Do you have a cheat day once a week/month?
VividVegan
Posts: 200 Member
I recently (last week) had my first cheat day where I ate a lot of desserts throughout the day. I stayed below my calories though. Is this ok? The desserts weren't anything like cake, cookies, ice cream, etc. I'm allergic to dairy and wheat so basically what I did was eat a lot of dark chocolate covered nuts, dark chocolate coverrd peanut butter balls, dark chocolate covered ginger, dark covered coconut clusters, and dark chocolate covered cherries. It totaled to around 700-800 calories but my daily calories remained around 1500 and I'm still active. Is it ok to do this once a week, or every other week, or even once a month? On a daily basis I'll either skip dessert or have fruit (I love fruit) but every once in a while those actual dessert cravings kick in and since I'm limited on the types of desserts I'm able to eat for allergy reasons, I go for the dark chocolate. Opinions? Am female 5'7 and 118 pounds (I need to edit my MFP info). I have it set to lightly active since I do a lot of walking and I workout every other day. My calories are 1600. My goal is recomp because I'm still somewhat skinny-fat.
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How is it cheating if you fit it into your goals? That's what many people do...some even have chocolate every night.11
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Yeh I have a cheat night once a week. I have too otherwise I would binge if I denied myself any treats. I'm at the gym a lot so I burn it off anyway.
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If you're goal is calories then you're fine, if you're wanting to receive sufficient macro nutrient goals, then you will miss out on protein for the day if it's considering of just dessert0
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5'7" and 118 pounds is skinny fat? According to every height weight chart you are underweight. That being said, if it fits in your daily calorie allotment, eat it, no worries. If that is you in your profile pic, I'm thinking you look great.0
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FeedMeFish wrote: »
I'm a bit confused because you said your goal is recomp but 1600 calories seems pretty low for recomp given your stats. I also took a look at your diary and some days you only eat around 1400.
Anyway, it's not cheating if you're within your calorie goals. As the poster above me stated, you miss out on some protein, but that's about it.1 -
5'7" and 118 pounds is skinny fat? According to every height weight chart you are underweight. That being said, if it fits in your daily calorie allotment, eat it, no worries. If that is you in your profile pic, I'm thinking you look great.
She means "skinny fat" as in she not satisfied with the muscle tone of her body. People can be underweight but look heavier due to poor body composition.1 -
I like my cheat meals/days. They keep me sane, and prevent a deprivation feeling induced depression..1
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5'7" and 118 pounds is skinny fat? According to every height weight chart you are underweight. That being said, if it fits in your daily calorie allotment, eat it, no worries. If that is you in your profile pic, I'm thinking you look great.
She means "skinny fat" as in she not satisfied with the muscle tone of her body. People can be underweight but look heavier due to poor body composition.
This! ^ I'm a size zero but I still have saddlebags and my bum and thighs have cellulite. Additionally, I have a small lower stomach pooch and my ribs slightly show. So does my hip bone
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FeedMeFish wrote: »
I'm a bit confused because you said your goal is recomp but 1600 calories seems pretty low for recomp given your stats. I also took a look at your diary and some days you only eat around 1400.
Anyway, it's not cheating if you're within your calorie goals. As the poster above me stated, you miss out on some protein, but that's about it.
I'm trying to increase my calories more. When I was anorexic (around 2 years ago), I could only fit 600-800 calories per day and was full. So I think I'm making decent progress in terms of calorie consumption. It's not an overnight thing.2 -
I don't have a restrictive diet. I prefer to eat what I want and fit it in my goals on a daily basis. I sometimes choose to eat at my maintenance level. It is not cheating.
Eat a piece of chocolate every day if you like.1 -
5'7" and 118 pounds is skinny fat? According to every height weight chart you are underweight. That being said, if it fits in your daily calorie allotment, eat it, no worries. If that is you in your profile pic, I'm thinking you look great.
She means "skinny fat" as in she not satisfied with the muscle tone of her body. People can be underweight but look heavier due to poor body composition.
I totally understand what OP meant by "skinny fat," I just fail to see from her profile picture and given her stats that she fits that profile. Being new to this site @FeedMeFish you might find this article helpful. http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/the-basics-of-body-recomposition-how-to-lose-fat-gain-muscle-at-the-same-time/0 -
5'7" and 118 pounds is skinny fat? According to every height weight chart you are underweight. That being said, if it fits in your daily calorie allotment, eat it, no worries. If that is you in your profile pic, I'm thinking you look great.
She means "skinny fat" as in she not satisfied with the muscle tone of her body. People can be underweight but look heavier due to poor body composition.
I totally understand what OP meant by "skinny fat," I just fail to see from her profile picture and given her stats that she fits that profile. Being new to this site @FeedMeFish you might find this article helpful. http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/the-basics-of-body-recomposition-how-to-lose-fat-gain-muscle-at-the-same-time/
Thanks for the compliment but unfortunately I do fit that profile. I have soft/untoned spots I need to work on. I may look slim but I'm not "solid" (which is my goal).0 -
It may be different for each person but for me cheat days are fine. Because I limit them to 1 day and spread them out in frequency. If your cheat day leads to another and then to additional cheats big or small then I can understand people that don't allow any.0
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Cheat day once a week, but I still need to avoid certain foods or they'll trigger junk food addictions. It's working so far.0
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5'7" and 118 pounds is skinny fat? According to every height weight chart you are underweight. That being said, if it fits in your daily calorie allotment, eat it, no worries. If that is you in your profile pic, I'm thinking you look great.
She means "skinny fat" as in she not satisfied with the muscle tone of her body. People can be underweight but look heavier due to poor body composition.
I totally understand what OP meant by "skinny fat," I just fail to see from her profile picture and given her stats that she fits that profile. Being new to this site @FeedMeFish you might find this article helpful. http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/the-basics-of-body-recomposition-how-to-lose-fat-gain-muscle-at-the-same-time/
I'm with this. I wonder if the solution is working more on maintaining (and possibly growing) lean muscle mass rather than focusing on solely on weight loss/calorie deficit. Kind of like Tom Venuto's Feed the Muscle/Burn the Fat book, the key to avoiding the skinny fat look is getting leaner, not being a smaller version of what you already are.
In regards to the original question, I try to look at my calories in terms of each 'week', not just daily. I don't have a planned cheat day/meal each week. But I'll plan ahead if I know I'm going off the wagon one day and 'bank' calories on the other day to 'burn' that day.
Everybody is different. But for me I know a regular cheat meal would turn into a cheat week which could easily turn into 'Ill start Monday.' But I still want to live life. I'm not going to completely deprive myself on special occasions, vacations, etc. Had a huge meal at a great restaurant for my wife's birthday blew the banked calories and then some. No regrets.0 -
5'7" and 118 pounds is skinny fat? According to every height weight chart you are underweight. That being said, if it fits in your daily calorie allotment, eat it, no worries. If that is you in your profile pic, I'm thinking you look great.
Skinny fat doesn't mean you're fat, it means you're skinny with no muscle tone.
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I wouldn't even consider it a "cheat" day if you stayed within your calorie limit.
To answer your question, I don't see a problem with having a day like that every once in a while.0 -
it isn't a cheat day or even a cheat meal if you stay within your calorie budget.
and chocolate covered nuts sound tasty! i had an extra half quest bar yesterday, and it was delish! once in a while, it's good to treat yourself - and if you stay within your daily calories, even better
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frankiesgirlie wrote: »5'7" and 118 pounds is skinny fat? According to every height weight chart you are underweight. That being said, if it fits in your daily calorie allotment, eat it, no worries. If that is you in your profile pic, I'm thinking you look great.
Skinny fat doesn't mean you're fat, it means you're skinny with no muscle tone.
Again, I know that. The woman in her profile pic obviously has muscle tone. She explained the areas that are troublesome to her and I gave her an MFP link that may help her. This link may help you understand, after looking at her picture, where I was coming from. http://www.superskinnyme.com/skinny_fat.html0 -
Don't think of it as a cheat day as that makes food seem negative. Yesterday at a family meal I had a beer, pasta and cheesy garlic bread and ice cream with brownies. I planned to do that purely because I love all of those things and know I won't have it again for at least a month. Sometimes a bit of what you fancy can keep you sane, life is too short to not indulge now and then ;-)0
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I would also think re dentist bill0
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OP are you still seeing a therapist for your ED? If so I would probably ask him or her how to handle this. My normal advice is that I don't believe in cheat days/meals; I prefer to work in the foods I enjoy on a daily basis as I think that people can often really go off the rails with their splurges. I also think they can set up an unhealthy relationship with food, emphasizing good foods/bad foods or good days/bad days which would be especially detrimental for someone who has suffered from anorexia or other eating disorders.
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WinoGelato wrote: »OP are you still seeing a therapist for your ED? If so I would probably ask him or her how to handle this. My normal advice is that I don't believe in cheat days/meals; I prefer to work in the foods I enjoy on a daily basis as I think that people can often really go off the rails with their splurges. I also think they can set up an unhealthy relationship with food, emphasizing good foods/bad foods or good days/bad days which would be especially detrimental for someone who has suffered from anorexia or other eating disorders.
Not at the moment I'm not. I saw the nurse early this morning though and when I got everything checked, my blood sugar apparently is low (she said), as well as my blood pressure. So in addition to people here telling me my calories are still low, I guess everything about my health is low?
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every meal can be cheat meal but as long as you can fit it in your macros0
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No specific cheat day. I just eat and I know if i eat fast food or unhealthy food today then I need to be healthier tomorrow or if I have a pizza for breakfast then i'll have salad for lunch and dinner. I enjoy some form of candy/pastry daily because that makes me happy but I ensure i'm not consuming too sugar in my other meals/drinks. You decide if you want specific cheat days or if you're going to just eat with awareness.
I can't give an accurate measurement but if you want to gain muscle and you're already skinny then you need to be eating more calories. I know for men they usually say to multiple weight by 15-18 to know how much calories to consume then do some lifting/strength work out to develop those muscles and of course, increase protein. As a woman I'd say to multiply your weight by 15 , eat that minimum and increase the amount of iron, b12, protein and strength workouts in your current routine.
I am 5ft 4 and 157lbs, coming from 163 last summer and gaining back 3lbs during the Christmas season. Personally I want to lose weight then build muscle so right now I do 30-60 minutes of cardio 5 days a week and 30-45 minutes of strength 3 days a week since I don't go to a gym. My main goal is to lose weight then I will work on toning but at the same time I don't want my skin tight at all times so this works for me. You can message me and I'll try to give you a bunch of links/videos that help me.0
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