Cheat day, is it worth it?

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  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
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    dcsandpiper wrote: »
    Orphia wrote: »
    I have wine pretty much every day, and I never go over my calorie limit.

    Exercise (and a balanced diet) for the win.

    Are you losing ? I love my wine but have finally decided I have to give that up for a little while to start losing. My problem is wine reduces my ability to say no. ..and I crave salty, fatty snacks.

    I've lost 30 kg since April, so yes, I'm losing!

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    I still have full control after one wine (or two at most) of an evening.

    I decide what I'm going to have for a treat in the evening, and I make sure I do enough exercise to earn those calories.
  • zcassel
    zcassel Posts: 12 Member
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    Asher_Ethan wrote: »
    The biggest reason I've lost weight and kept it off for a year is because I allow myself a meal with unlimited calories every once and awhile. I will usually cut my daily calories a week leading up to this glorious event.

    Legendary.

    That being said I've been looking into cheat meals and the like, I don't think personally I can justify getting off my diet just to indulge in something outside my primary meals and work snacks. That being said, I totally understand the urge to pull the trigger on something other than your normal meal, just make sure to track it and make up for it during the course of the next few days or compensate throughout the week.
  • sarahq81
    sarahq81 Posts: 35 Member
    edited February 2016
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    I've had some big nights out since Xmas and still kept going in the right direction. I love a drink. But I have started having a glass of champagne or prosecco, or a few gin and slimline tonics instead of large wines. Large wine is about 250, I have have 5 g&ts for that!! Also no way I am missing out on socialising for the sake of a diet. No way.
  • bearhntrcb
    bearhntrcb Posts: 16 Member
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    some people can cheat and make it work, I can't, it usually throws me right off.
  • anniebag28
    anniebag28 Posts: 29 Member
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    I use my exercise calories that I have earned so this allows me to drink what I want with in reason
  • ForeverSunshine09
    ForeverSunshine09 Posts: 966 Member
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    I have done with and without cheat days. Personally I do better with them. It took me being off my deficit for 2-3 months to figure that out but, I honestly do better knowing I have a set cheat day. Everyone is different and you have to find out what works for you.
  • ilex70
    ilex70 Posts: 727 Member
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    My personal opinion, if you let your diet get in the way of your regular life, you will burn out. You have to learn how to fit social situations and the treats you love into your life. This is a process you will be going thru for a long time. As long as you don't go over your maintenance calories, all it will do is slow you down a smidge this week. Take an extra walk, be extra careful with your calories during the day, and then enjoy yourself mindfully at dinner.

    And if you do end up overdoing it, the key is to learn from it. Figuring out how to handle social situations involving food, figuring out what your trigger foods are for overdoing it, and how to deal with it without becoming a hermit, is one of the most important lessons you can learn!

    This.

    I will say that alcohol in particular can be tricky just because when people drink they tend to be less inhibited in their eating too.

    I don't have regularly scheduled cheating, but someday hopefully I make it to goal and maintenance and presumably will want to have a life.

    Cheats I remember so far this time were Christmas, a little for NYE, a couple of meals with out of town visitors, a little for the Super Bowl and then yesterday for Valentines.

    I went to the gym in the morning (over 12,000 steps for the day) and started my day like most others. Then I spent time with my family. Ate samples at Costco, ate at a Mediterranean place, dropped off my daughter at a childcare center, went to see Deadpool with my husband, went to pick up our daughter and she didn't want to leave so we went to a bar for a bit...shared a burger and ate a few fries. Guesstimated and logged this morning as best I could.

    Now back to the usual plan.

  • phyllis731
    phyllis731 Posts: 58 Member
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    You may want to increase exercise to account for the extras that you'd be eating and drinking.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    It totally depends on your deficit. If you keep a huge deficit during the week, a cheat day will probably not derail you that much. If you keep a reasonable deficit (which most of people on MFP don't do, IMO), then it might very stall your weight loss.

    Also depends on what's a cheat meal for you. One hamburger or a 5000 calories day...

    Overall it's better to have a reasonable calorie goal and eat what you want within your calories. For special dinners, have a good workout and eat lightly the rest of the day, if you can.

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