. Give it time. Eat more. Weight your food. Enjoy food!
Thank you very much for your advice! I will definitely try to add more food to my diet. I enjoy the shakeology, but will do some more research on it. It was given to me by a friend who has lost a good amount of weight, but she has also told me I need to get in more calories.
please tell me your friend is not a beach body coach???0 -
I always eat a big breakfast because it's my favorite meal of the day, not because it's the most important meal of the day.
My 100-lb daughter will have a cup of coffee and maybe a granola bar in the morning.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.7K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 394 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
- 944 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions