What are your thoughts on "cheat," "treat," or "off" days?

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  • jokoh92
    jokoh92 Posts: 112 Member
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    Aluminumx wrote: »
    Don't, just don't do it. It will be so very to pack on lbs and give up. Hard work and seeingbthe results should be the only reward you need.

    I was just going to say this. If you don't have the willpower to only indulge once out of a week or month, then like he said just don't do it. I have tried this approach many many many many times and have failed every single time. So this year my rewards are going to come solely from non edible things.

    Every once and a while like if I am home or on a trip, I'll eat something a little off course but it won't be a cheat meal because it will be included in my calorie goal for the day.

    Like today for instance was my sister's birthday and everyone went out to eat, so I decided to eat a grilled chicken salad with toast. I'm supposed to be giving up bread lol but I made this the exception since it was a celebration and I'm going to eat healthy for the rest of the day.

    I know now that just because I eat something that's not exactly in my diet doesn't mean I've failed. I just have to work harder the rest of the day and week to stay the course.
  • dbrook1967
    dbrook1967 Posts: 11 Member
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    For me I get carried away with cheats. That's the big reason I'm here to track my food intake so I can make changes as needed and stay accountable to myself. With that being said I do believe once you have made a commitment and make proper eating and tracking a lifestyle, a cheat meal once a week or month is okay. Don't binge, stop when you get full. I don't believe you can work off a cheat meal with an hour or two of cardio either. I also believe we have to adjust out diets, workouts, tracking, motivation.... whatever it takes to get over the road blocks. Our bodies are Gods creations and He designed them to adjust to changes. So we have to keep adjusting ourselves.
  • awholenewworld
    awholenewworld Posts: 61 Member
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    I do allow myself one cheat day a month but it has to be pre-planned..that way I don't let a craving claim my cheat day. Like in December my cheat day was Christmas eve because we always do a large Christmas Eve dinner complete with Christmas cookies AND pie! More cheat days than that and I struggle to stay on target on non-cheat days and to keep losing weight. Good luck!
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited January 2016
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    I don't believe in the concept of "cheat" days, but when I was actively trying to lose weight I did work in a higher calorie day -- either by saving up exercise calories or flexing some calories from other days over. I'd also occasionally give myself a "diet break" where I'd eat at maintenance, and didn't fret about an occasionally day over calories at around maintenance.

    If you are having difficulty not going way overboard, I'd think about whether you are perhaps being too restrictive at other times or if the language of "cheat day" (which is not a problem for everyone) is maybe messing with you in that you have labeled it as "cheating" so can go wild. Maybe try approaching it as an occasional day to eat at maintenance?

    I do have days where I don't count at all (well, I'm not logging currently, but even when I was), but those were rare days like Thanksgiving or Christmas, not a weekly thing.
  • Rabidrunner
    Rabidrunner Posts: 117 Member
    edited January 2016
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    Categorically doesn't work for me. Problem is that if I justify one particular day, it gets easier to justify the night before, the day after, special days of the year, the weekend, after working out, when I'm hungover, the list goes on.

    That's not to say that I maintain the perfect diet day-in-day-out; because I don't! I go over my limit by a couple hundred calories once or twice a week, but I try not to beat myself up over it. Just get cracking again the next day.

    For me, it has to be an every day kind of deal.
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
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    Don't specifically use them, but I have a few days a year (less than 10) that I consider special occasions - birthdays, weddings, etc. On those days I don't have a set calorie goal, but I try to eat reasonably.

    I try to eat at a sustainable deficit and include all my favorite foods into normal eating, so even on these occasions, it's not a huge indulgence.
  • sassysisterjd
    sassysisterjd Posts: 41 Member
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    I don't think cheat days are necessary or a good idea. It's completely possible to eat the kind of food you want and still lose weight, the key is just to practice portion control. Additionally, I think letting go of the idea that food is "bad" or "good" or that your day is ruined by going over your calorie goal is really important. Food is just food - and eating more calories than you planned doesn't mean your day is ruined, it just means you pick yourself up and keep going immediately - not tomorrow. Remember, this is not an all or nothing effort! When that clicked for me, I FINALLY started to see changes on the scale because instead of thinking "oh, I might as well eat all the things and just start again tomorrow since I am over my calories already", now I simply enjoy the food for what it is, log it and move on.

    Do something sustainable - for me that means a smaller deficit and slower results, but being able to eat more on a daily/weekly basis means you actually can still include treats rather than feeling deprived or "bad". If you dread the thought of getting back on track after overindulging, perhaps your goal is too aggressive. By losing at a slower rate I am not deprived, still able to keep social engagements revolving around food (which are logged as best I can, but if I'm not always 100% spot on, it is what it is), including all the holidays, while still losing weight.

    :smiley:
  • macchiatto
    macchiatto Posts: 2,890 Member
    edited January 2016
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    I've struggled with this in the past. What's been working for me well recently is tracking everything, every single day (including the holidays). Sure, sometimes it's estimated but I track the best I can for now, because for me personally, I find that if I'm not tracking, I can end up going overboard pretty easily and feeling like crap later.
    On special occasions I'll allow myself to eat up to maintenance rather than at a deficit for the day and follow more of an "IIFYM" approach. I plan out my treats and indulgences so it's healthy overall and when I eat something that's higher sugar, I make sure it's worth it. :)
  • Rottiegrrrl
    Rottiegrrrl Posts: 12 Member
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    Everything counts. For me to have a cheat day or meal would completely sabotage my efforts and mindset. I can't tell myself "I'm worth it" all week to keep myself motivated to battle the constant barrage of temptation, just to undo all of that for a day that I will feel guilty and not satisfied.
    If I'm going to a gathering with food, I eat before I go so that I can just nibble on 1-2 things. I try to keep it below 500 calories because I can work that off and adjust my meals accordingly.
    And the hard truth is my social life that used to revolve around food has lessened. I dont order out on Fridays with the gang anymore. It was our "we had a hard week lets reward ourselves meal". But then it turned into dinner and snacking later.
    So for me, I log it all. Stay honest with myself because I am the only one that can and just try to be flexible yet adhere to a plan.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    OP have you been diagnosed with binge eating disorder? Are you in treatment?

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