I need to lose 60lbs. Desperate need of new recipes/ food ideas for 'cheat days'.

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I used to make my own takeaway on cheat days, but now I'm pretty sick of green thai chicken and rice.

I'm pretty sick of chicken in general now tbh. I blame when I was pregnant I'm still a bit sickened by it. So vegetarian recipes welcome x
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Replies

  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    Why are you only eating chicken? What about pork, beef, fish?

    What foods do you like to eat? What's your idea of a cheat day - are you eating at maintenance calories? Above maintenance calories? Are you still logging the calories when you have your "cheat" day?

    Pinterest has lots of recipe ideas, it's usually my go to when I'm looking for something new to try. If you are looking for calorie friendly recipes try Skinnytaste...
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    WinoGelato wrote: »
    Also, in general I'm not a fan of "cheat days". I work all the foods I enjoy in to my regular plan as often as possible. While losing I still ate pizza, ice cream and wine - same in maintenance.

    this
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,771 Member
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    How about a diet of foods that can be fit into sustainable daily calorie deficit and do away with "cheat days"?
  • ChazzyEvilKitty2014
    ChazzyEvilKitty2014 Posts: 64 Member
    edited January 2018
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    I still log my cheat days. It's pretty much just me making a healthier version of takeaway food. I never go over my calories for the day
  • ChazzyEvilKitty2014
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    Also I don't really like pork or fish if I'm honest beef I'll eat but rarely
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Also I don't really like pork or fish if I'm honest beef I'll eat but rarely

    What do you like? I find that hitting a calorie goal is much easier when I'm eating foods that I enjoy.
  • ChazzyEvilKitty2014
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    Also I don't really like pork or fish if I'm honest beef I'll eat but rarely

    What do you like? I find that hitting a calorie goal is much easier when I'm eating foods that I enjoy.

    I like vegetarian dishes, but I would like some recipes that are good for beef and chicken, something a little different rather than just it being grilled and marinated.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    I still log my cheat days. It's pretty much just me making a healthier version of takeaway food. I never go over my calories for the day

    How is that a "cheat", then?

    I truly don't understand the concept - have you made drastic dietary changes for your day to day routine such that you feel like you need to indulge in the foods you really enjoy but only one day a week? But if you are making a healthier version that still fits within your calories - why is it a special indulgence? Why isn't it just "dinner" instead of a "cheat"?
  • ChazzyEvilKitty2014
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    WinoGelato wrote: »
    I still log my cheat days. It's pretty much just me making a healthier version of takeaway food. I never go over my calories for the day

    How is that a "cheat", then?

    I truly don't understand the concept - have you made drastic dietary changes for your day to day routine such that you feel like you need to indulge in the foods you really enjoy but only one day a week? But if you are making a healthier version that still fits within your calories - why is it a special indulgence? Why isn't it just "dinner" instead of a "cheat"?

    It's more about mindset. If I don't I know I'd go out and order crappy food and I desperately need to lose weight. This way I feel like I'm getting something nice but in a healthy way. It's more until I get into a better routine, otherwise I'll just go straight back to comfort eating.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    WinoGelato wrote: »
    I still log my cheat days. It's pretty much just me making a healthier version of takeaway food. I never go over my calories for the day

    How is that a "cheat", then?

    I truly don't understand the concept - have you made drastic dietary changes for your day to day routine such that you feel like you need to indulge in the foods you really enjoy but only one day a week? But if you are making a healthier version that still fits within your calories - why is it a special indulgence? Why isn't it just "dinner" instead of a "cheat"?

    It's more about mindset. If I don't I know I'd go out and order crappy food and I desperately need to lose weight. This way I feel like I'm getting something nice but in a healthy way. It's more until I get into a better routine, otherwise I'll just go straight back to comfort eating.

    I totally applaud the concept of taking calorie dense foods you love and finding ways to lighten them up so that they can fit into your plan more easily and/or more often.

    I'm just not following why it's a cheat - if it fits in your calories. But again, I don't really do cheat days to begin with. What do you eat on the days when you aren't preparing these types of foods? Have you set up a restrictive plan - cut out certain things - and then the day that you indulge in the things you cut out you are calling your cheat day?

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    WinoGelato wrote: »
    I still log my cheat days. It's pretty much just me making a healthier version of takeaway food. I never go over my calories for the day

    How is that a "cheat", then?

    I truly don't understand the concept - have you made drastic dietary changes for your day to day routine such that you feel like you need to indulge in the foods you really enjoy but only one day a week? But if you are making a healthier version that still fits within your calories - why is it a special indulgence? Why isn't it just "dinner" instead of a "cheat"?

    It's more about mindset. If I don't I know I'd go out and order crappy food and I desperately need to lose weight. This way I feel like I'm getting something nice but in a healthy way. It's more until I get into a better routine, otherwise I'll just go straight back to comfort eating.

    Why call it a cheat?

    Just call it yummy food.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    WinoGelato wrote: »
    I still log my cheat days. It's pretty much just me making a healthier version of takeaway food. I never go over my calories for the day

    How is that a "cheat", then?

    I truly don't understand the concept - have you made drastic dietary changes for your day to day routine such that you feel like you need to indulge in the foods you really enjoy but only one day a week? But if you are making a healthier version that still fits within your calories - why is it a special indulgence? Why isn't it just "dinner" instead of a "cheat"?

    It's more about mindset. If I don't I know I'd go out and order crappy food and I desperately need to lose weight. This way I feel like I'm getting something nice but in a healthy way. It's more until I get into a better routine, otherwise I'll just go straight back to comfort eating.

    Why call it a cheat?

    Just call it yummy food.

    Exactly. If you love eating a certain food and can fit it into your plan without calling it a "cheat", aren't you more likely to stick with your plan? Eating delicious food and losing weight - win/win!
  • alicebhsia
    alicebhsia Posts: 179 Member
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    http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a53697/vegetarian-eggplant-lasagna-recipe/ someone shared this on my facebook, i want to try it. it's low carb eggplant lasagna with eggplant for the noodles.
  • CharlesS6730
    CharlesS6730 Posts: 119 Member
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    I love chicken but I was getting sick of it. That was until I started doing different things with it.

    Free range chicken breast cut into strips
    Soak in omega 3 rich cage free eggs
    Mix coconut flour, sea salt, garlic, and white pepper and coat the chicken
    Fry in rendered grass fed beef tallow.



    Amazing chicken strips!
  • hearingyou2
    hearingyou2 Posts: 17 Member
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    I'm not sure I understand the cheat days idea. Here and there I eat something that is not ideal health-wise but we have a choice: either work it in calorie and nutrient wise the best we can so the rest of the day--and rest of the week--balances that out, or just budget the item in question into your plans. I am, for myself, just thinking of this as a change to a healthy / healthier lifestyle that must be permanent for the rest of my life or else nothing will change. I know for me, I don't get the idea of appropriate portion sizes and I probably never will unless I track this to remain mindful and accountable. Also this makes me measure. Over time this will hopefully retrain my eating mindset but I am no longer counting on that. I plan to track for always or else I think I can go back to the same patterns again and again and I don't want to gain the weight I've lost plus some more each time. My other problem is that I am a binge-eater (or I was and could be again). So now I have to track any mistakes I've made and this has helped me to stop before I go really far. My plan is to lean on others and seek/accept help for any problems I have in this area. You may be more experienced at this and better at this than I am and know how to do a cheat day without screwing it up totally. Or you may be following a plan that I'm not aware of that incorporates cheat days. I just don't know much about that. And frankly it doesn't sound like something I could do well with.

    As for food ideas... well, do you like fish or seafood? Or beans? I could try to dig up recipes or ideas that I've enjoyed but what do you like and what are you able to eat health-wise? Do you need to or want to avoid certain things?
  • ChazzyEvilKitty2014
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    I eat simply when I'm bored or upset, unlike years ago I was the opposite. So I like a structured eating plan. I know what people mean by calling it cheat days etc. I'm a bit fed up of eating meat, but I will eat chicken or beef. :')

    My only downside is soda bread. I try not to buy it in.
  • Styggian
    Styggian Posts: 465 Member
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    I love chicken but I was getting sick of it. That was until I started doing different things with it.

    Free range chicken breast cut into strips
    Soak in omega 3 rich cage free eggs
    Mix coconut flour, sea salt, garlic, and white pepper and coat the chicken
    Fry in rendered grass fed beef tallow.



    Amazing chicken strips!

    That looks absolutely delicious, send me some pls :)
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    I don't eat meat and I've found some fantastic meal inspirations on Pinterest. Even if I don't wind up making exactly what I see, it often gives me ideas. Some of my favorite non-meat meal options are: chili (try it with different beans to mix it up -- my favorites are black beans, kidney beans, and chickpeas), red beans and rice, lasagna, pasta puttanesca, enchiladas, potato soup, roasted mushrooms on baked potato/mashed potatoes, stir-fry, and noodles/zucchini noodles with peanut sauce.
  • murp4069
    murp4069 Posts: 494 Member
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    I still log my cheat days. It's pretty much just me making a healthier version of takeaway food. I never go over my calories for the day

    I see what you are saying, not going to get hung up on the characterization of it as a "cheat" day or meal. There are a lot of recipes and blogs online that create lighter versions of take out and fast foods. What do you like when you order take out? Try googling a light version of that. Say you like orange chicken. I just googled "light orange chicken recipe" and about a million recipes came up. I love macaroni and cheese - I've made lighter versions of that substituting chicken stock for a portion of the milk, using lower fat cheeses, substituting some of the noodles for cauliflower, adding nutritional yeast, etc. Most of those ideas I came up with by googling something like "lower calorie mac and cheese" and then playing around with the recipes.