Cheat meals!?

I fit all foods into my cals but, I also have cheat days once a week where I eat bigger portions of stuff I love like pasta or brownies and such. I have lost almost 33 lbs in 3 months. So I found what works for me which doesn't mean it works that way for other ppl.

I don't do cheat meals. I eat all the foods I love everyday, just make them fit into my daily calories.

I learned to savor. Having rushed through every meal in my life I learned to slow down and actually enjoy my food. I don't think of anything a cheats unless you don't log it - just think of it as extra burn juice for the next workout.

Samm471 wrote: »

does anyone have a cheat meal? Or do you just work some cheat foods or should I say "bad foods" or whatever your preference is into their calorie goals? I haven't had a takeaway in 6 months and will be having one next weekend however instead of ordering a full meal to myself I'm going to just half 1 meal between me & my partner .. How far do people go with food does anyone totally cut bad food out of their lives for good? I like to have the odd biscuit or piece of chocolate but I don't over indulge I will have like a square of chocolate rather than a full bar. Just curious as to what people do?

I did a cheat meal and a cheat day each week when I was focused on losing weight. Also had one epic cheat day a month, which is the only time I'd go over my calorie budget.

I do cheat meals, but try to limit them as much as possible. If I have one, I try to balance the days surrounding it to make myself still stay under the calorie goal for the entire week instead of looking at that particular day separately.

I don't believe any food is "bad". unless you're allergic. Then it's bad....for you...but still not in general. If I want something and it fits my calories, I'll eat it. If it doesn't fit, I'll just tack another 10k onto my run and MAKE it. lol

allyphoe wrote: »

There's no virtue to be found in food; nor is there lack of virtue. Food is neither good nor bad. Eating food you like isn't a betrayal.

If you choose to eat some food, do it because you choose to eat it. Not because you deserve it, or because you've been "good," or any other judgment-laden reason. You don't call it cheating on your commute if you take a different route. You don't walk on one side of the street because the other one is bad. You don't reward yourself for reading a book by watching TV. You can still reach your goal if sometimes you stop to smell the flowers, and there's nothing wrong with flowers.

Agreed.

I would never use the word "cheat" to describe food that I purposefully eat. I never cheat myself. Mainly, I fit my treats into my calorie level and go over for special occasions that I plan for in advance. It is definitely not cheating.

Cheating is bad. Make the foods you like fit into your new lifestyle. For me, that means lots of pizza and frozen yogurt or gelato, restaurant meals between Friday-Sunday. Lots of bacon and pancakes during the week.

Artificially lower your daily calorie total so that you can have a "cheat" meal or two and still hit your calorie total for the week.

I am far too serious about loosing the weight to cheat. I do however enjoy pretty much anything I feel like eating every day. I just think more carefully about how to fit it into my day and plan for it.

Nope it's not easy. But I am worth the effort.

Samm471 wrote: »

That's cool I never thought of the saving up the calories and having like a bigger portion on a designated day that sounds a good idea too , I must admit I am looking forward to my takeaway next weekend but I won't over indulge

I fit what I want to eat into my calorie count.

That might mean exercising more to give me some room to play with.

Or it might mean saving calories.

This weekend, I knew we were going away and would be eating out, so I deliberately exercised more than usual and had an extra 200 cal deficit each day on Thursday and Friday, giving me an extra 400 cal this week. I also I exercised as much as I could today ... lots and lots of walking + a little bit of cycling.. I'm going over my cal today just slightly (about 150 cal) but I figure I've got it covered with that extra 400 cal I banked on Thurs and Fri. So overall this week, I'm still in deficit.

And I don't do this sort of thing every weekend ... the last time I did this was Easter where I had a carefully planned deficit for 2 days so I could go over slightly for 2 days, and still be well within a weekly calorie limit. And I lost 1 kg a few days after Easter, so I guess it worked.

no food is inherently evil, nor should a person ever feel guilty for choosing to eat a specific type of it. Unless it belongs to someone else. Like if someone finds the liter of cappuccino frozen yogurt i'm planning to devour tonight and takes it before i can get to it.....then they should feel very VERY guilty.