Is it too soon for a cheat day?
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bigtons27
Posts: 5 Member
So I started my diet only on Tuesday( March 1st). March 8th is international pancake day and IHOP gives free pancakes. I participate every year and I'm trying hard to tell my self not too but I'm already craving them. Is it too soon for a cheat day. I told my self if I achieve my week 1 goal then I would let my self go but I don't want this to ruin good progress.
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Replies
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Why can't you fit them into your daily calorie goal?0
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You are trying to create an overall calorie deficit over the course of the week. A weekly cheat day where you let yourself go may negate the deficit that you had the other six days of the week.
Personally, I don't have cheat days. I plan my calories for 80% nutrient-dense foods and 20% treat foods every day. That way, I can eat what I want in reasonable portions and I don't feel deprived.0 -
Why not just plan to have pancakes for one meal that day and adjust your other meals accordingly? An order of pancakes isn't the healthiest meal but you don't have to eat only "healthy" foods 100% of the time, you can still fit treats in to your calorie budget. If you don't go over calories, it won't ruin your progress. Even if you go up to maintenance calories for the day, it will only delay your goal by one day. I would recommend not going over maintenance calories this early, but if you do- there are going to be days, in the course of your life, that you eat more than maintenance, and it's good to learn how to get back on track the following day.
A sustainable eating plan is one that allows for you to eat foods you enjoy in reasonable quantities, and a once-a-year treat you're already craving five days in advance surely counts as a food you enjoy.0 -
A buttermilk pancake from IHOp has 154 calories, a short stack has 3, that's 462 calories before anything else added--I can make that work into my day EASY, and I only have 1200 to work with because I'm a shortie. Go to the gym, maybe, but seriously, no need to call that a splurge. You can totally do it!0
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emmycantbemeeko wrote: »
A sustainable eating plan is one that allows for you to eat foods you enjoy in reasonable quantities, and a once-a-year treat you're already craving five days in advance surely counts as a food you enjoy.
This.
Have your pancakes, and eat lighter meals the rest of the day.0 -
I don't think it is a good deal to suffer 6 days just to indulge 1 day. The cost and benefit equation is out of wack.
Your best bet is to retrain your mind to like pancake less. So much less that a stack of, say, 3 makes you satiated, Then, move on.
Once succeeded, the enjoyment of 3, the length of it, will be no less than wolfing down 30. That's the beauty.0 -
Thanks. If I go im only having a short stack with some butter and syrup. I'll eat smaller meals for rest of the day and work out as well.0
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Cheat days where the most horrific thing for me.
A complete and utter waste of 6 months.0 -
International pancake day? I'm in!
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You could have a cheat meal (not day, imho) since it's an actual holiday for you, imho. But it would be really great practice to try to fit them in.
If you can't fit them, don't sweat it, though. Don't overindulge, but there will be treats here and there that you might allow yourself and then get right back to normal calories after you've had them
That's good practice, too, as long as it's not so frequent that it's life and not just a special treat, lol.
I had great success having something like the short stack of pancakes as one treat every 10 days to 2 weeks or so. I didn't have to fit them in, thus the 'treat' idea. I lost weight slowly but enjoyably, lol. But now my blood sugar can run bad, so I tend to do very small things every day or two and not have any larger portions of something like regular pancakes (darnit!). Good luck 0 -
Never a cheat day. Only a weekly cheat MEAL.0
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Pancakes are available year round. IHOP is open year round. Pancake Day will occur next year, too. It's just not that special to risk blowing your whole day/week, IMO. Or, to be clear--it wouldn't be worth it to me.
You're planning to go, so I would recommend planning the entire meal and logging it ahead of time. Including (and especially!) the butter and syrup.
How are you going to know the amounts of butter and syrup? Oh my goodness, just thinking about this stresses me out.
Good luck!0 -
Pancakes are available year round. IHOP is open year round. Pancake Day will occur next year, too. It's just not that special to risk blowing your whole day/week, IMO. Or, to be clear--it wouldn't be worth it to me.
You're planning to go, so I would recommend planning the entire meal and logging it ahead of time. Including (and especially!) the butter and syrup.
How are you going to know the amounts of butter and syrup? Oh my goodness, just thinking about this stresses me out.
Good luck!
It's not too bad to log, honestly, as syrup at least is something you can measure in volume.
The only issue for me is that I'd be completely starving 2 hours after eating 800 calories of pancakes with syrup, so it would pretty much guarantee that my day would be shot.0 -
emmycantbemeeko wrote: »Why not just plan to have pancakes for one meal that day and adjust your other meals accordingly? An order of pancakes isn't the healthiest meal but you don't have to eat only "healthy" foods 100% of the time, you can still fit treats in to your calorie budget. If you don't go over calories, it won't ruin your progress. Even if you go up to maintenance calories for the day, it will only delay your goal by one day. I would recommend not going over maintenance calories this early, but if you do- there are going to be days, in the course of your life, that you eat more than maintenance, and it's good to learn how to get back on track the following day.
A sustainable eating plan is one that allows for you to eat foods you enjoy in reasonable quantities, and a once-a-year treat you're already craving five days in advance surely counts as a food you enjoy.
This right here.
Also, just because they have pancake day doesn't mean you have to eat ALL of them. Just plan it out into your day. Have 1 or 2. Eat an egg with it for protein. Maybe some fruit. This is how you win long term: don't deny yourself, learn how to manage the things you like and make good choices.0 -
I say go for pancakes. Don't go crazy, but log it (the logging habit is key). Then back to normal. Don't deny a ritual and feel sad about it. Be reasonable in your pancake consumption if you can, but back on the horse the next day. It's just one day. Although, it would be interesting to see how you feel the next day with all that sugar humming through you. Maybe get some eggs or other protein? It'll make you feel full sooner and help moderate your blood sugar to a degree.0
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JanetYellen wrote: »Cheat days where the most horrific thing for me.
A complete and utter waste of 6 months.
Cheat days were a very valuable learning experience for me. I was on a very strict diet (for a bodybuilding show) and every craving I had was put off until my "cheat day". Most of them would be gone by the time my cheat day rolled around. The rest either were "worth it" or not. You can only fit so much food in, even if you give yourself complete free reign, so you had to decide what to eat and what not to. When you look forward to something so much, some things just don't live up. I learned what I really liked and what I didn't.
I'm not that strict anymore but some of those things I still don't eat because I don't really enjoy them.
It's kind of an individual thing.0 -
Check out the calories before you go. It will help you make choices you're happy with. But why call it a cheat?
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moderation, fit it in. Don't give in to "cheating" so soon, you are only cheating yourself0
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Pancakes are available year round. IHOP is open year round. Pancake Day will occur next year, too. It's just not that special to risk blowing your whole day/week, IMO. Or, to be clear--it wouldn't be worth it to me.
You're planning to go, so I would recommend planning the entire meal and logging it ahead of time. Including (and especially!) the butter and syrup.
How are you going to know the amounts of butter and syrup? Oh my goodness, just thinking about this stresses me out.
Good luck!
It's not too bad to log, honestly, as syrup at least is something you can measure in volume.
The only issue for me is that I'd be completely starving 2 hours after eating 800 calories of pancakes with syrup, so it would pretty much guarantee that my day would be shot.
Yep, I'd be hungry an hour later. Since this is a *free* event, is that implying you plan on overindulging instead of having a moderate amount? Because that would be sad
If a person has a sustainable weight loss goal, there's really no need to cheat (and it's not like you're getting away with anything). 0
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