Cheat meals?
mindfulmama1977
Posts: 24 Member
So i do a cheat meal one day a weeks either Saturday or Sunday and find this really helps me to stay I track all week. Rule is i can eat what ever i want for that meal. Not a creat day.
Does anyone else have any tricks like this?
Does anyone else have any tricks like this?
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Replies
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I do. For me it takes the pressure off of feeling that I always need to eat clean. It puts normality back into dieting.0
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I don't cheat. I live. Sometimes that includes indulgences. Calling it a "cheat" is weird to me. I don't cheat on my life.0
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Cheating on your diet and eating clean makes no sense to me
I eat anything I want and usually in moderation, sometimes not, but it's no big deal. I eat a balanced and varied diet of mostly home cooked/assembled meals made up of foods from all food groups every day. Nothing is off limit, nothing has to be eaten, but I aim for food that is both nutritionally dense and tasty.0 -
kommodevaran wrote: »Cheating on your diet and eating clean makes no sense to me
I eat anything I want and usually in moderation, sometimes not, but it's no big deal. I eat a balanced and varied diet of mostly home cooked/assembled meals made up of foods from all food groups every day. Nothing is off limit, nothing has to be eaten, but I aim for food that is both nutritionally dense and tasty.
On 1200 calories I can't eat chocolate or cream even in moderation. If I did I had to stay hungry. With 1200/day I can only eat low calorie food for the fullness. (My TDEE is 1550 as I can't walk at the moment so not much space to go).
So for me my cheat meal is a small dessert or extra cheese with the meal but still only a bit of it. But I don't do this regularly like every Sunday or something. Rather when I feel I need it to feel normal.
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I prefer the term free day/meal as I'm not cheating on anything if the overeating was planned and accounted for. I will caution those who have a regular free day/meal that depending on how much you eat, you can potentially undue and entire week's worth of progress. The math all still applies. If you create a 500 calorie a day deficit Monday-Saturday and eat 1500 calories above maintenance on Sunday, you did away with half of your weekly deficit. If you eat 3000 calories above maintenance you did away with all of it. On the other hand, if a free meal causes you to eat at maintenance, you do not undo any of the work done during the week. I personally like my free days to be completely free and eat literally whatever I want in whatever amount I want. For that reason, I take them very infrequently. The more often you allow a free meal/day, the more careful you have to be not to go overboard.0
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I have had a week of eating whatever I want... Next week I'll go back to a deficit. But I never cheat, except maybe when I drink too much beer.0
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gebeziseva wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »Cheating on your diet and eating clean makes no sense to me
I eat anything I want and usually in moderation, sometimes not, but it's no big deal. I eat a balanced and varied diet of mostly home cooked/assembled meals made up of foods from all food groups every day. Nothing is off limit, nothing has to be eaten, but I aim for food that is both nutritionally dense and tasty.
On 1200 calories I can't eat chocolate or cream even in moderation.
I can. You'd be surprised at how satisfying one small piece of good quality chocolate can be. Totally do-able calorie-wise.0 -
booksandchocolate12 wrote: »gebeziseva wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »Cheating on your diet and eating clean makes no sense to me
I eat anything I want and usually in moderation, sometimes not, but it's no big deal. I eat a balanced and varied diet of mostly home cooked/assembled meals made up of foods from all food groups every day. Nothing is off limit, nothing has to be eaten, but I aim for food that is both nutritionally dense and tasty.
On 1200 calories I can't eat chocolate or cream even in moderation.
I can. You'd be surprised at how satisfying one small piece of good quality chocolate can be. Totally do-able calorie-wise.
I can't eat a small piece of chocolate without craving more for the rest of the day. I consider this a torture. I'd rather have none.
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gebeziseva wrote: »booksandchocolate12 wrote: »gebeziseva wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »Cheating on your diet and eating clean makes no sense to me
I eat anything I want and usually in moderation, sometimes not, but it's no big deal. I eat a balanced and varied diet of mostly home cooked/assembled meals made up of foods from all food groups every day. Nothing is off limit, nothing has to be eaten, but I aim for food that is both nutritionally dense and tasty.
On 1200 calories I can't eat chocolate or cream even in moderation.
I can. You'd be surprised at how satisfying one small piece of good quality chocolate can be. Totally do-able calorie-wise.
I can't eat a small piece of chocolate without craving more for the rest of the day. I consider this a torture. I'd rather have none.
I used to think that too. But instead of just saying, "Nope! Can't do it!" I worked on it, and now I can.0 -
I eat chocolate or ice cream maybe twice a year. But that doesn't mean I don't get my chocolate fix, or that I feel deprived: I have nutritious, non triggering delicious foods insted: Cream, small amount in cooking, once a month. I have things like hot cocoa (cocoa powder, whole milk, sugar) and smoothies w/banana, peanut butter and cocoa once every fortnight. Yogurt w/nuts or nut butters, honey or maple syrup (1 kilo bucket of Greek yogurt lasts 8 days; I buy one every second month or so), or dessert cheeses with fruit. I feel very normal (or as normal as I can get, lol) on this diet of normal food. I eat porridges and pita bread, crispbread and toast, full fat meat and mashed potatoes, salmon filet and basmati rice, lots of fresh and steamed vegetables, and plenty of fruit every day.gebeziseva wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »Cheating on your diet and eating clean makes no sense to me
I eat anything I want and usually in moderation, sometimes not, but it's no big deal. I eat a balanced and varied diet of mostly home cooked/assembled meals made up of foods from all food groups every day. Nothing is off limit, nothing has to be eaten, but I aim for food that is both nutritionally dense and tasty.
On 1200 calories I can't eat chocolate or cream even in moderation. If I did I had to stay hungry. With 1200/day I can only eat low calorie food for the fullness. (My TDEE is 1550 as I can't walk at the moment so not much space to go).
So for me my cheat meal is a small dessert or extra cheese with the meal but still only a bit of it. But I don't do this regularly like every Sunday or something. Rather when I feel I need it to feel normal.gebeziseva wrote: »booksandchocolate12 wrote: »gebeziseva wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »Cheating on your diet and eating clean makes no sense to me
I eat anything I want and usually in moderation, sometimes not, but it's no big deal. I eat a balanced and varied diet of mostly home cooked/assembled meals made up of foods from all food groups every day. Nothing is off limit, nothing has to be eaten, but I aim for food that is both nutritionally dense and tasty.
On 1200 calories I can't eat chocolate or cream even in moderation.
I can. You'd be surprised at how satisfying one small piece of good quality chocolate can be. Totally do-able calorie-wise.
I can't eat a small piece of chocolate without craving more for the rest of the day. I consider this a torture. I'd rather have none.
This
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I don't define a cheat day or meal, but if it happens then I don't get worried or upset.0
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booksandchocolate12 wrote: »gebeziseva wrote: »booksandchocolate12 wrote: »gebeziseva wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »Cheating on your diet and eating clean makes no sense to me
I eat anything I want and usually in moderation, sometimes not, but it's no big deal. I eat a balanced and varied diet of mostly home cooked/assembled meals made up of foods from all food groups every day. Nothing is off limit, nothing has to be eaten, but I aim for food that is both nutritionally dense and tasty.
On 1200 calories I can't eat chocolate or cream even in moderation.
I can. You'd be surprised at how satisfying one small piece of good quality chocolate can be. Totally do-able calorie-wise.
I can't eat a small piece of chocolate without craving more for the rest of the day. I consider this a torture. I'd rather have none.
I used to think that too. But instead of just saying, "Nope! Can't do it!" I worked on it, and now I can.
Chocolate used to be a huge trigger for me too, but it isn't anymore. It can be worked on.0 -
melonaulait wrote: »booksandchocolate12 wrote: »gebeziseva wrote: »booksandchocolate12 wrote: »gebeziseva wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »Cheating on your diet and eating clean makes no sense to me
I eat anything I want and usually in moderation, sometimes not, but it's no big deal. I eat a balanced and varied diet of mostly home cooked/assembled meals made up of foods from all food groups every day. Nothing is off limit, nothing has to be eaten, but I aim for food that is both nutritionally dense and tasty.
On 1200 calories I can't eat chocolate or cream even in moderation.
I can. You'd be surprised at how satisfying one small piece of good quality chocolate can be. Totally do-able calorie-wise.
I can't eat a small piece of chocolate without craving more for the rest of the day. I consider this a torture. I'd rather have none.
I used to think that too. But instead of just saying, "Nope! Can't do it!" I worked on it, and now I can.
Chocolate used to be a huge trigger for me too, but it isn't anymore. It can be worked on.
I really don't care all that much about chocolate anymore. Do I have to?
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Once a week or once every two weeks we have an over indulgent meal, could be pizza, could be something more healthy just more calories than normal. Sometimes we full on pig out. Whatever works!
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Same here. A cheat meal or cheat days can screw up my deficit for the week... Not worth it.Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »I don't cheat. I live. Sometimes that includes indulgences. Calling it a "cheat" is weird to me. I don't cheat on my life.
I *gasp* eat an entire chocolate bar.
If it fits, I eat it.
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Its just what i call it.
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I rarely cheat and cheat for me means to go significantly above planned calorie count for the day. I try to make lower calorie versions of the stuff I might cheat with, smaller portions, fat free cheeses or less of it for pizzas and burgers; slicing and baking potatos in lieu of fries, etc.0
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I haven't felt the need for a cheat meal so far..I guess if I want it I figure out a way to eat it in my calorie limit:) (smaller portion, fewer calories in other things eaten that day, more exercise)0
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Cheat days were how I got here in the first place.
I ate fairly well during the week, and would lose a little bit of weight during the week ... then I'd eat whatever I wanted on the weekends figuring a bit extra exercise would cover it, and I'd gain back what I lost + a little tiny bit.
Years went by and slowly, gradually, all of a sudden I was overweight.
So when I set about losing the weight here, I did not take cheat days or meals or anything. I stayed within my calorie limit the whole time until I reached my first goal.
Happily, exercise does allow me to eat extra and yet stay within my calorie limit ... if I exercise enough. Tracking both my food and my exercise has been helpful.
I do, however, take diet breaks after I reach certain goals. For example, my first goal was to drop 15 kg. I did that in 16 weeks, and then I took a 1-month diet break (and travelling holiday) during which time I didn't log my food and I ate whatever I wanted, but I exercised a lot ... much more than usual. Interestingly "whatever I wanted" changed. I couldn't eat as much as I thought I would ... and some foods like donuts and potato chips weren't as nice as I remembered them. And I found myself ordering salads with meals.0 -
I don't cheat. I don't like the word cheating when it comes to a healthy way of life. I am not one to talk as I am still over weight..however I have been logging for 75 days and I have lost almost 13/14 pounds. I stick to my weighing of my foods and I eat what I want as long as it fits into my daily allowance of 1350 calories. I exercise 4 days a week but it's pretty moderate. I walk on my treadmill at 3.5 mph and try to burn some calories. I eat back 25% of my exercise calories. I still have wine, bread, dessert, whatever I want but it has to fit into my calories.
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I cheat all the time. OR live, however you want to call it. (Ok, maybe not all the time.) But my cheat meals aren't usually all that un healthy. Just more caloric than usual. Instead of 4-8oz steak, I'll do 16oz. for example. Its good for your body to 're-eat' every once in while. One meal a month, we carb load. <-These meals however are not usually that healthy.0
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No. It's not just what you call it, it's how you conceive of it. You schedule it, weekly.mindfulmama1977 wrote: »Its just what i call it.
I live. Life has indulgences. I don't say: it's saturday, so I get to eat whatever I want. I just know that from time to time, I'll find myself at a restaurant eating more than my usual calories.0 -
The idea of cheat meals is cool... but it all depends on the person. For me, I like to look at my calories over the whole week and go from there. For me, the idea of reducing eating just a little bit every day and having 1 day of slightly more calories (very slight!) sucks.
2 days of eating like an anorexic bird in the week affords me a day or two of eating like a gluttonous slob for at least 1 day lol. It is all about finding what works for you, within a healthy range.0 -
I just do a maintenance day so I "kind" of cheat but I typically eat what I want every day just dont go too overboard, as long as it fits in my calorie goal 0
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Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »I don't cheat. I live. Sometimes that includes indulgences. Calling it a "cheat" is weird to me. I don't cheat on my life.
i agree with this guy, my "cheat" would be PB & dark chocolate a few squares later and im satisfied 0 -
I just do a maintenance day so I "kind" of cheat but I typically eat what I want every day just dont go too overboard, as long as it fits in my calorie goal
I basically do this, but I call it cheat day. My maintenance calories are around 1000 above my daily cals, so it's definitely luxurious to me! I do it every Saturday and eat a normal breakfast and lunch, then go a little higher on my dinner calories and include dessert. I probably usually end up going over my maintenance as well, but I always work it off and still manage a 2 lb/week loss.
I can't do the whole "eat everything you want, but in moderation" thing. I have binge eating disorder and if I start allowing myself bars of chocolate or cookies, Doritos, etc. in my daily life, but within my calories, it will only lead to binging. So, I eat mostly "healthy" foods every day and then allow myself a little junk on Saturdays.
You gotta do what works for you! In the past I had tried making Saturday a free for all day, but quickly learned that I could undo my entire week's work in one day.
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I call it a cheat meal. I calorie bank, so it can be difficult for me to do any real damage on cheat day. Also complicating cheat day is that I can't eat as much as I used to and don't even prefer to eat as calorie dense items as I used to. I don't really like deep dish meat lovers pizzas from Pizza Hut anymore. I really like thinner crust veggie or Margharita pizzas I make myself. I use fresh mozzarella, feta, or goat cheese which has less calories than most regular shredded cheeses (70 compared to 90-110) and I simply use less of it. Goat cheese is very flavorful and you don't need to drown a pizza in it! I prefer eating Baked Lays to regular fried chips. My favorite ice cream right now is 120 calories a serving and light chocolate syrup tastes fine to me. I like spiced rum and diet coke as much as beer.
On the occasions I have logged these meals, I find they around 1500-2000 calories. My TDEE is 2100-2200 and I have usually not had more than 500-600 calories before the feasting starts. Again, the damage is limited. I find the further you get into the weight watching lifestyle, the more (sometimes unconsciously) self-correcting it becomes.0 -
mindfulmama1977 wrote: »So i do a cheat meal one day a weeks either Saturday or Sunday and find this really helps me to stay I track all week. Rule is i can eat what ever i want for that meal. Not a creat day.
Does anyone else have any tricks like this?
I usually have one meal/week where I eat & drink what I want, but in moderation... I don't call it 'cheat' meal or day.
I am eating what I used to eat prior to my weight loss 'journey'. But now, I don't eat too many carbs & my food intake is upto 1200 calories.
Saying this, if I find myself attending or hosting parties..... I might eat more, but then go back to my daily regular food/exercise routine the next day onward.
I would not suggest an "all-you-can-eat buffet" as a CHEAT meal. ;-) The idea here is to make our food habit a life-time change, not just an effort to reduce. Because, if you are not going to do a change, then you may go back to your old bad eating habits.
All the best.0 -
I just do a maintenance day so I "kind" of cheat but I typically eat what I want every day just dont go too overboard, as long as it fits in my calorie goal
I basically do this, but I call it cheat day. My maintenance calories are around 1000 above my daily cals, so it's definitely luxurious to me! I do it every Saturday and eat a normal breakfast and lunch, then go a little higher on my dinner calories and include dessert. I probably usually end up going over my maintenance as well, but I always work it off and still manage a 2 lb/week loss.
I can't do the whole "eat everything you want, but in moderation" thing. I have binge eating disorder and if I start allowing myself bars of chocolate or cookies, Doritos, etc. in my daily life, but within my calories, it will only lead to binging. So, I eat mostly "healthy" foods every day and then allow myself a little junk on Saturdays.
You gotta do what works for you! In the past I had tried making Saturday a free for all day, but quickly learned that I could undo my entire week's work in one day.
I love this. I can't do Eat what i want I moderation either and also come from a background of eating disorders and just no control. So one meal one day a week it's a nice.0 -
mindfulmama1977 wrote: »So i do a cheat meal one day a weeks either Saturday or Sunday and find this really helps me to stay I track all week. Rule is i can eat what ever i want for that meal. Not a creat day.
Does anyone else have any tricks like this?
I usually have one meal/week where I eat & drink what I want, but in moderation... I don't call it 'cheat' meal or day.
I am eating what I used to eat prior to my weight loss 'journey'. But now, I don't eat too many carbs & my food intake is upto 1200 calories.
Saying this, if I find myself attending or hosting parties..... I might eat more, but then go back to my daily regular food/exercise routine the next day onward.
I would not suggest an "all-you-can-eat buffet" as a CHEAT meal. ;-) The idea here is to make our food habit a life-time change, not just an effort to reduce. Because, if you are not going to do a change, then you may go back to your old bad eating habits.
All the best.
Its just one meal that's not controlled as in calories, carbs etc . not anywhere near as extreme as it sounds maybe. Just i guess one "I'm not thinking about it" meal lol.
My best friend who's a vegan rnd and a competative athlete doesn't this as a reward for being audio diligent all week. I like it works for me. ❤0
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