Do you allow yourself a cheat day?

armywifenmomof3
armywifenmomof3 Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been doing so well this week, but I have basically stopped eating anything that I really love! I lost 2.4 pounds this week and thats what I set my goal at 2 pounds a week, but I would love to have my favorite a snickers bar!!! but I'm terrified to gain that 2 pounds back

Replies

  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    Can you work the Snickers bar into your calories for the day? If not today, plan it in to another day's calories. You can eat what you want within your calories and still lose weight. Treats like that aren't always filling and they are calorie dense, so it's hard to fit it in every day, but if you want a Snickers, there's no reason you can't have one if it's within your goals.
  • ladyhusker39
    ladyhusker39 Posts: 1,406 Member
    There's another active thread that I think might be helpful to you. The OP is asking how to find balance which I think might be your real issue.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10643494/how-do-i-find-balance#latest
  • ACanadian22
    ACanadian22 Posts: 377 Member
    I think what works for one person may not work for another. I have an open day once a week but I eat very low through the week to get that day. It works for me, but some might continue eating. I am losing 2 pounds a week doing it this way...but that might just be me. It took me 2 years on here to figure out what works best for me.
  • fr33sia12
    fr33sia12 Posts: 1,258 Member
    I don't cheat, you're only cheating yourself that way. I eat what I want within my calories, if I want to eat more I exercise. Simple really.
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,223 Member
    I'm not a big fan of cheat days or the on/off "cheat"/"treat" or "behave/misbehave" mentality. I could see where it can be beneficial from time to time to indulge in a favorite, but I argue from a sustainability standpoint you need to find the personalized definition of a way of eating that you can live with long-term. As others said, there's nothing wrong with incorporating foods you enjoy within the confines of the calorie level requisite to your goals and minimum nutrient requirements.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    armywifenmomof3 wrote: »
    I have been doing so well this week, but I have basically stopped eating anything that I really love! I lost 2.4 pounds this week and thats what I set my goal at 2 pounds a week, but I would love to have my favorite a snickers bar!!! but I'm terrified to gain that 2 pounds back

    I don't do cheat days, I do planned days (like the weekend) to alter my food choices. Cheat days are kinda of a harsh term, maybe something I feel guilty for. No need for that!!

    The thing with stopping eating all the foods you love you will miss them like a long lost friend, but you don't have to! Start working your calories so that you fit a snickers into your day! Things like this and learning to work social events, holidays, etc. will be a work in progress as you get more into your weight loss!!

    Congrats on the great week you have had! :smile:
  • MichelleSilverleaf
    MichelleSilverleaf Posts: 2,027 Member
    I echo what others said about making it fit. Don't forget, the number MFP gave you already has a deficit so if you go a little over you're eating into your deficit not going over your TDEE. At 2lbs a week you have a 1000cal deficit which obviously you don't want to use up but if you go a little over it won't exactly ruin weight loss efforts. Try to keep that in mind as you go.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    steveko89 wrote: »
    RoxieDawn wrote: »
    The thing with stopping eating all the foods you love you will miss them like a long lost friend, but you don't have to! Start working your calories so that you fit a snickers into your day!

    For Snickers, get a bag of the fun-sized bars (80 cal/piece). You can easily fit 1-2/day into your daily calories to get your fix. Just don't eat the whole bag :wink:

    The size snickers that might satisfy me and another person might be different. :tongue:

    Fitting in a candy bar or that 'one' tasty treat we need to make our day complete will of course will come down to individual preference, pre-logging first thing in my day is what I would do!!!
  • The_Ta
    The_Ta Posts: 59 Member
    As mentioned, it can fit into your calories if you plan for it.

    Another idea is to use a mini bar or two as a reward for working out. You should eat back exercise calories, so why not your favorite treat. Nothing like craving some of that nougat to make you strap on your sneakers and walk the block!
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    edited February 2018
    I don't like to cheat myself. I used to frequently grab a snickers bar at the checkout lane, but now they no longer taste good or satisfying.
    But you won't gain back 2 lbs from one candy bar.
  • FlyingMolly
    FlyingMolly Posts: 490 Member
    I think if you’re planning to do something every week it stops being cheating and becomes part of your routine. I know from experience that I don’t have the discipline to “go crazy” once a week and then bounce right back, so now I’m looking at one more relaxed weekend at the end of each month and I’ll see how that goes.

    The contrast between “good” and “bad” eating can’t be too striking, or it’ll get harder and harder to go back to “good” each time. Your best bet is to incorporate foods that bring you joy into every day. They may not be the same ones you loved to overeat before, but you have to find ways to enjoy eating and look forward to the foods in your plan.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    Define cheat day.
  • Fitnessmom82
    Fitnessmom82 Posts: 376 Member
    I have a "cheat meal" once a week. I don't go crazy. I eat that foods that would otherwise trigger to me to eat more (because I love them and need to reign it in a bit!). Usually these foods fit into my calories for the day, or put me just a little bit over. Sometimes I eat them during the rest of the week too, but I really have to watch myself. Pizza and dessert once a week for me keeps me happy, I don't feel I am missing those things. But it would be VERY easy for me to back slide and have dessert every single night and the ease of picking up a pizza would easily bring me back to getting fast food all the time. Right now, they just don't fit into my calories every day.
    So for sure find a way to incorporate the things you love in to your diet, be it a cheat day or pre planning those calories in every day. Just don't deprive yourself!
  • ITUSGirl51
    ITUSGirl51 Posts: 191 Member
    1 snickers bar is not a cheat day. I can fit that in as dessert on a normal day.
  • Kayla647
    Kayla647 Posts: 42 Member
    A chocolate bar can fit into my day if I plan properly, I never do a cheat day as that would ruin so much, I do cheat meals though, 1 meal, not a full day usually suppers once a week.
  • smnovosad1
    smnovosad1 Posts: 36 Member
    I did a cheat meal once (even thought I reigned it in slightly). Felt guilty, tried to log it, and realized it was like 3000 calories between the appetizer, meal, dessert, and drinks. My weekly deficit is around 3500 calories, so I undid the whole week in one meal. It is amazing to me how quickly calories can add up.
    Now I try to do cheat “items” like several drinks, a dessert, a more decadent meal — and I plan for them beforehand and “bank” calories. I still do run into the occasional need for a large calorie expenditure and plan for it. For instance, tomorrow a neighborhood chef is cooking a meal with three courses and dessert. I ran 5 miles yesterday and ate none back, ate 500 calories under today and didn’t eat back my 300 workout calories, and will workout tomorrow and eat nothing until the meal. So I can eat about 3000 calories at the meal and it will be ok. I find that helps.
  • natboosh69
    natboosh69 Posts: 277 Member
    Nope, a cheat day could easily ruin a whole week's deficit for me. I incorporate things I like in to my calories, e.g. I'll have a 90 cal bar of choc after dinner, or weigh out a bit of parmesan to grate over a salad etc.
  • yenny58
    yenny58 Posts: 10 Member
    I always plan 200-250 calorie a day for some kind of treat, it keeps me on track!
  • Lyrica7
    Lyrica7 Posts: 88 Member
    There's an old saying dont lose how you cant maintain. I dont have cheat days I have higher calorie days sometimes or days I plan with a certain food like pizza or chocolate. I don't wait until I crave a food so badly I binge and then get discouraged. You see so many people who lose on very restrictive diets, get to goal and then eat how they got became overoverweight in the first place and then regain. Yo yo dieting sucks. Try to find a way to lose that incorporates the foods you like but helps you learn control with them if possible, it takes work but it's worth it in the long run.
  • pamfin
    pamfin Posts: 169 Member
    No, I might be a bit over on somedays where I've had a special event or meal but I'm under on others. I pretty much always pre-log what I'm going to have on those occasions too. I'm a massive data nerd so I export my nutritional data into excel and track it based on averages over the week/month to make sure that, overall, I'm on track.
  • jbrown2339
    jbrown2339 Posts: 52 Member
    edited February 2018
    You have to live, right? And as others said you can plan for a candy bar in your budget. Every body is different, when I was losing I plateaued a lot, and sometimes if I went wild at dinner (esp Indian food, my fav) it could break the plateau. I think it depends on how big a cheat you mean. A snickers bar, you should be ok, and you can plan for that. A big meal out once a week, again you can likely plan for as long as you aren’t going all out. A cheat day, again it depends on what that means to you, cause some people take that to mean a binge day.

    Sometimes a heavy calorie day may not hurt you. Super bowl Sunday I just had what I wanted since we had a party, and the next day I expected expected to be shocked at scales. I was, I was only up half a pound which then came off that week.

    Every body is different, just don’t stress and it’s a journey, you will figure out what works for you, but don’t go so rigid that you miss out on life’s pleasures!
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  • fuzzylop72
    fuzzylop72 Posts: 651 Member
    I am personally of the opinion that if I feel I need a cheat day, I'm restricting far too much.
  • nexangelus
    nexangelus Posts: 2,080 Member
    Nope, the word cheat is negative by definition. I am set to lose a pound per week (do you have a lot to lose setting your goal at 2 lbs/week?). Some days I eat lower, so I can eat way higher other days for muscle recovery and to abate hunger. I eat icecream, biscuits, chocolate and even sweets (candy in the US). They fit into my cal allowance and macros.

    If you are too restrictive, you are destined to feel miserable (want to cheat and binge) and eventually fail. I live by the "rules" of flexible dieting. It works for me. Every 12 weeks I go on a diet break for 14 days. The closer to goal you get and the leaner you get then refeeds become important for diet adherence. For more information, the longer you are dieting, then see this ace thread:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10604863/of-refeeds-and-diet-breaks/p1
  • SanaAnum
    SanaAnum Posts: 61 Member
    I personally dont like cheat days because it just delays the weight loss process. But after 3 weeks i had one day off.
  • UltraVegAthlete
    UltraVegAthlete Posts: 667 Member
    I eat what I’m craving. Either plain airpopped popcorn or dates. This allows me to not feel restricted and go on a binge. Cheat days make me feel awful about myself

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