Cheat day?
suzieannfat
Posts: 47 Member
Who thinks its okay to have a cheat day? If you think its okay, how often? I wanted to do one once every other week. But I feel like it should be once a week? Is that too much? On a daily basis I eat either a little under or over 1,000 calories and burn about 200-300any thoughts?
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Replies
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Remain at a deficit to lose weight.
Your body does not understand a "cheat day" or any other day. It understands energy balance.
You're eating far too few calories for a healthy and sustainable dietary intake.0 -
I don't see the need. I eat the things I love within my calories, and if I go a bit over I work it out of my weekly deficit.
You really should be eating more than 1000 a day, though.0 -
I don't do cheat days, because I am too likely to derail myself
So instead I eat pretty much everything, just watch portions and log everything and then I don't feel deprived. Some days I am over my goal for the day, and that's ok too! 0 -
Do it if you can handle it. It can turn into cheat DAYS if you don't have the discipline. Go low fat, high carb. Stay under maintainance calories. When I do cheats, I only give myself room to play with the macros not the calories.0
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Well first off...stop calling it a "cheat"...gives it a bad vibe.
2nd...as long as you are in a deficit overall you are good...I typically look at my weekly totals.
As well I have my treats everyday...check my diary....eating my chocolate bar as I type.0 -
You're only cheating yourself, right?
If you feel the need to have to cheat, you're doing it wrong.0 -
Okay I won't call it a cheat day anymore and I agree that it can turn into cheat days, very quickly and easily. However I eat mainly veggies and protein during the week I don't let myself have stuff that I love to eat. I'm okay with the calorie intake I have I usually only eat once a day or when my tummy growls because I have a huge problem with eating when I'm not hungry.0
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Eating under 1000 calories is a way to lose not only some belly fat but some of your hair for example. I've had it happening to me when I cluelessly went on a low cal diet few years ago.
As for cheat days, why would you need them and what do they mean to you? Not logging? If you log 6 days a week it becomes a habit. 1 day hardly makes a difference. To eat without any control? You can easily cancel your whole week's effort if you stuff yourself for 1 day. To have food you love? Have it all the time. I eat ice-cream daily for example. That's more than before I started my WL journey. I also had some chips, chocolate and popcorn recently. Not lots, not at the same time. But I definitely don't feel deprived and I'm on 1200 cal plan. So why would you starve yourself for 6 days, depriving yourself of food you like just to overeat for 1 day and possibly sabotage your WL progress?0 -
No "planned" cheat days for me. They just happen. A business lunch, a meal out with family or friends. No need to be paranoid and order celery and tomatoes when you are out. Just watch yourself and order sensibly without going overboard.0
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Well first off...stop calling it a "cheat"...gives it a bad vibe.
2nd...as long as you are in a deficit overall you are good...I typically look at my weekly totals.
As well I have my treats everyday...check my diary....eating my chocolate bar as I type.
This^ is why I love you.....I didn't even have to type it!0 -
Eating under 1000 calories is a way to lose not only some belly fat but some of your hair for example. I've had it happening to me when I cluelessly went on a low cal diet few years ago.
As for cheat days, why would you need them and what do they mean to you? Not logging? If you log 6 days a week it becomes a habit. 1 day hardly makes a difference. To eat without any control? You can easily cancel your whole week's effort if you stuff yourself for 1 day. To have food you love? Have it all the time. I eat ice-cream daily for example. That's more than before I started my WL journey. I also had some chips, chocolate and popcorn recently. Not lots, not at the same time. But I definitely don't feel deprived and I'm on 1200 cal plan. So why would you starve yourself for 6 days, depriving yourself of food you like just to overeat for 1 day and possibly sabotage your WL progress?
Excuse me. I log 7 days a week a cheat day for me is having one day to taste something I love. Like pizza or a McDonalds burger not binging endlessly. I don't starve myself all week I just make sure I only eat when my stomach growls. I feel deprived, yes but for instance I know that I can't just stop at a handful of chips if I taste one. But eating my fruits and veggies all week makes me feel better and knowing I have a day at the end of the week to taste some Chinese chicken makes me feel even better and less deprived. Like I had a cheat day last week got some Chinese had a monster and was still 600 under my calorie goal. I'd never over eat with no control again. Its just kind of like a comfort.0 -
suzieannfat wrote: »Okay I won't call it a cheat day anymore and I agree that it can turn into cheat days, very quickly and easily. However I eat mainly veggies and protein during the week I don't let myself have stuff that I love to eat. I'm okay with the calorie intake I have I usually only eat once a day or when my tummy growls because I have a huge problem with eating when I'm not hungry.
@suzieannfat I do the same as well with veggies and protein...but I love chocolate and it fits in my goals...so why not have it..
Are you not ever going to have those foods again when you hit goal weight????
and as a side note....your user name...well...just my opinion...has gotta go...it's self defeating.
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No "planned" cheat days for me. They just happen. A business lunch, a meal out with family or friends. No need to be paranoid and order celery and tomatoes when you are out. Just watch yourself and order sensibly without going overboard.
Ahh I like that but I rarely let myself go out anymore unless I'm shoved into it then I get a salad lol but I like your idea.0 -
suzieannfat wrote: »Eating under 1000 calories is a way to lose not only some belly fat but some of your hair for example. I've had it happening to me when I cluelessly went on a low cal diet few years ago.
As for cheat days, why would you need them and what do they mean to you? Not logging? If you log 6 days a week it becomes a habit. 1 day hardly makes a difference. To eat without any control? You can easily cancel your whole week's effort if you stuff yourself for 1 day. To have food you love? Have it all the time. I eat ice-cream daily for example. That's more than before I started my WL journey. I also had some chips, chocolate and popcorn recently. Not lots, not at the same time. But I definitely don't feel deprived and I'm on 1200 cal plan. So why would you starve yourself for 6 days, depriving yourself of food you like just to overeat for 1 day and possibly sabotage your WL progress?
Excuse me. I log 7 days a week a cheat day for me is having one day to taste something I love. Like pizza or a McDonalds burger not binging endlessly. I don't starve myself all week I just make sure I only eat when my stomach growls. I feel deprived, yes but for instance I know that I can't just stop at a handful of chips if I taste one. But eating my fruits and veggies all week makes me feel better and knowing I have a day at the end of the week to taste some Chinese chicken makes me feel even better and less deprived. Like I had a cheat day last week got some Chinese had a monster and was still 600 under my calorie goal. I'd never over eat with no control again. Its just kind of like a comfort.
Many people around here will eat fruits and veggies all day, but then add in a small treat at the end (I'm eating some gelato as we speak after I've made sure I hit my macros for the day). That's the thing with moderation...you aren't depriving yourself, yet you aren't overeating. If you can't do just one serving of chips, then yes it's best to abstain from them.
And she was right about undereating...1200 is the minimum calorie recommendation for women to ensure you're getting enough nutrients (and that's net, after exercise). Undereating consistently can lead to muscle loss, hair loss, weakened organs, exhaustion, irregular/stopped menstrual cycles, and the list goes on. You may feel fine now, but it can happen.0 -
suzieannfat wrote: »Eating under 1000 calories is a way to lose not only some belly fat but some of your hair for example. I've had it happening to me when I cluelessly went on a low cal diet few years ago.
As for cheat days, why would you need them and what do they mean to you? Not logging? If you log 6 days a week it becomes a habit. 1 day hardly makes a difference. To eat without any control? You can easily cancel your whole week's effort if you stuff yourself for 1 day. To have food you love? Have it all the time. I eat ice-cream daily for example. That's more than before I started my WL journey. I also had some chips, chocolate and popcorn recently. Not lots, not at the same time. But I definitely don't feel deprived and I'm on 1200 cal plan. So why would you starve yourself for 6 days, depriving yourself of food you like just to overeat for 1 day and possibly sabotage your WL progress?
Excuse me. I log 7 days a week a cheat day for me is having one day to taste something I love. Like pizza or a McDonalds burger not binging endlessly. I don't starve myself all week I just make sure I only eat when my stomach growls. I feel deprived, yes but for instance I know that I can't just stop at a handful of chips if I taste one. But eating my fruits and veggies all week makes me feel better and knowing I have a day at the end of the week to taste some Chinese chicken makes me feel even better and less deprived. Like I had a cheat day last week got some Chinese had a monster and was still 600 under my calorie goal. I'd never over eat with no control again. Its just kind of like a comfort.
Many people around here will eat fruits and veggies all day, but then add in a small treat at the end (I'm eating some gelato as we speak after I've made sure I hit my macros for the day). That's the thing with moderation...you aren't depriving yourself, yet you aren't overeating. If you can't do just one serving of chips, then yes it's best to abstain from them.
And she was right about undereating...1200 is the minimum calorie recommendation for women to ensure you're getting enough nutrients (and that's net, after exercise). Undereating consistently can lead to muscle loss, hair loss, weakened organs, exhaustion, irregular/stopped menstrual cycles, and the list goes on. You may feel fine now, but it can happen.
Add me to the list of VLCD idiots who lost hair and felt completely exhausted and crabby all the time. Now I am down 60 pounds and have figured out how to work treats into my diet--sometimes it's once a week (not a cheat day!), sometimes it's a few times a week. That poster was right, "excuse me" nothing OP.0 -
That's why I asked you what a cheat day means to you. So it's just eating food you don't usually eat while still watching your calories? Many here would not even see it as a cheat day. Some people intentionally save calories during the week to have a bigger meal on the weekend. That's hardly cheating. More like budgeting.suzieannfat wrote: »Eating under 1000 calories is a way to lose not only some belly fat but some of your hair for example. I've had it happening to me when I cluelessly went on a low cal diet few years ago.
As for cheat days, why would you need them and what do they mean to you? Not logging? If you log 6 days a week it becomes a habit. 1 day hardly makes a difference. To eat without any control? You can easily cancel your whole week's effort if you stuff yourself for 1 day. To have food you love? Have it all the time. I eat ice-cream daily for example. That's more than before I started my WL journey. I also had some chips, chocolate and popcorn recently. Not lots, not at the same time. But I definitely don't feel deprived and I'm on 1200 cal plan. So why would you starve yourself for 6 days, depriving yourself of food you like just to overeat for 1 day and possibly sabotage your WL progress?
Excuse me. I log 7 days a week a cheat day for me is having one day to taste something I love. Like pizza or a McDonalds burger not binging endlessly. I don't starve myself all week I just make sure I only eat when my stomach growls. I feel deprived, yes but for instance I know that I can't just stop at a handful of chips if I taste one. But eating my fruits and veggies all week makes me feel better and knowing I have a day at the end of the week to taste some Chinese chicken makes me feel even better and less deprived. Like I had a cheat day last week got some Chinese had a monster and was still 600 under my calorie goal. I'd never over eat with no control again. Its just kind of like a comfort.
I've stuck to a more or less Paleo diet for the first few weeks of my WL. And it actually was alright. I was not suffering. But once I began to add treats to my daily menu it feels so much better. It almost feels too good to be true. I never had so many guilt-free treats in my life. And yeah. Can't say no to chips either. That's why I buy a 40g pack and write full can calories to my snacks before having any. It's my way though. You may have a different one. It's ok.
Make sure your weekly calorie intake is not too low though. Yes you may feel fine eating below 1000. Heck, I can feel perfectly fine eating 700 or so. But last time I lost half of my hair I also felt perfectly fine. And the problem had a bit of delay actually. I was not even dieting anymore when it appeared and I could do very little to help it. Just be careful.
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suzieannfat wrote: »Eating under 1000 calories is a way to lose not only some belly fat but some of your hair for example. I've had it happening to me when I cluelessly went on a low cal diet few years ago.
As for cheat days, why would you need them and what do they mean to you? Not logging? If you log 6 days a week it becomes a habit. 1 day hardly makes a difference. To eat without any control? You can easily cancel your whole week's effort if you stuff yourself for 1 day. To have food you love? Have it all the time. I eat ice-cream daily for example. That's more than before I started my WL journey. I also had some chips, chocolate and popcorn recently. Not lots, not at the same time. But I definitely don't feel deprived and I'm on 1200 cal plan. So why would you starve yourself for 6 days, depriving yourself of food you like just to overeat for 1 day and possibly sabotage your WL progress?
Excuse me. I log 7 days a week a cheat day for me is having one day to taste something I love. Like pizza or a McDonalds burger not binging endlessly. I don't starve myself all week I just make sure I only eat when my stomach growls. I feel deprived, yes but for instance I know that I can't just stop at a handful of chips if I taste one. But eating my fruits and veggies all week makes me feel better and knowing I have a day at the end of the week to taste some Chinese chicken makes me feel even better and less deprived. Like I had a cheat day last week got some Chinese had a monster and was still 600 under my calorie goal. I'd never over eat with no control again. Its just kind of like a comfort.
Many people around here will eat fruits and veggies all day, but then add in a small treat at the end (I'm eating some gelato as we speak after I've made sure I hit my macros for the day). That's the thing with moderation...you aren't depriving yourself, yet you aren't overeating. If you can't do just one serving of chips, then yes it's best to abstain from them.
And she was right about undereating...1200 is the minimum calorie recommendation for women to ensure you're getting enough nutrients (and that's net, after exercise). Undereating consistently can lead to muscle loss, hair loss, weakened organs, exhaustion, irregular/stopped menstrual cycles, and the list goes on. You may feel fine now, but it can happen.
I understand this. I'll just eat a tablespoon of peanut butter or something at the end of the day, But thanks for under standing about the whole can't just eat one chip or two scoops of ice cream. I have to eat veggies and fruits and I enjoy it. But I like other food, too once in awhile.0 -
suzieannfat wrote: »Okay I won't call it a cheat day anymore and I agree that it can turn into cheat days, very quickly and easily. However I eat mainly veggies and protein during the week I don't let myself have stuff that I love to eat. I'm okay with the calorie intake I have I usually only eat once a day or when my tummy growls because I have a huge problem with eating when I'm not hungry.
@suzieannfat I do the same as well with veggies and protein...but I love chocolate and it fits in my goals...so why not have it..
Are you not ever going to have those foods again when you hit goal weight????
and as a side note....your user name...well...just my opinion...has gotta go...it's self defeating.
It doesn't bother me. Hahah I hardly notice it until someone points it out. No I'm gonna eat it for the rest of my life. Before I never ate veggies or anything It was always McDonalds or subway or stuff like that never sat down and had a salad or a sliced up cucumbers.0 -
What exactly are macros? Daily vitamins?0
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Yeah I suppose that's true but millions of people do it this way.SergeantSausage wrote: »You're only cheating yourself, right?
If you feel the need to have to cheat, you're doing it wrong.
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Having a cheat day is fine however control the portions you are having. Soon enough your mind will change completely and you will see that there is no need to have a cheat day. You are just saying goodbye to junk food. Let it be for now
Good luck on your journey. 0 -
Cheat days can be confusing. I've had a trainer say to do it, and to go high carb that day and low the rest of the week. I've had another trainer say only a cheat meal. Then another say still log your food and not go over 2500. its very confusing. I've done the 1200/1500 every other day since I exercise so much it's very difficult to go under that without feeling fatigue. you'll just have to listen to your body and do what feel right and if you are still losing each week then it works.0
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macros are your food percent goals that you enter into MFP, like 40 percent protein, 30 fat and 30 carbs.0
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suzieannfat wrote: »What exactly are macros? Daily vitamins?
Macro nutrients are the major part of nutrition.
Protein, fats and carbs...micros are your minerals etc.
MFP has them set to recommended daily minimums...0 -
Cheat days can be confusing. I've had a trainer say to do it, and to go high carb that day and low the rest of the week. I've had another trainer say only a cheat meal. Then another say still log your food and not go over 2500. its very confusing. I've done the 1200/1500 every other day since I exercise so much it's very difficult to go under that without feeling fatigue. you'll just have to listen to your body and do what feel right and if you are still losing each week then it works.
All the more reason not to take nutrition advice from (most) trainers unless they have training or credentials in that area0 -
It amazes me how often this same question is asked...pretty much daily. O.P. just do a search for "cheat days", then you will be able to read tons of opinions on the subject.0
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Thank you. You're the only one that isn't killing me for only eating veggies and fruit the whole week and being 1,000 a day. I do what feels right for me. So thank youCheat days can be confusing. I've had a trainer say to do it, and to go high carb that day and low the rest of the week. I've had another trainer say only a cheat meal. Then another say still log your food and not go over 2500. its very confusing. I've done the 1200/1500 every other day since I exercise so much it's very difficult to go under that without feeling fatigue. you'll just have to listen to your body and do what feel right and if you are still losing each week then it works.
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suzieannfat wrote: »
Thank you. You're the only one that isn't killing me for only eating veggies and fruit the whole week and being 1,000 a day. I do what feels right for me. So thank youCheat days can be confusing. I've had a trainer say to do it, and to go high carb that day and low the rest of the week. I've had another trainer say only a cheat meal. Then another say still log your food and not go over 2500. its very confusing. I've done the 1200/1500 every other day since I exercise so much it's very difficult to go under that without feeling fatigue. you'll just have to listen to your body and do what feel right and if you are still losing each week then it works.
People aren't killing you for it. They are letting you know it's not healthy to be on such a low calorie diet...and it isn't.
You need protein or you will lose muscle along with the fat, you will experience lots of things down the road eating such low calories...it might not be immediate but it will happen if you continue.
I can eat 1800-2000 a day and lose weight...1/2lb a week...and I am older and smaller than you so you could and should be eating more...0 -
Having a cheat day is fine however control the portions you are having. Soon enough your mind will change completely and you will see that there is no need to have a cheat day. You are just saying goodbye to junk food. Let it be for now Good luck on your journey.
Thank you. I hope its soon. Its already changing but I just gotta keep working at it.0
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