Are Cheat Days ok?

Why feel awful about yourself? Unless you ate several burgers and several milkshakes, it's not going to make you gain weight. Maybe the sodium increase will add some water weight, but that's it.

Cheating is absolutely ok, and you shouldn't feel bad about yourself for indulging in something that you like. I "cheat" every single weekend, though I really don't think of it as cheating. Going over your calorie limit for a day isn't going to offset you that much. It takes about 3,500 calories to lose/gain a pound. So if you're eating at a deficit all week, in order for you to gain any weight from a cheat day you'd have to eat above your maintenance weight and the deficit you've accumulated throughout the week, and then it would take an entire 3,500 calories on top of that to gain a pound.

If you want a burger and milkshake occasionally, treat yourself. You'll be better off in the long run if you make sustainable changes. That means letting yourself have things that you really like. In the past, when I've tried to restrict myself, I end up giving up after a while. This time I've been finally sticking with it, and it's because I eat junk when I want it. Heck, today I went to the Minnesota State Fair and ate all kinds of fried and sugary foods. So, so, so many calories. But it's ok, because it's just one day, and I ate at a deficit all week.

jaywirth88 wrote: »

I really enjoy my healthy foods. I've got a food routine down, and i'm eating at a serious deficit on a daily basis. But I really wanted a milkshake today, but after I scarfed the whole thing down in 3 minutes, i just felt crappy for the rest of the day.

Physically? Mentally? or both. I cleaned up my diet really really well a few years ago and ate a peice of cake after about 6 weeks. I thought i was dying.

Try to fit smaller portions of things you enjoy into your macros so you're not encouraging yourself to binge or ruin a week of progress eating 6 donuts or a container of icecream

All that matters is your deficit.

Your body doesn't understand emotional terms such as "cheating" when it comes to weight loss. It understands energy balance. Put too much in, you gain. Put the right amount in, you maintain. Put too little in, you lose.

How you go about this matters little. Eat handfuls of lettuce all week, then eat burgers and milkshakes all weekend, it doesn't matter. All that matters is that you remain in a negative energy balance.

I don't think in terms of "cheat" versus "good food". I eat whatever I want. I try to choose wisely and healthfully most of the time. When I choose something less than healthy-- I make sure I don't go over my calories for the day. I may need to eat smaller portions of the less than healthy foods, but at least I don't feel like I'm denying myself the foods I really like. So I can stick with this way of eating. I want to learn how to eat in a way that is long standing, not a diet I'm going stop one day.

shadowconn wrote: »

Yes. They are fine. What they do is keep your body out of balance. Your body adjusts to everything you do to it. The theory behind a cheat day is that it stimulates your metabolism to burn. I'm not doing them right now. I probably should be. But there's no binge money in my budget atm.

This isn't true.

I don't do cheat days. I count my calories over the week and create additional deficits on some days to allow for meals out, wine etc. I don't have a mentality of good food vs bad food or 'cheating' etc. I eat for nutrition and to meet my calorie allowance for various purposes (currently for loss, later for maintenance) - this isn't a diet, it's just life.

anneeett wrote: »

I don't do cheat days anymore either: I have a tendency to go all out on those days and eat waaayyy more than I should, to the point of feeling physically ill. So instead, I have a 'cheat meal' every once in a while and eat everything else in moderation (I don't like the word 'cheat', because I'm not doing anything wrong). I have lost about 4kg in 2 months, and I feel like this is very sustainable for me.

Also, if you feel awful about yourself after 1 burger and a shake, I think you should really re-evaluate your relationship with food. There is nothing wrong with a little indulgence every once in a while and you should be able to enjoy ALL the food you eat, without feeling guilty afterwards.

THIS.
Spot on!

Your body laughs at the notion of a "cheat day" and logs *everything*.

As long as you maintian a calorie deficit, you will lose weight.

Ive been on a strict clean eating diet for a week now but i have been craving for a few snacks and i did allow myself to have a little of snacks but the next day I'll make sure i eat very healthily dont worry, its ok to enjoy those so called " cheat day " once in a while:)

jaywirth88 wrote: »

I have been eating very healthy and I have really enjoyed it, but I heard you should allow yourself one cheat day/meal a week. I had a cheat lunch last Sunday and I had a milkshake and burger today and I feel aweful about myself. Is cheating ok? and if so, what kinds of foods do you eat?

Nope, not for me. I sometimes eat over but it's not cheating, it's just eating over.

Cheating implies food type restriction and that I'm doing something wrong. I'm not a fan of either.

JenWall2 wrote: »

I have a cheat meal, not an entire day. I enjoy it more now than I ever did when that was all I ate. I look forward to it.

I do exactly this. Great post BTW!!