Do you have a cheat meal? If so how often?

rikkejanell2014
rikkejanell2014 Posts: 312 Member
edited November 13 in Food and Nutrition
I just officially started my journey on losing 60 pounds in 1 year. So far so good with my eating but its not easy.

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    How do you define a cheat meal?
  • rikkejanell2014
    rikkejanell2014 Posts: 312 Member
    Something unhealthy that you don't have on your regular diet but you love.
  • kwtilbury
    kwtilbury Posts: 1,234 Member
    I set a daily caloric target based on whether I'm bulking, cutting or maintaining and generally stick with it. However, a handful of days a year I'll blow it out of the water. Generally on holidays - Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, etc.
  • Dano74
    Dano74 Posts: 503 Member
    Every. Dang. Day.

    Keep it in calories or macros and it's never cheating.
  • Morgaen73
    Morgaen73 Posts: 2,817 Member
    Yes. We eat hotdogs (with relish and LOADS of cheese) every Friday for supper.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,250 Member
    Far too damn often :/
  • avskk
    avskk Posts: 1,787 Member
    Nope. I keep within my calorie goals and log everything faithfully; I don't limit myself to certain types of food or cut out entire food groups; I occasionally make a conscious decision to eat more than my calorie goal (but still log faithfully). I eat pretty much whatever I want, as long as it's consistent with my goals. There really isn't a way to "cheat" this system.
  • CrabNebula
    CrabNebula Posts: 1,119 Member
    I think I have gotten bored with cheat days or food in general. Nothing really sounds all that great or binge worthy anymore. Also, my ability to eat a lot in general in one sitting is no longer there. It is shocking to me sometimes how little I can stomach in one sitting lately.

    I have Friday off and will be alone at least half the day, so I can eat anything and no judging, heh. But the only think I can think of out of the ordinary is an apple fritter and a torta roll with cold smoked salmon, cream cheese, and arugula. I say only, but just to eat that is already closing in on 1000 calories. No wonder I was so fat before. :lol::'(
  • Jalexander33
    Jalexander33 Posts: 52 Member
    I reward myself once a week with say a slice of cake and a cup of Breyers Low Carb Icecream. Sometimes a big steak 8 or 9 ounces (The old me would put away 16/18 ounces) with a big baked potato. Rare occasions I will hit up a fine dining spot. Dropped 50 lbs in 4 months eating this way and increasing activity.
    Like others have said log it, keep within your goals and you should be good to eat pretty much anything you want.
  • rikkejanell2014
    rikkejanell2014 Posts: 312 Member
    CrabNebula wrote: »
    I think I have gotten bored with cheat days or food in general. Nothing really sounds all that great or binge worthy anymore. Also, my ability to eat a lot in general in one sitting is no longer there. It is shocking to me sometimes how little I can stomach in one sitting lately.

    I have Friday off and will be alone at least half the day, so I can eat anything and no judging, heh. But the only think I can think of out of the ordinary is an apple fritter and a torta roll with cold smoked salmon, cream cheese, and arugula. I say only, but just to eat that is already closing in on 1000 calories. No wonder I was so fat before. :lol::'(

    Oh wow. Bored with food huh?
  • dutchandkiwi
    dutchandkiwi Posts: 1,389 Member
    To me a cheatmeal would be a meal that I would not log or otherwise would not acknowledge as having eaten.
    I do have (usually planned) days that are over days. It usually means I have a few lower days beforevand after to give me a calorie bank so to speak.Then I have the meal/day which is an over (and as fully as possible logged). It still means I have on average an overage.
    I plan them, so i can look forward to them.
    On top of that When on holiday I eat at maintenance. That way loosing weight has been sustainable for me. Not fast but easy and enjoyable.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    rikkejanell2014 wrote: »
    Something unhealthy that you don't have on your regular diet but you love.

    Nope. I eat foods I love all the time. What would be left? If you mean higher calorie foods, I still fit them, just in smaller portions. The idea of a cheat meal adds a negative connotation that I had a hard time throwing out, but feel so much better without it.
  • jazzyoboe
    jazzyoboe Posts: 10 Member
    I personally hate the idea of cheat meals/days. I feel like it pushes you to categorize food as good/bad, which i don't think is healthy or sustainable. Just eat what you want... but keep track of what you eat. It's better to have a smaller portion of something you love to eat more often than restrict yourself and feel the need to gorge (binge) on it later.
  • cthakkar1985
    cthakkar1985 Posts: 137 Member
    During a normal day, I eat whatever I want as long as it fits my calorie goal and macros for the day. I try to choose healthier options, but there are no foods that are off limits.

    I do allow myself 1 day/month where I have a cheat meal. Usually, my calorie goal is 2,000/day, but on this day, I'll end up somewhere around 3,500 calories (2,500 from cheat meal + 1,000 from rest of day).

    There are some rules/guidelines I follow -

    1) Next day after the cheat meal must be a great workout in the gym (strength training + cardio).
    2) The cheat meal should be planned well in advance and is usually at a specific restaurant I've been wanting to try and is a group dinner with friends/family. I find that it's much more rewarding/a fun experience to do this rather than binge eating by yourself for a cheat meal.
    3) I know exactly what I'm going to eat there beforehand so I don't go over my 2,500 calories for the meal.

    Overall, this keeps me sane, gives me something to look forward to, and given it's once/month, it doesn't impact my fitness goals much in the long run.
  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
    Calories is calories is calories.

    You can term things however you wish, but you are still bound by the rules of energy balance.

    If a "cheat" means you fall on the over consumption of calories side of the fence you will gain weight, if you land on the other side you will lose weight.

    Semantics matter not in weight loss.
  • danielleehorvathmeddemmen
    danielleehorvathmeddemmen Posts: 2 Member
    One cheat a week is fine, especially if your eating clean and consistent your metabolism should be firing so when it takes in the cheat meal it'll kickstart your metabolism and can actually make you leaner. I suggest taking 4 weeks with no cheat just so your body can adjust to healthy foods then slip in a cheat after that. Hope it helps!
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    You can't cheat on food. It's just food. You make it fit in your calories or don't, log it, and move on.
  • leanjogreen18
    leanjogreen18 Posts: 2,492 Member
    I cycle my calories so I have one day a week I can eat at maintenance but overall I'm still in a deficit.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    rikkejanell2014 wrote: »
    Something unhealthy that you don't have on your regular diet but you love.

    Kinda.... but I don't call it that. I bank calories (eat under calorie goal), so I can have higher calories for one meal/day on the weekend but the weekly average equals my calorie goal. It's not cheating; it's just planning.
  • Dannigreen31
    Dannigreen31 Posts: 557 Member
    Iv just lost 20 pounds and still having a cheat evening once a week. Be it a pizza, Chinese or whatever it was I wanted but I did kind of always even it out by eating less the next day or working out that bit harder
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    i think most people rail against the idea of it being a cheat meal because it implies that something bad will happen if you eat said meal, rather than just making your daily caloric intake fit what you want to eat and that makes you happy...many of the weight loss companies focus on that idea - food that is "bad for you" or that you should avoid (thinking about Oprah's recent I love carbs ad)
  • sarko15
    sarko15 Posts: 330 Member
    edited December 2016
    rikkejanell2014 wrote: »
    Something unhealthy that you don't have on your regular diet but you love.
    I think it's all a matter of semantics and how we refer to things and how they shape our perspectives and journeys.

    I don't call what I'm doing a diet because it implies that I'm doing something different and following a strict set of rules for a controlled period of time and when it's done it's done. I prefer to call it a lifestyle change because the best and healthiest way to keep pounds off long term is to make it your lifestyle.

    Also, the idea of "cheat meals" implies eating outside of a diet's strict regulations, which also has a degree of guilt attached to it. Like, "have a cheat meal" can also mean "you are allowed to be bad today." If you make it a lifestyle, there is no cheating, just eating, and there are no hard and fast rules to break and feel guilty over. It is what it is.

    I don't have cheat meals or days because I don't like the feeling of giving myself free range to make bad decisions and feel guilty over it. It's a negative emotional cycle that doesn't serve me well. But you bet I eat plenty of chocolate and pizza and enjoy a glass of wine more nights than not. I just incorporate it into my calories and make those indulgences part of my lifestyle. By not restricting myself, I don't feel guilt. It just is what it is and if it fits into my calories all the better.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    A cheat meal, day, IDGAF day or whatever it is you want to call it, is for me, not particularly about a particular food that i ban the rest of the time but how much of that food I eat. For example, lets talk about Cheerios :lol: I'm not going to bother with "one serving" as for me it's not a satisfying amount and will just leave me wanting more. So, when the mood strikes me I'll have a bowl, but put in the amount I want which is usually around 120ishg. 15g of peanut butter on a sandwich, no thank you please, I'll whack on however much i want! These episodes happen once every couple to 3 weeks, so not a huge derail in the grand scheme of things.
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,979 Member
    I just follow a weekly calorie goal so I balance whatever I want over 7 days. It's easy and I can fit in anything. I do like to eat leftovers though so if I go for a calorie bomb meal, I usually eat it over a day or two.
  • Justanotherhippy
    Justanotherhippy Posts: 27 Member
    I don't really have cheat days... if i want a piece of candy, I dont have a dressing on my spinach. If i want a subway sandwich, i dont have a night-time snack. I just factor whatever I want into my daily intake.
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