Cheat day?

While I'm trying to get better, I do cheat weekend (I should really limit it to one day though). While on your cheat keep logging your food so you can know what your putting in your body. It can be somewhat disheartening, during the week I have a hard time consuming my allotted calories, but on weekends.... is another thing.

I have been incorporating cheat days into my plans and I've been successfully losing weight.

However, even before I started counting calories, I tend to limit my food intake in general, since I hate that 'really full' feeling and easily get really tired from over-indulging. I also just feel gross when I have too much fried stuff or sweets. I've never had a binging habit.

I think all of those habits combined make me a good candidate for having a cheat day. I don't think that everybody on this forum fits into pattern as well. If I had a binging habit, I definitely wouldn't allow myself a cheat day.

I'm like @sapphires4me and @1Nana2many . I don't have cheat days or cheat meals. I just work in foods I love and make them fit. Some days I go over, like Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays etc. But I try to eat lighter before those meals and I try to eat smaller portions at those meals than I did before. I think the whole concept of "good foods" vs "bad foods" is detrimental to keeping weight off long term. I may go over on my calories occasionally, but I'm not cheating. I do realize that that works for some, but for me it does not. So far I have lost 45 pounds and I'm down to the last 15. I eat out frequently, even fast food and I still eat sweets. I just eat a lot smaller portions than I did before I started on mfp and I'm more mindful of what I'm eating.

I don't believe in cheat days for myself. I could easily destroy my whole week's deficit if I allowed myself whatever I wanted for one day. I do sort-of "cheat" meals. However, I tend to balance my calories for the day (have a light breakfast and lunch and leave say 1000-1200 calories for dinner) and will eat what I want. I may even go over a few hundred calories.

I find I lose control when I allow myself whatever I feel like and prefer a balance of things I like. For example, many nights I eat a serving of chips because it's in my calorie allotment and I enjoy them.

I always find it funny when people say the "don't believe in rest days", this isn't Santa or the tooth fairy we are talking about! People have days were they like to indulge in foods that they don't eat regularly, you may choose not to or work those foods to your diet. That doesn't mean the whole theory of cheat days is fantasy, they do exist haha.

I believe in cheat days. I try to keep my weekly food consumption to what my body needs and uses, so on one of my days off, I'll eat what I fancy. Seen a new recipe, trying it, seen a new flavor ice cream, buying it. I mean i could fit all this into my daily diary, but its already maxed out with calories.

I'm also a member of the non-believer group. Initially, when first starting out in my journey to better health, I did engage in a certain amount of "cheating." Truth be told, cheat days or even indulging in the weekend never really set me off the track. But what I started to find is that I was using the cheat day idea to consume foods and beverages that, really, I shouldn't be eating at all and truly should not be in a healthy diet. I won't go into a big soap box rant against all things unhealthy, but the simple fact is that health and fitness really don't well correlate with toxic indulgences. Eating a piece of chocolate cake on the weekends is one thing. But using the cheat day to consume as much fast food or sugar as one pleases is risky in my humble opinion. In a lot of ways, I see myself as the fast food equivalent of an alcoholic. I'm recovering from a very unhealthy addiction to unhealthy food. For me, that means I have to stay away from those food and beverage items. What I will do is, instead of eating the cake, I'll allow myself a healthy alternative of berries with cream and sugar, or a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. You can cheat, but cheat on the cheat (if that makes sense) Instead of the McDonald's cheese burger, make a turkey/bison burger at home. Instead of a piece of cake, eat some almonds mixed with a few chocolate chips and some olive oil and brown sugar. You can indulge in the good stuff without going overboard. But for me, using a cheat day to eat whatever the heck I want would be damaging.

1Nana2many wrote: »

I believe that if you are putting the word "cheat" into your vocabulary, you are looking at this whole thing from the wrong angle. The goal here is to have a healthier relationship with food, every day, so if you are building in a cheat, who are you cheating? When I started, I knew in order for me to succeed at weight-loss I would have to eat in a way that I could live with long term. Towards that end, I make sure I am eating foods I love every day while still staying within my calorie limit. My serving sizes are a lot smaller than before, and I don't eat nearly as much bread as I once did, but if I am going to a baby shower, for example, I eat an extra light lunch so I can have a small piece of cake and a few nuts. I don't feel cheated that way, but I stay concious of how many calories I am consuming. I don't miss that over-full feeling and I have no regrets when I step on the scale each week. Regardless of what you are eating, be a concious eater.

ALL OF THIS.

I fit everything I love into my daily calories. You're either here to be on a diet or you're here to change your life in a sustainable way.

I found it easier to not have a cheat meal or day. With the amount of hiking I do, that allows me some leeway on some days to eat a little more of what I would consider indulgence. "Cheating" just sounds wrong.

Camilladr94 wrote: »

Hi. I just started my weight loss and I was wondering if there are more people like me who has a cheat day where they eat what they want?
It really helps me keeping my focus when times are hard.

I try to buckle down until I get a breakthrough on the scale. Then if I have money, I eating something good like pizza on that day.