Cheat days

trynashrink · January 2018

I’m trying to eat healthy right now to lose weight, following a meal plan, but there are days where I literally can’t contain myself and I eat something I’m not supposed to, and I eat and eat and can’t stop,I’m a binge eater as you can imagine. But I go hard following my meal plan most of the days. I was just wondering if cheat days are that unhealthy? I’ve lost around 22 pounds and I don’t wanna gain it all back

help please

mmapags · January 2018

What is your weekly goal for weight loss on MFP. Maybe it is too aggressive and that triggers the binges.

trynashrink · January 2018

mmapags wrote: »

What is your weekly goal for weight loss on MFP. Maybe it is too aggressive and that triggers the binges.

around 4 pounds a week

mmapags · January 2018

Yes, way too aggressive. How much do you have to lose? When your goal is too aggressive, it will cause compliance issues and that can cause binging.

GV81 · January 2018

mmapags wrote: »

Yes, way too aggressive. How much do you have to lose? When your goal is too aggressive, it will cause compliance issues and that can cause binging.

This. If you need a cheat day then your plan is too aggressive. The best diet is the one you can maintain forever if need be.

Need2Exerc1se · January 2018

GV81 wrote: »

mmapags wrote: »

Yes, way too aggressive. How much do you have to lose? When your goal is too aggressive, it will cause compliance issues and that can cause binging.

This. If you need a cheat day then your plan is too aggressive. The best diet is the one you can maintain forever if need be.

While I agree that 4 lbs is probably overly aggressive unless you are very obese and being monitored by a doctor, I totally disagree that having cheat days means your plan is too aggressive, or that having cheat days can't be maintained.

I had cheat days the weekly while I was losing weight and continue to do so now that I'm in maintenance. I prefer to diet some days so that I can have high calorie days. It's very sustainable for me long term.

KANGOOJUMPS · January 2018

we all cheat.

JMcGee2018 · January 2018

One way to handle cheat days is to look at the deficit you need WEEKLY to lose weight. 4 pounds a week is too aggressive, but if you wanted to lose 2 a week you would need a deficit of 7k calories per week, which ends up being 1000 per day. If you know you'll need a cheat day, try to make your deficits on not cheat days greater than 1000 to compensate for that. As long as you're achieving a weekly deficit, it doesn't matter too much what happens on a particular day.

Falklang · January 2018

I had KFC the other night, crisps the other day and crisps today...I'm still losing weight, but enjoying my life at the same time. It's all about moderation, portion size and correct choices whilst all being under your goal calories.

murp4069 · January 2018

GV81 wrote: »

mmapags wrote: »

Yes, way too aggressive. How much do you have to lose? When your goal is too aggressive, it will cause compliance issues and that can cause binging.

This. If you need a cheat day then your plan is too aggressive. The best diet is the one you can maintain forever if need be.

This. If you have a really hard time staying within a strict meal plan, consider simply just counting calories and eating what you want but eating those things in moderation to stay within your calorie goals.

cbohling1987 · January 2018

As others have said, your goal is too aggressive - you will almost certainly feel bad and be unable to sustain the diet.

That said, once you have a more reasonable goal selected, keep in mind that it is not required for you to eat at your prescribed deficit every single day. Some days you can eat at maintenance (or even in a surplus, as long as it's only occasional) and still lose weight in the long term. The key to "cheat days" is to still log what you are eating on the days when you eat more than your prescribed calories.

For example, if you eat a 500 calorie deficit for Sunday through Friday, you'll end up at a 3000 calorie deficit over that 6-day period. You could eat at maintenance or even at a slight (200-300 calorie) surplus on Saturday and still lose weight that week because you'd still be at a 2700-3000 calorie deficit for the week.

As I said, the key is to make sure you're logging it. If you just binge on your "cheat day" and don't log anything, you could easily find yourself eating 5000 calories and completely offsetting your deficits from the rest of the week, and you won't lose weight at all.

Obviously any diet is going to require a degree of willpower. If eating one day a week at maintenance instead of a deficit means that you have the willpower to eat at a deficit the other 6 days, do it. You will still lose weight in the long term. But don't allow your "cheat days" to become totally unrestricted/unlogged.

vismal · January 2018

GV81 wrote: »

mmapags wrote: »

Yes, way too aggressive. How much do you have to lose? When your goal is too aggressive, it will cause compliance issues and that can cause binging.

This. If you need a cheat day then your plan is too aggressive. The best diet is the one you can maintain forever if need be.

I disagree with this completely. Almost everyone I have ever encountered "needs" a day where they can eat food without tracking calories or worrying about macronutrients. You say that the best diet is one you can maintain forever. I would argue that a diet that never allows for non-compliance isn't maintainable forever. My diet is not too aggressive and I still have days where I do not track. I prefer to call them free days because I'm not cheating anything. I have a calorie goal and about 95% or more of the year I meet that goal. On holidays, special occasions, and sometimes just because I feel like it, I have a free day. This is because I'm human, not because I'm too aggressive with my diet. Hell, I even have an occasional free day when I'm in a weight gaining phase so my goal is certainly not too aggressive. The point is that if you stick to your plan 95% of the time, you should still be able to reach any goal you set for yourself. That being said, something like a weekly free day probably won't work for a lot of people. In that scenario you are only sticking to your goal about 86% of the time and if that free day is "bad" enough you very well may erase your entire calorie deficit for the week.

Now the OP's goal of 4 lbs a week is almost certainly too aggressive. I also think from the OP's post that they are of the mindset that eating "healthy" will allow them to lose weight and that to them "cheating" means eating banned foods. To that I would say, a diet needn't have a single banned food to be successful. Focus less on the names of foods you eat and more on the calories and macronutrients the foods contain. In addition to hitting your calorie and macro goals eat plenty of vegetables and a moderate amount of fruit to help with satiety and ensure you are getting in your micronutrients and fiber. You can eat any foods you want to accomplish this task. Focusing on calories + macros rather than types of foods allows you to enjoy your favorite things in moderation. It's also OK to have the occasional day where you simply eat what you want in the quantities you want. Just know that the more often you do that, the longer it will take to reach your goals so use them sparingly but don't think for a minute that you can't be successful and enjoy yourself with restriction from time to time.

mmapags · January 2018

A couple of thoughts. I am huge proponent of 3 things when it comes to weight control, fitness and, well pretty much any other important area of life.
Intentionallity
Mindfulness
Neuro-linguistic Programming.

Coming from that point of view, I pretty much hate the term cheat day as it is a complete fail on all 3 fronts. It implies a lack of intentionallity and mindfulness and is about as negative neuro-linguistically as you can get.

If one is going to eat more 1 or 2 days of the week, it should be with mindfulness and intentionallity. Along those line, there are so many more positive things it could be called. A refeed day. A weekly diet break. Calorie cycling.

So much for my soapbox. To address the OPs concerns, they aren't just having a "cheat" day, they are having a binge day with uncontrolled eating. Not good. It's pretty clear that 4 lbs loss per week is a questionable approach that could lead to health problems and loss of valuable muscle mass.

There is also the question of sustainability. What good does it do you to lose weight in a fashion where you don't learn the habits and eating methods that don't help to then transition to maintenance at a healthy weight?

DebLaBounty · January 2018

For me, losing 2 to 2.5 pounds a week was too aggressive. Despite weight lifting, I lost muscle mass in my arms. I also started losing my hair. I think MFP is set up for a maximum weight loss of two pounds a week. Eat some more, eat foods you like that are within your calorie allowance, and if you need an "eat anything I want" day once a week, force yourself to control your portions. If you are concerned that you binge out of control, talk to your doctor about a referral to a therapist.

Fitnessmom82 · January 2018

Sounds like your goal of 4 pounds a week is too aggressive. The max amount on here is 2 pounds per week.
As far as cheat days go- I "cheat" once a week. I can fit most of those cheat meals into my regular calorie goals if I really tried but when I want something indulgent I want to really enjoy it and not try to fit it in (which also would take a lot of calories and not leave a lot of room for the rest of my day). Allowing myself one "bad" meal a week also makes me think harder about the choices I make. For me, great pizza or a meatball sub are worth it. I won't grab a fast food burger because they are not worth the calories for me. I make sure whatever the meal is, it's some thing I really want that week. I also make my cheat day flexible. It's typically on Sunday but if I'm out and about or end up having a nice dinner somewhere I just move my day accordingly.
I've lost 55 pounds this way and don't feel deprived. I never miss a cheat meal!

vampirequeen1959 · January 2018

Are you following a meal plan that leaves you hungry or doesn't allow for treats?

melissawill2017 · January 2018

First of all, I don't believe in "cheat days"; I totally understand the meaning and have used the terminology in the past, but I think "cheating" has a negative connotation so I choose to not look at food that way. You stated that sometimes you can't contain yourself and you eat foods that you aren't supposed to? Unless it's going to be detrimental to your health; a diabetic eating sugar for example, then you shouldn't look at foods in that way. I eat whatever I choose to as long as it stays within my calorie range for the day. Some days I am satisfied with grilled chicken and veggies and some days I want a cheeseburger with fries.. and that's ok!! It sounds like you have had great success; although I do agree that 4 pounds/week sounds excessive! Maybe you are being too restrictive and that is triggering your binges. We all want a quick and easy solution when it comes to weight loss, but a gradual loss is always best for sustained success! Good luck!

wizzybeth · January 2018

I do not do cheat days. I work my treats, such as they are into every day that I want them.
I do not demonize foods.
I do not consider this food good and that food bad.
It all goes down to numbers and meeting my nutritional needs for fiber, fat, fiber, carbs, vitamins/minerals.

Red wine is a definite must have for me. I do not restrict it - but I limit it now. I make sure to allow enough room MOST days (I don't have it EVERY day- but I do have it frequently) to have at least 6-8 oz in the evening before I go to bed. I also make sure I have met my protein, fat, and fiber goals (for the most part) for the day. By doing so, even at only 1440 or so calories a day - I rarely am hungry to the point that I want to binge on something. I may sometimes have a handful of candy or a snack at night knowing it's going to put me over my calories a little bit...

I frequently choose to not eat certain foods because I decide the calories are NOT worth it for me. I pass up on a LOT of bread, pasta, and even pizza because I'd *rather* spend those calories on something else. BUT If I do eat a piece of pizza, I do not consider it "something I shouldn't have eaten." I log it, and move on. If I go over my calories for the day - I accept it - and get back on track the next. I also go by a weekly calorie goal - so some days, I may be over the 1440 per day by a couple hundred; the other days I will be under.

As others have said - I do think 4lbs a week is excessively agressive unless you are under doctor's orders. Most people can lose 4lbs in a week once in a while (esp. water weight) - but not steadily.

Cheat days

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