Cheat days

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eli5925
eli5925 Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
My family and I went to an amusement park today. I've been doing pretty well with my diet and exercise, but it was kind of hard to find healthy foods around. I ended up eating a personal pizza and later having ice cream. So my question is, do you think an occasional cheat day once a month would hurt my progress? I'm trying to lose 90-100 lbs. Now the cheat day wouldn't go overboard. I just mean eating slightly unhealthy foods such as regular ice cream and pizza, but not in excess.

Replies

  • mehreen_xo
    mehreen_xo Posts: 78 Member
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    If you are faithfully logging and within your deficit at all other times and you have the occasional cheat meal, then no, it definitely will not hinder progress. There may be a little increase on the scale but thats water weight from the extra food and will soon come off.

    My advice though, would be to not let yourself get to the point when you almost NEED a binge. Stop calling certain foods "unhealthy" and just enjoy everything whilst staying in a deficit. That's the best way not to feel deprived & then need a cheat meal. Good luck in your journey and don't worry about that yummy food you had! Onwards & upwards :)
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    I still eat pizza and ice cream regularly within my calories. There's nothing to cheat on.
  • Mr_Healthy_Habits
    Mr_Healthy_Habits Posts: 12,588 Member
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    You're fine, try to think in terms of cheat meals rather than cheat days...

    I lost 180 and occasionally every few weeks would enjoy a meal out and some ice cream with the family... Life is too short.

    Besides some of my best runs were after an ice cream binge lol...

    Use it as motivation to have your Healthiest, biggest workout week ahead and you'll be fine as long as you don't ever give up
  • eli5925
    eli5925 Posts: 2 Member
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    Thank you guys. That really helped out a lot. I definitely won't deprive myself of "unhealthy" foods anymore.
  • micahlee2230
    micahlee2230 Posts: 3 Member
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    I try to limit myself to eating a cheat meal on the weekends. I just have to be careful, bc like you said, I will eat my cheat meal and then say what the heck I'll have some ice cream tonight too. Usually I can eat a "cheat meal" and stay within my calorie goals by eating less at other meals, but then you are just deniying your body the nutrients it needs to rebuild after lifting, or energy for the day. So....cheat meals are good for sanity, but in my opinion can be a launching pad for failure if you are not intentional in monitoring your meals the rest of the week.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    You can do a lot of walking at an amusement park. One time my family went to the Texas State Fair. One of my kids was wearing a pedometer. At the end of our visit she told me that we had walked 8 miles. Them's calories, pardner.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
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    If you were walking around and active all day, you are probably still in a deficit... So what did you "cheat" on?

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