Cheat days, what are your thoughts?

Options
2»

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Options
    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    Personally, treating days as "cheat days" is counterproductive for me. It encourages overeating because it has a "clock strikes 12" vibe to it where diet is suspended for a day and all the rules fly out the window and I could finally breathe. I treat my diet as a continuous things where higher calorie days are just a normal part of the plan whenever needed, and I'm breathing just fine all throughout. High days don't feel any different from my low days apart from being able to eat more. No feelings of "cheating", just being flexible and adaptable.

    This is my approach exactly. There are days when I go over and days when I go under. They're all just days -- I'm still thoughtful about what I eat, going over my calories some days is just a part of my life.
  • cheryldumais
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
    Options
    I've lost 70 pounds in a little less than a year. For me in the beginning I had a "cheat" meal once every couple of weeks. But when I say "cheat" I don't mean I ate like a maniac. I mean I had maybe 200 to 500 calories extra. This worked for me. I rarely do it anymore because I am getting close to goal so I don't have as big of a deficit and my tastes and habits have changed. The last big cheat I had (about 500 calories) made me feel sick! It can work though if you start to feel really deprived taking a very small break seems to make your body relax and you don't feel like you can't wait to finish dieting. I realize that the way I am eating now will be my diet for life with maybe 200 or 300 calories more a day.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 4,984 Member
    Options
    I don't like the idea of "cheat days". For me a way of eating that I need to cheat on is not going to be sustainable for long. I work in foods that I love daily. I never restrict anything but calories(portion sizes) I do occasionally go over on holidays or special occasions. But that is the exception not the rule. And I don't think of it as cheating. It is just eating more on a special occasion. Most of the time I have eaten under my goal at some point that week and it balances out anyway.
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,978 Member
    Options
    I follow my weekly average and fit in whatever I want. No restrictions; no worries.
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
    Options
    I rarely do days with unlimited calories. I can consume 5k calories in a day and that kills my month when i do that.
  • CafeRacer808
    CafeRacer808 Posts: 2,396 Member
    edited December 2016
    Options
    kgirlhart wrote: »
    I don't like the idea of "cheat days". For me a way of eating that I need to cheat on is not going to be sustainable for long. I work in foods that I love daily. I never restrict anything but calories(portion sizes) I do occasionally go over on holidays or special occasions. But that is the exception not the rule. And I don't think of it as cheating. It is just eating more on a special occasion. Most of the time I have eaten under my goal at some point that week and it balances out anyway.

    All of this. I don't buy into the notion of "cheat days". I view my daily calorie goal as a lifestyle and in my view, you don't cheat on a lifestyle. You just live it. That said, different strategies work for different people. If having a cheat day makes it easier for you to hit your calorie goals on other days and keeps you in deficit for the week, then no worries.
  • lady_ghost
    lady_ghost Posts: 175 Member
    edited December 2016
    Options
    I have a cheat-refeed day. Once a month where for 1-2 days I eat 300-500 calories more than what I usually do, downing more water than usual to flush out the sodium. Mostly eating carbs, limited fat and some protien and I have always lost alot of weight in the following days after doing this. It like jump starts my metabolism. Then I go back to my restrictive diet. My cheat-refeed days are going to be on christmas eve and Christmas day. I CANNOT wait!
  • lady_ghost
    lady_ghost Posts: 175 Member
    Options
    Also by day two I actually start to miss my diet. I never feel out of control like I can't get back on the diet immediately after the second day. All that junk taste good but not as good as when I didn't diet. So it depends if you can handle then go for it but if u think u would struggle to go back to regular dieting after a cheat day then try a cheat mean once a week.
  • MissSugarBean
    MissSugarBean Posts: 11 Member
    Options
    I just eat out once a week as a "cheat meal," not a for a whole day. Even then I don't go all out, just enough to keep me sane. Candy is another story... :p
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,677 Member
    Options
    When I was doing Atkins, I had occasional cheat meals, because the diet was so restrictive. The only way I could follow it most of the time was to allow myself the occasional high carb meal. I figured if I was good 6 days a week, it didn't matter if I ate a bit more one day a week. That worked well. On another occasion that I was doing a less restrictive version of low carb eating, I would allow myself two high carb foods on the weekend, perhaps a beer on Saturday and an ice cream on Sunday, maybe a pizza and a banana. Again, that allowed me to be on track the rest of the week.

    Right now I'm working at losing a few regained pounds using MFP without the carb restriction, so I'm not deliberately having a cheat meal or cheat day, since there really is no such thing as a cheat. All foods are allowed. It doesn't matter whether I get my calories from eggs or ice cream. I do a lot of exercise, so I get a little more leeway than if I didn't do the exercise which helps. OTOH, by allowing myself to eat anything I want, I find it harder to be as restrictive as I should. As the weeks have gone by, I've gone from being under my limit most days to being over the limit more and more often. Kind of a slippery slope situation. That's how I gained the weight. I went from the occasional treat, to the frequent treat, to the daily treat. And then it's no longer a treat, it's just my daily or twice daily sugar fix.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    Options
    I don't do it because I don't think it would work for me, and because I don't really want to. If I want a treat, I budget calories for it, or I have it on a long run day. I've spent a long time building routines that work for me and I think that "cheating" would make it too easy for me to get complacent about tracking my calories.
  • 321BooM
    321BooM Posts: 25 Member
    Options
    For me personally cheat days are a no go as it just encourages me to start eating and eating and eating again....
  • CurlyCockney
    CurlyCockney Posts: 1,394 Member
    Options
    I don't do "cheats" or "treats". I do food, some of which has more nutritional value than others. Giving food special sentiments/powers doesn't work for me.
  • stevo2222
    stevo2222 Posts: 9 Member
    Options
    I am on a 1200cal a day healthy cutting diet at the moment and bank 2740cal per week extra from HIIT cycling and weight lifting and If I choose to have a cheat day once a week I can eat pizza, burgers, junk food etc of upto 2740cal extra plus 1200cal for that day = 3940cal and still loose 1-2kgs per week whilst putting on muscle. Its working great for me! :) I have 20 more kgs to loose but this diet should work till I get to my disired weight, once Im there my "reward is eating more", around 2200cal, to maintain my goal weight. Its a great journey, life!!! I learnt all this from years of educating myself off the internet. Knowledge is Key! Goodluck to all.

Categories