Cheat Meal or Day
Tappy44
Posts: 1,050 Member
I am starting Low Carb next week, not Keto yet. I was wondering if anyone does a cheat meal or day to confuse the body?
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I don't. I stay keto. I have had two days in the past 9 months where I've gone over 50 carbs. It didn't seem to shake anything up in my body other gaining the expected water weight. On keto I don't have cravings so I don't really desire cheat days anymore.5
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I have at least one day a week where I eat more carbs on purpose, sometimes two if my schedule is crazy. I don't know if it really confuses my body, but it definitely makes it easier for me to stick to low carb long term and it doesn't seem to have any negative impact on my weight loss.4
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www.healthfulpursuit.com has a discussion on the different types of carb-up...one meal, one day, one weekend - and the pros and cons of both. I don't do this intentionally, but I do do it on occasion deliberately. It has to be a choice, not a compulsion, and it has to be set with limits before doing so - in order to set yourself up best for long term success. I wish I didn't have cravings anymore, but I do. So mixing it up here or there seems to really help keep going long term (almost to 18 months now).5
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No cheat days for me. I'm worried it will start a downslide4
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No, since I am diabetic I should be eating this low carb anyways. I am seeing awesome results with my blood sugars and blood pressure so that only confirms that I am eating the way I should be. Do I slip and eat a BAD carb (cookies not vegs/fruits) here and there? Yes. BUT 95% of the time I'm eating low carb. I aim for 30 grams a day but usually end up around 35-40 per day.2
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I don't recommend having cheats. They trigger cravings and there's no reason the "confuse the body". Just feed it well and treat it well. It will do its own thing well if you don't feed it crap.1
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I do a cheat meal once per week, typically. It's not for any scientific purpose. More just like I want some tater tots or chips & salsa, and I like to look forward to that meal.
Hasn't caused any major problems for me. But then again I'm not trying to maintain keto, just moderately low-carb, the rest of the time. 2 -
If by cheat, you mean jack up my total calorie intake, sure (one day per week, usually Saturday, and it's still around maintenance cals). If you mean adding carbs, no.2
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This is my 4th week on a hard keto diet. I've lost about 22lbs. so far. I do intend to have a cheat meal (carb refeed) on Monday the 4th of July. I've done one month keto diets in the past in order to get that 20lbs. rapid weight loss but I've never continued the keto diet past that point with or without a cheat meal. The only reason I'm going to do the cheat meal is to see if it "shocks" my body when it kicks me out of ketosis and then I get back into it. It's really more of an experiment than anything. I've done so much research and read so much into the keto diet and just like any diet (lifestyle), there are always differing opinions. I've come across people who say that you should have a cheat meal at certain intervals to confuse the body and re-ignite your metabolism. Others have said that you shouldn't put up a "sugar wall" that you have to keep knocking down every time in order to enter ketosis again. We'll see what happens.2
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KnitOrMiss wrote: »I don't do this intentionally, but I do do it on occasion deliberately.
Huhhhhuhhuhuhh
She said do do
[Beavis and Butthead laughter]
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I do LCHF but not Keto. I don't schedule or plan any cheat days or meals. Going over my carb goal doesn't happen often. When I want to eat something on occasion not so carb friendly, I make adjustments elsewhere in my day.1
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I do one to two days per week of higher carb, usually with one actual cheat meal of whatever I want. I have been losing consistently, so it's working for me, and the flexibility makes it much easier to stick with this way of eating.0
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KnitOrMiss wrote: »I don't do this intentionally, but I do do it on occasion deliberately.
Huhhhhuhhuhuhh
She said do do
[Beavis and Butthead laughter]
I was going to go there, but more of a family guy vibe. You rock.
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KnitOrMiss wrote: »I don't do this intentionally, but I do do it on occasion deliberately.
Huhhhhuhhuhuhh
She said do do
[Beavis and Butthead laughter]
*snerk*
Oh that brings up memories...
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When I see someone that hasn't started the WOE yet, asking about a "cheat meal"...
what I read is either, I'm not ready to fully commit or I know I can't sustain this WOE.
I could be wrong in any case, but if you have low willpower to begin w/ it could potentially set you up for disaster with heavy cravings, especially if you haven't been at this for long.
I don't personally believe in "refeed" or "reset" or "confusing the body"...if I want a slice of pizza, I call it what it is and it's typically never planned.6 -
Well, define "cheat". Does that mean higher calories, or eating more carbs than you normally do? My personal carb goal is anything less than 100 grams. Some days I am at 40-50, and some days I am at 80-100. For some people, those 80-100 would be considered "cheating".
This past Tuesday, I was way over on everything. We had a retirement party lunch at an Indian food buffet where I had no idea what it was I was eating, nevermind the calorie or carb counts. Then that evening went out to dinner for a family birthday and I'm sure was over on that too as well as having a drink. So, yes, I cheated, but it isn't something that I allow for regularly, next day I got right back on plan. I wanted to because I felt so horrible. lol.1 -
I am starting Low Carb next week, not Keto yet. I was wondering if anyone does a cheat meal or day to confuse the body?
I heard some people have carb days to confuse the body, but be warned if you're doing low carb (<=20g) to get your body into ketosis you'll be knocked out of ketosis and have to get back into it again which could take days or weeks which is a major bummer. I also find once I eat something sweet my brain kicks into overdrive wanting more and more sweets, which is how I got here to begin with, so I avoid it as much as I can. Most of my "cheat snacks" or "cheat meals" are usually just higher in calories but still low carb, like the vanilla ice cream I have or parsnip chips where I can eat an entire bag sometimes (they are way too good).
Of course sometimes I just really want ihop so pancakes happen once in awhile. I don't do that to confuse my body, I do it to spend time with my kiddo who loves pancakes on Sunday. But after that meal happens, that's it, I go right back to low carb. I don't do a whole high carb day.
If you're not worried about ketosis then try it and see how it works for you, but I'd try it after a month or so of strictly low carb since you'll essentially be learning a whole new way of eating.3 -
Confuse my body? No, I like it behaving normally.
I haven't cheated on keto, but I do sometimes eat above maintenance level calories. I probably will Monday. However, I know it means I most likely won't lose weight on the scale for the next week or two because of it.1 -
For ~ 2 months I was doing 1 'cheat' day per week, conveniently timed on the weekend of course. I would eat over my normal calories and carbs, probably ~100g carbs and ~2000 to 2500 calories for the day. I justified this because I'm nursing and I nurse more on weekends because I'm home with my babies instead of at work. I didn't lose a pound that whole time.
Now I've got my calories and carbs on lockdown 7 days a week and I'm FINALLY losing. So, I learned the hard way that 'confusing' my body with extra carbs and calories does nothing but keep me fat.5 -
For ~ 2 months I was doing 1 'cheat' day per week, conveniently timed on the weekend of course. I would eat over my normal calories and carbs, probably ~100g carbs and ~2000 to 2500 calories for the day. I justified this because I'm nursing and I nurse more on weekends because I'm home with my babies instead of at work. I didn't lose a pound that whole time.
Now I've got my calories and carbs on lockdown 7 days a week and I'm FINALLY losing. So, I learned the hard way that 'confusing' my body with extra carbs and calories does nothing but keep me fat.
Yeah, the point is, it doesn't confuse the body at all, your body knows exactly what to do with those extra carbs and calories. We just like to confuse our mind with justification. lol.5 -
I do LCHF, not strictly keto so I aim for less than 75g total (not net) carbs daily. I agree with previous posters, regularly scheduled "cheat days" or "cheat meals" do not a successful lifestyle change make.
I've been doing this WOE for over 3 months now and have had a few days with total carbs 100-150g so I guess you could call me an occasional cheater. When I have a desire to eat something not so carb friendly (which is rare by the way), I weigh the pros and cons and decide if it's really worth it and if I really want it. My thought is an occasional carb-filled splurge (ie. a few chips & salsa, alcohol, scoop of ice cream) isn't going to affect the long term outcome as I am not trying to keep my body in ketosis. However, a planned cheat where you eat like a carb-crazed maniac isn't a good idea if you truly want to change your lifestyle.0 -
I drink beer a couple nights a month. I don't use that as a reason to ingest other types of carbs. I'm just afraid if I stop drinking beer, I'll be deported as a phony Cascadian.0
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I don't have planned cheats but I do have complete
It usually takes days & extra insulin to get my sugar back on track.
or 
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JodehFoster wrote: »When I see someone that hasn't started the WOE yet, asking about a "cheat meal"...
what I read is either, I'm not ready to fully commit or I know I can't sustain this WOE.
I could be wrong in any case, but if you have low willpower to begin w/ it could potentially set you up for disaster with heavy cravings, especially if you haven't been at this for long.
I don't personally believe in "refeed" or "reset" or "confusing the body"...if I want a slice of pizza, I call it what it is and it's typically never planned.
Not true, just trying to get my plan together. Thank you.1 -
Thank you everyone for your input, I really appreciate all of your opinions. I am doing LCHF not keto and I am not going to plan any cheat meals.2
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everyone is different of course, and I am just back on the wagon...
I cheated 1 meal last Saturday, which turned to all day Sunday. For me, it is definitely a slippery slope. It has taken me 4 days to undo the damage from the carb up, which will result in minimal loss this week when I should still have been losing a lot.
I am considering a slightly higher carb meal tonight, but more veggies, cheese and cream with the potential for a SF dessert. Considering... I'm assuming the results will fair better than the all out carbfest from last weekend.2 -
Check out this link for links to a great podcast that I found to be very motivating when I got started. It convinced me to not cheat and here I am 14 months later never falling off the wagon and a solidly reformed sugar addict!
I can be sitting right with someone eating my old favorite candy and not only do I not want any of it, but I literally don't even consider it to be food any more. I would be just as likely to eat the candy as I would be to eat some dog food. Lol. It's not food for me.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10318441/7-lessons-for-keto-newbies-ketovangelist#latest0 -
I am starting Low Carb next week, not Keto yet. I was wondering if anyone does a cheat meal or day to confuse the body?
The only confusion that happens when I take a cheat day or even a cheat meal occurs right between my ears. "Well, if that splurge didn't do any harm, then, hey!! ...."
Plus a lot of my old favorite foods make me slightly ill now and my brain is just bright enough to remember that last experiment and its unfortunate aftermath.
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mandycat223 wrote: »I am starting Low Carb next week, not Keto yet. I was wondering if anyone does a cheat meal or day to confuse the body?
The only confusion that happens when I take a cheat day or even a cheat meal occurs right between my ears. "Well, if that splurge didn't do any harm, then, hey!! ...."
Plus a lot of my old favorite foods make me slightly ill now and my brain is just bright enough to remember that last experiment and its unfortunate aftermath.
I get that mindset - well, it wasn't that bad. And I absolutely HATE that my body doesn't try to kill me when I cheat. It would be far easier to stay on plan if I felt like crap afterwards... #notquiteproblems?0 -
Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »I can be sitting right with someone eating my old favorite candy and not only do I not want any of it, but I literally don't even consider it to be food any more. I would be just as likely to eat the candy as I would be to eat some dog food. Lol. It's not food for me.
I hope I get to that point. Soon.
My boss is a great cook, and loves to bring in treats for all of us. I can pass up the sweet stuff, but today she brought in these wonderful, savory, cookie-like things that had cheddar cheese and jalapenos in them. I shouldn't have eaten that first one, because I kept going back for more.
So that was my inadvertent "cheat meal." Tomorrow is a new day!
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