Cheat meals- yay or nay?

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catherinecollins1420
catherinecollins1420 Posts: 6 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hey guys! So what are your opinions on cheat meals? I've heard they're good because they rev up the body's fat burning, I've heard they're bad because your body just stores the uncommon meal as all fat, so I'm just trying to separate fact from fiction! Also, I am wondering if having a cheat meal interferes too much with weight loss? Thanks!
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Replies

  • Hungry_Annie
    Hungry_Annie Posts: 807 Member
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    Yay. It's good to enjoy treats once in a while. Just fit it into your goals, and even if you overdo it once in a while, really not gonna do much damage in the big picture.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    If you like them and they work for you, I vote Yea.

    Personally, for me, I vote Nay.

    I eat things I like every day. I want to eat yummy, but healthy, things all the time. Eating junk food would be cheating myself out of healthier stuff. That's me. Again, if you want to indulge, it's a big Yea for you. :)
  • TezKrastev
    TezKrastev Posts: 5 Member
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    Cheat meals are great to reset your fat burning hormone leptin. Make sure to fit that 'cheat meal' within your daily calorie needs and it won't interfere with your diet, in fact it will make you burn even more fat.
  • ModernRock
    ModernRock Posts: 372 Member
    edited November 2015
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    People don't get overweight because they ate more than their energy needs every day, and it doesn't take eating a calorie deficit every day to lose weight over the long term. For some, occasional overeating might make the rest of the days tolerable, but yet an intolerable reminder for others. Whether the overeating was planned or not, it comes down to getting back to the plan the next day. Does a "cheat" day cause you to get lax about portion control on non-cheat days? Then maybe they're not for you. Or, does it give you a needed reward and motivate you to keep at it?

  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
    edited November 2015
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    I don't. I work everything I like to eat into my normal meals.

    The only "free days" I have are special celebrations, like holidays, and on those days, I don't allow myself to binge, but rather eat a moderate amount but without specifically trying to count calories.

    That said, if it works for you, go for it. I would suggest, though, that you also look to see if you're being too restrictive if you feel the need for regular "cheats". I will not give up anything for a diet that I won't give up forever, since the diet is really practice for the rest of my life maintaining weight.
  • nallie562
    nallie562 Posts: 32 Member
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    Yay on rare occasion.
    Overall I eat food I like daily but on occasion I will indulge in something a little bit more "junky" I just stay in my calories
  • Working2BLean
    Working2BLean Posts: 386 Member
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    Exercise the calories off

    There is no cheating. It is just math. There is calories in and out.

    If you are run down and feel spent, it may be time to look at your nutrition you are getting or size of calorie deficit

    There lots of half truths on MFP, like a calorie is hat a calorie. Nutrition goes to how you feel and function.

    If you have a 300-500 calorie a day deficit total, and feel a frequent need to eat more, look at what you are eating

    I do burn off a bunch of calories on some training days. I eat back a bit of that calorie burn. Sometimes it may be pizza. And that isn't a cheat meal. It is just doing the math.

    Maybe exercise more and eat more when you want to. It is just math, no morality or cheating.
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
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    They are a love hate sort of deal for me. I love to eat them when I'm eating them but the I feel really bad about it after. I feel like I really didn't need to cheat. It's s tough one. But we're all different. See how the make you feel and go from there. Good luck!
  • hgycta
    hgycta Posts: 3,013 Member
    edited November 2015
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    I think it all depends on the person and there is no correct answer as to whether or not they're "good" to have.
    For me personally, they help me remain sane to a point.
    A cheat meal once in a great while will really help me stay on track. Notice I said meal, and not day, which is something I've also tried with absolutely no success whatsoever. An entire day of "cheating" turns into binging for me, and I was seeing my weight increase significantly in a short amount of time (and not water weight, trust me, I ate a lot).
    A cheat meal will generally either be for dinner or as a later snack; by having it later in the day I'm generally in more social settings enjoying it with my friends or family, and since I don't start my day with this cheat meal I'm not tempted to disregard the rest of my day indulging in delicious foods. I also plan all of my cheat meals in advance so it doesn't turn into a binge, which is something I've struggled with in the past.
    In maintenance, I save myself 500 calories for dinner and 400 for a snack. If I have a cheat meal for dinner, I'll generally consume around 2,000-3,000 calories for dinner (I still save 500 for that meal, so my surplus isn't as much), and then for snack I'll reduce it to around 200 calories for a protein bar. If I have a cheat meal for dessert, I'll enjoy my 500 calorie dinner, and then consume around 1,000 or 2,000 calories on a snack (again, I would still save my 400 calories to help reduce the damage).
    That being said, not all of my cheat meals turn out like that, just most of them. I prefer using it towards a dinner and not a snack, since the sugar overload leaves me feeling quite nauseous. If I use it towards dinner, I try to watch my sodium for the rest of the day (and the ones that follow) since I'm very salt sensitive.
    I generally have cheat meals once I notice my weight falling below the range I have for myself in maintenance, and I notice myself being hungry all the time. That way, this cheat meal sets me back on track and allows me to indulge in something I've been craving for a while. Nothing feels better than being able to eat an entire pint of Ben & Jerry's! ;)
  • lemonychild
    lemonychild Posts: 654 Member
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    no point in cheatmeals because i never ban any item off my daily diet i just fit it in my caloric allowance.
  • ajm_uwe
    ajm_uwe Posts: 17 Member
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    Don't plan in cheat meals , unless your really lean they don't help. Simply eat within your calorie target and when its Christmas/Birthday/Family nights out let loose for a meal. Don't worry about it or call it a cheat just go back to business as usual afterwards.
  • MommyL2015
    MommyL2015 Posts: 1,411 Member
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    What exactly are you cheating? Yourself? Your diet? It's just food and we're only human. I don't cheat because that would imply i'm being "bad." And eating food is not bad, it's essential for life.

    Do I have days where I go over my goal calories? Yes. I went to the fair yesterday. ;) Again, life has to be lived enjoyably and fair food is enjoyable! I would guestimate that I go over calories maybe 10-15 days a year like that, but it's not those 10 or 15 days that will break me, it's the choices I make rest of the days in-between. I became overweight because I ate like that ALL the time. I take more care not to eat like that every day, but once in a while is not cheating or bad or going to undo everything I have worked hard to achieve.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    There are tons of threads on this.

    I personally don't "cheat" on my way of eating and living. I have indulgences from time to time, but never consider that "cheating", just living. And, I don't plan them, or make them goals, they happen often enough just by living.
  • elite_nal
    elite_nal Posts: 127 Member
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    When used correctly, cheat meals can be a great tool to help carve your physique. They can reset hormones responsible for metabolism and insulin regulation, replenish glycogen for increased energy, and keep calorie-burning and fat-torching mechanisms high.

    If you're a beginner and you don't posses nutritional knowledge, then mastering nutrition is far more important than training and should become your number one priority. I say this because improving a poor diet can create rapid, quantum leaps in fat loss and muscle building progress.

    For example, if you've been skipping meals and only eating 2 times per day, jumping your meal frequency up to 5 or 6 smaller meals a day will transform your physique very rapidly.

    If you're still eating lots of processed fats and refined sugars, cutting them out and replacing them with good fats like the omega 3's found in fish and unrefined foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains will make an enormous and noticeable difference in your physique very quickly.

    If your diet is low in protein, simply adding a complete protein food like chicken breast, fish or egg whites at each meal will muscle you up fast.

    No matter how hard you train or what type of training routine you're on, it's all in vain if you don't provide yourself with the right nutritional support.
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
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    catherinecollins1420 wrote: »
    Hey guys! So what are your opinions on cheat meals? I've heard they're good because they rev up the body's fat burning, I've heard they're bad because your body just stores the uncommon meal as all fat, so I'm just trying to separate fact from fiction! Also, I am wondering if having a cheat meal interferes too much with weight loss? Thanks!

    They don't rev up the body's fat burning and they don't store the uncommon meal as fat. I'm team yay as I need a meal with unrestricted calories every once and a while to keep my sanity.
  • dn0pes
    dn0pes Posts: 99 Member
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    Nay
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,214 Member
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    I go to maintenance when the going gets rough. Not exactly the same as having a cheat meal but calorie-wise might be similar.
  • healthynFitforLife
    healthynFitforLife Posts: 24 Member
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    It depends on the person and depends on the person's goals. If you're someone who can 'do' moderation and let the cheat meal be just that-one meal. Some people can't and it starts them on somewhat of a downward spiral of eating more foods that will be counterproductive to their goals.
  • dcsmooth5z
    dcsmooth5z Posts: 4 Member
    edited November 2015
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    Think it varies from person to person. Iv learned to control myself while eating "cheat meals". I can have 1 slice of pizza and be satisfied. Rather than before I'd eat 3/4 of it. We all have to get self control and look forward to our goals.

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