Cheat meals, how do you feel about them??
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BarbellzNBrotein wrote: »I lost most of my weight eating fast food.. as long as it fits in your calories and you still have a deficit, who cares?
Why not eat what best fuels you? Personally I feel more "alive" when I eat real food. Fast food has it's place but I don't see the benefit of it taking up the majority of your macros.
Because there's no point in restricting yourself and not eating what you like - it's the best way of assuring that you'll give up entirely.
The point is to find a diet that you can stick to.
For what it's worth, I can't really stand fast food anymore because it doesn't fill me up for the calories, and it just doesn't appeal to me at all anymore... but if someone can fit it in their calories, there's nothing wrong with that. They still get plenty of nutrition from it.6 -
Chef_Barbell wrote: »BarbellzNBrotein wrote: »I lost most of my weight eating fast food.. as long as it fits in your calories and you still have a deficit, who cares?
Why not eat what best fuels you? Personally I feel more "alive" when I eat real food. Fast food has it's place but I don't see the benefit of it taking up the majority of your macros.
Fast food is food. It has macros and calories like any other food. Just because someone buys it in a restaurant doesn't make it not "real food".
Agreed. Restaurant cooked food is real food .. however "fast food" wasn't defined by the poster.0 -
I used a "cheat meal" approach for three months involving very restrictive deficit (~1550ish for me) during the week to "bank" for a huge splurge meal (2,000+++). In retrospect, I would have been better off sticking to ~1750 a day and indulging more moderately on the way. The "cheat" mentality was too close to a binge / deprive cycle, something I've struggled with before.
It doesn't work for me.2 -
BarbellzNBrotein wrote: »Chef_Barbell wrote: »BarbellzNBrotein wrote: »I lost most of my weight eating fast food.. as long as it fits in your calories and you still have a deficit, who cares?
Why not eat what best fuels you? Personally I feel more "alive" when I eat real food. Fast food has it's place but I don't see the benefit of it taking up the majority of your macros.
Fast food is food. It has macros and calories like any other food. Just because someone buys it in a restaurant doesn't make it not "real food".
Agreed. Restaurant cooked food is real food .. however "fast food" wasn't defined by the poster.
All food is real food. Some is more nutritionally dense than others, but it's all real food.4 -
Surely all that really matters is that your overall trend is towards your goals - and you seem to be making great progress having lost over 40lbs already. Nothing to feel guilty about!0
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BarbellzNBrotein wrote: »I lost most of my weight eating fast food.. as long as it fits in your calories and you still have a deficit, who cares?
Why not eat what best fuels you? Personally I feel more "alive" when I eat real food. Fast food has it's place but I don't see the benefit of it taking up the majority of your macros.
Because there's no point in restricting yourself and not eating what you like - it's the best way of assuring that you'll give up entirely.
The point is to find a diet that you can stick to.
For what it's worth, I can't really stand fast food anymore because it doesn't fill me up for the calories, and it just doesn't appeal to me at all anymore... but if someone can fit it in their calories, there's nothing wrong with that. They still get plenty of nutrition from it.
I'm not against restaurant cooked food. Not at all. I just don't use it as a staple for a variety of reasons 1) it doesn't fill you up like you said 2) I'm spending more money 3) I like cooking my own food. Not making fast food my main food source doesn't mean I don't indulge in it. What kind of life would that bb? At the end of the day one should do what makes them happy.0 -
Chef_Barbell wrote: »BarbellzNBrotein wrote: »Chef_Barbell wrote: »BarbellzNBrotein wrote: »I lost most of my weight eating fast food.. as long as it fits in your calories and you still have a deficit, who cares?
Why not eat what best fuels you? Personally I feel more "alive" when I eat real food. Fast food has it's place but I don't see the benefit of it taking up the majority of your macros.
Fast food is food. It has macros and calories like any other food. Just because someone buys it in a restaurant doesn't make it not "real food".
Agreed. Restaurant cooked food is real food .. however "fast food" wasn't defined by the poster.
All food is real food. Some is more nutritionally dense than others, but it's all real food.
I feel we have different definitions for what real food is. I don't see McDonald's as real food.1 -
BarbellzNBrotein wrote: »Chef_Barbell wrote: »BarbellzNBrotein wrote: »Chef_Barbell wrote: »BarbellzNBrotein wrote: »I lost most of my weight eating fast food.. as long as it fits in your calories and you still have a deficit, who cares?
Why not eat what best fuels you? Personally I feel more "alive" when I eat real food. Fast food has it's place but I don't see the benefit of it taking up the majority of your macros.
Fast food is food. It has macros and calories like any other food. Just because someone buys it in a restaurant doesn't make it not "real food".
Agreed. Restaurant cooked food is real food .. however "fast food" wasn't defined by the poster.
All food is real food. Some is more nutritionally dense than others, but it's all real food.
I feel we have different definitions for what real food is. I don't see McDonald's as real food.
That's on you. *shrug*5 -
I tried "dieting" M-F and then ate what I wanted on weekends but found I often ate back my calories and stalled for the week. This was exasperating, so now I try to stay close to my TDEE on weekends and don't "splurge". One Chinese Buffet on the weekend can do a lot of damage in my case. I have to contend with the glycogen refeed and the swoosh in water weight from the sodium bloat. I realize that it isn't fat gain and will drop in a few days.
I pick and choose carefully at restaurants and often go for "light fare" under 500 calories. At McDonalds I can eat a Mcdouble cheeseburger, side salad and cup of icewater and feel satiated. I've also discovered that the grilled chicken is available a la carte if you ask for it (little known secret) for around $2.09. I'll make a mini grilled chicken salad by putting it with the side salad. That way I can eat with others who stop there and still stay on plan.
However dealing with a gain over the weekend, going low cal at the beginning of the week just to get back to where I was to drop the bloat was demoralizing to read on the scale. I've struggled with a plateau and have maintained for a looong time. I have realized since starting MFP that my maintenance daily calories are higher than I once thought.
Now instead of over restricting during the week and over-compensating on the weekend I've been eating closer to actual TDEE steadily so I don't have the cravings and feelings of deprivation.
I'm starting fresh on Monday working out at the gym to see if I can drop 0.5 pounds a week. I plan to do that by burning an extra 250 calories a day on average either through extra activity or cutting calories. This should achieve my goal for me. If I can't lose weight and get off the plateau this go round, then I'm going to go to a general physician and possibly an endocrinologist to get thyroid screened.1 -
ElizabethOakes2 wrote: »I don't call it cheating. It's a splurge, or a treat. I just got back from two weeks of dealing with a family emergency, followed by a weeklong emergency. I ate well, and a bit too much, and that's okay. I know that now that I'm home and back in my comfort zone, I'll get back on track. And I can look back at that awesome burger and microbrew, and the blueberry pancake breakfast, and remember how good they tasted, and how much I enjoyed them, and not stress about how many calories were in them, or how much saturated fat.
The trick, I think, is to accept that there will be times when you'll want to eat something that's not on your plan, and you eat it, enjoy it, remember it as something you really enjoyed, but not let it get you off track or beat yourself up over it.
Amen to that! It took me years of losing and gaining to learn this truth. There are certain foods I don't eat on a regular basis. Ones that I love too much and consider trigger foods. But, when I do eat them and go off my program (sometimes a bit and sometimes too much) I've learn to enjoy them, let go of any quilt, and just get right back on program and go forward2 -
Well I've done them the past 2 weeks and my weight loss has actually increased
Even last saturday I thought I went overboard and thought I would even gain, but I lost a lb at the end of the week
I think if you're going to implement a cheat meal, then you have to be REALLY good with your logging and sticking to your goals the rest of the time.1 -
I'm pretty new to MFP, but I'm really clenching down on my nutrition to make sure that I'm being mindful when I eat and catering to my sweet tooth. If you're an emotional eater, like I am, and turn to food for literally everything, then I wouldn't recommend a "cheat" meal, especially since you feel guilty afterwards. My sweet tooth craving is *slowly* transitioning from cookies and donuts to Werthers hard candies (23 cal per candy, I think), herbal tea (Chocolate Macaroon from David's Tea is amazing with some honey and a splash of whole milk), and Muscle Milk. I drink Muscle Milk as a meal replacement for dinner when my boyfriend and I are working late and don't have the time to cook and it's like drinking a milkshake. Plus, it is perfect for a post-workout drink.
How about for your cheat meal, instead of getting fast food, you home-cook a meal? Whatever you get at a fast food place can be easily replicated and much more nutritionally substantial. You can have the experience of creating a great dish while "cheating", which can make you love it more. For example, when I really want a burger it's easy to stop at fast-food place, but when I make one at home on my Foreman grill it's a million times tastier and I can customize it how I please. If you don't have time to cook, how about going to Whole Foods or a more "upscale" grocery store that cooks items to-go?2 -
Teemo_sucks wrote: »Well I've done them the past 2 weeks and my weight loss has actually increased
Even last saturday I thought I went overboard and thought I would even gain, but I lost a lb at the end of the week
I think if you're going to implement a cheat meal, then you have to be REALLY good with your logging and sticking to your goals the rest of the time.
Exactly. If you have a tight rein and stick to goals and can go low enough to compensate the rest of the week that is good for you. It only makes me hungrier when I splurge, unfortunately.
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flatcoatedR wrote: »ElizabethOakes2 wrote: »I don't call it cheating. It's a splurge, or a treat. I just got back from two weeks of dealing with a family emergency, followed by a weeklong emergency. I ate well, and a bit too much, and that's okay. I know that now that I'm home and back in my comfort zone, I'll get back on track. And I can look back at that awesome burger and microbrew, and the blueberry pancake breakfast, and remember how good they tasted, and how much I enjoyed them, and not stress about how many calories were in them, or how much saturated fat.
The trick, I think, is to accept that there will be times when you'll want to eat something that's not on your plan, and you eat it, enjoy it, remember it as something you really enjoyed, but not let it get you off track or beat yourself up over it.
Amen to that! It took me years of losing and gaining to learn this truth. There are certain foods I don't eat on a regular basis. Ones that I love too much and consider trigger foods. But, when I do eat them and go off my program (sometimes a bit and sometimes too much) I've learn to enjoy them, let go of any quilt, and just get right back on program and go forward
Same here. I don't leave highly desirable trigger foods in my environment and don't eat them regularly. But on occasion I enjoy them at a meal and move back right onto my normal schedule. I don't have "cheat days" or that throws me into a tailspin. These are treats for me "once in a while" not daily.0 -
If you want the fast food, then have the fast food. But log it too.
If you go over your calories for the day by having the fast food, then look to the rest of the week to see if you can balance it out by eating less calories on other days. For example, yesterday I grazed on a pack of tuc crackers while watching a movie. I went over my calorie goal. Today and tomorrow I'm going to try and eat a couple hundred under my calorie goal.1 -
BarbellzNBrotein wrote: »BarbellzNBrotein wrote: »I lost most of my weight eating fast food.. as long as it fits in your calories and you still have a deficit, who cares?
Why not eat what best fuels you? Personally I feel more "alive" when I eat real food. Fast food has it's place but I don't see the benefit of it taking up the majority of your macros.
Because there's no point in restricting yourself and not eating what you like - it's the best way of assuring that you'll give up entirely.
The point is to find a diet that you can stick to.
For what it's worth, I can't really stand fast food anymore because it doesn't fill me up for the calories, and it just doesn't appeal to me at all anymore... but if someone can fit it in their calories, there's nothing wrong with that. They still get plenty of nutrition from it.
I'm not against restaurant cooked food. Not at all. I just don't use it as a staple for a variety of reasons 1) it doesn't fill you up like you said 2) I'm spending more money 3) I like cooking my own food. Not making fast food my main food source doesn't mean I don't indulge in it. What kind of life would that bb? At the end of the day one should do what makes them happy.
Who said that fast food would be a staple though? I thought we were talking about a once in a while thing.1 -
I try to plan ahead instead of trying to constantly cut back afterward to make up for overages. I'd rather run under a bit under than over and then deprive myself and be bloated and miserable for a few days. Which is fine. Everyone is different in their approaches!0
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BarbellzNBrotein wrote: »BarbellzNBrotein wrote: »I lost most of my weight eating fast food.. as long as it fits in your calories and you still have a deficit, who cares?
Why not eat what best fuels you? Personally I feel more "alive" when I eat real food. Fast food has it's place but I don't see the benefit of it taking up the majority of your macros.
Because there's no point in restricting yourself and not eating what you like - it's the best way of assuring that you'll give up entirely.
The point is to find a diet that you can stick to.
For what it's worth, I can't really stand fast food anymore because it doesn't fill me up for the calories, and it just doesn't appeal to me at all anymore... but if someone can fit it in their calories, there's nothing wrong with that. They still get plenty of nutrition from it.
I'm not against restaurant cooked food. Not at all. I just don't use it as a staple for a variety of reasons 1) it doesn't fill you up like you said 2) I'm spending more money 3) I like cooking my own food. Not making fast food my main food source doesn't mean I don't indulge in it. What kind of life would that bb? At the end of the day one should do what makes them happy.
Who said that fast food would be a staple though? I thought we were talking about a once in a while thing.
We are. I'm expanding on any grey areas on my point.0 -
I typically have some form of take out on Friday nights. It's been my routine for years and cutting it out would make me sad. So now I just plan for it. I log that meal 1st thing and work the rest of my day around it. I don't make up for it in the next few days by eating less or punishing myself with extra exercise. If I go over calories a bit, so be it. I had Arby's, including curly fries, last night. I enjoyed every last salty, crispy, simple carb laden bite. And today I'll eat and go for my walk as normal. I will try to get in some extra water because all extra salt makes me more thirsty anyway. No guilt, no negative self talk. Just eating yummy food and moving my butt.2
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I don't care for the concept of "cheat meals" because I think they can induce feelings of guilt much like what you are indicating OP. I work foods I love to eat on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis depending on what it is. For example, I have wine and something sweet like dark chocolate or a serving of gelato or some Oreos pretty much every day. I have fast casual food like Chipotle about once a week, same with pizza. About once a month I will have a date night or girls night out where I know I will be having a more indulgent meal. I often bank calories during the week for higher calorie meals and events on the weekends. But I don't view it as a cheat meal, it's just the way my lifestyle is so I plan for it and accommodate it.
Back to your specific situation and feelings of guilt OP, did you log the meal? Did it put you over your calories for the day? By how much? Your weight loss goal has a deficit built into t already. Depending on what you have your goal set at, if it is to lose 1 lb/week that means you would have to exceed your calories by 3500 in order to just "not lose" and you'd have to exceed them by 7000 in order to gain a pound. It's all about perspective. Eat the fast food if you want it, log it and move on. No guilt.3
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