How do you "cheat"

Fat bombs! Yeh!!! Only once a week at most. I make mine with almond butter, coconut butter, and kerrygold butter with stevia to sweeten.

I don't cheat. I'm having pizza tonight (and a lot of weekends too) and it fits in my day, so there's nothing to be cheating on.

Days when I go over are just another day. I eat it, log it and move on. Nothing cheaty about that either. Balance is key.

After I run a halfmarathon I alwayss allow myself a meal with unlimited calories.

I don't cheat. I have a lifestyle that involves healthy choices. I really dislike the word "cheat" when used to describe something people eat, as much as I dislike the fact that "diet" has become a bad word, when in reality it should simply describe the things you eat regularly. What other people call "diet" I call "the newest celebrity fad in-thing crap".

So far, I don't cheat. Maybe about a month from now, I will.

I don't have a reason to cheat. I fit the foods I like into my calories/macros as I can.

I don't cheat. I either meet my goals, or choose not to once in awhile.

Cheating would imply that one is going BEYOND the rules. Rules in weight loss are calories in/calories out. So if one isn't exceeding their calorie goal, then it's NOT cheating.
The issue is that many people have this assumption that calorie dense foods that are lower in nutrition are "unhealthy". Yet many of the most athletic/fit people will eat these everyday and still stay within their calorie goals and meet their macro/micro nutrient essentials.
If one has a calorie goal and exceeds it eating "healthy" foods, is that cheating?

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

adriennemarieb wrote: »

How do you choose to have a cheat meal?

Do you have a meal or a day that you can eat whatever you want, no restrictions?
Or do you keep it within your calorie goal?
Do you still stay in your macros?

*sigh* fine

1) no, I don't have any days or even any single meals where I chuck all reason down the chute and eat with reckless abandon. I plan my eating day at Unholy O'clock in the morning and stick to it with some minor alterations, probably close to 95% of the time. The other 5% i'm mindful just not necessarily so exact.

2) I tend to look at my calorie goal over a period of time, usually a week. So long as my intake averages out to match my weekly goal, I consider that success and don't get hung up as much on the daily overs or unders. So yesterday I was over the daily goal by about 150-ish calories. The previous 2 days I felt pretty crappy and wax under by more than 300 both days. But overall my week is going to roll out fine as long as today & tomorrow stay relatively on-target.

3) macros are a whole different game for me. My doc suggested that eating in a ketogenic fashion *might* be helpful in reducing my chronic arthritis pain. So now the "rules" for macros are all different and i struggle with it. But I'm getting better. (Not better enough to evaluate if it's actually going to be beneficial wrt the pain yet unfortunately. Frankly it still comes down to if/when the desire and the potential gain come together in my head). So no, I don't often hit my macros but I do try.

I used to do cheat days and now I just fit in whatever I want.

http://thecouponproject.com/losing-weight-on-a-budget-why-i-dont-do-cheat-days-and-what-i-do-instead/

One popular idea among dieters is the “cheat meal” or “cheat day.” The philosophy is simple: eat healthy for most of your meals and then you can eat whatever you want for a meal or a day as a “cheat.”

While I think you should be able to enjoy foods you love in moderation, I propose we do away with the concept of the “cheat meal.” Here’s why.

Watching your Attitudes about Yourself

In the introduction post to this series, I shared my belief that a big part of your ability to lose weight has to do with your attitudes. So much of our success hinges on our ability to be kind to ourselves and develop a healthy relationship with food.

Simply put, the word “cheat” has negative connotations – that you’re doing something wrong. You ate salad all week so now you can “cheat” by eating a double cheeseburger with fries on Sunday. Tell me, if you call that a “cheat” meal, are you truly going to enjoy it? Or, in the back of your mind are you going to feel a tinge of guilt, because you are “cheating?”

I think it’s time we stop assigning guilt to food like this, because ultimately it can cause us to have negative feelings about ourselves. If we are cheating on our diet, we must be cheaters.

I cheat once a month in that we have a standing date for a monthly chef's tasting menu dinner. No way can I ask/remember/log half a dozen ingredients per sauce or relish when there are two or three such concoctions per plate, plus vegetable and protein, etc., in an eight course meal. I just log 3500 calories--these are "tasting" plates, not meals--and focus on enjoying the food and wine pairings. I also do heavier-than-normal exercise sessions the day before, the day of, and for two days after our meal. I never feel an ounce of regret or let the temporary blip in my weight bother me. In fact, I look forward to it.

I "cheat" a lot, as long as it fits into my calorie goals and I get enough nutrients that day. As far as going over, the only time I do that is on a holiday such as thanksgiving because I know the day after I can get right back to it.

I just make sure to budget some calories to smash a 1200 cal chipotle burrito a couple times a week. I always log it and make sure to do a good workout on those days. I've failed miserably with cheat meals/days but I had a pretty poor realationship with food. I think most people who become morbidly obese struggle with that balance. At least I did. That's not to say it can't be done. I have friends who can pull off the cheat meal or day and swear by it.