Cheat day/meal question, 1200 calories people

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  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    You could just eat a reasonable amount (1200 is too little for most people) and fit what you like within your calories instead.
  • blossomingbutterfly
    blossomingbutterfly Posts: 743 Member
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    GsKiki wrote: »
    I don't do cheat days, I just eat everything in moderation.
    I tried cheat days before and it was terrible. Just made me crave everything more, and I would always feel sick afterwards.
    So now I eat whatever I want, just in moderation and make it work in my schedule and routine.

    This exactly.
  • maxit
    maxit Posts: 880 Member
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    When I am in deficit mode, as I am right now, I might have one day a week where I eat at maintenance or a few hundred calories above~but I don't approach it as "cheating." It's a choice.
  • lackeymelisa2
    lackeymelisa2 Posts: 6 Member
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    This is the 3rd time I've embarked on the serious weight loss path. I've lost my weight twice before and gained it back over a period of several years. I've done low carb diets and other diets that didn't allow me to have any of my favorite foods. Probably the most successful I've ever been in the past was eating healthy all week long (counting calories and not any particular diet) but I always allowed myself to enjoy one meal, usually on Saturday. I love food and I don't feel like I'm deprived of everything that way. I've tried having a piece of chocolate here and there, but my problem is that I can't stop at just one piece! It was also hard before my husband joined me. Yesterday I cooked pork chops breaded with French's onions, Mac n Chz, peas and cornbread for my teenage boys (whose metabolism is through the roof) without blowing my diet. I'm only able to do that because I still get to enjoy that kind of food once weekly. So I say, find what works for you and run with it! If you overdo it, the next time you'll prolly be more mindful of your portions.
  • SWink06
    SWink06 Posts: 73 Member
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    As opposed to cheating, I have one day a week (Sundays) where I'm okay eating at maintenance. I make my maintenance calories my goal (which is 1700 calories). That way I have a bit of flexibility (can save most of my calories for a splurge and desert at supper, for example) without getting completely off track.
  • SandyBVTN
    SandyBVTN Posts: 367 Member
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    I like a flex day once every week or two. Sometimes that means just having an uncounted restaurant meal or take-out, and sometimes it's a full blown party day with booze and cheese and deserts and all the good stuff. I try to make sure this flex meal/day is something I really savour and enjoy. Then I get back to counting :smile:
  • Miland1976
    Miland1976 Posts: 5 Member
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    lilaclovebird wrote: »
    I don't cheat. I eat. I had a McDonald's Double Cheese burger on Saturday. It wasn't a 'cheat day' it fit my macros and my calories. They never seem to taste as good as when I was drunk and fat and ate 15 at once though....

  • Miland1976
    Miland1976 Posts: 5 Member
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    I don't have any cheat days. It is too much of a slippery slope for me. If I eat one cookie I'll have 6 more. I usually get thru the day just fine...but if I'm hungry in the evening I go to bed early!
  • ParadiseLost91
    ParadiseLost91 Posts: 28 Member
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    I don't have a specific cheat day. I DO get very strong cravings sometimes but I try to fit them into my 1200 calories. Otherwise I try not to go over my maintenance (1600 calories, I'm 170 cm tall).

    I do eat most of my workout calories because I already feel starved as it is, and if I workout and don't eat those calories I feel like I'm dying haha. But I don't beat myself up over it, because I don't think you're supposed to go under 1200 in total anyway.
  • crichardson2013
    crichardson2013 Posts: 2 Member
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    I have a cheat meal once a week - not on a planned day, just when it happens and balance the rest of the week out. If you are working out and good 90% of the time why not have a pizza every now and then? It'll drive you mad if you deny yourself
  • KatEmmaMarie
    KatEmmaMarie Posts: 64 Member
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    I don't have "cheat days". I always find a way to fit what I want into my day. If that means I can only have a quarter of a chocolate bar as opposed to the whole thing, then so be it. Or if I have to run an extra mile to account for an extra slice of pizza, again, I find a way to make it work. The only thing I will say about "cheat days" is that I only ate foods that made me feel bloated or gross on weigh day. So in the morning I'd weigh myself, log it and then maybe have a bagel for breakfast. Or pizza/pasta for dinner. Like I said, it always fit into my calories for the day but those kinds of foods always make me feel super bloated after eating them, so I only ate them as a treat after having a good weigh day.
  • callmeAl19
    callmeAl19 Posts: 9 Member
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    Overall, I eat pretty light throughout the week and then plan at least one indulgent meal on the weekends. I don't consider it cheating. I just log what I ate, and if I'm over, so be it. The next meal/day I get myself back on track.
  • bookishy
    bookishy Posts: 2 Member
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    Echoing a lot of previous folks, but I've also found it helpful to stop thinking of meals as "cheat meals" and "diet meals," and instead look at the whole daily picture. If I have a caloric breakfast, I'll have a light dinner, and vice versa. If I'm at a party, or out to eat, or something unexpected comes up, I still try to stick to my 1550/day limit, but will let myself go to 2000 (maintenence-ish) if I think it's really worth it. That day may be a wash, weight-loss-wise, but at least I feel like it's not a step backwards.

    The only times that I will truly "cheat" and stop keeping a mental tallies are holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, and vacations where I am away from home. Surprisingly, I've started to find that all the good training the rest of the time has made it easier to not go crazy on those. Me indulging myself has turned into eating a maintenance amount.
  • starwhisperer6
    starwhisperer6 Posts: 402 Member
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    I am allowed 1500 a day to lose .5 a week. I usually eat closer to 1200 or 1300 on a normal day, so then when I eat 1800 or 2000 on a Saturday at work it evens out. I don't think of it as cheating. Most of the week 1200 calories is really plenty during a busy normal day. Then when I am hungry I just eat.

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