How often do you cheat?

I never cheat (or haven't yet and don't plan to) I enjoy what I eat and eat what I want fitting into my calorie allowance. The only person you cheat is yourself, so have a cheat day/meal if you want, but be ready for any consequences.

I have what I call "accidental refeeds" once a month or so. Meaning that it was not my plan to overeat, but it happens. And also meaning that I try to look at the bright side.

I can't believe all the "Don't Cheat" responses, but God Bless you all!!! I cheat. How often? It depends. If I am going out on a date with my wife of 26 years, I am not going to be a homer that goes to a nice restaurant and worries about calorie counting. I don't drink alcohol anymore (it became a problem), so when she starts with a nice glass of whatever, I order a Ginger Beer or a Funky House Special, which is usually loaded with sweet whatevers, and is a calorie buster alone. We indulge on a nice appetizer, and I like to get the house special many times for my entre. Let's face it, most restaurant dishes will be cooked in pallet pleasing high calorie butter or oils, and I just won't ask for special preparation for me and my 'diet'. I want the experience and to fully enjoy the evening. I might even have a high calorie desert that evening too.

If possible, I will try and eat less during the day to leave room for my evening blowout, but this is not always possible.

If we go to a friends house for dinner, I could never pick around and ask about how the food was prepped and if it was weighed, and how much it weighed, then jot down notes for my MFP inputting later. I don't want to be 'that person' who appears to be making it all about himself and making a statement about being fit, or trying, which conversely can or might make others feel bad about their dinner. On the last night of our tennis league the club had a cookout for everyone. I had two hamburger pattie's, cheese, lettuce and two tomato slices on top of it. That plate alone got comments from others about why I was not "Eating The Bun"? I simply said I don't eat bread now if I don't have to. The woman next to me, a good friend, was chowing on her burger and was noticeably effected by feeling like she was a pig. (my words).

So, if we go to someone's house I will eat what they have and be a good guest, log the best I can later, and just chalk it up to a fun evening. And in doing so, I am usually surprised at how little I actually ate as opposed to the big cheat that I expected it to be. I still exceeded my calories in most cases, but so what?

This is a long term life thing that I am doing. There will be weddings, there will be sleepless nights, there will be times when the body feels like it needs some grease and gravy and carbs (mashers and butter and fries) and I try and listen to my body and give it what it asks for within reason. The days where I can easily manage fewer calories far exceeds the days that I have cravings and need to eat more then MFP allows, so I just accept it and move on. What matters is what the scale says after a week, or a month, and over the months am I on the right track. The scale never lies.

So yes, BIG CHEATER HERE. Maybe once a week, maybe not for several weeks, sometimes maybe 2-3 days in a row if my kids have come home and we have a party or event or wedding or a special date night.

And so far so good. This is my third go around with losing weigh on MFP, I did this in 2013 and 2015 (2015 was the Gold's Gym 12 week challenge which I will never do again), now this time that I started on April 25th. Each time ironically, I started my 'plan' around the same weight amount, in 2013 I weighed 209, in 2015 I weighed 215, and this year I started at 214. But I am certain that each year I could add 5 pounds to the upside since I never was hoping on the scale as I was gaining weight, since it was too depressing.

2013 and 2015 I was rigidly and obsessively trying to stay perfect on a daily basis, and ANY misses (cheats) resulted in me getting down on myself and depressed that I was failing at this and could not maintain dedication to improving myself. The result of this rigidity (for me) was that when I lost my goal in weight, for me it was like "So Now What?" I had become so obsessed with being perfect on my MFP and calories and measurements and watching every ounce and logging every ounce, that I lost site of living, so when I was done losing weight I felt lost. I am not saying that THAT was the reason for my "YO-YO'ing" with my weight loss and gain over the last 3 years, but it is a consistent pattern unique to me that seems to have been the trouble spot. So while taking that into account, I decided this time to do the best I could, and to enjoy food and life when the opportunities presented themselves versus being a food hermit and letting food and calories run my life and dictate my food intake on special evenings or at special events.

This years weight loss plan was inspired by the need for a hip replacement on May 23rd. My hip was bone on bone, and anything and everything hurt. Nothing I did (including playing tennis) could hurt my hip more, it was just a matter of having pain and living with it 24/7, which unfortunately I had gotten used to and was my new normal which occurred over 2 years. So part of pre surgery included full doctor checkups (being 54 docs take surgeries more seriously with our age being higher). Well, my cholesterol was thru the roof again, but this was self inflicted since I love a large chicken fried steak with gravy, mashed potatoes and fries, with pecan pie to close out the meal. In the interest of hopefully having the most successful surgery and recovery as possible, I knew losing as much weight as possible before surgery was the most prudent plan, despite the pain, so I hit the gym and treadmill starting on April 25, and started MFP again and blew the dust off my graphs and charts. I lost 15.75 pounds in the next month (a lot of that just junk weight and water retention in the first week). The day of surgery I added 11 pounds in swelling and water retention. The doc and PT recommended NOT worrying about dieting since my hip required a lot of calories to heal properly. There was no way to really come up with a 'calorie burned' amount during rehab, but I figured it was quite a bit, since I was constantly sore and worn out as my hip did what it was supposed to do, and I continued to add to my PT and walk on it as much as possible. My calorie intake ON MOST DAYS post surgery were in excess of my maintain calorie intake plan, yet I was still losing some weight. What I did not know know how much was just water and swelling I was losing, and I would not really know this till I returned to normal swelling wise, and when the anesthesia wore off. So, the first week or two, while in a kind of constant fog state, it was a leap of faith regarding my diet, but I still ate healthy, I just ate to excess to make sure that I was on the 'feed the hip' side versus not supplying my hip with the nutrients that it might be needing. I think the result was that my stretching and exercises worked the way they were supposed to work. It actually took 16 days to get back to my 'day of surgery weight', and today is day 21, three weeks to the day post surgery. I was at 198 the day of surgery, and this morning weighed in at 194.6, so it looks like my eating to excess of my daily maintain calories was a good plan, and I guess I have been burning more calories then I expected in my physical therapy.

And during these last three weeks, I have had quite a few very indulgent cheat meals, so I am happy that in spite of all the cheating, I have been able to maintain my plan on the rest of the days.

I think the main thing to do is that if you cheat, you can make it up. Maybe count your calories on a weekly basis (while keeping track daily, just make sure that you are at your planned deficit for the full week) so that what matters is your net CICO for the week, versus being worried about a one meal cheat here or there.

I fully agree with "if it fits in your daily plan anything is fine to consume" but this limits your ability to enjoy the occasional gluttonous consuming meal, which as far as I am concerned is simply a reward to your hard work on all the other days.

But if you can't do this psychologically, and if cheating sends you into a tailspin which causes you to junk your plan and give up due to blowing it out for one meal, then I guess you need to be more diligent about NOT cheating, and that is fine too. It is just not the diet that I want to live by. And living that way, FOR ME, the last two times I lost weight, resulted in me losing control when I had reached my goal, and I slowly gained the weight back. Maybe I felt like I had been so deprived that I felt like I deserved a reward. But then those reward moments became more common, then while it is not that hard to get used to losing weight, and getting used to a lower calories in diet, it seems (to me) to be as easy to go the other way and get used to adding some pasta here, a piece of pie there, a cookie here and there, and before I know it, I am on my way back up again and I convince myself that once again I am just not able to maintain a healthy weight.

But this time it feels better since I am not limiting myself, I am rewarding myself more often with 'cheat meal' or as I like to call them 'Reward Meals' or 'Reward Moments'. Anyway, it's still too early to know for sure, I am only in week 8 right now, and in no way am I as knowledgeable and experienced as MOST people in MFP, which is why I am on MFP and roam these communities to learn from the experts and to try and incorporate their knowledge into a plan that works for me and my lifestyle.

Good luck to you, from a confessed Cheater!!!!!

donjtomasco wrote: »

I can't believe all the "Don't Cheat" responses, but God Bless you all!!! I cheat. How often? It depends. If I am going out on a date with my wife of 26 years, I am not going to be a homer that goes to a nice restaurant and worries about calorie counting. I don't drink alcohol anymore (it became a problem), so when she starts with a nice glass of whatever, I order a Ginger Beer or a Funky House Special, which is usually loaded with sweet whatevers, and is a calorie buster alone. We indulge on a nice appetizer, and I like to get the house special many times for my entre. Let's face it, most restaurant dishes will be cooked in pallet pleasing high calorie butter or oils, and I just won't ask for special preparation for me and my 'diet'. I want the experience and to fully enjoy the evening. I might even have a high calorie desert that evening too.

If possible, I will try and eat less during the day to leave room for my evening blowout, but this is not always possible.

If we go to a friends house for dinner, I could never pick around and ask about how the food was prepped and if it was weighed, and how much it weighed, then jot down notes for my MFP inputting later. I don't want to be 'that person' who appears to be making it all about himself and making a statement about being fit, or trying, which conversely can or might make others feel bad about their dinner. On the last night of our tennis league the club had a cookout for everyone. I had two hamburger pattie's, cheese, lettuce and two tomato slices on top of it. That plate alone got comments from others about why I was not "Eating The Bun"? I simply said I don't eat bread now if I don't have to. The woman next to me, a good friend, was chowing on her burger and was noticeably effected by feeling like she was a pig. (my words).

So, if we go to someone's house I will eat what they have and be a good guest, log the best I can later, and just chalk it up to a fun evening. And in doing so, I am usually surprised at how little I actually ate as opposed to the big cheat that I expected it to be. I still exceeded my calories in most cases, but so what?

This is a long term life thing that I am doing. There will be weddings, there will be sleepless nights, there will be times when the body feels like it needs some grease and gravy and carbs (mashers and butter and fries) and I try and listen to my body and give it what it asks for within reason. The days where I can easily manage fewer calories far exceeds the days that I have cravings and need to eat more then MFP allows, so I just accept it and move on. What matters is what the scale says after a week, or a month, and over the months am I on the right track. The scale never lies.

So yes, BIG CHEATER HERE. Maybe once a week, maybe not for several weeks, sometimes maybe 2-3 days in a row if my kids have come home and we have a party or event or wedding or a special date night.

And so far so good. This is my third go around with losing weigh on MFP, I did this in 2013 and 2015 (2015 was the Gold's Gym 12 week challenge which I will never do again), now this time that I started on April 25th. Each time ironically, I started my 'plan' around the same weight amount, in 2013 I weighed 209, in 2015 I weighed 215, and this year I started at 214. But I am certain that each year I could add 5 pounds to the upside since I never was hoping on the scale as I was gaining weight, since it was too depressing.

2013 and 2015 I was rigidly and obsessively trying to stay perfect on a daily basis, and ANY misses (cheats) resulted in me getting down on myself and depressed that I was failing at this and could not maintain dedication to improving myself. The result of this rigidity (for me) was that when I lost my goal in weight, for me it was like "So Now What?" I had become so obsessed with being perfect on my MFP and calories and measurements and watching every ounce and logging every ounce, that I lost site of living, so when I was done losing weight I felt lost. I am not saying that THAT was the reason for my "YO-YO'ing" with my weight loss and gain over the last 3 years, but it is a consistent pattern unique to me that seems to have been the trouble spot. So while taking that into account, I decided this time to do the best I could, and to enjoy food and life when the opportunities presented themselves versus being a food hermit and letting food and calories run my life and dictate my food intake on special evenings or at special events.

This years weight loss plan was inspired by the need for a hip replacement on May 23rd. My hip was bone on bone, and anything and everything hurt. Nothing I did (including playing tennis) could hurt my hip more, it was just a matter of having pain and living with it 24/7, which unfortunately I had gotten used to and was my new normal which occurred over 2 years. So part of pre surgery included full doctor checkups (being 54 docs take surgeries more seriously with our age being higher). Well, my cholesterol was thru the roof again, but this was self inflicted since I love a large chicken fried steak with gravy, mashed potatoes and fries, with pecan pie to close out the meal. In the interest of hopefully having the most successful surgery and recovery as possible, I knew losing as much weight as possible before surgery was the most prudent plan, despite the pain, so I hit the gym and treadmill starting on April 25, and started MFP again and blew the dust off my graphs and charts. I lost 15.75 pounds in the next month (a lot of that just junk weight and water retention in the first week). The day of surgery I added 11 pounds in swelling and water retention. The doc and PT recommended NOT worrying about dieting since my hip required a lot of calories to heal properly. There was no way to really come up with a 'calorie burned' amount during rehab, but I figured it was quite a bit, since I was constantly sore and worn out as my hip did what it was supposed to do, and I continued to add to my PT and walk on it as much as possible. My calorie intake ON MOST DAYS post surgery were in excess of my maintain calorie intake plan, yet I was still losing some weight. What I did not know know how much was just water and swelling I was losing, and I would not really know this till I returned to normal swelling wise, and when the anesthesia wore off. So, the first week or two, while in a kind of constant fog state, it was a leap of faith regarding my diet, but I still ate healthy, I just ate to excess to make sure that I was on the 'feed the hip' side versus not supplying my hip with the nutrients that it might be needing. I think the result was that my stretching and exercises worked the way they were supposed to work. It actually took 16 days to get back to my 'day of surgery weight', and today is day 21, three weeks to the day post surgery. I was at 198 the day of surgery, and this morning weighed in at 194.6, so it looks like my eating to excess of my daily maintain calories was a good plan, and I guess I have been burning more calories then I expected in my physical therapy.

And during these last three weeks, I have had quite a few very indulgent cheat meals, so I am happy that in spite of all the cheating, I have been able to maintain my plan on the rest of the days.

I think the main thing to do is that if you cheat, you can make it up. Maybe count your calories on a weekly basis (while keeping track daily, just make sure that you are at your planned deficit for the full week) so that what matters is your net CICO for the week, versus being worried about a one meal cheat here or there.

I fully agree with "if it fits in your daily plan anything is fine to consume" but this limits your ability to enjoy the occasional gluttonous consuming meal, which as far as I am concerned is simply a reward to your hard work on all the other days.

But if you can't do this psychologically, and if cheating sends you into a tailspin which causes you to junk your plan and give up due to blowing it out for one meal, then I guess you need to be more diligent about NOT cheating, and that is fine too. It is just not the diet that I want to live by. And living that way, FOR ME, the last two times I lost weight, resulted in me losing control when I had reached my goal, and I slowly gained the weight back. Maybe I felt like I had been so deprived that I felt like I deserved a reward. But then those reward moments became more common, then while it is not that hard to get used to losing weight, and getting used to a lower calories in diet, it seems (to me) to be as easy to go the other way and get used to adding some pasta here, a piece of pie there, a cookie here and there, and before I know it, I am on my way back up again and I convince myself that once again I am just not able to maintain a healthy weight.

But this time it feels better since I am not limiting myself, I am rewarding myself more often with 'cheat meal' or as I like to call them 'Reward Meals' or 'Reward Moments'. Anyway, it's still too early to know for sure, I am only in week 8 right now, and in no way am I as knowledgeable and experienced as MOST people in MFP, which is why I am on MFP and roam these communities to learn from the experts and to try and incorporate their knowledge into a plan that works for me and my lifestyle.

Good luck to you, from a confessed Cheater!!!!!

To me, none of this is "cheating". It's living.