Do you plan your cheat meals/days?

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  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    edited August 2016
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    Pattycake755 wrote: »
    I don't understand why this woman is being bullied by the Diet Police. She did not say her diet was better; she said she was eating clean for her health, not just for weight loss, and___________________she was addressing one person.

    If I remember correctly, awhile back there was an influx of clean eaters on MFP. They tended to be extremely pushy and evangelical about it. Don't really notice it as much anymore, but I think what you see in some of the long standing MFP crowd is the residual feelings, especially if people think clean eating is the "only" way to lose weight or be healthy.
    Didn't notice that here with OP so much, aside from the one implication.
  • CrabNebula
    CrabNebula Posts: 1,119 Member
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    I plan a cheat meal for every Friday. Cheating to me is as much about quantity as it is about a particular food. Moderation has no place for me on Friday nights. That's for Saturday morning me to worry about. :tongue:
  • TheCrawlingChaos
    TheCrawlingChaos Posts: 462 Member
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    I don't consider them cheat days. If you plan to have these days of poor, or less than ideal, eating then it's not cheating. It's part of your plan. For me at least, "cheating " makes it sound bad and makes it easier to feel bad about it. I think it's better to just consider them a "rare and appropriate " meal (stole this idea from someone else).

    When I was doing "cheat days" every week I found I looked forward to them and that didn't seem right considering my goal was to make it a habit to eat well. So when I changed how I thought about those less than ideal meals, it changed a whole lot.

    I first started by calling them the "rare and appropriate " meals, and then not only pushed it back to once every 4 weeks, I also made it "at most once every 4 weeks." That means I didn't plan for it, and didn't schedule it to be right on the 4th week. If somethong came up where i could eat differently than normal, i would, but i didnt go out of my way to do it.

    By the time I reached a point I would allow my R&A I found I didn't really desire it, and the cravings weren't there. Because of that, I'd go much longer without it. I could then use that if I went out with friends for a special occasion. But since it's habit now, even when I find myself in a position to have an R&A out with friends, I actually still look for a healthier option if available.

    I think the last time I ate a "rare and appropriate " was a 2-3 months ago.
  • amyepdx
    amyepdx Posts: 750 Member
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    Pattycake755 wrote: »
    I don't understand why this woman is being bullied by the Diet Police. She did not say her diet was better; she said she was eating clean for her health, not just for weight loss, and___________________she was addressing one person.

    I think it is because the drama that the idea of a bite of a brownie was giving her led to comments about not demonizing food. If the idea of eating a piece of a brownie is going to cause someone to freak out, then maybe some ideas from others can help give some perspective for long term success.
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
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    I'll add myself to both crowds after a fashion.

    In my normal diet, I'll include whatever treats I feel like into my daily plans - my only idea of "clean eating" is "five second rule".

    On very particular occasions (birthdays, Christmas, etc.) I have no planned meals, and eat what I like. Sometimes too much, but they are a few specific days per year only.
  • amyepdx
    amyepdx Posts: 750 Member
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    rankinsect wrote: »
    I'll add myself to both crowds after a fashion.

    In my normal diet, I'll include whatever treats I feel like into my daily plans - my only idea of "clean eating" is "five second rule".

    On very particular occasions (birthdays, Christmas, etc.) I have no planned meals, and eat what I like. Sometimes too much, but they are a few specific days per year only.

    This and this!
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    I plan mine, every 2 weeks or so. It gives me something to look forward to, Not just because I'm eating something i usually avoid, I also look forward to the feeling of not having to worry about every single calorie/macro i consume that day, it's very freeing.
    This is not to say i have a free for all and stuff my face til I'm sick.. I usually hover around maintenance calories, or a little over.
  • wagnerpe123
    wagnerpe123 Posts: 65 Member
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    Every week. Yes, I plan them. 99% of the time it's Saturday. I love Saturdays. I swap a latte for a mocha with whip, salad for pizza and fruit for ice cream. I don't eat any exercise calories during the week, "banking" them for Saturdays. It works for me.
  • 75poundstogo
    75poundstogo Posts: 99 Member
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    PAV8888 wrote: »
    I don't plan. ***Kitten* happens.

    I'm in this stage right now. I prep meals 2x / week and try to log all my meals in the am so I know what calories I have to play with. Usually I have 300-500 snack calories / day (depending on activity). I always eat my cal goal and am trying to net 500 calls/ day for 2lbs loss / week. I don't have a whole lot of room for Big cheats. Right now I am trying to stay away from triggering foods. So no "cheat days" I'd be afraid to fall off the wagon (only day 41)
  • MzKrystle
    MzKrystle Posts: 74 Member
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    I like to plan my meals out a couple days in advance (speaking of which I need to do that right now) and I always leave some calories available for treats. Like wine. :)
  • DEBOO7
    DEBOO7 Posts: 239 Member
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    To be honest.... I don't believe in cheat meals or cheat days! The moment you start thinking 'cheat' it becomes something 'bad'. There is no bad food in moderation. I went out to dinner recently and there was tiramisu on the menu - didn't plan on having it but did and I enjoyed every mouthful. All I did was ensure that I returned to my clean eating. I don't indulge every time I go out or at every special occasion so when I do it's a 'me treat'.
  • DonM46
    DonM46 Posts: 771 Member
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    I don't cheat. If I go over my budget, it's an accident, & I make it up in the next few days.
  • chimonetabron2014
    chimonetabron2014 Posts: 57 Member
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    I always choose a day & plan for it. If you wait until your cravings take over, you may not come back at all it it may take a long awhile before you come back! Never deprive yourself. You can have what you want just make sure you have it in moderation & watch your portion sizes. Dnt wait until you binge....usually that's when bad things happen (I know from experience). Prepare & plan a cheat day! Plus it's always nice to have a cheat day :) enjoy & good luck!
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
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    I plan deficit days and maintenance days. I never call eating cheating. It's either a deficit, maintenance, or over maintenance, and we are meant to enjoy all the food.
  • MrsLannister
    MrsLannister Posts: 347 Member
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    I used to do cheat days, but I felt like I was undoing the work I did for the week. Instead, I find things that I can have and easily fit into my calories for the day. For instance, a Starbucks ice cream cone cookie is only 250 calories and a double shot on ice is only 100 calories. I can make that work once a week.

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