cheat days; how much do you cheat?

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hazelbliss6
hazelbliss6 Posts: 253 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So sunday was my cheat day, so I ate what I wanted, didn't count a thing and had a few things I had been craving all week. The next morning I went back and logged it all in for curiosity sake and found I was close to 5000 calories! I think I took cheat-day to the extreme :noway: But I realised I'm just not sure how best to cheat. Do you cheat one meal instead of the day? Do you aim for 500?300?200?- extra calories? Do you aim for certain extra foods? I can be pretty diciplined about my diet but I can also go crazy if not paying attention. I'd rather aim to lose faster vs slower so if anyone knows THE BEST WAY TO CHEAT? please let me know. My diet is also open to see... just check out the sodium alone. sheesh!
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Replies

  • sdavis448
    sdavis448 Posts: 195 Member
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    Saturday was my cheat day, I ate right all the way till dinner. It was date night so we got a babysitter and went for dinner and a movie. I got fajita's and pop, but no snack at the movie.. so i let myself cheat on meal a week.
  • CodyD18
    CodyD18 Posts: 161 Member
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    It depends on how often you want to cheat. If you're going to cheat once a week then you should only have a cheat meal. If you're going to only cheat once a month then you could probably take an entire day. I think I might eventually start having a monthly cheat day.
  • jonikeffer
    jonikeffer Posts: 218 Member
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    Some might say it's best not the PLAN to cheat, and some might say it's good to have something to look forward to. Generally I don't make a plan to do it, but if I really feel deprived, it's one meal, once a week. I hope to keep it to about 500 cals over for that day. Having said that I did terribly this weekend...the cheat was a slippery slope and I ate both pizza and a piece of cake. :laugh:
  • Jellyphant
    Jellyphant Posts: 1,400 Member
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    I don't keep track, mainly because I listen to my body. If I'm having a day where I'm wanting something sweet, I'll have omething sweet, but just workout or just have a bite or a smaller portion! But I usually do the REAL damage on holidays, for example, Father's day, we ate at Cheddar's!

    So I would just say, cheat to an extent to keep your body satisfied to avoid the binges. My chocolate/cake binges have drastically cut down since I've done this. :)
  • Newkell
    Newkell Posts: 379 Member
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    I do a cheat meal (not day) once a week and it is anything goes in that one sitting.
  • giammarcor
    giammarcor Posts: 217 Member
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    I look at it as I can have a cheat day on occasion (like yesterday for instance) as long as I do an extra workout and burn some of those calories. Personally, I think it's okay to cheat on the food side or the workout on any given day, but you shouldn't do both.
  • edenjoy3
    edenjoy3 Posts: 45
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    I take a cheat day once a week, usually a weekend day. I really wanted pizza and I've been wanting it for a while. So I ate two slices of pizza for dinner. I'm not sure the best way to go about cheating but perhaps you just eat the one thing you reeeally want and follow the rest of the day regularly. I dont know but I need that day to eat a little something...it's hard
  • 89brilewis
    89brilewis Posts: 27 Member
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    I don't think of it as cheating. The way I do it is moderation. You can still have those foods that are HORRIBLE for you so long as you do it in moderation. That's what I do. I've always had a problem with self control but as time has gone on I have learned better on how to make sure I eat in moderation. This way I can eat whatever craving I have and not overdue it. I also make sure that I only do that though so long as I have gotten enough of other types of food. For me the healthy outweighs the unhealthy foods. I make sure that I eat a lot of healthy things so that the unhealthy things are just a little blip on my food map. Plus I have also found healthy alternatives for some foods because I have a rather large sweet tooth but I am pre-diabetic so I have to be sure that I don't over-indulge.
  • freyablaze
    freyablaze Posts: 11
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    I cheat a little bit, once a day, making sure to not go over my target calories.I find that works better than waiting all week for just one day, because for me that means binging allllll day long. It has worked fabulously for me. I have lost 60 lbs so far, but the easiest and most enjoyable lbs lost have been the ones I lost when I wasn't depriving myself.
  • 00trayn
    00trayn Posts: 1,849 Member
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    I don't let myself go nuts for a whole day, I've found it's counterproductive. I have cheat meals or cheat treats, but I'll try to balance it out with being healthy the rest of the day. If I'm going out to dinner with my boyfriend, I don't really track the calories in what I eat (can't really, they're local restaurants not chains) but I'll try to avoid the obviously unhealthy dishes if I can. And the rest of the day I'll have my usual healthy lunch and breakfast and not snack too much. That at least minimizes the damage from the dinner and beer.
  • kathywoo10
    kathywoo10 Posts: 139 Member
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    If I cheat, which I did a lot last week when I was on vacation, I just try to make sure that I don't go over my BMR so I am not gaining weight.
  • ladybg81
    ladybg81 Posts: 1,553 Member
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    IF (and it is a big if) I cheat, it is a cheat meal, and not a cheat day. I would be like you and wind up with 5K+ calories and to me, that is excessive (and part of the reason we are all here now.) I would suggest either a cheat meal, or allow yourself something you really want when you want it but keep it within your daily calories allotment. That is mainly what I do. I've reached my goal and do not feel deprived at all.
  • Navie42
    Navie42 Posts: 152
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    Agree with a previous poster. I don't do the cheat day so much as I still enjoy the things I want in moderation. A burger here and there, take out pizza once a month, a dessert once in a while... not going to do you harm, but the key is moderation. You can make healthier burgers at home as opposed to grabbing fast food, just as a small example.

    I still enjoy the things I love and have managed to lose 38 lbs. ^_^
  • tinkerbell1964
    tinkerbell1964 Posts: 152
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    i think it's ok to cheat, but do it in moderation and stay in control .............. that way you don't feel as guilty.

    so yes have something norty but nice, but not too much of it SIMPLES !
  • wjewell
    wjewell Posts: 282 Member
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    I was really strict for two months and dropped 35 lbs. Everyone kept telling me to give myself a cheat day. You know what happened? I did what you did. I ate EVERYTHING I wanted....and then I quit my healthy eating/exercising. I've gained 12 lbs since march. Cheating one day got me SO off track and now I'm full of dissapointment. I'm back on track now though, and trying hard. I would say if you feel like you REALLY need something you've been craving cheat one meal, but only eat half...and only once a week or every other week. Obviously I'm not a dietitian, this is just my opinion.. you'll do great as long as you remember why you're trying to lose weight.
  • kellyscomeback
    kellyscomeback Posts: 1,369 Member
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    My cheat days are pretty low key, maybe a beer or two on a weekend day, still a walk but nothing intense and I may opt for a higher cal dessert vs. stop top popcorn.

    This weekend was a little more extreme, we were out of town for a Wedding and then lunch with the family the next day. I planned on Saturday to be my cheat day so I could have a few beers but I still watched portions, dressings and sauces at the Wedding. Sunday I had chicken skewers with a glaze, macaroni salad and a cookie (just realized I didn't log the cookie) for lunch and we hit In N Out for dinner but got the burgers protein style (no bun). All in all we still lost a little which made me feel good because I didn't make more work for me.
  • melizerd
    melizerd Posts: 870 Member
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    I don't have cheat days honestly. I have days where there's something really special and worth it going on then I splurge. I almost only do it for one meal (there's no reason to binge all day IMO) and I still make smarter choices and choose smaller portion sizes.

    When I started I could NOT allow myself a cheat day until I'd been doing the new life for awhile. Cheating every week is ridiculous if you ask me because it wouldn't work for me. I'd never stay on track because I'd spend 3 or 4 days working off something from ONE day. So I "cheat" maybe once a month or every 6 weeks.

    Make smart choices when eating anywhere, smaller portions, baked options etc. This is your life not a diet. It has to last forever. So you have to find a balance that works for YOU and only you. Don't feel bad telling people you don't want a cookie etc even when they push it on you.
  • Teeladog
    Teeladog Posts: 157 Member
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    I don't know that I necessarily plan to cheat (although I do have nachos on Sundays and I know I am going to go over and I do it anyway). However, no matter what I eat, I log it. That way, if I see that I am heading over my limits then I can rein myself in. Then it becomes a treat and not a binge. That is why logging is so important for me....I have absolutely no sense of what I am really eating calorie-wise and I tend to eat mindlessly if I don't write it all down.
  • lizzybethclaire
    lizzybethclaire Posts: 849 Member
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    I cheat on the weekends. I don't log food in on Saturdays and I still watch what I eat, the "cheat" is not having to log everything in. I also cheat on Sundays where I don't always log everything in, but still watch what I eat. The only food "cheat" I do is one meal and one snack during the weekend that may not be so healthy. Yesterday, I had some pasta with butter and cheese that I did not measure out and it was yummy!
  • uniquesoul73
    uniquesoul73 Posts: 151 Member
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    I do cheat meals and I dont necessarily save them for the weekend. If per chance I am craving something not so healthy, I will get it, but only eat half of it..sometimes even less than half. For example, I had a major craving for vanilla ice cream last week. It was Tuesday night, so I got a small spoon and got two spoonfuls of the calorie laden ice cream. I logged it as 100 quick calories. After my little indulgence, I havent had a craving for anything sweet since then.

    I guess my point is to not deprive your body of everything you love...just have it in true moderation. I personally dont see the point in waiting till the wkend to binge because the odds of you eating way above your calorie level will be even greater...

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