Are cheat days ok?

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sammyjoyc
sammyjoyc Posts: 12 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi Everyone!

I just started this lifestyle change and I wanted to ask your opinion on cheat days!

Does anyone have 1 day a week (or month) where they eat whatever they want and don't count calories?

It's hard sometimes on the weekend sitting next to my husband late at night after our toddler is in bed and he's snacking on pizza or ice cream while we watch Netflix, lol

Right now, I'm taking small steps to lose weight - set myself up for wins (not strict rules = major fails). I'm starting off by counting calories and not over eating/comfort eating, as are my normal (soon to be old ;) ) habits

Please & thank you for any advice/experience with this!

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Replies

  • MeiannaLee
    MeiannaLee Posts: 338 Member
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    Omg dont say that on this forum. I predict people will attack you for calling it a cheat day xD
  • bclarke1990
    bclarke1990 Posts: 287 Member
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    There's no magical answer based on natural law to this. Some people can handle them and some can't. I know for me, on my weight loss journey, a "400 calorie bonus re-feed" would turn into 800 calories, then turn into "today doesn't count I need to eat/enjoy every food I've been restricting while I can and then get back on track tomorrow" and end up at 4000 calories negating all my progress for the week.

    I think most would advise you to work things you enjoy into your daily calories and limit yourself to a controllable cheat meal rather than a day, and don't blow it out of proportion (ie 6 donuts and 2 pizzas)
  • Mycophilia
    Mycophilia Posts: 1,225 Member
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    I don't have cheat days. But I do have planned diet breaks where I eat maintenance calories for a couple of weeks.
  • sammyjoyc
    sammyjoyc Posts: 12 Member
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    Eek! A day off then? Lol
    I was just curious if people thought this helped or hurt their overall progress
  • AmberFitzilla
    AmberFitzilla Posts: 17 Member
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    Hey! I have been steadily loosing weight and have had some (unplanned) cheat days. Game night with friends, date night, it can get hard. I just try to stay reasonable and I do count calories even on my "cheat days." If I don't, then I begin to slip and one day turns into a week. At the end of a cheat day when I see how much I went over, it usually gets my butt back into it right away. I don't think it's sustainable to never have days where you go over. Live life!
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    In the end, it doesn't matter what you call it, how you treat it, etc. The numbers will always win out.

    If you find that having a 'cheat day' helps you maintain an OVERALL calorie deficit over the long term, at worst it will just slow down your rate of weight loss compared to if you stuck to your deficit every day. (example, if you eat at a 500 calorie deficit 6 days a week, and have 1 day at a 1000 calorie surplus, that still leaves you at a net 2000 calorie deficit per week)

    However...

    If your cheat day is so big of a cheat that you wipe out whatever deficit you created the rest of the week, then yes, it's counter productive. (example, you eat at a 500 calorie deficit per day 6 days a week, and your 'cheat' day is a surplus of 3500 calories)

    The numbers (as in calories) will always rule.
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
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    I did cheat days at one time, early on. But I actually counted calories... just didn't restrict myself at all. I ate whatever I wanted and as much as I wanted to be happy.

    What I found after doing a few of them is that I erased way too much work because a 20K-30K calorie day takes a whole lot of deficit days to overcome. So I stopped doing them a long time ago.
  • MissJay75
    MissJay75 Posts: 768 Member
    edited September 2015
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    I have days where I eat what I want and don't consider the calories. But I still count them and log them as best as I can. This might be a social event where I really want to just indulge in all the good food, or sometimes a favorite restaurant. Often I balance out the extra by going under more either before and/or after the day of excess. But if I don't keep track of what I eat, it's difficult to track trends in my weight loss (and now maintenance).

    My hubby and I also eat treats in the evening while we watch TV. I figure out how to fit that into my daily goals 99% of the time. Pre-logging your day can help with this, so you can save up evening calories. Finding low cal snacks that seem like treats to you is another way to do this.

    You are going to have all kinds of people in this thread tell you what worked for them (myself included), ultimately you have to figure out what works for you!

  • EzRemake
    EzRemake Posts: 128 Member
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    I've had to redefine "cheat day" a few times over the last year. At first it was a day where I wouldn't count at all, but quickly noticed that my progress would plateau and I ended up just maintaining. At one time it got to the point where I put on 2-3lbs of water every time I had a cheat day, and by the next week when I had gotten it off, I would be right back on to my next cheat.

    Now I define cheat day as a maintenance day. No surplus, no deficit, just maintenance.
  • Buckeye_Dave
    Buckeye_Dave Posts: 59 Member
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    You can enjoy pizza and ice cream and still remain within your calorie limit. In fact, I do it quite frequently. :)
  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
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    It doesn't matter what you call it, how you do it, how often or when you do it, or how many over-edited instagram photos you post of it.

    All that matters is your calories. You're either in a deficit, at a maintenance level or in a surplus.

  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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    It's fine as long as you don't cancel out your whole week's deficit in that one day. (which can be done) Try logging your "cheat days" and getting an average of how many calories you're consuming. Does that negate your weekly deficit? If not, you're good.
  • OhMsDiva
    OhMsDiva Posts: 1,074 Member
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    MeiannaLee wrote: »
    Omg dont say that on this forum. I predict people will attack you for calling it a cheat day xD

    That. They so enjoy it too


  • kjm3579
    kjm3579 Posts: 3,975 Member
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    I log all of my days as accurately as possible and if something happens that I go over, then so be it. Things happen in life and while I want to be fit and loose weight I'm not going to get terribly stressed over a day of two going over on calories .... but I don't plan actual cheat days except for one of two times a year when I know I will be at a function that will involve excessive eating and drinking
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
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    OhMsDiva wrote: »
    MeiannaLee wrote: »
    Omg dont say that on this forum. I predict people will attack you for calling it a cheat day xD

    That. They so enjoy it too


    No one has "attacked" her yet and you still post this. *insert eyeroll*

    OP, I have days where I have to eat away from home or I am just extra hungry or a special occasion, whatever, days when I want to eat more. I try to log and keep it at maintenance, I don't always succeed, but it usually helps mitigate the damage even if I do go over. It's just going to slow you down, but for me it's worth it for my sanity.

  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    edited September 2015
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    MeiannaLee wrote: »
    Omg dont say that on this forum. I predict people will attack you for calling it a cheat day xD


    I think most of the members who try to encourage people not to assign a moral value to foods/styles of eating have jumped ship, unfortunately.
  • Redbeard333
    Redbeard333 Posts: 381 Member
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    I'm coming to the realization that having "cheat days" is a way for a beginner to make the journey easier on them; instead of completely swearing off certain foods, they allow themselves that food once in a week/month. I think after you've been at this game for a while, cheat days become unnecessary because you're focused on the overall picture: better health.

    For example: I eat a small bacon, egg, and cheese wrap for breakfast every day. I used to *never* eat bacon because it was considered so bad for you, but now I do because I make the calories fit. I also have a beer every now and then. No cheating; I just make the calories fit. I hit the Indian buffet yesterday for 1000 calories (approx); balanced it out with some more exercise. Point is, needing a "cheat day" may be necessary for some beginners to get over the struggle of making necessary changes, but they're not 100% necessary.
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
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    Why not fit pizza and ice cream into your calorie goal? You might not be able to eat everything you want in one day, but you should be able to fit stuff in once in a while.

    Heck I have ice cream every day. 1 serving is usually 150-170 calories. It's really not that hard to fit that in.
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
    edited September 2015
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    SingRunTing wrote: »
    Why not fit pizza and ice cream into your calorie goal? You might not be able to eat everything you want in one day, but you should be able to fit stuff in once in a while.

    Heck I have ice cream every day. 1 serving is usually 150-170 calories. It's really not that hard to fit that in.

    Yes, this too! I eat everything all the time so those days when I do eat over are from hunger or special circumstances. Never because I just really want something that i have told myself I can't have. (When I say hunger, I mean above and beyond the normal, cutting back hunger. Those ravenous days we can get on occasion!)
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    MeiannaLee wrote: »
    Omg dont say that on this forum. I predict people will attack you for calling it a cheat day xD
    OhMsDiva wrote: »
    MeiannaLee wrote: »
    Omg dont say that on this forum. I predict people will attack you for calling it a cheat day xD

    That. They so enjoy it too


    wow!!

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