How important are cheat meals or cheat days?

katieballenget wrote: »

mamapeach910 wrote: »

katieballenget wrote: »

So what's wrong with shakeology? Is herbalife any better? Or advocare? Why do you guys dislike these protein, vitamin enriched, easy to make shakes?

I dislike MLM's. You can buy protein powders from a store. You don't need to buy them from some MLM scheme. The one I see recommended most is Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey.

I will definitely look into that one! Like I said, I was given this bag of shakeology for free. And also, I live in a small country town that doesn't really have any health food stores. Where would I find what you mentioned?

I think Walmart carries it.

Merkavar wrote: »

19 pounds in 3 weeks seems very very Unhealthy. Considering 2 pounds a week is the goal at most.

You do seem to be setting your self up for failure.

If you have a whole lot to lose, you're going to expect to lose a lot in the beginning. But I agree with Markavar, you will realize over time, that it's not going to be such a fast weight loss as it was in the beginning. I'd hate to see you gain it all back once you start to eat healthy. Start eating healthy and make good choices from the beginning, then the weight will stay off, if continue down that road.

katieballenget wrote: »

Merkavar wrote: »

What is the point of the shakes? If your barely getting 1000 calories a day and meant to be eating 1900(is the right, seems high to me too)

I would forget the shakes and have real food. That should get your calories up to a healthy amount.

19 pounds in 3 weeks seems very very Unhealthy. Considering 2 pounds a week is the goal at most.

You do seem to be setting your self up for failure.

I agree it is a lot of weight to lose so quickly. Before I began this journey, I didn't even care what I ate, when I ate, or anything about it. I'm an emotional eater, a stress eater, a bored eater. Food WAS my comfort. I am very overweight. I decided I was done with all of that. A friend gave me a bag of shakeology. And I've been using it every morning since. Before I got it, I didn't eat breakfast at all. The shake is full of protein and vitamins and keeps me full until lunch. Since I started the shakes, my entire way of eating has changed. Eating much leaner foods, vegetables, fruit, etc. the shake just kind of jump started the losing weight process. I cut out carbs, sugars, starches as best I could because those are my go to comfort foods. Cutting those out helped me lose the cravings for them. I only have the shake for breakfast. And since I didn't eat breakfast before, I didn't figure it would hurt me any. I have less cravings though out the day, if any. I eat a good lunch and dinner. I drink plenty of water. And I'm exercising. I could definitely exercise more.

I truly hope you find a way to make this sustainable. What you've written makes me really concerned. Shakes are not bad- I use protein powder in my morning smoothies, along with a ton of whole foods like veggies, fruits, nuts and seeds. But you have to build a way of eating that is sustainable in the long term. Weight loss is a process that takes a very long time, when done in a healthy and sustainable fashion. Unsustainably low calorie counts are ultimately not a great idea because first it makes it very hard for your body to receive adequate nutrition, and second, you may really do some damage to yourself. I really hope you follow the calorie recommendations on MFP. If you think the calorie count they gave you is high check your settings. Is your activity level correct?

katieballenget wrote: »

I also put other nutritious food in my shakes. As I have already stated, I will definitely add more to my diet. I'm not damaging myself. I've only just started dieting. And I'm not skipping meals, although I was before this journey started. I was also probably eating 3000 plus calories a day. So I'm guessing since I dropped to a more appropriate caloric intake, that has probably caused me to lose some of the weight. Just eating healthier and low carb, low sugar has done me some good. It's not like I was aiming for 19 pounds in 3 weeks. It just happened.

Good for you, Katie! You are working hard, and it shows!

Personally, I think that everyone is trying to use their tough love approach (I'm guilty as well) and not listening to what Katie is trying to say. She really has it in her heart to do the right thing and I give her kudos for opening herself up and asking for help. She has been taking a lot of criticism and has handled it well. Just because she has added a shake in the morning to replace nothing , NOTHING, that she had done previously (and I might add that it was given to her!!), it seems to be giving her a bad rap! Heck, I don't have time in the morning either and have skipped breakfast when I'm on the go, so i completely understand where she's coming from. I do eat an egg or oatmeal and drink a lemon, honey and vinegar drink in the mornings, ritually (ughh) because it works for me. I'm not a morning eater either!! But I make the time and prepare the night before, so it's ready for me, just like a shake would be.

I happen to be good friends with a beachbody coach who doesn't push the shakeology, but she is very committed and it works for her, as it works for so many people, but I also feel that it's a temporary fix in order to lose weight. That's something a person needs to live and learn. For the purists, it may not be our choice, but for her, for now, it is. She will learn that it's not the best approach in the long run and that's all we can offer. I imagine that most people here support clean eating and losing the way our bodies are meant to, but if a meal replacement shake works and controls the cravings (for now), and she actually likes it, then I say, let her jump start her weight loss journey that way and check back with us in a few months to show where she's at.

Katie, I hope that you take all of the advice offered and then make your decision on how to achieve your weight loss goals and most importantly, to maintain your weight loss once you've achieved your goals. Wishing you all the best. Please keep checking back in!

katieballenget wrote: »

Merkavar wrote: »

What is the point of the shakes? If your barely getting 1000 calories a day and meant to be eating 1900(is the right, seems high to me too)

I would forget the shakes and have real food. That should get your calories up to a healthy amount.

19 pounds in 3 weeks seems very very Unhealthy. Considering 2 pounds a week is the goal at most.

You do seem to be setting your self up for failure.

I agree it is a lot of weight to lose so quickly. Before I began this journey, I didn't even care what I ate, when I ate, or anything about it. I'm an emotional eater, a stress eater, a bored eater. Food WAS my comfort. I am very overweight. I decided I was done with all of that. A friend gave me a bag of shakeology. And I've been using it every morning since. Before I got it, I didn't eat breakfast at all. The shake is full of protein and vitamins and keeps me full until lunch. Since I started the shakes, my entire way of eating has changed. Eating much leaner foods, vegetables, fruit, etc. the shake just kind of jump started the losing weight process. I cut out carbs, sugars, starches as best I could because those are my go to comfort foods. Cutting those out helped me lose the cravings for them. I only have the shake for breakfast. And since I didn't eat breakfast before, I didn't figure it would hurt me any. I have less cravings though out the day, if any. I eat a good lunch and dinner. I drink plenty of water. And I'm exercising. I could definitely exercise more.

You are doing a great job girl. Keep at it!

katieballenget wrote: »

Merkavar wrote: »

What is the point of the shakes? If your barely getting 1000 calories a day and meant to be eating 1900(is the right, seems high to me too)

I would forget the shakes and have real food. That should get your calories up to a healthy amount.

19 pounds in 3 weeks seems very very Unhealthy. Considering 2 pounds a week is the goal at most.

You do seem to be setting your self up for failure.

I agree it is a lot of weight to lose so quickly. Before I began this journey, I didn't even care what I ate, when I ate, or anything about it. I'm an emotional eater, a stress eater, a bored eater. Food WAS my comfort. I am very overweight. I decided I was done with all of that. A friend gave me a bag of shakeology. And I've been using it every morning since. Before I got it, I didn't eat breakfast at all. The shake is full of protein and vitamins and keeps me full until lunch. Since I started the shakes, my entire way of eating has changed. Eating much leaner foods, vegetables, fruit, etc. the shake just kind of jump started the losing weight process. I cut out carbs, sugars, starches as best I could because those are my go to comfort foods. Cutting those out helped me lose the cravings for them. I only have the shake for breakfast. And since I didn't eat breakfast before, I didn't figure it would hurt me any. I have less cravings though out the day, if any. I eat a good lunch and dinner. I drink plenty of water. And I'm exercising. I could definitely exercise more.

I think this sounds like a good start, actually.

The things to worry about are (1) not getting burnt out, and (2) not getting frustrated with minor setbacks and chucking everything.

When people make a huge change all at once there can be a tendency to see it as all or nothing and once you start having more problems (which is common--we are super motivated at the beginning of a diet often) seeing it as not working or spoiled and ending up going way off track. You need to be able to see it as a process and if you aren't perfect, that's okay. (This is motivated by your comment at the beginning that you feel guilty "cheating" and even the use of the term "cheat," although I know that's common.)

Similarly, if you start getting bored with your food or wanting more or more variety, know that's okay, and that you can work that in. I started last year by cutting out added sugar and cutting starches way down, because I thought the first would help with my emotional eating issues (it did--I basically taught myself I didn't need food to deal with emotion, although it's an ongoing struggle off and on) and figured the second would be a painless way to cut calories (it was). As I lost I added some sweets back in in moderation when I had the calories and played around with my carb level (increased it as I lost weight and exercised more). The point is that I'd probably be unhappy if I was eating now like I was then, but I was open to modifying and not seeing it as all or nothing.

I don't see anything wrong with the shakeology given that they were free and it's not like you are cutting out a different breakfast for them. There are cheaper shakes, but if these are tasty and convenient, that's great.

I wouldn't worry about stalling now--you won't lose every week and if you've had a huge few weeks catching up a bit with the water loss (basically replacing some of the water loss that happens when you dramatically cut carbs and calories with more fat loss) is normal.

You don't need a "cheat" or "treat" day, but it also doesn't hurt to have one and you shouldn't feel guilty. My approach would be similar to what someone else said--think of staying at maintenance or below, but just have an occasional higher calorie day if you think it would make it easier to stay on plan. When I started I was doing 1250 calories (I also had lots to lose) and found it easy, but after a few weeks I found it much easier to be able to have one day a week when I could eat a little more--go to a restaurant without it being too hard to fit into my day. I doubt this matters physically, but mentally it helped and didn't hurt my rate of loss.

You want to feel strong and energetic and be able to exercise, so I wouldn't cut too low. Hard to judge based on the first few weeks, but if you keep losing at more than 2-3 lb/week I'd definitely try to eat more.

katieballenget wrote: »

ndj1979 wrote: »

katieballenget wrote: »

ndj1979 wrote: »

katieballenget wrote: »

So what's wrong with shakeology? Is herbalife any better? Or advocare? Why do you guys dislike these protein, vitamin enriched, easy to make shakes?

because they are over priced garbage and have nothing to do with nutrition and health.

you can drink a protein shake a multivitamin and get the same benefit for a lot less money.

Additionally, you really should eat REAL food, as opposed to doing meal replacement shakes.

I do eat real food. Lol. I just like how fast and easy it is to whip a shake up in the morning before I go to work. I eat chicken, fish, vegetables, fruit, cheese, etc. for the remainder of the day. And plenty of water. What other protein shakes are available? What would you recommend? I was given this bag of shakeology, so I wasn't out any money for trying it. I did advocare years ago and got tired of it. I actually think the shakeology taste pretty good and doesn't leave that after that's you get from other meal replacement shakes.

go to Walmart or similar store and get gold standard whey ….it should be like 20.00 for a pretty large container..

I only drink protein shakes when i need more protein or am in a rush and don't have time to make something…

Ok. I will check it out for sure! I leave my house by 6:40 every morning, so I like quick and easy for breakfast. Like I said, I got an entire 30 day bag for nothing. But I will definitely check out your recommendation! Thanks!

How quick & easy does breakfast need to be for you? There's a lot of recipes you could try cooking on the weekend and refrigerating or freezing the rest of the week. Plus there's always things like steel cut/overnight oats.

One of my new favorite breakfasts is an english muffin, 2 oz of sliced cheese, and a portion of the "egg muffins" I like to make. The egg muffins get frozen and I just take out 1 the night before and leave it in the fridge to thaw. I'll toast the english muffin, put the egg muffin & cheese in between the 2 halves, and pop it in the microwave for 15 seconds on high. It's super yummy!

Of course, that's only worth doing if you like such things.

Food for thought

~Lyssa

to be honest, when i first started my journey again, i did zero cheats for 6 months because i knew that i needed to learn the discipline. also, i felt awful whenever i did and the guilt wasn't worth it. after those 6 months, i just never felt the craving anymore so those 6 months turned into 2 years...then i allowed myself 1 cheat a year and that's my favorite birthday dessert on my birthday. to be honest, if you don't want to have cheat meals, dont. if you know you have trouble not going overboard, then don't risk it. the food we eat are CHOICES we make and each comes with a consequence -- good or bad. good food choices make us feel proud and happy; bad choices make us feel guilty and awful. if feeling awesome is an option, why would you choose to feel bad?? that's the way i see food.

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1753

I personally try to stay away from the "I was so good today..." or "I was so bad today..." when talking about food. Either I overate or I didn't regardless of the what I put in my mouth. I feel better physically when I eat healthier food but sometimes I feel better emotionally with some comfort food. I've also gotten away trying to exercise away a bad or gluttonous diet regimen. Used to be able to do it when I was younger but in my mid-40's, that doesn't work anymore. And I teach 6 classes a week at the gym!

I eat to my TDEE - a deficit when trying to lean out. If it fits in that range, I try not to call it "cheating".

I do realize for some people they need to cut out trigger goods all together but I'm one of those people that can just have 1 or 2 cookies or a small serving of ice cream and let it go so I'm lucky that way. Recognizing what makes up a portion is also key!

I think there's a difference between having a day where you go hog wild and a day/s where you eat at maintenance, but that's just my thinking. In doing some recent reading on the National Weight Control Registry site for long term weight loss maintainers, one of the the abstracts there was on a study tracking behaviors for holidays and things like cheating.

Successful maintainers for the most part are consistent in their caloric intake.

While it's important for the weight loss process to have refeeds to avoid adaptive thermogenesis, how far you go with "cheating" is... well? That's the question.

It's not personally my business, nor am I going to judge anyone for doing this differently than I do. For me, I'm just going to stick to the idea of doing refeeds at maintenance.

Saying that? I still haven't done one yet. I have something like that planned for vacation coming up in about 6 weeks, though.

ndj1979 wrote: »

mamapeach910 wrote: »

I think there's a difference between having a day where you go hog wild and a day/s where you eat at maintenance, but that's just my thinking. In doing some recent reading on the National Weight Control Registry site for long term weight loss maintainers, one of the the abstracts there was on a study tracking behaviors for holidays and things like cheating.

Successful maintainers for the most part are consistent in their caloric intake.

While it's important for the weight loss process to have refeeds to avoid adaptive thermogenesis, how far you go with "cheating" is... well? That's the question.

It's not personally my business, nor am I going to judge anyone for doing this differently than I do. For me, I'm just going to stick to the idea of doing refeeds at maintenance.

Saying that? I still haven't done one yet. I have something like that planned for vacation coming up in about 6 weeks, though.

considering OP is already under eating …she could probably benefit from eating more calorie dense foods….

but yes, I agree that consistency is key.

Yeah, I sort of lost sight of the OP there. She should be eating more on the regular.