Cheating ?

nicole716
nicole716 Posts: 43 Member
edited September 28 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone. i have a few questions :) (and i know some of them have been asked before, but i would love YOUR personal opinion.)

~ Do you prefer a cheat day or a cheat meal? Or do you prefer neither of them, and why?
~ How often do you have a cheat day or cheat meal?
~ What does YOUR cheat day/cheat meal consist of?

~ Are your cheat meals or cheat days planned?
~ Do you log them?

I would love some ideas or tips on this. and i also want to see what everyone's opinion is. :)

Replies

  • sammys1girly
    sammys1girly Posts: 1,045 Member
    I have a cheat day (I call it a splurge day!) once every week or two, usually when there's a special dinner or big family picnic and I just don't log that day. I try not to go TOO overboard but do have some extra treats, then back to working out and eating well the next day.
  • christinathompson1
    christinathompson1 Posts: 144 Member
    i do not have cheat days or cheat meals. they will throw me off..
    i have cheat "snacks" like the other day i had starbucks ice cream.. and yes i do log it in, even if it makes me over on my calories..
    but i try not to cheat at all.. if i do its once every 2 weeks.. or sometimes once a week. haha oops. :)
  • Heather75
    Heather75 Posts: 3,386 Member
    I eat what I want so I don't really feel the need to "cheat". I just workout harder so I can afford the calories/fat and stick to small portions. If I felt deprived, I would eventually give up, so I never feel deprived.

    On the odd day that I do go over, I don't worry about it. It's just a day.
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
    I eat what I want so I don't really feel the need to "cheat". I just workout harder so I can afford the calories/fat and stick to small portions. If I felt deprived, I would eventually give up, so I never feel deprived.

    On the odd day that I do go over, I don't worry about it. It's just a day.

    Me too!
  • CookieCatCatcher
    CookieCatCatcher Posts: 324 Member
    My "cheat" meals are always planned, therefore - they are not really cheating. I like it that way - since it never feels like I am depriving myself of anything that I want or get a craving for.

    For example: On Thursday nights my girls and I go out for dinner. I look at the menu for the restaurant, figure out what I want to eat - then log it, and plan the rest of my day accordingly. If that means I need to lightly snack instead of eat fulls meals, and get in extra exercise, then it is what it is. Also, on the weekends we are more likely to go out for a meal, or maybe stop for a frozen yogurt or something, so I make up for it by mowing the lawn without the self-propeller on.

    20 lbs in 2 months, so it seems to be working for me.

    A cheat day, or a true cheat meal would probably make me more apt to cheat more often. I prefer knowing exactly.
  • haeden
    haeden Posts: 183 Member
    i have cheat foods :) im not a hardcore logger(loging everything!) such as at work im on my feet for ten hours running around ( i work at a hospital) so i eat a few small snack sized candies.i work only two to three days since i work 12 hr shifts but thats my cheat.oh and i also bought fudge bars that are 100 calories and i LOVE them so i eat one of those when i feel like it
  • ghoztt
    ghoztt Posts: 69 Member
    I eat what I want so I don't really feel the need to "cheat". I just workout harder so I can afford the calories/fat and stick to small portions. If I felt deprived, I would eventually give up, so I never feel deprived.

    On the odd day that I do go over, I don't worry about it. It's just a day.

    This is my exact philosophy, especially about going over for a day. One day isn't going to kill the cycle, just staying on the wagon is the key. Of course the frequency of my fast food and pizza meals are fewer than they were but I still have a soda when I want a soda.
  • arielian
    arielian Posts: 200
    I have a cheat meal every two weeks, but I make sure I'm still under my calorie goal and usually split the meal into two portions!
  • katie_on_a_mission
    katie_on_a_mission Posts: 112
    I am okay with a cheat meal if I am really craving something special, but I try to make up for it by restricting my other meals that day. And, yes, you absolutely must log it! The whole point of logging is to keep yourself accountable! If you are only logging the low-cal foods and just pushing the other stuff under the rug, you are missing the point.
  • Learnin2LuvMe
    Learnin2LuvMe Posts: 465 Member
    I don't have cheat days either,i normally eat something sweet or junky everyday and I always log it. Some days I do have more than others but I do fine right after. I try to do this just so I won't feel so guilty if i have a one day of eating junk,so I try not to deprive myself. Its been working so far:)
  • witchyboots
    witchyboots Posts: 154 Member
    ~ Do you prefer a cheat day or a cheat meal? Or do you prefer neither of them, and why?
    I have a naughty DAY. Some people feel that it throws them off track but I firmly believe it keeps me ON my track! It stops me going off the rails and I think I deserve a treat sometimes.

    ~ How often do you have a cheat day or cheat meal?
    Once a week.

    ~ What does YOUR cheat day/cheat meal consist of?
    Whatever food I want and no exercise. Usually I eat something I have been craving in the week. This week I had KFC, last week I think it was McDonalds breakfast. So..as you can see it's normally junk food crap but I'm good all week and exercise the hardest I can so I don't feel guilty at all. Also, at my heaviest weight I would occasionally eat fast food for all 3 meals and do no exercise whatsoever so it's obviously a big improvement for me.

    ~ Are your cheat meals or cheat days planned?
    Not really but I try to plan them for the weekend. It's never set in stone.

    ~ Do you log them?
    Yes, always. No matter how bad I've been. I'll always work harder the following day.

    What about you? :smile:
  • marrtini
    marrtini Posts: 75
    Technically I guess I cheat .. but I always log it, no matter what it is, and usually they are planned. We are human, I dont' see it as cheating .. I see it as being human, there are things I want and enjoy, and there are days when I can't resist.
  • SabrinaJL
    SabrinaJL Posts: 1,579 Member
    I eat what I want so I don't really feel the need to "cheat". I just workout harder so I can afford the calories/fat and stick to small portions. If I felt deprived, I would eventually give up, so I never feel deprived.

    On the odd day that I do go over, I don't worry about it. It's just a day.

    Same here. Every other time I've tried to lose weight, I'd give myself a cheat day. I'd obsess over what I wanted to eat until that day, then I'd pretty much go crazy. Then I'd beat myself up over it and quit. This is the first time I'm not putting anything off limits and this is the most successful I've ever been with trying to lose weight.
  • LonelyPilgrim
    LonelyPilgrim Posts: 255 Member
    Yep, totally!

    I have a once a week cheat day.. or really, cheat "Evening". I eat my normal routine, or even a little less than normal for breakfast/lunch, and then at dinner/dessert I have whatever I want. (usually on Saturday, last night was 2 glasses of wine, a huge plate of fettucini alfredo and a huge bowl of ice cream) And, no. i dont' log it or worry about it.

    I always find that the day after a cheat meal I'm 1-2 lbs heavier (food and water weight from the salt, alcohol etc) but within 2 days I'm back to where I was, and at the end of the week, I'm down some weight from the previous week.. so it all works out.

    yes, maybe I could lose EVEN MORE if I never cheated, but as long as I'm averaging 2-3 lbs every 2-3 weeks, I'm not going to stress. and I love things that are bad for me, so it's a lot easier to keep myself within my calories during the rest of the week if I know I can splurge on Saturday night. if I'm not working on my cheat day I do try to do a longer workout that day to try to balance out some of the calories, but I know I'm never going to work off a plate of fettucini alfredo before I eat it.

    good luck, find what works for YOU! some people find that having a splurge day makes it hard the days after to get back on track, I find it the opposite.
  • beccarockslife
    beccarockslife Posts: 816 Member
    When people have cheat days I do wonder what it is they are cheating really.

    I'm just eating. You can't cheat on a balanced diet.
  • nicole716
    nicole716 Posts: 43 Member
    For me, i've only been on MFP for about a week, but i've already eaten meals that are high calorie. it was my brothers graduation on friday & we went out to eat at an italian restaurant. and today we ate at a chinese restaurant. when i go out to eat, i always eat sensibly, and i DO log it.

    i'm realizing, though, that if i exercise a good amount, my "cheat meals" don't really matter too much. :)
  • sla0814
    sla0814 Posts: 240
    I try to give myself one day a week to indulgence on a snack, meal, or whatever but not go crazy on that day, you know? This keeps me not feeling deprived.

    We can all have pizza, nachos, chocolate, (insert your favorite indulgence here), but it's all in moderation! That way, should you have a weak moment, you don't deprive yourself to the point where you binge and go over board.

    There's a great book called, "Eat what you love, love what you eat. How to break your eat-repent-repeat cycle" written by Michelle May, M.D. May discusses how it's important to treat yourself now and then. She also states that it's important to see those "cheat meals, dinners, what have you" as just another meal, not the last time you'll every have that meal. For example, see pizza as a treat, and see pizza as a type of food that you'll have again, so there's no reason to have 5 slices and go crazy.

    Anywho, I hope that helps!

    God bless:)
  • tmarie2715
    tmarie2715 Posts: 1,111 Member
    Hi everyone. i have a few questions :) (and i know some of them have been asked before, but i would love YOUR personal opinion.)

    ~ Do you prefer a cheat day or a cheat meal? Or do you prefer neither of them, and why?
    ~ How often do you have a cheat day or cheat meal?
    ~ What does YOUR cheat day/cheat meal consist of?

    ~ Are your cheat meals or cheat days planned?
    ~ Do you log them?

    I would love some ideas or tips on this. and i also want to see what everyone's opinion is. :)

    I don't intentionally or regularly have a cheat day or meal. I shy away from it because I want to stop yo-yoing and because my goal is to always eat healthy. I think being around "junk" or "cheat" foods kind of sets you up for failure and potential binges. Just IMO.
  • tmarie2715
    tmarie2715 Posts: 1,111 Member
    Oooh, good advice and thanks for the book recommend, sla0814.
  • katythemommy
    katythemommy Posts: 437 Member
    I eat what I want so I don't really feel the need to "cheat". I just workout harder so I can afford the calories/fat and stick to small portions. If I felt deprived, I would eventually give up, so I never feel deprived.

    On the odd day that I do go over, I don't worry about it. It's just a day.

    Same here! I love this was of thinking!
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