Do I log what I eat on my cheat days?
lilcd10
Posts: 29 Member
Typically I only log my food on days I'm eating healthy and working out. On my cheat day I don't.
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Replies
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You should log everything you eat. How else will you be able to look back and see what was going on? Plus you'll never know if you're blowing the whole week's deficit if you aren't keeping track.0
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I log everything just to stay accountable.0
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Yes, because you gotta sign in to your Mfp anyway to keep that hard earned streak going because at the end of the day that's what really matters most.0
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If you log everything youll know how bad your cheat days are! It also means you may not have as bad a cheat day
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Thanks guys your replies are really helpful0
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I do so that when I ask "hey what am I doing wrong" the internet trolls will keep me in check. Lol0
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I do, but sometimes on vacation, I have cheat weeks. In that case, I just start over when I get back from vacation.0
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I don't cheat, I just eat, and logging everything accurately helps keep me on track. I have had days where I didn't track, and then when I would look back over time to see where my calories were, I would be missing days and I didn't like it. Who knows just how much I ate those days? Now I will always know, even if I eat a metric ton of food. (Wonder what the calories on a metric ton of hot fudge lava cake would be? Never mind, I don't really want to know the answer to that one.
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I don't have "cheat days" in the sense of scheduled days when I eat just anything, but there are times like holiday meals/special restaurant visits etc where sticking to my deficit isn't worth it to me (I'd rather have my grandma's stuffing on Thanksgiving than be one day closer to my goal the day after, frankly). On those days, I do my best to log, even knowing my calorie count won't be perfect. It helps keep me honest with myself and in the habit of logging.
If I genuinely CAN'T log, like on a recent cruise where I didn't have internet access, I don't, but I still don't treat it like a "cheat day" in the sense of just eating anything. I try to make sane, reasonable choices, while knowing that it's likely I'll only maintain or even gain after several days of that.
I think if you're doing a "cheat day" in the classic sense of giving in to all your cravings, it's CRUCIAL to log, or else you could be setting back all your progress and effort from your "healthy" days and not even realizing it.0 -
You should log everything you eat. How else will you be able to look back and see what was going on? Plus you'll never know if you're blowing the whole week's deficit if you aren't keeping track.
This.
In the end as long as you're in a deficit for the week, it doesn't really matter, that's why a lot of people on MFP dislike the term 'cheat', lol.0 -
I try to log every morsel. Only way to keep myself accountable. I took "off" from logging for a few months once. I gained 10 pounds...0
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I don't see why you wouldn't log everything. It's an eye opener to see how much you can pack away on a cheat day. On valentine's i was over before breakfast had settled. Haha0
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I log e-v-e-r-y thing. I look at my deficit not so much daily but monthly. So if I miss a day my data is caca.0
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What a question.....you simply log everything like you do any other day. The End.0
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After seeing these responses I will definitely try to get better at logging everything I eat. Thanks you guys!0
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I don't have days that I consider cheat days. But there are days when I make a conscious choice to eat beyond my calorie goal.
I still log my food because for me a major part of this journey is developing the skill to eat mindfully. That means being fully conscious of what I chose to put in my mouth and aware of what the potential results of those actions will be. I also weigh daily and log any changes, good or bad. I use trendweight to track the averages. I can then look at what I ate against what my weight trend was for a time period.
By having data that I can look back at I can see what effects I can expect from certain eating decisions and use that information when making choices in the future.
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You should log everything you eat. How else will you be able to look back and see what was going on? Plus you'll never know if you're blowing the whole week's deficit if you aren't keeping track.
This.
In the end as long as you're in a deficit for the week, it doesn't really matter, that's why a lot of people on MFP dislike the term 'cheat', lol.
I dislike the term 'cheat' for some of the same reasons as Nage:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Nage3000/view/cheat-meals-woe-is-me-805605
...I want to eliminate "cheat meals" from the psychology of weight loss. I want to instill in the health community that there is a way to eat without needing a "cheat meal" every week to keep you going on your diet. And I want to rephrase the word "diet" with "way of eating" or "lifestyle consumption" or some other catchy phrase. Because words are the expression of the subconscious mind, and the words we use express our internal feelings about the actions we take.
It's important to self-analyze the phrases we use. And "cheat meal" is one of those phrases that have multiple layers of meaning.
1. You are cheating on a diet. Meaning your diet is not what you like to eat, it is not your lifestyle, instead it is what you HAVE to eat. "Cheating" now becomes a rebellious act against yourself, against the diet. Rebellion is a form of power, it is one of the strongest subconscious emotions to manipulate. Think of kids smoking cigarettes because it's "cool" because it's rebellious. *guilty*
2. "Cheat meals" represent the foods you want to eat. This creates a positive connection with bad food.0 -
Agree, what you call something matters.
That said, my wife and I call it a Bonus Meal and it is just that. Something extra and just for one meal. We usually go out so, no leftovers, no take home, no dishes.
We recently went to a birthday party and expected finger treats which we planned to skip and then go out for a Mexican meal. Well, the event was catered by Bucca di Beppo Italian Restaurant and plans changed. We had a super scrumptious meal (even dessert). I logged every delicious calorie and it was just under 1000.
Kept telling myself "This is a lifestyle" so gotta make it work long term. There will be other birthdays and other days for a Mexican dinner.0 -
I like this blog on the topic:
http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/the-problem-with-cheat-days/
Similar points made by @kshama2001.0 -
You should log everything you eat. How else will you be able to look back and see what was going on? Plus you'll never know if you're blowing the whole week's deficit if you aren't keeping track.Typically I only log my food on days I'm eating healthy and working out. On my cheat day I don't.
Cheat day? It should really be a cheat meal not a day. Think like this 6 days a week you eat 500 calories under maintence level so that equals 3000 cals. 1 lb of fat is 3500 calories. Now with training cardio and normal life you can probably add 50%to that. End up losing 1.5lbs a week. Normal healthy average. So now a cheat day comes along you count nothing. You eat what you want. Lunch out pizza dinner. Next you know you ate all the calories that you cut back on for the last 6 days. Probably bloated heavier than you were before due to sodium and water retention. Stick to 1 meal.0 -
Generally a cheat meal keeps you staying healthy and allow you to eat what your craving.0
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i log everything.
that one beer this afternoon that turned into 8.
logged it.
#noshame0 -
I use to have a "free day" but i stopped and now log everyday. I work too hard during the week to blow it in 1 day.0
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I don't understand why you wouldn't want the accountability if not the data. There will be a time when you might need to look back at your diary and see why something is going down the way it's going down. And it will probably be your cheat meal lol.0
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jonathantrush wrote: »Generally a cheat meal keeps you staying healthy and allow you to eat what your craving.
I usually just work what I'm craving into my day in a smaller amount. Enough so I'm not feeling deprived in any way, but not so much that I'm not still within my calories for the most part. I'm not perfect (yesterday I went over my deficit amount by a little over 600 calories, but as I'm averaging a 2 lb loss per week right now, I'm fairly certain it's still under my maintenance amount) but it's a lifestyle I can live with forever. It's not cheating if it's part of your way of life. 0
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