Mothers Day Cheat Meal

I don't do "cheat" days or meals. If I'm going out to eat, I work it into my weekly calorie goal. And remember, any gain you do see will mostly be from the sodium you have. In the long run, it's about doing something sustainable for life. There are always holidays and celebrations, you have to decide how to handle them.

Have you been under calories for the rest of the week? I knew I had an anniversary trip to go see a concert last night and ate a giant dinner. Definitely over my calories. And yet, I'm not panicking. My daily goal is 1900 but I've been averaging around 1600. So, I banked some calories there. I'm eating light today (frankly I'm not hungry after my festivities today). Even more wiggle room to even out the damage.

Or, don't go overboard. Load up on veggies if you're that unsure about calories. Drink water to balance out and try to not eat until you're miserable However, one meal isn't gonna hurt you.

http://thecouponproject.com/losing-weight-on-a-budget-why-i-dont-do-cheat-days-and-what-i-do-instead/

One popular idea among dieters is the “cheat meal” or “cheat day.” The philosophy is simple: eat healthy for most of your meals and then you can eat whatever you want for a meal or a day as a “cheat.”

While I think you should be able to enjoy foods you love in moderation, I propose we do away with the concept of the “cheat meal.” Here’s why.

Watching your Attitudes about Yourself

In the introduction post to this series, I shared my belief that a big part of your ability to lose weight has to do with your attitudes. So much of our success hinges on our ability to be kind to ourselves and develop a healthy relationship with food.

Simply put, the word “cheat” has negative connotations – that you’re doing something wrong. You ate salad all week so now you can “cheat” by eating a double cheeseburger with fries on Sunday. Tell me, if you call that a “cheat” meal, are you truly going to enjoy it? Or, in the back of your mind are you going to feel a tinge of guilt, because you are “cheating?”

I think it’s time we stop assigning guilt to food like this, because ultimately it can cause us to have negative feelings about ourselves. If we are cheating on our diet, we must be cheaters.

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I subscribe to this. Calling something a "cheat" meal is negative. If you feel like you're "cheating," are you really going to enjoy the meal and time with family? Food is food. Some is healthier.

For me, personally, if I had a "cheat" meal, I would just feel guilty and horrible afterward. Once I started looking at it as "yeah, I could be eating something healthier, but life and food is meant to be enjoyed and not agonized over," those feelings went away. If you're trying to live healthier for the long haul and make this a lifestyle change, a few meals here and there is not going to hurt anything. I've eaten Pizza Hut and all kinds of crap the past two days (all logged) and I got back on track this morning.

You're not "cheating" on anything, just eating. Stop assigning guilt and negativity to food.

I log what I can and move on.

If you're worried the MSG will cause the appearance of a gain (temporarily), why not go for something besides Chinese?

If it does have to be Chinese, and you know the gain will only be water, then you have to accept this. It is really up to you, either have something else instead or realize you will probably show a temporarily larger number. Do or do not.

It's Mothers day here today, and we're each bringing a dish. I'll eat a bit/alot of everything and then forget about it. I'm just excited that the entire family is together today as it doesn't happen often, so that's all that matters to me, not counting every single calorie and stressing about it all day long.

One day of overeating isn't going to make or break me. It's back to normal tomorrow.

For me I typically fast the day of and then splurge on that cheat meal. If that doesn't work for one reason or another I simply try not to worry. It's one meal...my deficit was solid the other 6 days out the week...we got this

I don't have a very restrictive diet. I planned my day. I'm eating normal sized meals for me. I'll enjoy them.
You don't have to eat huge amounts just because it is a holiday.

If i am going to enjoy a fattening meal, i will enjoy it, and consciously make the choice to eat it. It usually does not have a bad effect on me. In fact, i went on vacation and ate a few extra things and i actually lost weight this week (last sunday was the vacation day). that one meal or two wont affect me over the course of the month. it actually broke a plateau i had been on for April.