Cheat days, yes or no?
jessidarklighter
Posts: 10 Member
I first started implementing cheat days after reading an article in a magazine. The article said cheat days are good for two reasons. First, it keeps you on track for the rest of the week because you tell yourself you only have to wait to the end of the week to get that item you've been craving, and second, abruptly consuming more calories tricks your body into adjusting your metabolism, creating a better fat burn for the lesser calorie amounts you consume in the rest of the week. Now I will be honest, I'm not sure I could bear to give up cheat days altogether, but if they really are bad I might moderate them a little. So I want your opinion. Cheat days, yes or no? and why?
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Honestly I'd say it's better to have what you want within your calorie and macro goals. If you really want something, sacrifice a bit that day to make up for it. If your goal is weight loss, a day or two of hitting maintenance won't set you back.
It's important to do whatever is sustainable.0 -
No.
Eat what you want and fit it into your macros.
You wouldn't cheat on your girlfriend and hit up another lady... why cheat on your diet? Lol that might be too far, but you get the idea, right?0 -
No reason not to eat what you're craving within your calories instead of gorging yourself on it because it's a 'cheat day'.
I suggest you do a search on 'cheat days'. You will find a LOT of replies.
Also I don't believe there is such thing as 'tricking your metabolism' by eating more one day.0 -
thatsagoodkitty wrote: »Honestly I'd say it's better to have what you want within your calorie and macro goals. If you really want something, sacrifice a bit that day to make up for it. If your goal is weight loss, a day or two of hitting maintenance won't set you back.
It's important to do whatever is sustainable.No reason not to eat what you're craving within your calories instead of gorging yourself on it because it's a 'cheat day'.
I suggest you do a search on 'cheat days'. You will find a LOT of replies.
Also I don't believe there is such thing as 'tricking your metabolism' by eating more one day.
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Cheat days are a way of telling your brain, your body and yourself that healthy eating will only ever be a temporary change.0
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It might be good initially for those who need motivation to be mindful the rest of the week, but the goal should always be to change the mindset of "cheating" and "dieting". Neither are sustainable.
The whole metabolism justification is dubious at best.0 -
Lots of people do this. They like to include treats on a regular basis. Some include them every day, some once a week or once a month or whatever.
I don't do a lot of "cheating." I like eating healthy food and I've found healthy food that is yummy, so it's not like I spend my days longing for a treat. On rare occasions, I indulge, but I don't really feel like it's cheating.
Just work out a plan you like and go with it. You can always change it later!
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Eh..these days I feel like if you know you're strong willed and able to get back on the bandwagon, hell yeah, eat a whole cake if that's what you really want. I wasn't, until recently, now I am strong willed and I can have a cheat day every now and then so it's not a big deal. If you don't think you can get back in line tho, I'd go a while longer before you start "cheating"0
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I have difficulty with the term because it implies that i'm doing something wrong.
The foundation of my diet consists of legumes, lentils, oats, quinioa, potatoes, and brown rice...on top of that, I eat a ton of veg and a few servings of fruit daily. Most of my protein comes from cod, salmon, shrimp, and chicken. I have some lean cuts of pork and beef from time to time, but really I prefer fattier cuts for those so I don't eat a whole lot of it. Most of my fat comes from nuts, avocados, and avocado and olive oil.
today for lunch I'm having pizza as I will be joining my 5 y.o. kiddo for lunch for his last day of summer camp...i like taking my boys out for pizza every few weeks in general...I don't look at it as cheating...it's not how I usually eat and it's pretty irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.0 -
I find that this works better for maintenance, rather than weight loss. However, you can probably have a day or two a week at your maintenance calorie level without significantly impacting your weight loss; it will just be a bit slower, which is fine if that's what makes it doable for you. That's how I do it. I set a lower calorie target than I need to lose and then stick to it most days but eat at maintenance one or two days a week to allow for eating out with friends and family.0
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No. I feel it is better to just plan and eat what you want to have and fit it into your calorie goal daily- or decide that occasionally you will eat at your maintenance level- rather than have the mentality that you are having cheat days every week. I think it is easier to learn how to eat for life without the cheat day mentality.
I don't believe it does much to your metabolism to go way over your calorie goal one day a week. It won't damage you but I seriously doubt you will lose any more weight than if you just stick to your calorie goal every day.
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I don't do "cheat", as I'm not doing anything wrong. Make what you want fit into your allotment.0
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I don't really do 'cheat' days. There are occasions where I don't feel good and just say *kitten* it, but normally, I just try fit what I want into my daily calories. That being said, I don't worry as much about logging for holiday meals with family. That would just be depressing!0
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swilde1978 wrote: »Cheat days are a way of telling your brain, your body and yourself that healthy eating will only ever be a temporary change.
Seconded!0 -
Your deficit is all that matters.0
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I frequently have days where I don't hit my calorie goal. But I am still hitting a deficit. To me, this is not a "cheat", it's just that I did not hit my full 1000-calorie deficit goal. But I'm still in a deficit, so I'm still losing weight.
To me, the idea of a "cheat" day means eat whatever (and how much ever) I want to. And that is synonymous for me with "falling off the wagon". Once I get into a place where I've said "Phuck it, I am going to eat whatever and how much ever I want", I'm on dangerous ground, because it's easy to then say, "Phuck it, I blew it yesterday, so I'll blow it today. I'll start again next week."
That's the way every diet I've ever been on ended.
Allowing myself to get into an "I don't care" mode is disaster.0 -
I have a semi-cheat-day thing, where I don't calorie count over the weekend. I still exercise, I don't use it as an excuse to binge eat, I just sort of listen to my body and my emotions. I am sure that I probably go over my calories on the days I don't count, but I don't think it's by very much, and I find the emotional benefits of being able to relax fully on my weekends to be a big pick-me-up. When I've done calorie counting in the past, I tended to be a perfectionist, which caused me to get discouraged if I missed a day; now I just aim to count 5 days out of 7 and not completely let myself go on the days I don't count. Seems to be working.0
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I used to have cheat days, but i found they were doing me more 'harm' than good in terms of weight loss. So now i don't have them-or at least, plan for them. I have found that if i don't plan to have one, i feel less guilty when i do eventually have a day where i over eat.0
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Tons of good replies already so I won't bother reiterating what everyone else has said on the 'factor it into your daily calories' side of things.
However I will say, for me personally, I have a 'treat' meal once a week, whether it's takeaway or a meal out, where I eat ro maintenance calories for the day. I try and make good choices the rest of the day too so I have max calories left for my treat meal. And if there's anything else I want I'll just make it fit within my calories for the day. I've also started using my weekly net cals as my goal instead of just daily, so I can be under here or go over there as and when I need seems to be working for me so far as I haven't felt the need to binge yet 0 -
jessidarklighter wrote: »I first started implementing cheat days after reading an article in a magazine. The article said cheat days are good for two reasons. First, it keeps you on track for the rest of the week because you tell yourself you only have to wait to the end of the week to get that item you've been craving, and second, abruptly consuming more calories tricks your body into adjusting your metabolism, creating a better fat burn for the lesser calorie amounts you consume in the rest of the week. Now I will be honest, I'm not sure I could bear to give up cheat days altogether, but if they really are bad I might moderate them a little. So I want your opinion. Cheat days, yes or no? and why?
I personally know that when I'm trying to lose weight, I don't have a cheat "day," but rather a cheat meal. I allow myself something out of the norm, but try not to get too crazy with it. So instead of the standard lean protein and veggies for dinner, I might do a chicken/cheese tortellini with carbonara. It's a food I enjoy, but don't eat that often, so I savor the one meal and go back to my regular meals. The longer you stay on track, your stomach will tell you whether or not that was a good move
Haha.
Small bowl of Butterfinger Ice Cream last weekend after a month on track = stomach cramps and immediate heartburn.0 -
If one changes his or her lifestyle to better reflect a healthier way of eating and living, there should be no need to feel like one needs to cheat, as if that is some kind of reward in the negative for living positive.0
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What if instead of taking once a week, you stick to you diet threw a whole month and take one day out of that month like the 1st. That one day would be your cheat day. Would that effect the rest of the month that you are on track.0
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For people who have not yet achieved nirvana and purified themselves of desire, though, there may be some cognitive or emotional cost to weight loss. Running a sustained calorie deficit may require the regular exercise of willpower, and tallying up every calorie eaten may consume some amount of focus and energy.BasicGreatGuy wrote: »If one changes his or her lifestyle to better reflect a healthier way of eating and living, there should be no need to feel like one needsto cheat, as if that is some kind of reward in the negative for living positive.
For people in that situation (which I think describes most people who are losing weight), a "cheat day" appeals because it allows them to take a break from exerting focus and energy on weight loss. Whether or not a "cheat day" is actually productive is the subject of this thread!0 -
Nope, cheat meal or a cheat treat, never a full day.0
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No I don't. I eat yummy things that I like all the time so I don't feel the need. One entire day of just going overboard would not be pleasurable to me. Fourth of July was a bit out of control this year and yeah, not really too great. But everyone has to do what works with their own preferences and lifestyle.0
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I don't look at it as 'cheat days' anymore, more like, living life. Some days I eat at my calorie goal, some days over, and some days under. At the end of the week, I'm usually right where I should be.0
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I don't have cheat days anymore. I was letting go a little too much and undoing all my weeks work. I still log everything but go for eating at maintenance on the weekends so I can splurge on some things I really love like Dairy Queen Blizzards and Smoked Salmon dip. YUM0
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I am still struggling with weight loss and I've just come to the realisation(just today lol) that I can't have a cheat snack. I had something bad at the beginning of the day and I have eaten cr@9 ALL DAY.
feel rubbish 
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I do cheat day once a week because I need to know I'm not missing out on things - I know some will blast me for this (the health nazi's always do!) but I'm a normal, older woman with family and friends and we ENJOY eating "normal" foods - we go to pot luck's, have bar-b-que's, go to movies, and family get together's that involves southern comfort foods and yes, I scale down my quantities...but now and then I just need to not have every bite I take the center of my universe! I REALLY don't want to feel like I'm missing out on the fun times in my life! I'll DO the extra workout thank you... I HAVE noticed though that certain "free day" foods now make me sicker than a dog if I indulge too much in them. (Found THAT out with a recent movie with popcorn...uggh!). Guess what I'm saying is I wanna eat to nourish my body and still enjoy LIVING - NOT live to watch everything I eat!0
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