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

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  • Makeitso39
    Makeitso39 Posts: 51 Member
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    I try to 'bank' calories here and there, so if I know I'm going for a meal Friday, I'll try to be 100 under Mon-Thurs. Yesterday, my husband said he wanted to go to Yo Sushi for lunch, so I had small breakfast and ate and logged what I wanted - it was great
  • Ianhood82
    Ianhood82 Posts: 11 Member
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    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.
  • BiomedDent
    BiomedDent Posts: 107 Member
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    Can someone tell me what *Kitten* means?
  • Rocknut53
    Rocknut53 Posts: 1,794 Member
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    If you type in a** or another "inappropriate" word, MFP automatically turns it into *kitten*.
  • Emily3907
    Emily3907 Posts: 1,461 Member
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    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 agree with this 100%!!!!!

    I used to do the whole "cheat day" thing and it really messed with my psychy around food and eating.

    Now, I am learning to enjoy the foods I like within my goals and stop associating food with "good" and "bad" or "on plan" or "cheating".
  • murp4069
    murp4069 Posts: 494 Member
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    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.
  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
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    I try to work in "treat" foods into my daily allowance if I want them. Sometimes though I do feel like eating more and letting myself be a bit more relaxed - on those occasions I will eat at maintenance. That way you're not taking a step back and don't go overboard, but have more room to eat what you want.

    So I guess that's my version of a "cheat day". I only do it occasionally though.
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
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    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.
  • kermax39
    kermax39 Posts: 149 Member
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    I personally find one day off a week helps me. By 'day off' I mean 3000 cals at most.. I weigh on a saturday morning and saturday night I have a few drinks and takeaway of my choice...deep fried..whatever, I dont count it. Whatever works for u I say. it certainly gives me reason to stay focused during the week. Im always very motivated for the week afterwards. If your gonna have a cheat day u need to be quite disciplined and know when to stop, and stay off the scales for 2-days.
  • natlavoie406
    natlavoie406 Posts: 1 Member
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    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! :)
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
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    I'm guessing your set at 1,200 calories. Rather than a "cheat" day, give yourself one day a week to eat at your maintenance calories -- probably closer to 1,800-2,000 and enjoy the day. Or spread the bonus calories out over the weekend and have a glass of wine and your fav snack.

    Getting wound super tight is not going to help you in the long run. Trust me on this one. I'm an expert at white-knuckle dieting.
  • active562
    active562 Posts: 135 Member
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    Why do you need a cheat day?? Eat what you desire everyday within your calories
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
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    I'm wondering if all new dieters know what we mean by "maintenance day"? FYI- when you enter your stats on MFP and choose a weekly weight loss goal, it provides you with an appropriate calorie deficit for your goal. (And if your goal is set to high, that deficit will likely be to steep for you to maintain, BTW.) If you enter a goal of "maintain current weight", it will give you the number of calories you need to maintain your current weight. You can safely eat that without undoing any progress you've made. It won't be a "go crazy" number, but it will be high enough to give you much more freedom in your day. I like to know this number, so when I have one of *those* days, I can at least be responsible about it.
  • BiomedDent
    BiomedDent Posts: 107 Member
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    Rocknut53 wrote: »
    If you type in a** or another "inappropriate" word, MFP automatically turns it into *kitten*.

    Oooh! That's *kitten* hilarious
  • active562
    active562 Posts: 135 Member
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    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
  • Floatingpencil
    Floatingpencil Posts: 25 Member
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    I was planning on having a day, maybe every couple of weeks, where I just keep to maintenance calories instead of my usual goal. For the record, mine are around 2250 at the moment. Had the first of these on Saturday, and it felt much better to continue to track and know that I still wasn't pushing myself into 'gain' mode than it ever has to go all-out on pizza and hate myself for a week.

    I don't think of it as 'cheating' - it's part of my plan, and it fits in nicely.
  • VeraB1794
    VeraB1794 Posts: 16 Member
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    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
  • JaydenLindsey420
    JaydenLindsey420 Posts: 39 Member
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    Cheat days for me were the main reason why I ended up getting off track after losing 50 pounds.

    I had done so well. Did not even consider a cheat day because my life began revolving on one spectacular and life changing thing–discipline. Then, I decided since I had done so well, and taco bell sounded really super duper awesome at the time, I would treat myself.
    WRONG
    Worst decision. Once I had that first taste of that addiction triggering substance, it was game over. I began to treat myself more and more often, until it became the norm.
    Now, why on Earth would you give a recovering alcoholic some whiskey? You wouldn't. Same applies to weight loss. Treating yourself with crap is the exact opposite of the goal here. You are trying to develop secure and stable foundations to build these healthy habits for the entirety of your life. Build your starting foundations strong, and treat yourself with some good old discipline. You'll thank yourself down the line.
  • afrsilver
    afrsilver Posts: 37 Member
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    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

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