Are we allowed to have cheat days?

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kacotugno86
kacotugno86 Posts: 35 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hey I'm new to this!!! So I am on a 1500 cal diet according to mfp. I was looking up my fave dish from Texas Roadhouse and holy *kitten* it's like almost a days worth of calories! So are we allowed to eat this on a rare occasion or should we not ever eat that kind of stuff???

Replies

  • DisneyDude85
    DisneyDude85 Posts: 428 Member
    edited October 2015
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    Why not just eat half of the meal? The reason the calorie count is so high is because restaurant portions are massive! Ask for a to-go container upfront and box up half before you start eating :) Then eat slowly and deliberately, savoring each and every bite, and be sure to put your fork down between bites. Also, don't eat in silence. Go with a friend and have good conversation. This always helps me eat slower. :) Try and drink a glass of water before the meal comes also.
  • GradatimFerociter
    GradatimFerociter Posts: 296 Member
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    Ideally the changes you are making will form the basis for a lifestyle change. As such, unless you think it realistic that you will never want to eat out with your friends again (for example) you should allow yourself to "cheat" but don't think of it like cheating. You don't have to do everything optimally to succeed and an unhealthy attitude towards restriction will (usually) effect your failure.
  • ASKyle
    ASKyle Posts: 1,475 Member
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    You can eat whatever you like, but now you have the knowledge that this entree is a days worth of food, and it's up to you to decide if it's worth it or not.

    There are ways to deal with this. Get some exercise that morning to burn off extra calories. Some people "bank" calories during the week to eat on the weekend, and go by a weekly calorie goal instead of the daily one. Personally, I've found this to be a great way to maintain.
  • Azexas
    Azexas Posts: 4,334 Member
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    A quick reference for going out to eat: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10213155/a-guide-to-going-out-to-eat#latest

    In short, yes you can have "cheat days". Look at your overall calorie intake and calorie burns for the week. One day here and there should not throw off your weight loss entirely. Fast food and restuarants tend to use a lot of sodium, so you may see a slight increase in weight due to water retention.
  • Emily3907
    Emily3907 Posts: 1,461 Member
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    I think the answer to that question depends on your personal situation. For me, I had to stop "cheat days" and just plan MFP goals around my life. This is how I do it,

    My goal is 1500 cals a day. So, I multiplied that by 7 to get 10,500. That is my allotment of calories for the week. So, my week looks like this:

    M, T, W and Th - 1350 cals a day
    F - 1600 cals a day
    Sa and Su - 1725 cals a day

    Total: 10,450 for the week. (I built in an extra 50 cal deficit for myself :) )

    So, now on the weekends, I can have what I want and "cheat" but stay on goal. If I know I have a celebration or something high calorie in my plans, I will adjust accordingly.

    Personally, I have found it much easier to go by weekly calories than daily calories.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    ASKyle wrote: »
    You can eat whatever you like, but now you have the knowledge that this entree is a days worth of food, and it's up to you to decide if it's worth it or not.

    There are ways to deal with this. Get some exercise that morning to burn off extra calories. Some people "bank" calories during the week to eat on the weekend, and go by a weekly calorie goal instead of the daily one. Personally, I've found this to be a great way to maintain.

    +1 on all this.

    OP the nice thing about MFP is that it is not one size fits all. you are "allowed" to eat however you choose, there is no specific program to follow.

    Many people have similar "oh crap" moments when they start counting calories. The good news is that you had your epiphany before you ordered and ate the food, so now you can decide if those calories are worth it to you and of so, how you can best work them into your day/week.

    Personally I'm in the: Bank calories during the week, exercise extra the day of, take some of it home so I can also fit in a glass of wine or share a dessert camp...
  • MommyL2015
    MommyL2015 Posts: 1,411 Member
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    You're an adult (I assume) therefore you can eat whatever you like. If it doesn't fit into your calories, maybe try and make up for it throughout the following week or just log it and move on. I normally just log it and move on. My overall deficit for the week is maintained on days like that, and when I have a day where I'll be eating a butt ton of stuff (Thanksgiving!) then I'll just make sure the rest of my month goes better.

    I like Texas Roadhouse but we have a Logan's here and their rolls are so much better! Texas has the cinnamon butter, I believe. I don't care for that. I could make an entire meal out of Logan's rolls, though!
  • kacotugno86
    kacotugno86 Posts: 35 Member
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    Thanks guys! Great tips about working out extra that day and also cutting it in half. The weekly calories makes a lot more sense as well. Everyone is so nice and helpfull. :)
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    ASKyle wrote: »
    You can eat whatever you like, but now you have the knowledge that this entree is a days worth of food, and it's up to you to decide if it's worth it or not.

    There are ways to deal with this. Get some exercise that morning to burn off extra calories. Some people "bank" calories during the week to eat on the weekend, and go by a weekly calorie goal instead of the daily one. Personally, I've found this to be a great way to maintain.

    Yep. Or you could just eat half and save the other half for the next day (which I hate doing because it just never tastes the same).

    But for what it's worth, I don't eat 1200+ calories entrees anymore. In the rare events that I eat that much for lunch, I usually skip dinner. But I've yet to find any dish with so many calories that was actually worth it. Most things I can make lower calorie versions of, or I have the main item but ask for veggies instead of fries, but to be honest unless I'm really starving or have crazy PMS or something most of those high calorie dishes don't appeal to me anymore.
  • ModernRock
    ModernRock Posts: 372 Member
    edited October 2015
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    I didn't get overweight from occasionally eating above my maintenance level energy needs. (Plenty of thin people eat those same meals....with dessert....and remain thin. On average, for every day they exceeded their caloric needs they had a day where they ate less than necessary to maintain.) I don't know about you, but over about 15 years I slowly and consistently consumed more calories than necessary for my energy needs. Occasionally eating such a meal won't stop me from losing weight if I maintain an overall calorie deficit over the next few months or so. The "occasionally" part is the trick, as is not feeling like a failure and giving up over short term indiscretions.

    Exercising just to preserve a calorie deficient (or maintenance) is certainly an idea. But, regularly exercising for this reason--just so that you can eat more--may not be sustainable. If, for some reason, the level of exercise is no longer possible, then the person never truly developed the feelings and habits required to eat (on average) at a deficit or even maintenance level for the long term.
  • JustMissTracy
    JustMissTracy Posts: 6,339 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    ASKyle wrote: »
    You can eat whatever you like, but now you have the knowledge that this entree is a days worth of food, and it's up to you to decide if it's worth it or not.

    There are ways to deal with this. Get some exercise that morning to burn off extra calories. Some people "bank" calories during the week to eat on the weekend, and go by a weekly calorie goal instead of the daily one. Personally, I've found this to be a great way to maintain.

    Yep. Or you could just eat half and save the other half for the next day (which I hate doing because it just never tastes the same).

    But for what it's worth, I don't eat 1200+ calories entrees anymore. In the rare events that I eat that much for lunch, I usually skip dinner. But I've yet to find any dish with so many calories that was actually worth it. Most things I can make lower calorie versions of, or I have the main item but ask for veggies instead of fries, but to be honest unless I'm really starving or have crazy PMS or something most of those high calorie dishes don't appeal to me anymore.

    Unless it's chili. Chili always tastes better the next day!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    JustMissTracy wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »
    ASKyle wrote: »
    You can eat whatever you like, but now you have the knowledge that this entree is a days worth of food, and it's up to you to decide if it's worth it or not.

    There are ways to deal with this. Get some exercise that morning to burn off extra calories. Some people "bank" calories during the week to eat on the weekend, and go by a weekly calorie goal instead of the daily one. Personally, I've found this to be a great way to maintain.

    Yep. Or you could just eat half and save the other half for the next day (which I hate doing because it just never tastes the same).

    But for what it's worth, I don't eat 1200+ calories entrees anymore. In the rare events that I eat that much for lunch, I usually skip dinner. But I've yet to find any dish with so many calories that was actually worth it. Most things I can make lower calorie versions of, or I have the main item but ask for veggies instead of fries, but to be honest unless I'm really starving or have crazy PMS or something most of those high calorie dishes don't appeal to me anymore.

    Unless it's chili. Chili always tastes better the next day!

    Shepherd's pie too IMO.

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