Cheat day.... yay or nay???????

Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »

In my opinion "cheat days" or "cheat meals" are just another negative association with food.

There is no positive forms of cheating in life.. cheat on tests, spouses, whatever, its always a negative, so to me, people who throw foods into a category designated as a cheat meal often find themselves eating these foods and then completely regretting it right afterwards..

in my opinion this only sets people up for a future fail because now that they feel *kitten*, they don't wanna feel that way again for a while so what do they do? they avoid the food even more now... and avoiding it usually leads to a binge.. and a binge can often derail someone entirely.

i used to feel that way, but my dr has me on a very strict low-carb diet. i eat between 25-30g carbs\day and i kind of "have to" stick to this for a lifetime due to my health issues. so for me, knowing i can eat a few oreos on saturday or sunday keeps me on the straight & narrow during the week. i would do MUCH worse if i never had my cheat days to look foward to. honestly, i had an entire banana pudding in my refrigerator all day yesterday and never touched it because i knew i could have a slice today!

A cheat day every week is way too often. Super easy to undo the whole week. Once a month is okay. Depends on the person though.

VeryKatie wrote: »

A cheat day every week is way too often. Super easy to undo the whole week. Once a month is okay. Depends on the person though.

i used to think once a week was too often, but now i look forward to it so much. today was mine, and i had a piece of my banana pudding that i had been dreaming about! BUT that was all i had as far as "cheating" is concerned. so i guess we have to define cheat. LOL to me, it's eating something that i normally can't have. so i won't eat 2000 calories in one day, or eat an entire box of cookies. i limit it to just something that i am seriously craving.

I can only speak for me, but I say nay to cheat days. Heck, I have to concede right now that I'm too undisciplined -- thanks to an unhealthy relationship for food that I haven't a clue in the world where I can talk about that -- to even eat normally most weeks.

But the honest truth is I can't let myself cheat because so doing puts me on a slippery slope that soon leads to a junk orgy. So I have to hold myself to an iron discipline.

JaydedMiss wrote: »

You need to fix your mindset...not even a week in and already talking about cheat days? Fit your snacks into your daily calories. Simple dont overcomplicate it. "Cheat days" Shouldnt exist, shouldnt have to. especially after 6 days...Easily undo all your work with a single cheat day. Theres nothing sayign you cant eat what you want to eat daily aslong as you make it fit your calories. I eat burgers often. And chocolate. And iv lost 80 pounds in 9 months.

Stop demonizing foods you love like their cheating.

Nailed it. Lose the whole cheating mentality. Think budget and and spend your calories wisely to fit in what you want.

I don't even think I get the concept of a cheat day. You need to know how much energy your body needs and how much fuel you are putting into it. If you are tracking this then no meal is cheating, just an amount of energy you are putting into your body. If you want something, have it and understand the impact. (you could have a smaller breakfast, snack less or burn more calories) You should never be in a position where you feel you need to cheat. I eat pretty much what I want but my portion sizes have taken a hit. This allows me to not feel like I am missing out on anything and usually results in me making the right choice when I am out for a meal. Over-eating for the sake of it is never a good idea. If you don't feel satiated, drink a glass of water, wait 20 mins and re-assess. I tend to make all the take away food myself when I am in the mood for something like that so I can cut out unneccesary calories and I know exactly what I am eating. I still make curry, noodle dishes, pizza's and the like but in portion sizes that fit into my daily intake.

If you type in a** or another "inappropriate" word, MFP automatically turns it into *kitten*.

I totally agree with a lot of the people advocating working foods you like into your regular meals and snacks. You don't need a "cheat" day if you don't feel deprived. And this isn't a "diet" it's your life, so if you look at it that way there is nothing to "cheat" on. I'm also a fan of banking calories during the week so that I have a bit more wiggle room on the weekend when I'm eating more and have less control over how many calories are in a recipe.

If you absolutely need to cheat, perhaps a cheat meal is the better way to go. An entire day can easily blow your progress for the week. An overindulgent meal can as well, but it's less likely.

When I first started, I did cheat days based on milestones rather than based on time. Even though they set me back significantly each time, I wasn't doing another cheat day until I reached the next milestone. I lose incredibly slowly anyway, so I set it at 10 lbs. After every 10 lbs., I would have a cheat day, gain a few lbs. back again, then go back to losing until I got to the next 10 lb. milestone.

So if I had a cheat day at 190 lbs., ended up at 194 lbs. after that day, I still wouldn't do another cheat day until 180 lbs.

Before consuming a "cheat meal" as you call it, I would wait at least another 2 weeks. Try to get all the junk and bad food out of your system. Your cravings by then will probably be even better. I agree with lots of the comments about not completely restricting yourself, however, I would eat clean for another couple of weeks. You should want this to be a lifestyle, not a diet. It's want permanent change, not temporary. It's all about balance and you need to give yourself time to find it. It's not always easy at first but don't give up and keep your goal in mind. As well, if you were to find that a cheat meal is the way to go for you (but still log it in - keeps you accountable for it), it should be a cheat meal, not a cheat day! Maybe making Saturday for dinner which you would still eat clean all day Saturday AM and get right back on the horse on Sunday AM. Good luck!

Why do you need a cheat day?? Eat what you desire everyday within your calories

annacole94 wrote: »

figure out what you really want and then make it work within your calories. You will discover things about your favorite treats. Like, look at that White Chocolate mocha, extra sweet.

The "extra sweet" is 20 calories/pump. A grande is normally 430 calories, so let's say 450 if you get one extra pump.

You can cut 70 calories if you skip the whipped cream. Decide if it's worth it. You can get a tall instead of a grande - that takes it down to 360 calories with the whipped cream and extra sweet. You could ask for the off-menu short - down to 250.

Then it's the weekend, so go for a walk/run/bike ride and work for a few extra calories to enjoy. Get used to smaller servings, enjoy the heck out of them, and make your life a treat.

Yes ! I mean one of the main reasons why people are obese is because they do not control portions !
If you eat slowly and enjoy what you are eating , you will realize that small servings are enough

It's ok to have cheat days. Everyone does eventually just be careful it's a cheat "DAY" and doesn't turn into cheat DAYS,weeks, months

I consider it more of a eat over my usual calorie intake day, I take one day out of the week to eat maybe 300 counts(I don't know the technical term) over my usual calorie count, for instance I usually eat 1200 calories a day but I will take one day out of the week to eat 1500 calories. I don't why but I feel like my body will get used to the 1200