cheat day?

I think cheat days should happen at least ONE month into your weight loss program and not sooner. It takes 30 days to establish a habit and one day to break it so give yourself some time if you just started out! When you do 'cheat' make sure you add EXTRA movement into your day and don''t go over 500 calories. Certainly not more than twice a month. Good Luck!

I am back on board after a month of doubting myself. I get on a program and fall right off. I hope to stick with this doing slim in 6 and eating 1200 calories a day. I do plan on giving myself rewards just in moderation. Haven't decided if it'll be a burger once a month or a latte from Starbucks. Good luck!

I don't have a cheat day per se. But on the weekends when we have company up or we have to go out with the inlaws, I will allow myself to have a "cheat meal" if I have to. I make sure to eat a filling meal before (it's usually a lunch or dinner that is my cheat meal) and drink plenty of water as I eat, but I don't feel bad about my choice, I get whatever I want and I enjoy it. But the next meal, I'm right back on it. Of course, I still log my cheat meal to the best of my ability.

I try to only have a cheat meal once every two weeks or so. Like you said, you can't be 100% perfect 100% of the time. I just try to make the smartest decisions possible each and every meal.

I do a whole day, but that doesn't mean that I go CRAZY and have Bob Evans farmers breakfast, fried chicken for lunch and burgers and fries for dinner topped off with the worlds biggest piece of cake. It means that I pick one of those things and eat a reasonable amount and stick to my healthy foods the rest of the day (and have a portion of the worlds biggest piece of cake). I just don't count that day and don't feel guilty about it.

I had this exact same worry, that I would eat in moderation then feel deprived and go eat a million calories. And that happens, not planned, but sometimes i say screw it, and by lunch my whole day is "ruined" calorie wise. But I watch what I eat at dinner (and sometimes I'm not even hungry for dinner depending how badly I gorged myself) and start fresh the next day

How about a treat day instead....

There's usually a day or two where Im not my best. Here are my rules. They aren't usually planned, they happen organically ie. I get an invite for a glass of wine etc I try to still moderate myself but if i'm having a crave I wont deprive myself on that one day. (help a piece of cake versus the whole cake etc)

In the evening I reflect on what a nice treat that was and prepare a plan for staying on track.

Also be sure to give yourself non food treats too..

Twinkie

Do you give yourself a cheat day? If so, how often and what are your rules for yourself?

I'm finally getting my motivation back to get back in shape, but I'm trying to be honest with myself, and know that I'm not going to stick to it if I try to be 100% "good", 100% of the time. I don't want to be too strict and end up bingeing and then falling off the wagon. I'm really not trying to set myself up with excuses, just trying to be realistic so I can be successful. Maybe this isn't the way to be looking at it. I've heard the "everything in moderation" bit, but to stick to my daily goals, I don't know how to reallly satisfy cravings that I know I'm going to have. Any thoughts or suggestions?

In my long and sad history of dieting, cheat days have invariably turned into cheat weekends, which turn into blown diets and a months (or years) of self-loathing and weight gain. So I don't have cheat days. If I really, really need that homemade Reese's peanut butter cup ice cream (like I did last week), I cut back on the calories I'd planned for other meals and make room for the ice cream. Yesterday was my birthday, but I didn't budget for the birthday "cake" (pound cake with fresh fruit and whipped cream), so I didn't have it--I'll have it today where I can better plan for it.

For me, and I can only speak for me, "cheat days" are akin to "smoke days" for folks trying to quit smoking. By allowing all those bad habits a place in my life and engaging in the kind of eating that helped get me here, I'm just inviting failure. Better for me (and like I said, this is just my life) to give those foods a much smaller and controlled place in my every day life.

Kris

I eat what I want as long as I burn enough calories to cover
and stay around my calorie goal.
IMO to eat without being aware of your consumption is defeating
your lifestyle change and that is exactly what I have done change my
lifestyle, I know longer crave or even think about eating foolishly .
Did I just say that :embarassed: I think I finally got it :bigsmile:

I don't like planned cheat days. I can live with cheat meals, but not planned out a week in advance. For me planning "cheats" means that the way I eat day to day is deprivation and the cheat is what I really want to do. You have to think lifestyle change and you have to do it in a way that works so that you won't want to cheat.

This is a very good point. Even up to recently I have felt that way (can't wait until Saturday so I can have REAL food). And this is where I see my falling point. I need to fix that. I don't want to think healthy food is a punishment and that restaurant food is a reward.
I think it has to do with our mindset too. I don't intend to eat celery and lettuce all of my life but at the same time I cannot eat a cheeseburger everyday. So the point is to learn about food, learn how to eat, learn how I can eat a good yummy greasy cheeseburger sometimes without feeling like I cheated or like I screwed everything up. This is not an excuse to eat greasy food but for so long (and from what I read I'm not the only one), I have tried to diet and when I "cheat" I feel so guilty and then sooner or later the guilt causes me to quit and there I am back at square 1.

I want to eat good clean food because it's good for me. I'm 32 now and diabetes, high blood pressure and all those scary things are waiting for me just around the corner if I don't get myself healthy. My goal is to get to the point where I can enjoy food because it's my fuel, because it's good for me and because it taste good.

I agree that having a "planned cheat day" is a bit counterproductive. This is a change of lifestyle, not a diet. And yes, in real life, you're going to have foods that you love that aren't the most healthy or nutritious, and it's not realistic to think you'll never eat or drink them again.

I personally work at being diligent every day, making healthy choices in my food. But if I have a day where I really want say, a cookie - then I have a cookie and be done with it. Or if I'm out with friends and they have a plate of nachos and I really want some, I'll grab a small plate and have a few. I think the key is to make it a rare occasion and being controlled about your "cheats". If you feel like cheesecake, you don't need to have 2 slices or even a particularly big one. Moderation is the key.

If you have a sweet tooth or cravings around that time of month (that's my Achilles heel), perhaps looking for a low-fat recipe for a sweet treat to make at home will help. The same with salty or fatty things etc. Don't give up on yourself, you can be diligent!