Cheat Meals/Days - Necessity or Disaster?

LukeAdrianBoardman
LukeAdrianBoardman Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
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 :smile:
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Replies

  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    You can't cheat on food. It's just food. Work treats into your daily calories.
  • LukeAdrianBoardman
    LukeAdrianBoardman Posts: 9 Member
    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.
  • siraphine
    siraphine Posts: 185 Member
    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
    JoshD8705 Posts: 390 Member
    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
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    I have maintenance days every now and then. I can't fit certain foods in the amounts i want into my deficit.
  • dmsx3
    dmsx3 Posts: 20 Member
    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
    endlessfall16 Posts: 932 Member
    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
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    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
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
    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 :smile:

    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
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Neither for me. Completely 100% not necessary.
  • FittingintoMe
    FittingintoMe Posts: 4 Member
    I think everyone already chimed in nicely. I personally would not do a cheat day. It's all about daily balance to achieve goals. I make room everyday for a "treat" whether it's sweet or savory. If your body feels it's being deprived of an item you're more likely to "obsess" over it until you have your cheat day and consume more than you intended.

  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    OP-since you are new, I will point out that you can track your weekly "balance" under the nutrition tab. So if you know Friday's are going to be higher, you can scale back a little on other days and still hit your weekly deficit.
  • Evamutt
    Evamutt Posts: 2,750 Member
    If i want to have some of my favorite chips during the day, i fit it in, i'll have one ounce instead of half the bag. I still eat things i enjoy, however I hardly ever used to eat sweets,but do like ice cream occasionally so i have a cone with 1/2 cup of ice cream which is enough but if i did have a sweet tooth I would need advice
  • chandraminick
    chandraminick Posts: 452 Member
    A "cheat meal" depends on the "diet". I don't do chray meals or cheat days. I do a " splurge meal". This means since I plan my meals out and they to eat the same thing at the same time each day for a week, I splurge on ONLY ONE meal once a week. That doesn't mean pizza and brownies. That means a healthy unprocessed meal not eaten throughout the week such as a baked sweet potato, fried brown rice or something like that. Definitely NOT trigger foods.
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
    Um.... 4th Krispy Kreme?? 4th!!

    You are not on a diet if you are eating 4 donuts. You can probably fit half a donut into your calories/macros. MAYBE a whole one... but that should be plenty anyways.

    You can still eat treat foods, just keep them in moderation and work them into your calories. If you want that donut skip make your dinner low carb & low fat.

  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,324 Member
    I think you asked and answered your own questions.. do what you want and what works for you.
  • gabbyo23
    gabbyo23 Posts: 100 Member
    Hello! I totally understand the thought process behind considering a cheat day/meal. I also have wondered this.

    However..here is what works for me. I find a regular planned cheat leads me to get really obsessed with my cheat meal..I look forward to it and become obsessed and ultimately I binge more than necessary and end up eating back all the calories I cut during the rest of the week. It's easy enough to do...especially if you already know you have a tendency to extend that cheating to a weekend...or, like me find that one donut just isn't enough!

    So I simply try to work as many nice "treat foods" into my daily diet as I can within my calorie allowances. When I log in advance Ali plan a nice dinner first. So I know I have a meal I will truly enjoy. Then I work everything else around it. Or if I know I want to go out for coffee I plan my calories for the day around the latte I want.

    Does that mean I never take a break? No. If I go to a birthday party I'm gonna have cake! If it's my anniversary or birthday I'm going for dinner and drinking wine. And getting dessert. But because these occasions are not that often, it's OK!

    For me the key to sustainable weight loss is making sure you don't let dieting ruin the I portent stuff. Your birthday, anniversary, Christmas (maybe a cheat day here ;) ), maybe a family wedding...allow a cheat meal on those days.

    These rest of the time just stick to your diet and don't make unnecessarily restrictive.

    Good luck :)

  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,616 Member
    edited October 2016
    LukeAdrianBoardman wrote: »
    What works for you? do you have a cheat meal/day every week? every two weeks.

    I stuck to my diet like glue for 16 weeks with NO cheat days whatsoever ... absolutely no going over my calorie limit. At the 16 week point, I hit my first goal, so I took a month off to travel and decide what I wanted to do next. I decided to stick with it for another 16 weeks and hit my second goal.

    Cheat days are not necessary.

    Instead, I exercised enough to be able to have quite a bit of flexibility in my diet. :) I was eating a whole pizza about once a month. :) Gotta love long distance cycling! :grin:

  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    courtneyfabulous wrote: »
    Um.... 4th Krispy Kreme?? 4th!!

    You are not on a diet if you are eating 4 donuts. You can probably fit half a donut into your calories/macros. MAYBE a whole one... but that should be plenty anyways.

    You can still eat treat foods, just keep them in moderation and work them into your calories. If you want that donut skip make your dinner low carb & low fat.

    Low carb is not necessary unless OP has a medical condition.

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