Should i log my cheat day?

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  • kgb6days
    kgb6days Posts: 880 Member
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    Absolutely, however having a 'cheat day' imply that you do not intend to make this a lifestyle change and that you view it as a diet.
  • jdleanna
    jdleanna Posts: 141 Member
    edited September 2015
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    If you DON'T log, and you just eat and eat and eat, you could erase your calorie deficit for the week without realizing it. So you'd be working all week for nothing. Better to log so that you can check to make sure you don't eat your way back to maintenance calories for the week.

    Have you thought about doing a maintenance-calorie day rather than a cheat day?
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    How will you know what your weekly deficit is if you don't? I would have a goal in mind, no matter what. What's the point of eating to the point where you might throw yourself out of a deficit? I try to log all of my high calorie days to the best of my ability, and I keep the calorie count in mind to give me an average daily deficit that will allow me to lose at a rate I'm happy with.
  • haileydwatson0513
    haileydwatson0513 Posts: 4 Member
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    jaqcan wrote: »
    I've fit desserts and snacks into my every day. I've set myself up for failure too many times cheating. A cheat friday turns into a cheat saturday and then the whole weekend, and Monday I'm off the wagon. Log everything, hold yourself accountable, because it shows up on your body whether you log it or not.

    Thank you!! Out of all the comments this was the most positive and put it in the best perspective!
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
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    Yes, log every thing so you're aware of what you're consuming. If your 'cheat day' is too extreme, you'll be affecting your calorie deficit and if your 'cheat day' isn't logged and accounted for, you'll be wondering why. Best of luck :]
  • allenpriest
    allenpriest Posts: 1,102 Member
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    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    Log everything. Personally, I don't believe in cheat days, as they imply doing something wrong.

    This. I choose what I eat. So days I choose to eat more than the MFP target for that day. But I'm not deprived because I'm not dieting. I'm planning what I eat and choosing to eat less.
  • allenpriest
    allenpriest Posts: 1,102 Member
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    prettyblueeyes00 wrote: »
    Yes. I too have a cheat day. I can eat a dessert or high calorie snack one weekend day per week. ONLY if I hit my calorie goal every day. Like this weekend I don't get dessert night as I went over on Labor day. Trust me you are fine to do this as long as you are doing well the rest of the week. And stay active. I also take a walk before dessert night

    I don't think this approach works for me as I am getting away from thinking of food as a reward. I have proven I don't do food as a reward well.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,180 Member
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    haileydwatson0513 wrote: »
    i just started using my fitness pal, and i plan on having a cheat day just once a week. I wanted to get some opinions on whether or not its beneficial to log my cheat day or to log nothing at all? Thanks!

    Your body doesn't gain or lose weight based on what you log in MFP. It gains or loses weight based on what you eat and what you burn.

    So, not logging a cheat day won't help you lose weight. Your body knows what you've eaten.


    Personally, I don't do cheat days. If I eat delicious food all the time, and if I want something more, I exercise for it.

    That said, I have taken one holiday from tracking and logging ... after I hit my first goal. I actually went on a holiday and didn't want to track during that time. However, while I was gone, I still ate reasonably well, and I exercised a whole lot more than usual.

    I have also taken one celebration day ... my husband and my anniversary. On that occasion, I ate slightly less than usual earlier in the day + doing more exercise than usual, and then the dinner we had together put me over by 300 cal. (probably the banana split we shared. :)) But that was OK. According to my weekly stats, I was just under for the week. And once in a while, you've got to celebrate something. :)
  • coreyreichle
    coreyreichle Posts: 1,031 Member
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    Yes.

    Your body doesn't know if you're logging or not on MFP, those calories matter regardless.

    I even log (After getting back home) during backpacking trips.
  • jayjay_90
    jayjay_90 Posts: 83 Member
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    Absolutely yes, always.
  • ltutson
    ltutson Posts: 1 Member
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    I do log everything just so I can see the difference btwn when im being strict and when im going overboard. if you log your decadence it keeps you informed and accountable. also i do believe in cheat days bc face it, we are fat cuz we like to eat! BUT i still limit myself to ONE thing, if you cheat all day it will be so hard for you to get back on the horse the following day.

    just my advice. good luck : )
  • ultrahoon
    ultrahoon Posts: 467 Member
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    Log everthing, the TDEE estimations MFP gives you are just that, estimations. There will come a point where you will want to look over your data and work out your true TDEE. You can only do that if the data is accurate.
  • tabletmfp
    tabletmfp Posts: 53 Member
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    What is the purpose of a cheat day? I have been loosing for 18 months but just 2 weeks ago I had one day off where I ate and ate. That week I lost .6 kgs compared to the .3 kgs I usually loose. So does this one day off boost the metabolism, or is it just for psychological benefits? Every other day that week was the same as usual.
  • Tedebearduff
    Tedebearduff Posts: 1,155 Member
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    haileydwatson0513 wrote: »
    i just started using my fitness pal, and i plan on having a cheat day just once a week. I wanted to get some opinions on whether or not its beneficial to log my cheat day or to log nothing at all? Thanks!

    Should be a meal ... not a full day of eating .... You won't get very far doing that. And even the meal should be within reason and still fit within your calories. IE have a slice of pizza, not a whole pizza... have some sushi not go to All You Can Eat Sushi place.

    There are allot of products out there these days to help you, protein ice cream... quest bars... you just need to look around is all.
  • alt5057
    alt5057 Posts: 62 Member
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    I do...just to see how bad it was. Sometimes I think I'm "cheating" for dinner getting takeout after a long day, but usually that means I haven't had any snacks during the day and spent a lot of time on my feet so it ends up not as bad as I expect.
  • Ang108
    Ang108 Posts: 1,711 Member
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    Definitely ! Otherwise it's too easy to pretend that it did not happen and complain about slow or no weight loss.

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