cheat days

syousaf571
syousaf571 Posts: 46 Member
edited November 18 in Health and Weight Loss
if u ever have cheat days, what does it look like for u? i'm planning on going "all out" for my grad+birthday.
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Replies

  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
    I don't do a cheat day, I do a 'treat' meal once a week. Usually on Friday night - date night, or whenever my husband and I are able to go out to dinner over the weekend. The way I treat is I'll eat whatever I want, within reason and still practicing portion control. That's it... nothing crazy. Honestly I don't really crave much anymore so just having a plate of rice or pasta or some bread out of the bread basket is treat enough for me.
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
    ..... why would you put it in your head that you're planning to go "All out"! If you feel the need to go all out and are actually making a plan to do so, I'd say you're current nutrition plan isn't realistic or sustainable.
  • animatorswearbras
    animatorswearbras Posts: 1,001 Member
    I tend to do maintenance cals during the weekends and have a 500 cal deficit during the week, a few weeks ago I was at a wedding and had about 4000 cals of food and booze then went over maintenance the next day too, I maintained that week after compensating during the week with my 500 deficit for all intents and purposes. It happens. As long as you don't go "all out" every week just expect to maintain or even gain that week even if you compensate (safely*) the rest of the week, special occasions happen and I don't restrict when they do. ;P Its only if you have a lot of special occasions you probably should look at how to moderate during those times as they can stop you losing.

    *obviously don't try to compensate by having a stupidly low amount of cals (ie less than 1200) the rest of the week
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    i dont do cheat days. it could knock out my deficit for the entire week, or even longer.

    a cheat MEAL on occasion, sure, or a gluttonous dessert.... but I'll get in more exercise in the pre and post days, or cut back elsewhere if im able to during the day to help compensate for it.

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    syousaf571 wrote: »
    if u ever have cheat days, what does it look like for u? i'm planning on going "all out" for my grad+birthday.

    I certainly have occasions where I overeat and indulge...not really, cheating, just living life. It's usually a BBQ or pool party or something...lots of good food and adult beverages.
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
    edited May 2017
    I sometimes have 3k cal days. Just log them all, at the very least you have good data to reflect on. I'm going to ribfest in a monthish and I expect to eat about 5K cals... it's really not that bad if you do it once every few months. If I'm in a deficit all the other days I'm pretty close to maintenance overall even with a 5K day maybe even a tiny deficit lol
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    I don't have "cheat days." I really hate that term, since I wouldn't be "cheating" anyone other than myself. On rare occasions, I intentionally eat over my calorie goal for the day--usually because either I'm in a social setting where food is an important part of a celebration and I want to participate in that, I'm traveling in a place where it's not feasible to follow my usual diet, or I'm sick and I feel that my body needs the extra calories to recover. For me, what you're describing would fall into the first category. I'd enjoy my food but still try to eat reasonably rather than gorging myself, and then just get back on track the next day.
  • Emily3907
    Emily3907 Posts: 1,461 Member
    No cheat days here. Just some days were I eat a little less and other days were I eat a little more. In the end, it all balances out to a deficit and that is my only real concern.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    I totally know what you mean. Time to celebrate. Note that the word "celebrate" does not mean "be self-destructive. "Going all out" sounds like you plan on ending up puking in the bathroom, or something. Not my idea of fun.

    But having a great meal with friends is fun and should be done on such an occasion, including eating birthday cake. It's good for the soul and you can make up for the calories later.

    Lots of non-consumption stuff is fun, too: Dancing is fun. Hiking up a hill and watching the sunset is fun. Playing "Cards Against Humanity" is fun. Going to a concert is fun. Having fun is fun.

    Hope it is the night of your life!
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited May 2017
    No cheat days for me. Cheat implies negative things to me, such as feeling guilty or ashamed for something I should not do or have done.

    When eating a calorie deficit or maintaining my calorie choices are relaxed on weekends sure, and usually even causes issues on the scales for days afterwards. Life is meant to be enjoyed and learning how to eat when indulging in birthdays, holidays and family events from here on out should just be that, a day of fun and enjoyment with food, but keeping it controlled to the point that these days do not possibly derail progress.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    I don't go "all out". I've worked too hard to get where I am. A treat is having dessert or a glass of wine.
  • lilysillycat
    lilysillycat Posts: 159 Member
    syousaf571 wrote: »
    if u ever have cheat days, what does it look like for u? i'm planning on going "all out" for my grad+birthday.

    we all serious need to break the habit of using food as reward for celebration. get something super fun and health for your grad+birthday. your favorite electronic gadget such as go pro, or apple watch if you dont have it yet. or the pair of running shoes or hiking boots you always wanted. or charter a boat and go deep sea fishing, water ski, a camping trip with buddies. etc etc. but eat super healthy. there is no need to celebrate your grad+birthday with something that may stall your weight lose for weeks and cause all sort of emotional problems.
  • rmmcgar
    rmmcgar Posts: 3 Member
    I set Friday aside for a cheat day, but I still log all of my calories. Even though it's a cheat day, don't go 'all out', though. I would just pick something that you've been craving and eat it, but not splurge to excess. Also, only cheat for one meal, not the entire day, and if you can, cut back on the day so the one meal can be even more satisfying but not a diet-killer.
  • soccerjerseyguy
    soccerjerseyguy Posts: 14 Member
    if I want to indulge I first do a big bike ride or something (logging calorie loss), and then I have that "banked" to treat myself (not going over). Do the work first, then you can reward. This keeps me honest and on track for my goals.
  • yoherbs421
    yoherbs421 Posts: 160 Member
    I consider going out my cheat day. I like to party so dancing and other extra curricular activity lol keeps the expenditure up ooh double entendre!
  • syousaf571
    syousaf571 Posts: 46 Member
    yoherbs421 wrote: »
    I consider going out my cheat day. I like to party so dancing and other extra curricular activity lol keeps the expenditure up ooh double entendre!
    LOL
  • DamieBird
    DamieBird Posts: 651 Member
    I don't do cheat days. I have a problem with the concept as a whole. Live your life, enjoy your special occasions, don't worry about going over your calorie targets on those really big once a year or once in a lifetime events! It's not "cheating" anything; it's still weight loss if you stay in deficit in the long run.

    I do log those days, but it's usually just a generous estimate. I try to over estimate to make sure there's some wiggle room and then just go back to normal the next day. I have a decent gap between my TDEE and weekly goal, so it's pretty hard for me to undo an entire week with a single day's worth of excess (I'd have to eat something like 7k calories in a day), but even if I did, it's one week at maintenance out of an entire year's worth of work to lose (about how long it should take me to reach my target) and an entire lifetime's worth of effort to maintain. As long as you don't let your "all-out" derail your entire weight loss train, you'll be fine :).

    Enjoy yourself and congratulations!!
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
    edited May 2017
    Looks a little something like this


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  • DrizztGirl82
    DrizztGirl82 Posts: 85 Member
    I allow myself one or two days a week to go over calories. I log these all the time. But I also never eat my exercise calories, so I always have 'extras' around. Like yesterday, I decided that I wanted to pig out with some pizza for dinner and chips as a snack later. I also had an alcoholic drink. My total calories for yesterday was over 3000, but usually it's a lot lower. So I would say go for it! As long as it's not frequent. And Happy Birthday and Congrats on graduating! It's exciting!
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    edited May 2017
    Honestly just go "all out" and enjoy yourself, I'm not sure what all out means for you, but for me it would be going out to eat, ordering whatever i want, eating as much of it as it takes for me to feel satisfied, getting dessert, maybe a couple drinks. I personally would only log the food if it were easy to do so. If I was at a restaurant that didn't provide nutrition info, I Wouldn't. Also if I was at a party or something eating someone's homemade whatever, I'm not logging that. It would only be a rough estimate anyway.

    I haven't had a day like this yet since I started logging (a few weeks ago) but I have only committed to logging m-f and then off on the weekends but still eating sensible portions.
  • laurenebargar
    laurenebargar Posts: 3,081 Member
    I dont understand cheat days. Last Saturday my husband and I went to a new restaurant in town, and I had a burger and onion rings, then we walked around the lake and got ice cream. We countered this with playing soccer with our dog for about an hour. I didn't log my walk into MFP (that was an accident!) but we walked about 3 miles. We had a full dinner, a few little snacks and at midnight my husband and I both "had" to have a sandwich. I was still under my calorie goal for the day, and I felt like I was going to be wayyy over. I realized that I just practiced portion control though. Instead of getting a large onion ring, I got a small and shared it with my hubby, I got a smaller burger, and a kids sized ice cream, I was still full! If you want to enjoy yourself then I say do it! But its possible to enjoy your life, and still enjoy food you love while practicing portion control and not erasing all of your hard work throughout the week.
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
    syousaf571 wrote: »
    cushman5279 wrote: »
    ..... why would you put it in your head that you're planning to go "All out"! If you feel the need to go all out and are actually making a plan to do so, I'd say you're current nutrition plan isn't realistic or sustainable.

    um haha no. its my graduation and birthday, that's why i feel the need to go all out

    Okay so what will be the next excuse? Your birthday? vacation? a friends birthday? family event...?????

  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
    RoxieDawn wrote: »
    No cheat days for me. Cheat implies negative things to me, such as feeling guilty or ashamed for something I should not do or have done.

    When eating a calorie deficit or maintaining my calorie choices are relaxed on weekends sure, and usually even causes issues on the scales for days afterwards. Life is meant to be enjoyed and learning how to eat when indulging in birthdays, holidays and family events from here on out should just be that, a day of fun and enjoyment with food, but keeping it controlled to the point that these days do not possibly derail progress.

    This exactly.
    I guess the wording is what bothers me about it. Feeling the need to go all out to me means you've been depriving yourself and using food as a reward. That's a bad habit to get into.
  • YalithKBK
    YalithKBK Posts: 317 Member
    I don't do regularly scheduled cheat days (I used to but it didn't work for me), but I too have graduated recently and I spent a week eating at/above maintenance. I was very sure to log EVERYTHING, but didn't restrict myself to how many calories I could eat. Once all the celebrating was over, I went right back to the diet. A week later and I've dropped not only all the party bloat weight, but I'm already a pound down from before graduation.

    It's fine to go out and celebrate as long as 1) it doesn't cause you anxiety over the calories you consume and 2) you have the discipline to go right back to your diet when it's over.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    cushman5279 wrote: »
    ..... why would you put it in your head that you're planning to go "All out"! If you feel the need to go all out and are actually making a plan to do so, I'd say you're current nutrition plan isn't realistic or sustainable.

    not sure what you are trying to say? Are you saying a few blow out days a year means that ones plan is not realistic?

    I have a few blow out days a year and I have had no problem meeting goals...
  • chimaerandi
    chimaerandi Posts: 153 Member
    I don't count at all on my birthday, Passover, and Thanksgiving, and I've lost and maintained a 70 pound loss, from a size 20 to a size 4.
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