Cheat day

rocklion
rocklion Posts: 69 Member
edited September 29 in Health and Weight Loss
Do you give yourself a cheat day? if so, what do you do and if not, why not?

i try to give myself one cheat day a week. it's a way to keep sane and not be consumed all the time with the diet. But even then I don't go overboard. it's not cheat day all day long. i've done that before and it backfires on you. Heading to the restaurant and ordering what you want besides picking up a sausage biscuit or egg McMuffin can lead to packing on a couple of pounds fast in a day and next thing you know you're spending the next week trying to lose the pounds you packed on in one day.

But I think it's perfectly fine to allow yourself some leeway once in awhile. I've read time and time again that you should allow 10 percent of your meals to be something that's a treat so to speak or against your diet. I did that Friday with an ice cream cone, last night with a Three Musketeers bar and was still able to lose 3.5 pounds this week.

So today is my "cheat" day. What do I plan to do? Heading to the pub, having a few beers and watching the Women's World Cup.

So what do you do or not do?

Replies

  • RubyLarkspur77
    RubyLarkspur77 Posts: 18 Member
    Saturday is my cheat day. I'd go crazy without it. My husband is home and he wants to eat out. So that's what we do. Usually I go overboard and I'm right back where I started on Monday. But, I'm proud to say that yesterday I ate out and still managed to stay under my calorie goal!
  • RunningAddict
    RunningAddict Posts: 548 Member
    One to two days a week I will allow myself to go over my calorie limit 100-300 calories as a sort of cheat but not going to far.
  • pnieuw
    pnieuw Posts: 473
    I don't do cheat days, because I'm not on a diet. I've changed the way I eat food so that I get to a healthy weight, and then I'm going to continue eating like that, hopefully, for the rest of my life.

    I incorporate treats into my normal diet. Some chips here, an ice cream bar there, but only when they fit into my calorie count for the day. I usually have 300 snack calories, and if I've hit my targets for fiber, iron and calcium (3 items I need to watch), I go for it.

    Now, if I'm out for dinner with friends, or on a weekend away with my wife, sure, I'm going to go over for a day. That's ok. The journey is long, and I measure success over a period of weeks and months, not days and hours.

    So I say enjoy things you like, and if you take a cheat day, just try to keep it reasonable. My two cents worth...
  • white_lily
    white_lily Posts: 12 Member
    I don't tend to have a 'cheat day' every week or anything but I meet up with a friend for dinner ever 2 weeks or so, and I don't go mad and I do go for the lower calorie meals but I don't worry as much, and every now and then I have a friends birthday or a night out down the pub when I say sod it and have 2 or 3 glasses of wine...
    I have my brithday next week and I am going to have a nice brunch and I will probably go out for dinner and I am planning on having yummy cocktails!!
  • abirdy
    abirdy Posts: 36
    Yep I do know you should get a cheat day.. I don't really do it but I do treat myself once in a while. I do not consider this a diet but a life change, I never want to go back where I was.
  • Teach4Hisglory
    Teach4Hisglory Posts: 48 Member
    This is a good question... I've tried this the past few weeks (to change things up) and it has totally backfired. Even though I'm still under my calorie goal on my cheat day, I have managed to gain this weekend. SO FRUSTRATING!!! So... I guess it doesn't work for me. :o) Back to the drawing board...
  • realme56
    realme56 Posts: 1,093 Member
    I don't plan them, don't need one on a weekly basis. If I go out with friends I just eat and go back to my routines the next day. I enjoy vacation and special events. I do make better choices even when going out though. As I change my eating habits I find some of the "treats" I used to like no longer appeal to my taste buds as much.
  • efcdcdb
    efcdcdb Posts: 392 Member
    I don't even think about anything that could be characterized as a cheat day, let alone a PLANNED cheat day. Since I am viewing this as the proverbial lifestyle change, it is just life. I try to watch my calories and nutriotional intake EVERY DAY, but there are going to be times when I choose to splurge a little. The tricky part for me is keeping those times to a minimum, and keeping them from turing into all out binges. It has worked pretty well for me over the past year and a half. I'll admit - this summer has been hard for me...I have been working ALOT and therefore not getting enough exercise. The work stress has contributed to me making more poor choices than I would like to. BUt the end is in sight and I am confident that I will be back on track soon. But, back to the original post, building in a cheat day per week just seems self defeating to me.
  • Kelly_Wilson1990
    Kelly_Wilson1990 Posts: 3,245 Member
    I do not do cheat days. I just stick with my healthy eating on a daily basis. As a former binge eater, it is better for me not to start cheating. Healthy eating is a lifestyle for me now. I know in the past when I would get cheat on a fad diet ( I do not do diets anymore), it was much harder to start backup so I usually did not. Now, I eat most all my favorite foods in a healthier way. I do not feel the need to cheat because I am not missing out on anything.
  • sharonuk10
    sharonuk10 Posts: 277
    I am one of those who do not do cheat days. No diet for me. Lifestyle change and try to be very good about my choices. I eat out and enjoy what I eat and have a dessert after too. All things in moderation is my motto.
  • HannahPendrigh
    HannahPendrigh Posts: 147 Member
    Today is my cheat day :D but I don't go too overboard - just a bit over my calories. It's not much but it feels like LOADS when you've been careful all week :) I also take it easy on my exercise, just doing 20 minute 30DS today instead of at least an hour of exercise that I do on a normal day. My treat tonight is chicken fajitas! I can't wait. I think it really helps - if you don't go too crazy with it!
  • MrsM1ggins
    MrsM1ggins Posts: 724 Member
    I don't do cheat days, because I'm not on a diet. I've changed the way I eat food so that I get to a healthy weight, and then I'm going to continue eating like that, hopefully, for the rest of my life.

    I incorporate treats into my normal diet. Some chips here, an ice cream bar there, but only when they fit into my calorie count for the day. I usually have 300 snack calories, and if I've hit my targets for fiber, iron and calcium (3 items I need to watch), I go for it.

    Now, if I'm out for dinner with friends, or on a weekend away with my wife, sure, I'm going to go over for a day. That's ok. The journey is long, and I measure success over a period of weeks and months, not days and hours.

    So I say enjoy things you like, and if you take a cheat day, just try to keep it reasonable. My two cents worth...
    This +1,000,000

    I don't want my normal week's food to be a chore which is only bearable because I plan on 'cheating' at the weekend. I want to change my lifestyle so I'm eating right without feeling like I'm constantly sacrificing what I want for what I *should* have.
  • anave285
    anave285 Posts: 67 Member
    No cheat days for me either. Like many others have said, it's a lifestyle change. Diets just don't work. I have my fair share of junk everyday. However... thanks to Hungry Girl and Rocco D., many times my junk is still healthy junk.
  • Texas_Nana
    Texas_Nana Posts: 92 Member
    I think along the same lines in this post. I don't really have a cheat day, but I do have what I want, when I want, I just log the calories. I'm making a lifestyle change so I kind of have to work it all out. Living in the south, it is definately a challenge. I've more or less eliminated sweets from my diet. Only because I know it is a trigger food for me and I don't trust myself. Still have a little sweet tea every now and then.

    With that said, I stay within a calorie range of 200 -400 calories of my daily calorie limit. I found myself obsessing about numbers when I tried to stay at or under 1200 calories...now I do 1200 - 1400, and find myself usually under 1200 after adding exercising calories.

    Exercise also keeps me honest. I'm working so hard at the gym that I see cardio minutes in every high calorie food! :laugh:
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