Do you log "cheat days"?

I log everything. It keeps me focused and aware

I log them.

Absolutely, I log everything. It's the best way for me to properly see the patterns and habits I have, and be able to look back and evaluate progress or lack of.

yes, I log everything. The moment i come to a hault I need to review everything I put into my mouth that perhaps could have caused me to slow or stall my weight loss.

Absolutely. There is a vast world of difference between eating what you want and knowing what you ate, and not knowing and pretending it wasn't so bad. A week later when you haven't resumed any losses, no need to be confused when you know you actually blew through two weeks worth of your deficit with the extra pizza and cheesecake that one day.

I try not to have cheat days and when I do, I usually don’t log them because I wouldn’t even know where to start. When I cheat, I don’t mess around. Sometimes, I just do something like logging 1 million calories just so I can remember how spectacular my cheat was...and the corresponding weight gain that usually follows. December, for me was an entire cheat month, I gained 10 pounds.

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I just log every day and be honest. It’s not for anyone but myself so why not? I don’t care what other people think or say because it’s my journey. Just log everything you eat so you can see true and honest progress or where you need to improve.

watts6151 wrote: »

The term ‘cheat meal’ is a bodybuilding term
And has been for many decades.
When your in prep and are carb depleted, struggling with weights and recovery, then a
Cheat meal is required.

If your not deep into prep then it’s not a cheat
Meal, please stop taking competitive bodybuilding terminology and applying it to your
Average person trying to loose a few pounds.

Please don’t bastardise a underground term
And use it out of its original context.

For reference
Current open champion Phill heath, 7 Time Mr Olympia has cheat meals
Current 212lb champion Flex Lewis, 6 Time Mr olompia has cheat meals

Also, in the OP context of "Cheat meal" you are only cheating yourself. Resist the urge to eat junk. You will get over the cravings and urges.

My “cheat days” mean going out to a nice restaurant where it would be nigh on impossible to log them accurately, so I don’t bother.

The thing with a cheat day and not logging it is it won’t change that it did not happen and in the end your scale will tell you the truth. I don’t like the name cheat day. Some days and some circumstances you just eat more it happens plannned and unplannned. I just log it in and if unplannned hopefully learn from it.

Well I don't call them cheat days, but yes I log my higher-than-I'd-usually-like calorie days now.

I didn't the last time I was on MFP and lost weight. But then I ended up stopping my "diet" and then putting the weight back on plus more. I really do think part of that was not developing the true honesty and accountability with myself that logging everything brings. Saying that, on these high days I do guess more than usual and that is something I should perhaps improve in time. But I will usually overestimate rather than under.

I have problems with emotional binge eating and part of that involves wanting to hide it from myself and others in guilt. There is less of that now and I have seen a real improvement in them, probably because I am facing up to it rather than pretending it didn't happen and then getting trapped in cycles of guilt. I realise not everyone will have problems like this, but think a lot of people could benefit from logging as accurately as possible. As there is absolutely nothing wrong with the odd day of doing this.