CHEAT DAY

jaysanchez4
jaysanchez4 Posts: 199 Member
edited November 19 in Health and Weight Loss
My cheat today today was pretty bad for my standards, i wanted to know what everyone thought of it. I'm supposed to stay within 2114 Calories and MFP still had me under after i logged everything.

Lunch - Caribbean Food Consisting of Rice, Jerk Chicken, BBQ Chicken and Veggies
Dinner - 3 Fish Taco's and One Beer
Snack - One Small Slice of Pizza
Snack - A quarter of a regular bag of popcorn with no butter at the movies.

MFP Calculated all of that at 1980 Calories, still below my calories for the day but i definitely went over my macros.

What does everyone think of this cheat day? Really bad or not so much?

Thanks!

Replies

  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    If you didn't exceed your calories for the day, how is it even a cheat day?
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    Sounds tasty!
    jennifer_417 wrote: »
    If you didn't exceed your calories for the day, how is it even a cheat day?

    I second that question.
  • jaysanchez4
    jaysanchez4 Posts: 199 Member
    Well i feel like i ate terrible, this is nothing like how i regularly eat. I'm wondering how this would affect my diet? Or would it not at all, does a cheat day always mean going over your calories?
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    jaysanchez4 wrote: »
    Well i feel like i ate terrible, this is nothing like how i regularly eat. I'm wondering how this would affect my diet? Or would it not at all, does a cheat day always mean going over your calories?

    That's how most people tend to define a cheat day. The truth is, the only imporant factor for weight loss is creating a calorie deficit (barring certain health conditions). There is merit to having good macros and nutrition, but for weight loss, all you need is calorie deficit.

    Having said that, if the food you ate had a lot of sodium, you may post a temporary gain due to water retention, but it is not fat, and isn't anything to worry about.
  • jaysanchez4
    jaysanchez4 Posts: 199 Member
    Thank You! Would you know of a way to get rid of the water i retain?

    Thank You
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    Just drink some extra water. Sounds counterintuitive, but it's all that will help!
  • jaysanchez4
    jaysanchez4 Posts: 199 Member
    Thank You !!!!!!! I will do that !!!
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,714 Member
    edited June 2015
    jennifer_417 wrote: »
    If you didn't exceed your calories for the day, how is it even a cheat day?

    This.

    It's not a cheat if you don't go over your calories. And in order to lose weight, you can eat whatever you want ... as long as it fits within your calorie limit. :)

    Just last weekend I ate 3/4 of a pizza (it would have been classified as a largish medium pizza in the US) ... but I had cycled 100 km and it was well within my calorie limits. And it was yummy!!

  • MaryDrummer
    MaryDrummer Posts: 5 Member
    edited June 2015
    I don't think a cheat day is a good idea. A cheat meal, however, is a great idea! You could undo a weeks worth of work with bad choices over a full day. One meal is not gonna do a whole load of harm within reason. I use Saturday evening dinner as my cheat meal. I get a pizza and have a can of coca cola.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    I don't do cheat days. I have my treats when I want them and typically stay in goal.

    Now Saturday that was a total blow out tho...but it was not a cheat day...it happened. I logged it and will on.
  • lissaejerome
    lissaejerome Posts: 16 Member
    Once and a while is ok !!!!
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    how is 1900 calories a "cheat" day...?

    and I see nothing on that list that is cheating...

    I don't do cheat days I just eat what I like within my calorie/micro/macro targets, it makes life a lot more easier...
  • unrelentingminx
    unrelentingminx Posts: 231 Member
    I had a blow-out day Saturday. I went to the cinema with my other half and his family and despite having not eaten a lot during the day (just some porridge and a couple of biscuits) it was dinner before the film that did the damage. Gammon, egg and chips, onion rings, mushrooms and tomatos washed down with two berry ciders (about 250 cals each). Then half a 'share' bag of Minstrels at the cinema and another cider to round off the night put me about 500 cals over my allowance.
    The scales were not my friend this morning.
  • Rubbletoes2014
    Rubbletoes2014 Posts: 2 Member
    There is a blog in the "more" category about cheat days. You should check it out. I used to always think cheat days were necessary for my body but that blog has changed my mind. I think if you still watch your portion sizes and stay under your calorie goal you're good. Maybe it could be considered a cheat day if you don't normally eat carbs but you do on that day.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    I don't do cheat days. I have my treats when I want them and typically stay in goal.

    Now Saturday that was a total blow out tho...but it was not a cheat day...it happened. I logged it and will on.

    A rose by any other name...?

  • jaysanchez4
    jaysanchez4 Posts: 199 Member
    Thanks Everyone, i appreciate all of the help!
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    I don't do cheat days I just eat what I like within my calorie/micro/macro targets, it makes life a lot more easier...

    Likewise.

    I don't want to be saying, "I'm watching my weight except..." now, because I don't want to be saying "I tried to lose weight except..." later.
  • szecsenyi
    szecsenyi Posts: 17 Member
    I think if you change your lifestyle, you dont have to have regularly cheat days. You can alwys eat Pizza (two slice), always eat popcorn (half liter), always drink beer (1), if you dont do this on one day. Better, if you build this things in your normal daily intake, as using speciel "cheat days", where you eat everything, what you found.
  • jaysanchez4
    jaysanchez4 Posts: 199 Member
    Thanks! I'm figuring it as I go, seeing what works best for me!
  • Agathokakological
    Agathokakological Posts: 136 Member
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  • jaketaylor1391
    jaketaylor1391 Posts: 29 Member
    edited June 2015
    Cheat day.. for most people that means just eat more because most people dont eat clean they just cut calories which is fine but it may cause plateauing. But for the few who do eat clean (and i mean meal preping like ten containers of brown rice and chicken for every lunch for the next ten days) cheat day doesnt have to mean eating more calories it just mean quenching all of those desires for bad foods that you have. A cheat day is basically like a sanity check for those people who do eat clean. So yea that was a successful cheat day if you're a clean eater. If you are not a clean eater and you just cut calories im not really familiar with why a cheat day is needed so i cant really give you an answer. But Keep in mind a cheat day serves no prupose (fitness wise) what so ever so you cannot mess up a cheat day because a cheat day in its self is all ready "messed up". Refeed days however are a completely different story, their are many fitness youtubers (hodgetwins chrisjones matt ogus) that give many inaightful tips on diesting and refeed days if you want some more info.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    edited June 2015
    jaketaylor1391 wrote: »
    Cheat day.. for most people that means just eat more because most people dont eat clean they just cut calories which is fine but it may cause plateauing. But for the few who do eat clean (and i mean meal preping like ten containers of brown rice and chicken for every lunch for the next ten days) cheat day doesnt have to mean eating more calories it just mean quenching all of those desires for bad foods that you have. A cheat day is basically like a sanity check for those people who do eat clean. So yea that was a successful cheat day if you're a clean eater. If you are not a clean eater and you just cut calories im not really familiar with why a cheat day is needed so i cant really give you an answer. But Keep in mind a cheat day serves no prupose (fitness wise) what so ever so you cannot mess up a cheat day because a cheat day in its self is all ready "messed up". Refeed days however are a completely different story, their are many fitness youtubers (hodgetwins chrisjones matt ogus) that give many inaightful tips on diesting and refeed days if you want some more info.

    OP, ignore this quoted post.

    You'll have much more "sanity" if you don't think of foods as "clean" or "good" or "bad".

    We already have enough problems staying within a calorie and macro limit, without dealing with guilt and shame when we "have" to "cheat to quench our desires".
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