Do you plan your cheat meals/days?
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I love Cheeerio's, the amount i want doesn't fit well in a deficit. I usually have around 200g plus pb2 and full cream milk. So i save it for an every now and then treat, rather than suffering through a piddly serving size everyday which only makes me want more..0
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Actually I never understood the concept of "cheat days".
Why should I want to cheat myself?1 -
I personally find scheduling in a cheat day makes me behave the rest of the week, although if I have an immediate craving I tend to have some of whatever I fancy and excersize those calories off! Generally I try and only use half of my workout calories each time and save around 100 calories per day for the one day I don't worry so much.
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TavistockToad wrote: »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....?
That wasn't what I was asking at all. I am well aware you can't cheat the calorie system and I'm not looking for a way to try to. For you to imply that was my intention is ignorant, rude and condescending. If calorie counting for you or anyone else is simply about losing weight, gaining weight, muscle, etc...then by all means eat all the processed foods you want that fit into your plan if it's bringing you success in reaching your goals. I respect that and I'm happy for your success. For me personally it's more about overall improvement of my health and adapting to a healthier style of eating and eating processed foods and sugar on a regular basis are not part of that picture for me. For me this is a completely healthy, realistic and sustainable goal for myself. It doesn't make me immune to the occasional craving for junky foods but it definitely helps. Like I said, I get them less on this lifestyle.
My intention with this post was to find out from others what works for them to help me experiment in the best way to plan , or not plan, my cheat meals since my current plan doesn't seem to serve me well. Up until this point I have always planned 1 cheat meal a week. The problem with this is when my cheat meals are coming around I'm finding I don't really want them. I feel like I'd be just as happy eating my fish and veggies as I would a plate of pizza. On the flip side of that though (and I think other women may be able to relate) when I ovulate and 1-2 days pre-menses my cravings go sky high. Since my cycles are irregular ( PMDD and PCOS... a huge part of the reason I'm eating clean to begin with) I cannot plan my cheat meals for those days. Those days just become a bust, I can deal with 2 days a month being a bust but adding those 2 days on top of already planned cheat meals seems excessive and pointless. So I'm trying to decide if I should give up cheat meals and be more impulsive when the cravings hit during what I'll have to just assume is ovulation and PMS or stick to my current plan making the assumption that the cheat meals have been what keeps my cravings away to begin with.
For what it's worth, I get ravenous during PMS, and I try as much as possible to save my 'cheat meals' (high calorie things that typically can't fit in my days) for that time... as I'll be hungry and will probably go over anyway. And yeah, on those days it's not always planned.
The high calorie desserts I try to save for the days when I'm not that hungry though, as they just don't fill me up at all (I did try a 1200 calorie piece of cheesecake on a PMS day, hoping it would help... it was as if I had eaten nothing). It's really my advice though - MAKE IT FIT. If I really crave something, I make it fit.
THERE IS NO CHEAT IF IT FITS YOUR CALORIES.1 -
I do cheat days on Saturdays when it's not Football Season, and I do them on Sundays on Football Season.2
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It's not cheating for me as my weekly diet includes having a higher caloric day. This approach can work even whilst 'cutting' weight. Dieting with a deficit all the time can, in fact, be counterproductive especially when you get to lower bf levels.1
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I fit things in instead of having cheat days. I might have woken up and eaten one of those pre-made cookie batter things (that you just pull off the paper sheet and put in the oven) before I even had breakfast. Eat it, enjoy it, log it.1
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While I personally don't label foods as good/bad/cheats/clean, I'll never understand the rage in these forums at other people choosing to use these labels. What works for me OP? Eating food that meets my calorie and nutritional targets 90% of the time. The other 10% of the time is reserved for UNPLANNED IDGAF food whether it be larger than usual quantities of the normal food I eat (fruits/veggies/meat/full fat dairy) or foods I rarely eat (cake, chips, chinese etc.). This food usually significantly exceeds my calorie and macro targets and I feel zero guilt when I consume it because the majority of the time i'm giving my body what it needs. The reason I don't plan this food is because I want to eat it when I want to eat it. Maybe it's an unplanned breakfast with my sister, some drinks for a co workers retirement or my TOM; regardless, scheduling to eating highly caloric food once a week on a Saturday because it's Saturday would be pointless for me personally because like you I might not want to eat those things at that moment.2
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I don't believe in "cheat" days or meals. I try to stay within the calorie amounts I am aiming for, often I am under. If my husband and I decide to go out for dinner or there is a family celebration I will work around what is offered. We tend to go to the same few restaurants so I know what will fit into my calorie goals. If I choose something else I will eat part and take the rest home for another meal, portion sizes in most restaurants are large enough that this works well. If it is a birthday celebration or something that involves sweets, I will just indulge and enjoy. By not labeling any food as "bad" I don't tend to crave things. Having a "cheat" day or meal implies that what you are eating is bad.2
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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.
I don't cheat because that implies I'm doing something wrong. Many a cheat day has killed many a deficit, as well as caused many a weight gain if cheating while in maintenance. Everybody goes over sometimes, but the goal is to not make it a consistent thing.
However, if I know the weekend will have more food than usual, I will bank some extra calories during the week for that day. What matters is that I stay within maintenance calories for the week.2 -
You can eat clean all you want but still be eating more than you realize, thus those cheat days can kill your deficit, especially if you don't monitor how much you eat.4 -
I eat whatever I want, as long as it fits into my calorie goal. So, I don't consider eating sweets to be cheating.
That said, every now and then I have a day where I eat at maintenance because I'm at a high deficit and after a few weeks of it, my hunger levels seem to skyrocket.
This as well. I have something sweet each day.1 -
Russellb97 wrote: »elisa123gal wrote: »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.
It's nearly impossible to blow a week of deficits in one day.
I don't like the word "cheat" for this but for the past 12+ years I have a planned 24-48 hour calorie surplus day/weekend each and every week. I look forward to it all week by taking mental notes of what I'm craving and having them guilt-free in just a few more days. I'm in control, I choose when I eat the foods that used to control me.
Doing this every week is why I was able to lose 100lbs 12 years ago and another 30lbs since.
No it is not. People can down 3,000-4,000 calories in a day, especially if they choose calorie dense foods for this cheat day. Do this once a week and those extra calories over your TDEE can kill the deficit.
With your overage meals, you still overall stayed within your calorie goals, otherwise you would not have lost weight.
This is not the case for many people. 2 -
wagnerpe123 wrote: »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.
This is not cheating. This is great planning! 1 -
what's a cheat day? if i want to eat something, i earn it on the bike, the track, or in the pool. if i screw up, i screw up, but i don't call it cheating. it's so easy to wipe away a few days of deficit by purposely cheating2
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I don't have cheat days or meals. Generally, I have enough calories left at the end of the day that I can have a little treat - 100 calories of ice cream or chocolate - without going over my deficit. Sometimes, I have days where I get very close to may limit (birthdays, vacations, etc.). On those days, I might not have my treat... or I might include some extra exercise, so I can. Either way, I decided that going over my deficit once in a great while isn't going to be that big of a deal, since I'm usually under it.0
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I don't do cheat meals or days. That is not to say I never have a piece of cake, never eat cheese or chocolates or potato chips (my weaknesses), etc. I do, but make sure they fit into my daily calorie goals.
Giving in to the temptation to gorge myself is what got me overweight in the first place. I was always like "but I'll be good starting TOMORROW." And I would be, but then I'd give in again, and the "giving in" days would be more and more frequent. And then my pants stopped fitting.
Even if the calories from a cheat day/meal don't completely eliminate your progress for the week, the sodium can cause water retention that may show up on the scale. (Because let's face it. We don't call it cheating when we are eating low-calorie salads, apples, homemade vegetable soups, etc. in excess. If "excess" even exists for those things. We call it cheating when we go for too much of something that's salty, deep fried, covered in a layer of cheese, or full of starch and/or sugar.) I don't feel that occasional consumption of a food is cheating if it fits within my calorie goals, and I don't consider occasional gorging compatible with the healthy lifestyle changes that are necessary to keep the weight off.
I got married earlier this year (just at the courthouse, not some big production) and I got up early that morning and worked out for a few hours so that I could handle two restaurant meals in one day plus cake. I made sensible choices, I didn't derail on my weight loss journey, and I feel much better about myself as a result.1 -
I cant fit goodies into my daily intake because they cause me to eat more. I have a serious problem with sweets, its the reason why I'm here in the first place. Having a problem with sweets is bad for me (me, specifically) because I am insulin resistant (that can lead to Type 2 diabetes for me) and I have an autoimmune disease that causes hyperthyroidism.
Now that's out of the way, I eat a Keto diet, and its important to me (Again, me specifically) that I learn how to control my relationship with food; it has always been used as a reward in my life. I'm an overachiever, so there's a lot of things that I can use as an excuse of a reward.
When I eat a high carb diet, I feel like crap. So I do plan my cheat days (usually around special events). Ill be eating with no regards on thanksgiving and Christmas, and ill be drinking to excess on Christmas eve and my birthday (12/27). My mother makes the best banana pudding, mac and cheese and dressing that ive ever eaten in my life, and I wont be missing out on that. My sister turns 18 on 11/16, so ive already planned to have a slice of the store bought bday cake that she loves, along with my HaloTop icecream (low carb and low calorie, and its delicious). Next year, I have 4 vacations planned, and ill be planning some higher carb days within those vacations.
I'm a planner by nature, and planning my cheat days are perfect for me because I know exactly what to expect.
But again, that's just me.2 -
I just assume I'll cheat on the weekends.0
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Well, I do IIFYM so I eat whatever I want, so the impulse to cheat isn't there because nothing is off-limits on IIFYM.
But I do have a cheat meal every two weeks. Planned and scheduled. Keeps me from going off the rails during the week and on the actual day, as I've meticulously planned what I'm having and how much.0
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