Cheat meals

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Armywife04_21
Armywife04_21 Posts: 60 Member
in Food and Nutrition
For those who do cheat meals, how do you yours? I've only had a few over the span of 4 months, but I still try to be mindful and not go over in calories. Also there is the guilt factor but I know it helps me keep sane. The bottom line for me is trying to find a healthy outlook on food and not viewing it as cheating but more as a treat once in a while.

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  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    If you're not going over your calories, why are you considering it a "cheat meal"?
  • Armywife04_21
    Armywife04_21 Posts: 60 Member
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    It is still a cheat meal if it is highly processed and little to no nutritional value. I guess for me I am mindful of what I eat and I eat pretty clean, so having fries or something I consider it to be a cheat meal.
  • Armywife04_21
    Armywife04_21 Posts: 60 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Armywife04_21 wrote: »
    It is still a cheat meal if it is highly processed and little to no nutritional value. I guess for me I am mindful of what I eat and I eat pretty clean, so having fries or something I consider it to be a cheat meal.

    I eat a diet that is rich in whole food nutrition...I also eat some pizza once in awhile or go out to the pub for some fish 'n chips...I don't consider it cheating...it's called living life. The notion that your diet has to be perfect and if it's not it's cheating is ridiculous...feeling guilty about eating a certain food is silly. Eating some pizza or fish 'n chips or whatever once in awhile isn't particularly material to my diet as a whole.

    Yea it is something I am still working on. I struggled with an eating disorder for half my life, only way I lost weight. This is the first time in my life I am losing weight the right way with better eating and exercise. I am trying to find a balance and not have a crazy amount of guilt after I eat "junk" I suppose. It sucks to be this way, but working on it.
  • mabearof6
    mabearof6 Posts: 684 Member
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    I don't call them cheats anymore. I started referring to them as my indulgences. I don't plan them out unless I know of a special occasion coming up. If want something, really want it, I have just started making room for it. Otherwise I will most likely obsess about it, and then over indulge. It took me a while to get this mindset.
  • peaceout_aly
    peaceout_aly Posts: 2,018 Member
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    Armywife04_21 wrote: »
    For those who do cheat meals, how do you yours? I've only had a few over the span of 4 months, but I still try to be mindful and not go over in calories. Also there is the guilt factor but I know it helps me keep sane. The bottom line for me is trying to find a healthy outlook on food and not viewing it as cheating but more as a treat once in a while.

    First off, if it fits your macros (IIFYM) it isn't a cheat meal. So get that guilty feeling out of your head (I know it's hard...I haven't eaten a donut or McDonald's in years because of it) and realize that if you're eating within your means then you can eat whatever. Secondly, I KNOW during the summer and holiday season I will be drinking and indulging on the weekends, therefore I eat at a deficit or close to it during the week so that when I go over on the weekends it isn't quite as bad. Also note, I technically should be eating at maintenance or a little above because of how I train...so deficit throughout the week + surplus on the weekend = about maintenance.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    Armywife04_21 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Armywife04_21 wrote: »
    It is still a cheat meal if it is highly processed and little to no nutritional value. I guess for me I am mindful of what I eat and I eat pretty clean, so having fries or something I consider it to be a cheat meal.

    I eat a diet that is rich in whole food nutrition...I also eat some pizza once in awhile or go out to the pub for some fish 'n chips...I don't consider it cheating...it's called living life. The notion that your diet has to be perfect and if it's not it's cheating is ridiculous...feeling guilty about eating a certain food is silly. Eating some pizza or fish 'n chips or whatever once in awhile isn't particularly material to my diet as a whole.

    Yea it is something I am still working on. I struggled with an eating disorder for half my life, only way I lost weight. This is the first time in my life I am losing weight the right way with better eating and exercise. I am trying to find a balance and not have a crazy amount of guilt after I eat "junk" I suppose. It sucks to be this way, but working on it.

    Try taking a bigger picture approach...look at your diet on the whole rather than the minutia of an individual meal or particular food.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Armywife04_21 wrote: »
    It is still a cheat meal if it is highly processed and little to no nutritional value. I guess for me I am mindful of what I eat and I eat pretty clean, so having fries or something I consider it to be a cheat meal.

    French fries are calorie-dense, so I don't fit them into my diet as much as I would like . . . but they've got fat, protein, and carbohydrates, which my body needs. They're also a good source of Vitamin C, B-6, and magnesium and they've even got a bit of iron.

    I wouldn't personally consider eating them "cheating," they just a food where you have to be mindful of how quickly the calories can add up.
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,831 Member
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    I don't think of such things as "cheating" because no one is being cheated. No one gets away with anything. I sometimes make the choice to eat too much and/or eat things that are not healthy for me. These activities prevent me from losing weight (in the case of too much) and getting healthy. They prolong the process of reaching my goals. No guilt. My decisions. I consider eating good-for-me-foods within calorie limits to be my "normal."

    Last night we had a drive through pizza. Today I am back to normal eating. I'm carrying around a couple extra pounds of water because of the sodium in that pizza. That's not good for me and it produces discouraging numbers on the scale. I won't do it again for a good while not because I feel guilty but rather because it thwarted my progress, dammit.

    I am in charge of how I think about things. Guilt gives others the right to live in my head rent free. Took a lot of counseling to realize that wasn't getting me anywhere. Choose to be content with your life as is or change your life to make yourself content with it.

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