Do you plan your cheat meals/days?
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PinkSuede
Posts: 49 Member
Im wondering what methods people use for cheats meals or cheat days. Do you find its better for you personally to plan them in advance to keep cravings away or do you keep pushing til the cravings get so bad you'd almost kill someone for a bite of a brownie? And why? I know Ill have to figure out what is best for me personally but Im curious how others approach it.
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Replies
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I alway cheat on Saturdays just a couple of cheat meals tho4
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I just polished 900ml of tiramisu ice cream - I am spontaneous like that14
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There's something seriously wrong if a bite of a brownie is considered cheating.22
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I don't plan. ***Kitten* happens.5
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You poor thing...16 -
<confused> You won't eat vegetables unless it is a cheat day? </confusion>
<idea!> But... what if you washed your vegetables? Then they would be clean enough to eat on ANY day! </idea>
May I suggest a novel idea? "Eat to a weekly deficit that is approximately 20% of your total daily energy expenditure". Eat whatever the ***kitten*** makes you happy and likely to continue doing so for as long as you need to.
Pay some attention to things such as fiber (about 25g a day for women/38g for men) and protein.
MFP's recommendation on protein is actually not that bad. Try for that or more
And consume at least 20% of your calories from fats, with saturated fats preferably not exceeding 7% of your total calories. That falls a little bit below what MFP recommends.6 -
TavistockToad wrote: »
You poor thing...
Not really. Since cutting out most processed foods and those with added sugar my cravings and appetite have been much more manageable when compared to eating whatever I want as long as it fits within my calorie budget. When I do eat sugar... the cravings for more sugar last about 24 hours. Usually I dont miss it at all. Out of sight, out of mind.....for the most part.12 -
I plan my cheat meals . i find it motivates me to get through the rest of the week if it is a particularily hard week. A typical cheat meal consists of a dinner (wings / pizza) with icecream for desert.
I know if i was just to have treats incorporated any day i would binge; so to each their own..:)
Cheat day is usually sunday or a day when there is an event or party planned.
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I eat - I track - I fill my macros accordingly - I maintain the weight and BF% i want - no clue what a cheat meal is.5
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The best realistic advice is to have a "cheat meal" not a "cheat day". If you've worked out and ate at a deficit all week..eating a meal off your plan won't ruin your progress like eating all day long whatever you want.
Myself.. I eat strict on plan for breakfast and lunch.. I workout.. then I will go out to dinner and just get what I want. Not much damage done at all..and it keeps me sane.5 -
TavistockToad wrote: »
You poor thing...
Not really. Since cutting out most processed foods and those with added sugar my cravings and appetite have been much more manageable when compared to eating whatever I want as long as it fits within my calorie budget. When I do eat sugar... the cravings for more sugar last about 24 hours. Usually I dont miss it at all. Out of sight, out of mind.....for the most part.
yet you're posting here about how to shoehorn everything you feel you 'cant' eat into a cheat day, so....?16 -
I struggle to stick to my diet when hubbys is home so his day off is always my cheat day. It's what we call in our house 'family day'. We'll normally have a day out with the kids which 99% of time means eating out. It all works out pretty well though because it's also my lie in day so I skip breakfast and he's home to have the kids in the evening so I can go to the gym. Sounds crazy that I plan my cheat days around my husband but it works. It's important to me that my new lifestyle fits my current routine. In my head it means it's more sustainable.4
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When I was on a mission to lose weight, I did not have any cheat days. I stuck to the diet like glue.
But I also made a decision that if I had a limited number of calories to work with, I was going to eat only foods I liked. So that bite of brownie ... sure, why not! As long as it fit within my calorie limit.
I also exercised a lot, especially on weekends, so that I could eat more.6 -
You asked if we planned days where we simply eat more (cheat), or do we wait until things are so bad we cave in. To me this is a double standard and are not the same things. Caving in to have that brownie is not the same as a planned :"cheaterie".
The "cheaterie" is not a cheat if it is planned. I personally hate the the use of this terms as it implies breaking some law or rule and its label alone implies to rebel only leaving me guilty or shamed.
I do make plan to be relaxed on calories(weekends), it may be choices of foods or the number of calories (maintenance). If I choose to I can bank calories, or just for go the deficit for a day.8 -
I dont plan to be honest.
I eat and then base the rest of my calories around that.
Last night a had a big plateful of Turkish mixed grill which I am overestimating at around 1000 calories. Today i will take it easy to make up for it. Not starve but eat enough low cal foods until im satieted. (maybe more coffee to reduce hunger too)2 -
To the extent that I know there will be alcohol on the weekends I suppose I plan my cheating, but no I don't plan to cheat I can tell in advance when I will go over by 1000 calories -- for example on the 4th of July; at a reunion & this up coming Labor Day with all the BBQs. I try to balance out the food with extra movement -- dancing, walking. playing games etc. I'm down 9 pounds so it's working to some extent. If I abstained, would I have lost more weight? Probably but I'd be miserable, feel deprived & I'd never make it.
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I don't cheat because I eat all the things. Just not all the things all the time. The "cheating" mentality can be a bit counterproductive to me, as is the clean/unclean way of thinking. I eat food. I try to make sure it's filling and nutritious most of the time. I scratch the psychological indulgent food itch nearly every day too.
That said, I exercise a reasonably large amount to allow me the calories to do this, I would never survive on very restricted calories and food choices.8 -
I have a treat like a chocolate bar or a piece of cake everyday, so I never get to the stage where I feel like I could murder someone for a bite of a brownie.
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I usually have to if I want to make sure that it fits in my weekly calories.2
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