Eating out...

andrea41876
andrea41876 Posts: 11 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Sorry for the overload of questions. Just have so many. We enjoy going out on the weekends. Is it ok to have a cheat night? or will that just ruin the whole week?

Replies

  • thegeordielass
    thegeordielass Posts: 208 Member
    The way I look at it, it's a 1 off. Out of all the food I eat over the course of a year, 1 meal isn't going to make any real difference.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
    typically if i eat out (and i do, often) ts my only meal of the day. a lot depends on what it was, but im not having a salad most of the time ;)

    if i do get hungry later in the day (really unusual for me after eating out), I have a salad or something filling but super low calorie.
  • fatty_cakezxoxo
    fatty_cakezxoxo Posts: 42 Member
    I been having 1-2 cheat days a week since I started losing weight 60 days ago .. I try not to go over 1000 calories extra for example if my calorie goal is 1400 I workout burn 300 my max for cheat day would be around 2700 MAX not AVERAGE have I gone over that ? Yes .. lol but I try not to ..I usually try to stick to only 500 over or less .. I have lost twenty pounds so far !
  • amgreenwell
    amgreenwell Posts: 1,268 Member
    I don't do "cheat" days or meals b/c I just fit whatever I want into my calories. If I know I'm going to eat more one evening then I'm certain to work out longer or harder or walk more or whatever it takes to make it fit.
    Try to search the nutrition for the restaurant and stick with whatever "healthier" option you pick, or go buck wild and just splurge. I never deprive myself of anything and I think that's what gets me through most weeks.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
    There are two variables to consider. First, what is the total calorie deficit you've achieved in the 6 days prior to the eating out? Second, what is the total calorie surplus on the day of eating out? Manage those two variables in your favor and the whole week is in your favor.
  • laur357
    laur357 Posts: 896 Member
    I don't consider dining out to be cheating. I track my meal as best I can, enjoy the company and the food, and work on not overeating until I'm stuffed or mindlessly grazing on things I didn't intend to eat. (That last compulsive overeating part is my personal problem, and obviously doesn't apply to everyone. Turns out they will still let you leave the restaurant even if there are a few cold nachos left on the plate or bread remaining in the basket.)

    Most chains have calorie counts available online, and you can pick similar items from a chain to track if you go to a local place. (Dominos large pizza slice for a local pizza joint, for example.) Many people successfully have a cheat meal or day, but if you're not losing weight like you want to going forward, I'd suggest tracking your evenings out.
  • tyediri
    tyediri Posts: 183 Member
    I don't have cheat meals or days per se... At least I don't call them that. Sometimes I will go over my calories if its the time of the month, or I've had a very bad day or feeling especially ravenous!! But I don't plan for these days and try to stick to my goal anyway, but if I go over I won't fret too much about it but I will still LOG EVERYTHING. This way you'll still stay on track and you'll be able to see if you have indeed wiped out your deficit for the entire week. If you have, you can make sure it doesn't happen again. But if you don't log it is very easy to lose track.
  • butterfli7o
    butterfli7o Posts: 1,319 Member
    I do my best not to make a dinner out a "cheat" meal. But yeah, depending on what you order you could derail yourself. Just try to make smart choices.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    andrea41876 wrote: »
    Sorry for the overload of questions. Just have so many. We enjoy going out on the weekends. Is it ok to have a cheat night? or will that just ruin the whole week?

    Let's say Sunday thru Friday you built up a 2,500 calorie deficit.

    If your cheat meal on Saturday brings your daily calorie total to 500 calories above your maintenance......then you're still at a 2,000 calorie deficit for the week. It's not really a "cheat" meal because you pay for it one way or another. But many people eat less during the week to "bank" weekend calories. Whatever helps you stay consistent.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    It all comes down to the numbers. If you eat fewer calories than you, burn, you'll lose weight.
  • 150poundsofme
    150poundsofme Posts: 523 Member
    laur357: so funny lol "Turns out they will still let you leave the restaurant even if there are a few cold nachos left on the plate or bread remaining in the basket."

    So since you know that you want to eat more and/or drink, I would eat a bit less that day. If you normally have breakfast and lunch, maybe just have smaller portions.

  • andrea41876
    andrea41876 Posts: 11 Member
    TeaBea wrote: »
    andrea41876 wrote: »
    Sorry for the overload of questions. Just have so many. We enjoy going out on the weekends. Is it ok to have a cheat night? or will that just ruin the whole week?

    Let's say Sunday thru Friday you built up a 2,500 calorie deficit.

    If your cheat meal on Saturday brings your daily calorie total to 500 calories above your maintenance......then you're still at a 2,000 calorie deficit for the week. It's not really a "cheat" meal because you pay for it one way or another. But many people eat less during the week to "bank" weekend calories. Whatever helps you stay consistent.

    I didn't look at the week as a whole. That makes sense....

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