How many of you actually gain on your cheat day rather than

Mixmode
Mixmode Posts: 332
edited September 28 in Health and Weight Loss
Cheat/Reward days are for a quick break so you don't give in and go off your diet completely. When I would take my cheat day (back when I was taking cheat days) I would eat whatever, nothing too horrible. Burger & fries or pizza. etc. But it seemed quite often that several days later when I weighed, I have gained a lb or maybe 2 rather than just staying the same as before the cheat day which then causes you to work even more days to get back to where you were.

So now I don't cheat. Just curious if anyone else experiences this problem, regularly.

Replies

  • kblue2007
    kblue2007 Posts: 2,564 Member
    My weight definitely goes up after a cheat day, but for me it is usually water weight and usually doesn't affect my weigh in the following week. I do my official weigh in saturdays....and that also tends to be my cheat day :smile:
    Best of luck to you!
  • PNWriter
    PNWriter Posts: 223 Member
    about once a month I do a cheat MEAL not an entire day. If the meal is overly high in sodium I do se a couple pound gain the next morning but as long as I drink lots of water with lemon the next day I'm back down the very next morning.
  • Helice
    Helice Posts: 1,075 Member
    I never on purposely have cheat days..
    Although i seem to take them a couple of times a week =/

    Whenever i have a cheat day i always end up MUCH larger the next day.
    So i try my best not to have them...

    .
  • SenoraMacias
    SenoraMacias Posts: 305 Member
    Well, I had a cheat meal last night (unexpectedly), and was up 3lb this morning :(:( Trying to rectify that today!
  • Grimmerick
    Grimmerick Posts: 3,342 Member
    Yeah I gain 1-3lbs on a cheat day so I don't do it anymore, I think the cheat meal once a month is a good idea though, I am gonna start doing that.
  • melizerd
    melizerd Posts: 870 Member
    I don't ever have an entire cheat DAY, sometimes I do a cheat meal. But 1lbs is 3500 calories, that you'd have to eat OVER maintenance calories for your current weight. I can't imagine eating that much food in one day, let alone one meal.

    Most likely it's water retention from excess sodium so drink more water to keep flushing that out of your system.
  • SarahofTwins
    SarahofTwins Posts: 1,169 Member
    I dont have any cheat days only because I would most likely want to leave for good. Instead I eat a very small bite of something I might be craving or find something similar thats low in cals, etc. I just dont want to have to work so hard for a whole week to just ruin it for 1 day of over indulging and gain a pound. Others might disagree with me but everyone knows what works for them. :happy:
  • Jizes318
    Jizes318 Posts: 409 Member
    Water water water. This will be your friend on high sodium cheat days. Drink it until you pee clear LOL
  • Hazelhaze05
    Hazelhaze05 Posts: 85 Member
    knock on wood, I'm usually down after my cheat day. But, I don't eat bad all day. Just at dinner time. I'm also noticing it's hard for me to eat much because I'm so used to eating good and I get full way to quick lol
  • pdxscarlett
    pdxscarlett Posts: 30 Member
    I try not to have cheat days. Instead I find little cheats every day that keep me under calories. Like the new weight watchers ice-cream bars omg! 110 amazing calories. If I do have a cheat day I just really try not to go overboard. I look at this as a life style not a diet so I look for ways to cut calories that I can live with. I will not give up birthday cake for the rest of my life, but I can live with a smaller portion and less often ;0)
  • Pam3
    Pam3 Posts: 1,687 Member
    i also try not to have cheat days...it seems that i will always put on some weight....so if there is a special occasion then i will enjoy but those are not very often...good luck
  • pittielover23
    pittielover23 Posts: 268
    Actually I don't usually gain (but don't lose either lol) but I just do cheat meals, not days. I still try to make good choices as far as portion size is concerned, and I still log. I just don't beat myself up if I go over calories that day.

    This weekend I had a calzone (that was too.die.for) and some booze, but started with a salad and only ate 1/2 my calzone. Still a lot of calories, just not as bad as it could have been.
  • capricorn144
    capricorn144 Posts: 335 Member
    I haven't had a true "cheat" day in 55 days here...but I agree that sodium is the key to the short term weight gain. The fluids really help flush that out.

    My plan is to have an occasional "cheat" meal like pizza or pasta when I get to maintenance. Can't wait!!! but I will expect that fluid retiention from the sodium when I get there.:tongue:
  • Painten
    Painten Posts: 499 Member
    I only weigh once a week and am generally still down when i weigh in. If i go off the rails a bit though and keep going over then obviously i gain. My cheat is usually a takeaway and there is no nutritional info so i have no clue how much i am actually going over but i try and leave a big wedge of calories for it doing extra exercise too.
  • crittercat23
    crittercat23 Posts: 1
    Yep-- same thing. I notice that one day of cheating per week causes at LEAST a one-pound gain the next day.
    Then it takes a day of eating right, plus exercise, to burn that one-pound again :(

    It just feels like a wasted day after the fact. I decided if I really want to cheat (with like ice cream or something) I have to eat it instead of a meal- which then I'll be STARVING... so it's totally not worth it!
  • NancyAnne1960
    NancyAnne1960 Posts: 500 Member
    Cheat 'items' keep me on track. I may have a piece of cake for dinner (1/2 my previous portion), or a piece of pizza (half of my previous portion) with a healthy dose of salad. Some ice cream, but I eat 1/2 of what I used to also. This way, I get to indulge in something I need to keep me from going off the wall, but get to savor naughty items. I'm a chocoholic, and found my cheat is now actually fat free Jello double chocolate pudding. Good luck~!
  • FabiolaEnvy♥
    FabiolaEnvy♥ Posts: 730
    yeah you gain,

    but realize this, that when you have a cheat day. is not bad to have it.
    cause it puts your body in shock and not only that,
    you actually lose more cause your body is working more and then you work extra hard trying to get if off eat healthier and drink your water down.
    yeah i may gain a lb but then i lose like 3 to 4 lbs cause of that.

    so its what you do and how you take it.

    i havent had a cheat day in a while. i was saving it for next monday when my brother out of school and eat out with him. :)
  • Jdismybug1
    Jdismybug1 Posts: 443 Member
    I try not to have cheat days. Instead I find little cheats every day that keep me under calories. Like the new weight watchers ice-cream bars omg! 110 amazing calories. If I do have a cheat day I just really try not to go overboard. I look at this as a life style not a diet so I look for ways to cut calories that I can live with. I will not give up birthday cake for the rest of my life, but I can live with a smaller portion and less often ;0)

    I so agree with you here. I never completely cut everything out, I just manage portion sizes, and calories. :happy:
  • pdxscarlett
    pdxscarlett Posts: 30 Member
    I try not to have cheat days. Instead I find little cheats every day that keep me under calories. Like the new weight watchers ice-cream bars omg! 110 amazing calories. If I do have a cheat day I just really try not to go overboard. I look at this as a life style not a diet so I look for ways to cut calories that I can live with. I will not give up birthday cake for the rest of my life, but I can live with a smaller portion and less often ;0)

    I so agree with you here. I never completely cut everything out, I just manage portion sizes, and calories. :happy:

    It's the only way to go for me and with a little research there is no reason to deprive yourself really. I just found a recipe on kraft.com of all places for "Angel Lush Cupcakes" 90 calories a cupcake and no artificial sweeteners!
  • Schraudt814
    Schraudt814 Posts: 496 Member
    I don't do cheat days...i know myself and I know if I allowed myself a whole cheat day, it would make it that much harder to stay on track! Now I focus on portion sizes and controlling my cravings...like do I REALLY want that milkshake or is that the pms talking? When I do give in I make sure it's just enough to satisfy my urge for whatever...an oreo here, a chicken tender there. Just enough to keep me sane :happy:
  • darrcn5
    darrcn5 Posts: 495 Member
    Unless you just go on a complete binge, it's pretty hard to actually gain 1-2 pounds of actual fat in one day. The weight gain is most likely just water weight.

    And no, I don't have official cheat days because I want to incorporate the foods that I love into my eating because this is something I am going to do forever. If I want pizza, I get pizza. I just watch my portions and try to make sure the rest of my day has nutritious foods.
  • Mixmode
    Mixmode Posts: 332
    Well it's good to know most everyone is saying the extra weight is water weight usually due to sodium. One thing I have always neglected is water consumption. I just hate the taste of plain water. But now I am adding flavor packets to it to make it more appealing and it works. Thanks for everyones input.
  • graysmom2005
    graysmom2005 Posts: 1,882 Member
    I actually don't like the name cheat day. I'm not saying that to be ugly. :-) But this is life. Our one and only life...and this isn't a diet. It's a way of life. Life is too short not to have the foods you love. Do you have them every day? No. Every week? Probably not. But not "cheating" in x amount of days etc, I find to be a recipe for failure as you can't live your life that way. If I'm at a birthday party, I'm going to have a piece of cake. That's not cheating...that's celebrating a birthday. If my husband and I go out for dinner and have a lovely (probably high calorie) meal, then we went out and had a nice dinner. We didn't "cheat". This is the only time I've kept weight off long term, and it's because I just started living a healthy lifestyle. I eat well, exercise etc, and if we want to order Thai on Friday night..we do it...and it never makes a long term difference in weight. So if one day you really want pizza, have some pizza. It's living! Not cheating! Just make sure you don't have it the next day...and the next....;-) Off my soapbox. LOL!
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