Cheat day.... yay or nay???????
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I don't have a cheat day for all of the good reasons mentioned above. That said, I record my weight on a Monday morning and tend to go a little easier on myself for the rest of the day. Tonight I am going to have a thin crust pizza and I am looking forward to it. Within my calories, but more than I would normally have.0
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It sounds to me like the OP is talking about eating "cheat" foods, not about going over her calories. In that case, then yes, eating the cheat food should be fine in terms of weight loss, because you're still staying within your calorie goal. But like most others on here, I don't have any foods that I consider "cheat" foods--anything goes! It just has to fit in my daily and/or weekly calorie goal. Maybe by allowing yourself these foods during the week, you won't feel so deprived?
If the worry is that the cheat food is going to make you go over on calories, then you just have to eat a smaller portion of it, or you can "bank" calories, as someone else suggested. I'm currently experimenting with this myself. I know I want to be able to eat more calories on the weekend, and it's easier for me, with my schedule, to eat less on Monday-Wed. So I'm aiming this week for about 1200 calories Mon-Wed and 1500 on Thursday, leaving me about 1800 on Fri-Sun. My weekly total will still be about 10,500 calories, giving me a 1lb loss for the week. Note--I also eat back half of my exercise calories, so I'm actually eating more than the numbers above.
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No cheat days/meals for me yet (day30), and I don't intend to have them. I am not saying never, cuz it may happen. I would just rather not have them. I won't beat myself up if they happen, but I have had too many cheat days, and starting over tomorrow days, to let this happen. I figure I would only be cheating myself of reaching, and maintaining my goals.
However, if it helps you, and you can limit it to one day, or meal, go for it.
This is all about what works for each of us long term!0 -
A cheat day that you eat what you want, end up over-full and blow your diet for the entire last week of hard work.. no. A cheat day that you log everything, allow yourself to go over a bit within reason, then pay for it later by doing some extra hard work so that you don't blow the entire least week's, or moth's, hard work.. sure why not. It's all in how you do it. If having a 'cheat' day is important to you, then do it right so you aren't setting yourself back.
If you practice IIFYM and stay within your calorie goals over a period of a week a cheat day really isn't necessary.0 -
I agree with so many people above. Don't think about it as a "cheat". I have had chocolate ever day since I've started, I've gone out drinking with friends and I've eaten fried food. All would be considered "cheat" foods. Often when I'm out I won't track those but I do eat wayyyy less than before I started losing weight and also workout extra the morning before a night out. You can fit things into your calories without making you feel like you are breaking the rules.0
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I guess everything is open to interpretation.
I don't consider any food a "cheat" food.
My personal view is, all food in moderation, and staying within your calorie allotment for the day is not cheating, IMHO.0 -
To me the term "cheat day" implies that you do something hard/special/restrictive the rest of the time, so much so that you can't do it long-term without a break. That's not healthy thinking. People need to find a way to eat that is sustainable. If you do something unsustainable for a short period of time and lose weight and then go to your old way of eating you're likely to gain it all back. Find a way to fit the foods you can't live without into your calories without thinking of them as "cheats". Then once you've lost the weight going to maintenance is just about tweaking your calories up a small amount.
In other words, "cheat day" sounds more like something you'd need during a sprint not a marathon. Getting to a healthy weight is only part of the battle, the war is a marathon of staying at that weight.2 -
I don't do any sort of cheat day. That's why MFP works for me. I eat what I want to eat. I just need to fit it into my caloric goals.1
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I don't do cheat days coz tbh I can eat until the cows come home if I put my mind to it. And I'd eat the cows that came home too on top of that. Mmmm steak.
However I very much know that at weekends will eat out at least once and I may have a couple of glasses of prosecco. So I am strict during the week and do some extra exercise so I am in "the black" as it were, concerning calories available to me.
However do what ever works for you. My friends have cheat days because they eat low carb all week then might have pasta/pizza on a Friday. Works for them.0 -
I don't see anything I eat as a cheat per se. If there is something I want, I either work it into my calories so it fits, or decide the occasion is special enough to me to exceed my calories. The gray area is what determines what is special enough. For me it's holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas and my birthday, or in one case, a concert where we were tailgating all day. For me, it's not things like "Sunday" or "the Super Bowl" or "had to go out to dinner because of xyz..." For other people, that might be the times where they choose to go over, but I never consider it "cheating." I consider it more understanding the big picture of managing my weight loss.
I doubt there is a single person here who reached their goal weight without some days over or WAY over their typical daily calories. What counts is the overall consistency and mindset to change how we use food.
For you, that might be different, but for me that is where I had to draw the mental line of how to be accountable 99.9% of the time for what I eat in order to reach my weight loss goals. So far it's working.
Sometimes I miss the easy satisfaction, both emotional and physical, of grabbing a #1 large sized at McDonald's. However, now if I am going to eat THAT MUCH, I am really going to think about what I want to eat and make it completely and totally worth it. I doubt it would be McDonald's...but it could be In n Out Burger!
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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.
I agree with Jayde...I let the 'cheats' come to me. Ex: Saturday was my mother-in-love's 80th birthday. I had a thin slice of a homemade birthday cake one of her granddaughters made, and it was awesome. The rest of my day was on-plan.
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I do agree that the concept of cheat days is pretty bad. Food shouldn't be looked at in moral codes. There is no "good" or "bad" food. You shouldn't feel ashamed of having a certain food item. You can have anything you want, just in moderation. Also there's a plus of eating a calorie dense food once a week like going out to eat etc will help raise your leptin levels which balances your hunger.1
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fitoverfortymom wrote: »I don't see anything I eat as a cheat per se. If there is something I want, I either work it into my calories so it fits, or decide the occasion is special enough to me to exceed my calories. The gray area is what determines what is special enough. For me it's holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas and my birthday, or in one case, a concert where we were tailgating all day. For me, it's not things like "Sunday" or "the Super Bowl" or "had to go out to dinner because of xyz..." For other people, that might be the times where they choose to go over, but I never consider it "cheating." I consider it more understanding the big picture of managing my weight loss.
I doubt there is a single person here who reached their goal weight without some days over or WAY over their typical daily calories. What counts is the overall consistency and mindset to change how we use food.
For you, that might be different, but for me that is where I had to draw the mental line of how to be accountable 99.9% of the time for what I eat in order to reach my weight loss goals. So far it's working.
Sometimes I miss the easy satisfaction, both emotional and physical, of grabbing a #1 large sized at McDonald's. However, now if I am going to eat THAT MUCH, I am really going to think about what I want to eat and make it completely and totally worth it. I doubt it would be McDonald's...but it could be In n Out Burger!
I see this on American telly all the time-but what exactly is "tailgating"?
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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.
Very well said!0 -
Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »BiomedDent wrote: »fitoverfortymom wrote: »I don't see anything I eat as a cheat per se. If there is something I want, I either work it into my calories so it fits, or decide the occasion is special enough to me to exceed my calories. The gray area is what determines what is special enough. For me it's holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas and my birthday, or in one case, a concert where we were tailgating all day. For me, it's not things like "Sunday" or "the Super Bowl" or "had to go out to dinner because of xyz..." For other people, that might be the times where they choose to go over, but I never consider it "cheating." I consider it more understanding the big picture of managing my weight loss.
I doubt there is a single person here who reached their goal weight without some days over or WAY over their typical daily calories. What counts is the overall consistency and mindset to change how we use food.
For you, that might be different, but for me that is where I had to draw the mental line of how to be accountable 99.9% of the time for what I eat in order to reach my weight loss goals. So far it's working.
Sometimes I miss the easy satisfaction, both emotional and physical, of grabbing a #1 large sized at McDonald's. However, now if I am going to eat THAT MUCH, I am really going to think about what I want to eat and make it completely and totally worth it. I doubt it would be McDonald's...but it could be In n Out Burger!
I see this on American telly all the time-but what exactly is "tailgating"?
Before game day starts, IE: football... people in the parking lot cook out of the back of their cars ETC and Eat lol
You cook out of the back of your car? That's gotta be some kind of witchcraft! How do you cook? Don't your cars smell? So many questions...0 -
have as many "cheat days" as you want as long as it's sex. LOL0
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BiomedDent wrote: »Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »BiomedDent wrote: »fitoverfortymom wrote: »I don't see anything I eat as a cheat per se. If there is something I want, I either work it into my calories so it fits, or decide the occasion is special enough to me to exceed my calories. The gray area is what determines what is special enough. For me it's holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas and my birthday, or in one case, a concert where we were tailgating all day. For me, it's not things like "Sunday" or "the Super Bowl" or "had to go out to dinner because of xyz..." For other people, that might be the times where they choose to go over, but I never consider it "cheating." I consider it more understanding the big picture of managing my weight loss.
I doubt there is a single person here who reached their goal weight without some days over or WAY over their typical daily calories. What counts is the overall consistency and mindset to change how we use food.
For you, that might be different, but for me that is where I had to draw the mental line of how to be accountable 99.9% of the time for what I eat in order to reach my weight loss goals. So far it's working.
Sometimes I miss the easy satisfaction, both emotional and physical, of grabbing a #1 large sized at McDonald's. However, now if I am going to eat THAT MUCH, I am really going to think about what I want to eat and make it completely and totally worth it. I doubt it would be McDonald's...but it could be In n Out Burger!
I see this on American telly all the time-but what exactly is "tailgating"?
Before game day starts, IE: football... people in the parking lot cook out of the back of their cars ETC and Eat lol
You cook out of the back of your car? That's gotta be some kind of witchcraft! How do you cook? Don't your cars smell? So many questions...
It's usually not *literally* out of the back of the car, but in the parking lot right behind the car. People use portable grills, crockpots, things like that.0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »BiomedDent wrote: »Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »BiomedDent wrote: »fitoverfortymom wrote: »I don't see anything I eat as a cheat per se. If there is something I want, I either work it into my calories so it fits, or decide the occasion is special enough to me to exceed my calories. The gray area is what determines what is special enough. For me it's holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas and my birthday, or in one case, a concert where we were tailgating all day. For me, it's not things like "Sunday" or "the Super Bowl" or "had to go out to dinner because of xyz..." For other people, that might be the times where they choose to go over, but I never consider it "cheating." I consider it more understanding the big picture of managing my weight loss.
I doubt there is a single person here who reached their goal weight without some days over or WAY over their typical daily calories. What counts is the overall consistency and mindset to change how we use food.
For you, that might be different, but for me that is where I had to draw the mental line of how to be accountable 99.9% of the time for what I eat in order to reach my weight loss goals. So far it's working.
Sometimes I miss the easy satisfaction, both emotional and physical, of grabbing a #1 large sized at McDonald's. However, now if I am going to eat THAT MUCH, I am really going to think about what I want to eat and make it completely and totally worth it. I doubt it would be McDonald's...but it could be In n Out Burger!
I see this on American telly all the time-but what exactly is "tailgating"?
Before game day starts, IE: football... people in the parking lot cook out of the back of their cars ETC and Eat lol
You cook out of the back of your car? That's gotta be some kind of witchcraft! How do you cook? Don't your cars smell? So many questions...
It's usually not *literally* out of the back of the car, but in the parking lot right behind the car. People use portable grills, crockpots, things like that.
I see! Like a car park BBQ! Got it
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I'm developing a lifestyle here so cheat days don't play into my plan. If I have a day (Christmas, Valentines, Super Bowl, etc.) I over do it a bit - it's part of life and I'm back on track the next day.0
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Cheat is such a negative word and has no place when changing your way of eating. Why not have a 'treat' day for staying on track? Make it non-food related... for me it's getting a pedicure (my feet need that after a week of walking), or having a glass of wine on a Saturday with friends... change the focus from food.1
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markswife1992 wrote: »
But you have a special medical requirement to eat that way, and would be eating that way (I assume) for the rest of your life. I believe this question was for OP who appears to not have special medical food needs and is struggling with idea of having to eliminate certain foods, already looking for an outlet not even a week in. Banning foods or having harsh food rules, unless medically warranted, tends to backfire for some and create a stressful dieting environment.
You also appear to be thriving on such an approach, but it appears she isn't. There is no single rule of what strategy any person uses to lose weight as long as it's the easiest strategy for them. She either needs to knuckle it for a few weeks on her chosen approach to see if it fits her, or try something else to see if it's easier.
This isn't an attack on your chosen approach. Don't feel like you need to defend it. Afterall, if it works for you it's nobody else's business to tell you otherwise. These are replies to someone who asked for help because they aren't feeling comfortable dieting this way, and was offered an alternative way to try. It's all about the mindset and sustainability in the end.0 -
annathebanana135 wrote: »So i am on day 6 and i am doing well with counting calories. When i started this journey i said i would have a cheat day and eat what i want as long as i dont over eat and have a small portion. Now im thinking maybe thats a bad idea and its too soon to do that since im still struggling with adjusting to my new eating habbits, getting upset trying to plan meals and count calories, and still feeling hungry after i eat. So maybe instead of a cheat day maybe a cheat meal or snack? I even came up with a name, so good sunday, cause what ever i have to eat or drink is going to be soooo good lol. Thoughts on this please.
Thank you!
Actually the "eat up to normal" days are really important for keeping your hormones stable. I don't like calling them cheat days because you really should eat normal one day a week. The deficit isn't "normal" yet we tend to act like they are normal. No, deficits are corrective action to fix a health problem, like medicine. You need a break from the medicine.
Instead of going totally off the reservation with the one day a week to eat normal, why not eat like the other days but just add in some fun things that are a little higher calorie and fun, like nuts and cheese and dried fruit on a salad, or butter on toast, or one extra piece of toast, or just one cookie. Make it fun and sustainable. That's how you win at the lifestyle even when you reach your goal.1
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