To cheat or not to cheat?

Kittyy1994
Kittyy1994 Posts: 108 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
hey, was wondering if people have one day a week that you don't log your calories?
It's not like I would go crazy and eat junk all day, I just think maybe a day of relaxed eating what I want in sensible potions would be good?
Thoughts anyone? Does anyone do this and does it affect your weight loss?
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Replies

  • Blueseraphchaos
    Blueseraphchaos Posts: 843 Member
    I do this every day, i just log it. I eat anything and everything if i really want it...It's fine if you stay within your calories.

    It really depends on you, though. If you only have a modest deficit to begin with and then don't log anything for an entire day, you could easily wipe out your weekly deficit without knowing. That's why i log everything even when I'm 1500 calories over my maintenance. That way, i can look at my week in nutrition and will instantly know why i gained or maintained that week instead of losing.

    Also, thinking of it as cheating tends to be frowned upon here because if you're losing weight counting calories on here, there is no such thing as cheating; you're just eating food. It's okay to indulge once in awhile, or even work it into your calories every day (i fit in my hot chocolate almost every night, lol)
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    You can eat what you want in sensible portions every day. Why would you call that cheating? What would be the point of not logging it?
  • dn0pes
    dn0pes Posts: 99 Member
    edited January 2016
    Cheating is another way of expressing a lie I tell to myself. Nothing more. Why bother?
  • Kittyy1994
    Kittyy1994 Posts: 108 Member
    lorrpb wrote: »
    You can eat what you want in sensible portions every day. Why would you call that cheating? What would be the point of not logging it?

    Ok just to clarify I am just saying cheat as an expression, I am just asking if anyone feels like they should have a day of not logging food (just a relaxed day) so I don't get too obsessed with logging
  • melonaulait
    melonaulait Posts: 769 Member
    edited January 2016
    Kittyy1994 wrote: »
    I am just asking if anyone feels like they should have a day of not logging food (just a relaxed day) so I don't get too obsessed with logging

    It's a nice idea and probably healthy too, but unfortunately I have to log every single day. Without logging, it is way too easy to wipe out the weekly deficit. I'm not planning on junk-filled days either, just regular eating, but still...
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    no.
  • SilverRose89
    SilverRose89 Posts: 447 Member
    Tried it, doesn't work for me.

    I need that logging to keep me facing up to what I am eating. That's not to say I won't have days where it all goes a bit wrong and I end up way over my goals, it's just I will now log it as opposed to before where it was a case of "out of site, out of mind" and I could ignore it and I'd be more likely to have another day like it, and then another...
  • tiptoethruthetulips
    tiptoethruthetulips Posts: 3,371 Member
    People tend to get bogged down with semantics here.

    If you want a day off from counting calories go for it. If you find this doesn't work for you long term (eg one day turns to two turns to three), perhaps consider incorporating a small daily treat that fits within your daily calorie intake.
  • Dreysander
    Dreysander Posts: 294 Member
    I'm doing one of those today! One day isn't going to stop progress - I logged on Thanksgiving and over Christmas, taking a break from it on purpose today for my own sanity.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,519 Member
    I take a diet break for about a few weeks every few months.

    Started mid-Feb ... took diet break from mid-June to mid-July ...

    Resumed mid-July ... took diet break from mid-December to ... well, actually, I'm still on it. :) I'm sure I'll resume eventually. I'm thinking mid-January.

    Aside from those diet breaks, I stick to my diet. No sense thwarting my progress each week.
  • BuddhaB0y
    BuddhaB0y Posts: 199 Member
    I think it varies person to person. For someone like myself who has a lot of weight to lose, cheat days and not logging is just setting me up for failure. Not paying attention to what I was taking in led me to my current weight. Now it's essential that I take ownership of my eating habits at all times. If I'm going to go over my calories I want it to be a conscious decision and to see it logged so I can look back after and decide "was it worth it?". Not logging is like putting your head in the sand and saying "la la la it didn't happen!!"

    For those with less weight to lose, i don't see it as a big a deal, but why not just own your actions! "I wanted that cheesecake and I have no regrets!!!"
  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
    This is a very individual choice. But think on this. Why do you need to ask other people if it is okay? Listen to your gut and ask yourself if YOU think this is really a good idea.

    When it comes down to it if you "cheat" it is only yourself that you are hurting. Do you care about yourself enough to do what you know you need to do to be healthy? If not you might want to work on that.
  • AdrianChr92
    AdrianChr92 Posts: 567 Member
    If you want to cheat, cheat inside your calories. Like go eat junk food but keep it within your goals and get enough protein.
  • star1407
    star1407 Posts: 588 Member
    It sounds like you have the " I'm on a diet " way of thinking
    For me, I'm thinking more that I'm changing my lifestyle and adopting healthier habits and choices. This way, I learn about what foods I can enjoy more or less of, what fills me up more and be more flexible. I ate something I hadn't planned to last night. No bother, I didn't cheat, I haven't failed, I just subtract those calories over the next couple of days to even it out
    It's all about the mindset
  • srecupid
    srecupid Posts: 660 Member
    I don't personally but I'm on a close to 2000 budget and I find that a small/no breakfast allows for a pretty big meal later. Also on days like Christmas eve where I know I will have an hard time I set it for maintenance and just block out a crap ton of calories. Like my family had take out Italian. So before I left I just put dinner down as 1200 pasta and called it a day
  • threadmad
    threadmad Posts: 190 Member
    BuddhaB0y wrote: »
    I think it varies person to person. For someone like myself who has a lot of weight to lose, cheat days and not logging is just setting me up for failure. Not paying attention to what I was taking in led me to my current weight. Now it's essential that I take ownership of my eating habits at all times. If I'm going to go over my calories I want it to be a conscious decision and to see it logged so I can look back after and decide "was it worth it?". Not logging is like putting your head in the sand and saying "la la la it didn't happen!!"

    For those with less weight to lose, i don't see it as a big a deal, but why not just own your actions! "I wanted that cheesecake and I have no regrets!!!"

    This is my approach, too. I realize it won't work for everyone, but for me, a "cheat day" prompts the questions "Who are you cheating?" and "Why?"
  • cwagar123
    cwagar123 Posts: 195 Member
    meh... I go through spurts where I stop logging... but then I always gain and I log again.
    I also log when I go way way way over my cals...
    I would not call it "cheating" because I am not accountable to anyone but me...
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,080 Member
    Kittyy1994 wrote: »
    lorrpb wrote: »
    You can eat what you want in sensible portions every day. Why would you call that cheating? What would be the point of not logging it?

    Ok just to clarify I am just saying cheat as an expression, I am just asking if anyone feels like they should have a day of not logging food (just a relaxed day) so I don't get too obsessed with logging

    Give it a try; it may work for you, depending on how much extra you eat when you're not logging. But if you find you're not losing, or not losing as fast as you expect, and you come to the message boards and say, "Why am I not losing, when I'm doing everything right (six days a week)?" don't be surprised if people tell you that the problem is that you're probably eating too much on the seventh day.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    Chiruadr wrote: »
    If you want to cheat, cheat inside your calories. Like go eat junk food but keep it within your goals and get enough protein.

    How is that cheating?
  • ChristerHaugsoen
    ChristerHaugsoen Posts: 35 Member
    I plan on having one meal a week that cheats or defies the purpose of logging. I'm still going to log it though. 6 days under calories for one day slightly over doesn't seem like a big deal to me. But I like logging all my food. I don't eat out much which helps. I'm in control of what's in my house.
  • namelesshere
    namelesshere Posts: 334 Member
    If you choose not to log a day, chances are you will be eating more calories than you need so yes, of course this will slow your weight loss. Only you can decide if it is worth it to you.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Kittyy1994 wrote: »
    lorrpb wrote: »
    You can eat what you want in sensible portions every day. Why would you call that cheating? What would be the point of not logging it?

    Ok just to clarify I am just saying cheat as an expression, I am just asking if anyone feels like they should have a day of not logging food (just a relaxed day) so I don't get too obsessed with logging

    I took breaks from logging when I was losing. You have to decide if you can do it and eat consistent with your usual calories or if you will use it as an excuse to overeat. Why not try it and see if you continue to lose at the same rate over time.
  • besee_2000
    besee_2000 Posts: 365 Member
    I call them free days. Sometimes life gets in the way and instead of stressing it I plan it. I be good all week and so when I have my free day its a buffer.
  • Marianna93637
    Marianna93637 Posts: 230 Member
    I lost 33 bs in 7 months and had 1, sometimes 2 days of cheating. What I mean by cheating is that I still ate mostly very healthy, or had a few drinks and just went over my calories. I almost never went past 1800 (I wasn't restricting it though), my daily goal is 1300. I still logged everything.
    In fact I had a boyfriend during this time and I would stay with him on the weekends. He would cook the most delicious foods, steak, lamb, pasta with all kinds of creamy sauces, there was no point to say no. I tried to log it as accurately as I could but I didn't restrict my eating. During the week I went back to my strict eating and I still consistently lost 2 lbs / week on average, never gained back during that time.
    In June I hung out with him almost non-stop for 3 weeks and what happened? I gained 5 lbs lol.

    - "Cheating" days are there for you to feel that you're not restricting yourself too much.
    - Every time you want to eat something that is "just not worth it" , you can relax and know that there is a day or two in the week when you can eat it.
    - Like ice cream, pizza, eating out (usually high calorie food, no matter what, even an omelet at Denny's is close to 1000 calories) Do we need these? No, but they taste good and why restrict ourselves for infinity? That would just make losing weight sound so depressing. This is a life style change and you're not going to restrict yourself from these foods forever, so might as well live the life you're going to live
    - very important to consciously make a decision that today is your cheating or relaxing day (that's what I call it) so you can eat those types of foods and not feel guilty, but actually enjoy them and know that you have earned them. Then log it. Sometimes I eat too much by the afternoon, and know that I am going to go over my calories and don't feel like working it off, then I say "well, I guess today is my cheating day" The main thing is not to feel guilty about it. A lot of times I would "schedule" it for the weekend. I know I'm going to go out, I'm gonna have a few drinks, I will be hungry, and I am going to enjoy it and not feel guilty.
    - Don't make it a binge day like there's no tomorrow. eat the things you want, but still have some moderation. Know that you can have another cheat day next week, or maybe even in a few days.
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
    OP - You're getting a lot of comments about using the term 'cheating'. I too am on the 'this isn't cheating' bandwagon but I know exactly what you're getting at in your post.

    I too have been contemplating doing the "No logging" just one day a week. For me, it would be a Saturday. In my mind, there are many pro's to this - the number one being the idea of a 'day off' from tracking every morsel (we are human, afterall). My only concern is I will eventually use the 'no tracking' as an excuse to over-eat and MAINLY to eat things "just because I can" despite not even really wanting them..

    How I've been tackling this dilemma is by calorie banking through the week. I find myself being 'under' my allowance by around 50-100 calories a day. I add up my 'under' calories throughout the week and add it to my Saturday 'allowance'. So If I was going for a 'put down the tracker' day on Saturday, I'd be pretty insured for it ;)

    It's totally up to you. Do what makes you happy. Do what makes you feel mentally well as well as physically. You've probably been going at this long enough to recognize when your body is telling you "I'm full now" so make sure you are listening to your body :)
  • Fitwarrior7_Round_2
    Fitwarrior7_Round_2 Posts: 453 Member
    Cheating with your calories is like cheating in golf. Your only cheating yourself.
  • d_thomas02
    d_thomas02 Posts: 9,055 Member
    edited January 2016
    'Cheat' is a term with negative connotations implying guilt. I prefer the term 'indulgent' (still not great connotations) or, as was mentioned earlier in this thread, 'free' (but nothing in this world worth getting is really 'free', especially freedom [hats off to our veterans]).

    So, as you may surmise, no. I don't cheat at golf, solitaire, my checking account, or on my calories. It just ain't worth it for me. Moderation and keeping to my calorie budget is my thing.

    I log everything.
  • krithsai
    krithsai Posts: 668 Member
    I don't do cheat days. I do cheat meals where calories don't count. This helps me stay sane. One whole day of uncontrolled eating can derail an entire week's progress for me.
  • sunnyside1213
    sunnyside1213 Posts: 1,205 Member
    I do a cheat meal or two every month. But, I log everything. Keeps me honest.
  • GsKiki
    GsKiki Posts: 392 Member
    I only do cheat meals sometimes, but I always log everything and make it work within my workout routine. I never really restrict my self to any food, just watch when, how and how much of it I eat.

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