What do you have for your cheat/treat day?

vegetabletarian
vegetabletarian Posts: 22 Member
edited November 28 in Health and Weight Loss
I like having little mini months goals and rewarding myself for reaching them. This month I've lost double what I wanted to achieve, so a takeaway veggie korma it is for me! But whilst I will enjoy this immensely I would like to for subsequent months have something non food related to treat rather than cheat myself with. I know I have an unhealthy relationship with high fatty foods so I don't really want to tempt fate each month. What do you guys do for your cheat/treat days? Even if it is food related I'd love to hear! More ideas the better!! :)

Replies

  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    i dont do cheat days (with the exceptions of birthdays/holidays and vacations).

    i make the things i want, work with my calorie goals.
  • BuddhaB0y
    BuddhaB0y Posts: 199 Member
    No cheat days... That makes it feel like a diet.... And that you are doing something bad.

    Track your calories and try and stay in your daily limits, if you go over once in a while it's not the end of the world, but try and keep in mind that this is a lifestyle change not a diet.

    Some people try to have a calorie surplus each day so they can save up to eat more on one day. Personally I don't think that's the best choice but It's up to the individual.
  • harrybananas
    harrybananas Posts: 292 Member
    i dont do cheat days (with the exceptions of birthdays/holidays and vacations).

    i make the things i want, work with my calorie goals.

    Fitting user name to response. I like.
  • egloffkatie
    egloffkatie Posts: 3 Member
    I don't do an entire cheat day, I would eat everything. I just started a kickboxing class (holy kick my butt class) I had perfect attendance these last two weeks so I rewarded myself with a gourmet cupcake. I went over my calories for the day by 100 but it was worth it.
  • Andrew_peter
    Andrew_peter Posts: 94 Member
    Will sometimes treat myself to a day/weekend of eating at maintenance level, but usually that's more for social obligation reasons.

    Non-food rewards are the way to go!!
  • simplycidalia
    simplycidalia Posts: 46 Member
    I don't plan cheat days. When the opportunity presents itself (a family gathering, etc.) to enjoy something extra, I enjoy it. Otherwise, I am trying to just stick to healthy eating habits.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    edited January 2016
    No cheat days. But when the mood strikes: a bit of ice cream (usually splenda sweetened), or some tortilla chips and salsa (LOVE!). And daily: either dark chocolate, or wine.

    My approach is: if it's a lifestyle, why would I need to cheat? My lifestyle includes treats and indulgences along with lots of delicious nutrient dense foods that fit my calories.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    I don't "cheat," because who are you cheating? Yourself. I aim to meet my weekly calorie goal. That might mean eating more than daily average if I go out to dinner, and eating less on another day.
  • EddieHaskell97
    EddieHaskell97 Posts: 2,227 Member
    IIFYM, so I don't really "cheat" per se. I eat what I want.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    edited January 2016
    I'm in the 'don't cheat, make it fit in your goal' camp too.

    But I'm also a hypocrite because I really need not to worry about calories sometimes... It's typically limited to Holidays and my birthday though, but sometimes when PMS is really bad, I just take a day to enjoy whatever I want without worrying about calories... so those days I just eat what I want at the time. Honestly... last time it actually took me a week to decide to have that 'I don't care about calories' days because I couldn't even think of anything I really thought was worth blowing my calories on. It just ended up happening when we went out for sushi and I was starving (because of PMS) and I ate too much. But that's why I try to keep a deficit even though I could be maintaining... so typically if I go over one day I'm still at a deficit for the week (as long as it's not PMS week).

    Bottom line... If you really want something, try to make it fit. If it doesn't fit in one day, eat a bit less the rest of the week to make it fit. 'cheating' just for the hell of it is dumb, especially when it's something that you could easily fit in your days if you tried. You're only cheating yourself.
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,979 Member
    I follow a weekly calorie goal so I fit what I want into that. For example, I found some fresh apple fritters at the store yesterday and ate two so that totaled about 800 calories. I was only 150 over my goal yesterday so I'll balance it out today or tomorrow. When the mood hits, I enjoy what I want, and make it work.

    Outside that, I don't reward for goals. I set new ones. Plenty of ladies treat themselves to new clothes (shopping is more of a punishment to me), spa treatments, new fitness gear, etc.
  • tcarroll120
    tcarroll120 Posts: 49 Member
    I plan cheat days because boyfriends friends and sometimes family will pull you to eat things that you shouldnt. Of course I can't eat bad 3 or more times a week so instead I say no and do something fun on the weekends. This time around I will be hitting the gym hard the following days after my cheat days. I will say, I like the ideal of no cheat days, its just with out a plan I will fall back.
  • beatyfamily1
    beatyfamily1 Posts: 257 Member
    It's more like a cheat meal for me. I love spicy steak fajitas and spanish rice. I have it once a week. It usually puts me over my calorie limit, but I'm still able to lose weight so I don't fret over it.
  • Danimri84
    Danimri84 Posts: 262 Member
    I have a cheat meal once a week. I go to all my little brother's high school basketball games. I have an addiction to concession stand smothered burritos. I let one be my dinner every Saturday :)
  • tracefan
    tracefan Posts: 382 Member
    I don't cheat.. and I've been doing GREAT with my food choices for the last 10 days. Today. I'm just not in the mood for anything but peanuts and pasta. I had some mixed nuts. unfortunately I have only 300 calories left. So it's better for me to eat the low cal healthy stuff so I can eat more all day.
  • janjunie
    janjunie Posts: 1,200 Member
    Everyday is treat day for me. Today is a big cream cheese icing slathered cinnamon bun. It's so calorific, so I'm splitting it in two. Dessert for after lunch and dessert for after dinner. It fits into my calorie goal this way and is in no way a "cheat", just part of the everyday.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I don't have cheat days. If I know a bigger meal is in my future, I exercise more earlier than day. I do eat 70-140 calories worth of quality chocolate every day.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,687 Member
    I'm another one who doesn't do cheat days.

    If I want to eat more, I exercise for it.

    I do, however, take a diet-break every 4-6 months. I'm just coming off one of those now.
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