Cheat Meals/Days - Necessity or Disaster?

LukeAdrianBoardman · October 2016

So here I am - Week one of my diet complete!

I've come to the end of my first week (7 days) of dieting while regularly exercising and have had quite a successful week - i've lost 3lbs Yippeee!

I'm not sure whether i'm the only person who does this, but previously to now, dieting for a week meant eating well for 5 days, cheat meal on Friday evening which triggered a weekend of cheat meals, back on the horse on Monday morning; sure i'd lose weight, maybe 1lbs, but it always left me wondering, how much weight would I have lost if I hadn't eaten that fourth krispy kreme?

This time its different for me (I hope) I've completely avoided having a cheat day this week as this triggers me into a landslide of all things delicious and unhealthy and I simply cant resist.

I think for at least the first few weeks i'll have to stay away while I get my diet under control, then slowly introduce those delicious foods that landed me here in the first place - I enjoy food and want a healthy relationship with it.

I think that having a cheat meal once a week is good way to approach dieting, its all about moderation right? but at the moment the lines are blurred between moderation and over indulgence.

What works for you? do you have a cheat meal/day every week? every two weeks.

PS: i'm aiming for a healthy 2lb loss per week. 20lbs before Christmas, wish me look

cityruss · October 2016

The easiest thing to do this is drop all this cheat nonsense and look at everything as numbers in an energy balance.

You want to fall on the negative side of the energy balance. Do this however you see fit.

Food is just numbers.

seska422 · October 2016

I work treats into my calories every day. I don't set aside a special day or meal to eat what I want - I do that every day.

I can't eat as much as I want of everything that I want every day but I've found a satisfying balance through portion control.

malibu927 · October 2016

I've never had a cheat meal/day. As you said, it's about moderation. To me, this means working the foods I enjoy into my goals as I can.

lissmayer · October 2016

The whole notion of "cheating" suggests you aren't making a sustainable lifestyle change; you are white knuckling it. And maybe you can white knuckle forever, but I can't. My options were 1. lifestyle change I can be happy with or 2. get happy with my post-baby weight.

I think you have to decide which you want: get to your preferred weight or eat four donuts. You can't have both.

NancyYale · October 2016

It's a mental game and semantics. Never CHEAT. As part of my overall WL plan, I allow for several untracked meals a month. 3 to 4. Social meals only. One me only, never an entire day. The rest of the time I am always at deficit.

I don't call these "cheat meals". These are an important part of my plan. I wanted to be able to enjoy social meals and holidays while staying on track.

This works well for me. You might be different.

dragon_girl26 · October 2016

A necessity? No. Overeating/cheating once a week would just make me want to overeat the other 6 days, too, which is how I got fat in the first place. I chose my new lifestyle for a reason...I didn't want to be that person anymore. Maybe I sort of equate it to meeting back up frequently with an ex..like, how good is it for me, mentally, with moving on and taking control? Having a treat each day works better for me.

Chef_Barbell · October 2016

You can't cheat on food. It's just food. Work treats into your daily calories.

LukeAdrianBoardman · October 2016

ok so the general consensus is no.. I had meant to keep the post upbeat and positive.

I think having a treat every once in a while is what makes us human, and allows us to lead a healthy, balanced life.

moderation is key.

Chef_Barbell · October 2016

LukeAdrianBoardman wrote: »

ok so the general consensus is no.. I had meant to keep the post upbeat and positive.

I think having a treat every once in a while is what makes us human, and allows us to lead a healthy, balanced life.

moderation is key.

No, the general consensus is you can't cheat on a diet. It's disordered thinking. It's just food, you eat it and log it and move on.

herculesmulligan · October 2016

Yay to week one in the books! Here's to many more successful weeks.

For me, I find it more effective to plan around special meals or things I really want. For example, if I know I want to go out, I figure out the calories (as best I can, sometimes tricky with restaurants) and plan to eat a bit lighter that day so I can fit my meal into my goals. The concept of cheating makes me feel guilty so I try to avoid that feeling by just planning ahead. I agree that I feel more balanced if I know I can go out and eat with friends, or have a few drinks.

And I appreciate the positive tone -- it can be a rare thing! I know people get tired of answering the same questions but nobody is obligated to post in threads they don't want to. I appreciate the posters who make this a welcoming place.

siraphine · October 2016

Cheating is a cop out. If you want to make a change, make a change. Don't screw around and say, "I'm going to commit, except for this time and this time." THAT isn't going to fix your relationship with food. Find a way to budget in that piece of cake if you feel like you need to have it and hold yourself accountable when you mess up. Don't just be all, "Whoops! I cheated and it's fine. These calories don't count."

JoshD8705 · October 2016

Here's my take on it. If you're training, and focusing on the macros, calories, and trying to adhere to a strict daily meal plan with things like prep meals. Then yes go out and have a nice meal somewhere once a week, or every 2 weeks. BUT first last at least 30 days without any cheat meals. I believe you need to learn self control, or you'll keep making excuses for why you deserve a meal out, or a snack, and next thing you know you've gained it all back.

Christine_72 · October 2016

I have maintenance days every now and then. I can't fit certain foods in the amounts i want into my deficit.

Mouse_Potato · October 2016

I've had a day here and there when I told myself I didn't care and just went hog wild, but I always end up logging it to the best of my ability because that's what I need to do. And when I see the damage I did to my progress it's almost never worth it (I stress "almost." I had a 500+ calorie chocolate martini that was almost worth being fat again). I don't generally plan for cheat meals, much less cheat days, but I do allow myself some leeway for special occasions and I try to work small treats in every day. Today I had a chocolate craving, so I had some Halo Top ice cream and then a fat-free hot cocoa. Total calories: 80. I try to have a diet that never leaves me wanting to go "Eff it!" and give up. That's what makes it sustainable. 1380 days logged as of this morning.

dmsx3 · October 2016

Sort of but I don't call it a cheat day. I eat pretty structured Monday-Saturday so I give myself a break on Sundays. I don't go crazy eating but I let myself relax on logging a bit and eat a bit more spontaneously than the other 6 days of the week. If I have a mid-week craving, I fit it into my meal structure during the week if I can but sometimes I fit it in on Sundays. It works for me. Almost down 20 lbs in 90 days of logging.

endlessfall16 · October 2016

If you see it as cheat meals/days, you're not ready and it'll be a disaster.

On the other hands, 2-3 days a week I eat freely and it's not an issue. Couple things you should know: they are all accounted and I no longer have the disordered eating behavior found with obese people.

Lounmoun · October 2016

I eat food I like every day and fit it in my calorie goal so there is really nothing to cheat from. Sometimes I eat at maintenance calorie level. I log food every day. I've had the best success doing it this way. It isn't a diet or lifestyle change just eating appropriate portion sizes so it is very sustainable long term.

TonyB0588 · October 2016

LukeAdrianBoardman wrote: »

So here I am - Week one of my diet complete!

I've come to the end of my first week (7 days) of dieting while regularly exercising and have had quite a successful week - i've lost 3lbs Yippeee!

I'm not sure whether i'm the only person who does this, but previously to now, dieting for a week meant eating well for 5 days, cheat meal on Friday evening which triggered a weekend of cheat meals, back on the horse on Monday morning; sure i'd lose weight, maybe 1lbs, but it always left me wondering, how much weight would I have lost if I hadn't eaten that fourth krispy kreme?

This time its different for me (I hope) I've completely avoided having a cheat day this week as this triggers me into a landslide of all things delicious and unhealthy and I simply cant resist.

I think for at least the first few weeks i'll have to stay away while I get my diet under control, then slowly introduce those delicious foods that landed me here in the first place - I enjoy food and want a healthy relationship with it.

I think that having a cheat meal once a week is good way to approach dieting, its all about moderation right? but at the moment the lines are blurred between moderation and over indulgence.

What works for you? do you have a cheat meal/day every week? every two weeks.

PS: i'm aiming for a healthy 2lb loss per week. 20lbs before Christmas, wish me look

First of all, let's not refer to this journey as "dieting". It needs to be lifestyle change - just change the way you live the rest of your life.

Secondly, cheating is never right in any area of life, so it can't be a good idea to plan to cheat.

The principle behind MFP is calorie deficit, based on Calories In, and Calories Out. If you can moderate the amount of Calories In without depriving yourself of all the things you like, then you're on the right track. Also if you exceed the amount of calories MFP recommends for you based on the info you entered at the beginning, then you need to increase the Calories Out by way of exercise.

So, happy logging, and watch those numbers. That's all there is to it.

SLLRunner · October 2016

Neither for me. Completely 100% not necessary.

Cheat Meals/Days - Necessity or Disaster?

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