anyone found sucess through weekly "cheat" days

barbiex3
barbiex3 Posts: 1,036 Member
edited October 1 in Health and Weight Loss
I recently went 101 days on MFP without cheating once. I thought it was "stupid" to plan out cheating, and i thought of this as 'a lifestyle change', but i was actually under my calorie goal so much each week, it was almost like I wasn't eating for a full day usually NET 1500 UNDER my calorie goal for the week (and that's NOT including the deficit MFP was setting up for me... so I was under eating by like 3000 calories a week to maintain). Pretty bad. ANYWAYS-- I went on a crazy 5 day binge as a result, and I didn't gain a pound? It made me think that maybe there really is something to this "cheat day" thing... and i'm considering making a weekly habit of it.

Just wondering what your experiences are?

Replies

  • Nerdy_Rose
    Nerdy_Rose Posts: 1,277 Member
    Try it out. Do what works for you :-) I "cheated" once and I felt physically awful the next day. So.. it's not for me. But an occasional indulgence can prevent binge eating.
  • atomdraco
    atomdraco Posts: 1,083 Member
    I don't call it cheat, I just live my life by sometime celebrates, eating a nice meal without worry about calories, etc. Do whatever works for you.

    BTW, don't make a entire day to "cheat", it'll work fine just "cheat" on one meal.
  • jbucci1186
    jbucci1186 Posts: 440 Member
    i have been giving myself a cheat day once a week for the past month and it has DEFINITELY helped with my sanity. i have not gained anything from it (other than water weight that goes away after about 4 days) but i also can't say i have lost anything (but my weight fluctuates so much i don't know how much i even weigh...) i did go down about 3 pounds at one point, but like i said... i eat too much sodium and therefore have no idea what i really weigh.

    i will say that my 2nd to last cheat day (two weeks ago) i definitely border-line binged and so i've limited my cheat days from "eat whatever you want and how much you want" to "try and stay below 4500 calories" because yeah, definitely was probably binging... felt like CRAP by the end of the day.
  • barbiex3
    barbiex3 Posts: 1,036 Member
    I don't call it cheat, I just live my life by sometime celebrates, eating a nice meal without worry about calories, etc. Do whatever works for you.

    BTW, don't make a entire day to "cheat", it'll work fine just "cheat" on one meal.

    lol a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do :P
  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
    Pretty much every single week I have a so-called free day. Sometimes I splurge big time; other times I eat relatively clean. But the bottom line is, that 1 day a week, I eat whatever the heck I want and don't worry about it. It has served me well.
  • barbiex3
    barbiex3 Posts: 1,036 Member
    i have been giving myself a cheat day once a week for the past month and it has DEFINITELY helped with my sanity. i have not gained anything from it (other than water weight that goes away after about 4 days) but i also can't say i have lost anything (but my weight fluctuates so much i don't know how much i even weigh...) i did go down about 3 pounds at one point, but like i said... i eat too much sodium and therefore have no idea what i really weigh.

    i will say that my 2nd to last cheat day (two weeks ago) i definitely border-line binged and so i've limited my cheat days from "eat whatever you want and how much you want" to "try and stay below 4500 calories" because yeah, definitely was probably binging... felt like CRAP by the end of the day.

    lol yeah I ate 5,500 one of my days, but i actually didn't gain.. i also ran 10 miles that day, but that's a different story!
  • liftingbro
    liftingbro Posts: 2,029 Member
    I do a cheat meal, not a cheat day. I do one meal that I know will put me at or over my maintennce levels for the week. However, the rest of the weeks I'm in between a 1000-1500 calorie deficit. A cheat meal is a good metabolism booster if you are eating in large deficits. However, a cheat day of multiple cheat meals can derail a whole week's worth of being good.
  • Egger29
    Egger29 Posts: 14,741 Member
    The main "Cheat" concept is as a whole a Backwards way of thinking. That being said, making a lifestyle change does not mean you have to give every everything you enjoy food wise. It's just a case of moderation and fitting it into your lifestyle.

    It goes without saying that if you're eating a KFC Party Bucket 5x a week, you're not going to be the leanest person on the block....same goes for the majority of processed fdods and the like.

    But, if you're concientious about WHAT you're putting into your body...not just how much....you'll easily be able to enjoy yourself without thinking of it as "Cheating".

    Simply plan to eat well in 90% of your meals....giving yourself the freedom to enjoy yourself the other 10% of the time. So, if you eat 6x a day...that's 42 meals in a week...10% of which is 4.2 meals that are "Treats".

    IN that context...there's no reason why you can't go out with friends for beer and wings after the game....or have a piece of cake at a colleauges birthday party. It's part of life and food enjoyment is one of the greatest simple pleasures there is.

    Just remain aware of the lifestyle change that keeps you on track for the remaining 38 meals a week and you're fine!

    Cheeers!
  • stuffinmuffin
    stuffinmuffin Posts: 985 Member
    Throughout the whole process I've had a 'cheat day' once a week so I could go out for a meal and/or have a drink. I always gauged it against my weekly net cals - I'd be happy if I was under and upset if I ended up over so it still keeps me in check and I go for the healthy low-cal options now generally as a rule. I consistently lost a pound a week through this and in some ways I thought it might be doing more good - tricking my body into thinking it was being well fed as my weight loss didn't slow or plateau once.

    I vote 'yes' to 'cheat-days'!

    - Oh and very importantly I fanatically logged EVERYTHING (even some amusing attempts when drunk!) that way myself and my MFP friends could keep me in check!
  • skinnygirl49
    skinnygirl49 Posts: 40
    Good advice.
  • jbucci1186
    jbucci1186 Posts: 440 Member
    actually i don't want what i wrote here originally to be public knowledge.
  • LauraMarie37
    LauraMarie37 Posts: 283 Member
    I feel like I actually am more successful when I have a cheat day once a week than when I don't. (I'm with taso - I call it a cheat day, but sometimes I eat a ton and sometimes I eat pretty much the same as other days.) I'd give it a try for a few weeks and see how your body reacts.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    I don't call it cheat, I just live my life by sometime celebrates, eating a nice meal without worry about calories, etc. Do whatever works for you.

    BTW, don't make a entire day to "cheat", it'll work fine just "cheat" on one meal.

    This!! Who would you be cheating on - you?
    It sounds as though you need to seriously overhaul your diet to be able to keep up with the amount of exercise you are doing, well done for looking at this.
    For me part of normal healthy eating is to eat out and eat over calories some days. I still aim for healthier choices most times as i dont want to go back to my old bad habits.
    Thats not cheating, just life.
  • barbiex3
    barbiex3 Posts: 1,036 Member
    actually i don't want what i wrote here originally to be public knowledge.

    lol! hahaha wow! I wish i knew how much was the most i ever eat in a day back when i didn't care at all. lol :P ! i;m sure it would be up there
  • CaptainAmerica1970
    CaptainAmerica1970 Posts: 435
    Well, I am sold! CHEAT DAY here I come!
  • ambermichon
    ambermichon Posts: 404 Member
    I used to cheat on the weekend and didnt lose a pound...now I cheat usually one meal a week and am consistently losing weight
  • JJLive
    JJLive Posts: 88 Member
    Cheat days don't make sense to me. It's like rewarding yourself for not smoking for 6 days with a cigarette.
    If I want something unhealthy, like real bacon with breakfast (once a month usually), or going out to eat with friends (twice a month or so), then I adjust the rest of my calories to let it fit. Of course I've only been on here 6 weeks or so, so let's see where I am a few months from now =)
  • bookyeti
    bookyeti Posts: 544 Member
    I don't plan cheat days, because that feels like something you would do on a 'diet'. If you're eating for a way of life, there is no "cheating" -- just making different choices. When I want to indulge in some, I do. If I can, I will work that into my calories for the day or just do an extra workout.

    ...and if not, who cares right? The next meal that I eat is MY choice, and all I have to do is make it a more healthful one. No sweat. :-)
  • beckyinma
    beckyinma Posts: 1,433 Member
    I don't plan cheat days, because that feels like something you would do on a 'diet'. If you're eating for a way of life, there is no "cheating" -- just making different choices. When I want to indulge in some, I do. If I can, I will work that into my calories for the day or just do an extra workout.

    ...and if not, who cares right? The next meal that I eat is MY choice, and all I have to do is make it a more healthful one. No sweat. :-)


    THIS!
  • princess_elle
    princess_elle Posts: 137
    It worked for me! Before my vacation I was at a plateau that I could not get out of no matter how little I ate. I went on vacation and didn't count a single calorie. I gained 1lb after several days of cheating, butI have been back for only a week and lost 4lbs! I I am 3lbs lighter than before my vacation. This cheating to break a plateau has worked for me in the past. However, I wouldn't recommend planning a cheat day out for every week. I only use this trick when I am at a point where I am not losing anything, so I can shake my body up a little bit. If I have a good loss for a week, I will skip the cheat day. Try it out for yourself once or twice, because everybody is different. Good luck!
  • ohdear1986
    ohdear1986 Posts: 110 Member
    i lost all my weight by a cheat day, i call it zig zagging calories. i used to have a cheat friday but now i am maintaining i have a cheat mon, cheat wed and cheat sat. and guess what? if i am careful the other 4 days, my weight stays the same = maintenance!
  • ohdear1986
    ohdear1986 Posts: 110 Member
    i lost all my weight by a cheat day, i call it zig zagging calories. i used to have a cheat friday but now i am maintaining i have a cheat mon, cheat wed and cheat sat. and guess what? if i am careful the other 4 days, my weight stays the same = maintenance!
  • brittanyjeanxo
    brittanyjeanxo Posts: 1,831 Member
    I do one meal a week without worrying about cals, fat, etc. And the things I end up choosing are usually not that bad anyway! lol Last week my meal I chose to eat without worrying was a roast beef sandwich from subway, with light mayo, cucumbers, and spinach :) I was craving red meat and we happened to be by a subway, and it smelled really good, haha. But if a whole day works for you, do what your body wants :)
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    I don't have any days planned but I do go over my goals often, sometimes by a lot (yesterday and today were "vacation" for example). I figure as long as I eat well most of the time, I'll get there eventually. This is probably why it's taken me 14 months to lose what I have, but I'm good with that.

    This is my "lifestyle". I work out a lot. I eat well most days. I eat poorly some days.
  • 4theking
    4theking Posts: 1,196 Member
    A cheat day or spike day is essential for maintaining your fat burning hormones while dieting. Research the spike diet. It is backed with the science behind why it works. Also, check out my profile to learn a bit more. I spike once a week with around 4000-5000 calories.
  • babyblake11
    babyblake11 Posts: 1,107 Member
    I recently went 101 days on MFP without cheating once. I thought it was "stupid" to plan out cheating, and i thought of this as 'a lifestyle change', but i was actually under my calorie goal so much each week, it was almost like I wasn't eating for a full day usually NET 1500 UNDER my calorie goal for the week (and that's NOT including the deficit MFP was setting up for me... so I was under eating by like 3000 calories a week to maintain). Pretty bad. ANYWAYS-- I went on a crazy 5 day binge as a result, and I didn't gain a pound? It made me think that maybe there really is something to this "cheat day" thing... and i'm considering making a weekly habit of it.

    Just wondering what your experiences are?

    i think maybe cheating as in eating a little morefor a day but not choosing bad foods
  • bluebird321
    bluebird321 Posts: 733 Member
    My diet is relatively strict, but I leave one day out of the week to cheat and it has worked ok for me.
  • JJLive
    JJLive Posts: 88 Member
    I think people have widely different definition of 'cheat' days. There is a big different between zigzagging your calories, or having a slightly bigger meal, and gorging yourself all day.
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