Do I log what I eat on my cheat days?

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  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
    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.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,886 Member
    edited February 2016
    Francl27 wrote: »
    wrenak wrote: »
    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.
  • Mavrick_RN
    Mavrick_RN Posts: 439 Member
    edited February 2016
    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.
  • ncfitbit
    ncfitbit Posts: 1,058 Member
    I like this blog on the topic:

    http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/the-problem-with-cheat-days/

    Similar points made by @kshama2001.
  • jonathantrush
    jonathantrush Posts: 12 Member
    wrenak wrote: »
    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.
    lilcd10 wrote: »
    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.
  • jonathantrush
    jonathantrush Posts: 12 Member
    Generally a cheat meal keeps you staying healthy and allow you to eat what your craving.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
    i log everything.

    that one beer this afternoon that turned into 8.

    logged it.

    #noshame
  • hotasfire36
    hotasfire36 Posts: 235 Member
    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.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
    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.
  • wrenak
    wrenak Posts: 144 Member
    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. :)

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