Cheat days or meals?

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disawell
disawell Posts: 102 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am sure someone must have asked this a million times. I just can't find any previous posts. Do you have any cheat days? How often? or just a meal here and there? without going completely mental, do you allow yourself a day or two to relax? What about if you've got your period? (Sorry if that's too personal)...lots of questions! TIA

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  • bubbles143
    bubbles143 Posts: 65
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    I try not to use my period as an excuse, but when I feel extra down in the dumps those few days I do have a sweet or salty treat :) try not to set a cheat day though, those allow you to binge, which is bad, just have a treat if you cant live without it, and try healthy treats that you love, Try 100 calorie pack snacks, they're amazing :)
  • debswebby
    debswebby Posts: 326
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    I have a treat night on a Friday. It gives me something to look forward to. BUT there are strict rules around it. I save the calories through the week to compensate and the treat only counts for one meal - not the whole day. Treat night is fab but it has to be controlled. For a while I was going crazy on a Friday - eating everything I wanted to through the whole day. Then wondering why I wasn't losing weight lol. It doesn't work for everyone but its vital for me. If I know I can have something nice on a Friday, it makes me less inclined to have treats through the week. If I'm going out on a Saturday though, I won't have treat night.
    xx
  • Maree_
    Maree_ Posts: 65
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    I have a treat meal & dessert sunday night. I couldnt do it if i didnt have that
  • runlaugheatpie
    runlaugheatpie Posts: 376 Member
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    I don't use the word "cheat" for one. That implies that I'm doing something "bad".

    Basically, I try to eat pretty even-keeled throughout the day, every day. I try to get my fruits and veg in, my healthy oils, my lean proteins. I like to have wine in the weekends. If I go over, I go over. There are some days I say to myself "OK, for the next few days nose to the grindstone" and I do it. Then there are other days where I'm just too, too hungry and I go over.

    If I want a cookie, I have a cookie. If I want ice cream I have ice cream. Life is way too unpredictable for me to be so strict and keep myself from having *anything* at all that I would like to have.

    I do notice a pattern. One is mental: every time I weigh-in I seem to go off the rails by the end of the day. So, from now on, I'm going to have a more "relaxed" day on Wednesdays to try and change what's going on in my head. The other pattern is physical: yes when Aunt Flo is visiting and wearing her Big Red Hat I seem to be hungrier or "craving" sweets. So I just go with it.

    That said I don't lose weight quickly AT ALL. But that's a whole 'nother post as to why :wink:
  • Maree_
    Maree_ Posts: 65
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    If I want a cookie, I have a cookie. If I want ice cream I have ice cream. Life is way too unpredictable for me to be so strict and keep myself from having *anything* at all that I would like to have.

    Wish i could do that! I can't stop at one cookie i need to eat every one.
  • ClaireShepherd
    ClaireShepherd Posts: 9
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    I tend to eat very carefully in the week at or just below the 1450 calories I have and then to maintenance calories at the weekend.

    I have only a little left to loose and I am happy for it to take 6 weeks or 3 months. I loose around 0.5 pound a week on average which is perfect for me.
  • kaimi2011
    kaimi2011 Posts: 141 Member
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    I DO treat myself on the weekends w/ my family. I will be sure to log everything!! :)
  • disawell
    disawell Posts: 102 Member
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    Thanks. I was just thinking maybe it's ok to have one or two or 3 meals (rather than days) a week where you just don't worry about it - dinner out with friends for example...

    yeah I have aunt flo visiting atm and I haven't for like 3 months so it's crappy and a bit of a shock to the system. Having said that since I have not been overloading my body (even though only a week) I don't feel as crampy and nauseous as I used to. I have been having a fun size chocolate bar every day for the past 4 days (80 cal) which is only usual at that time of the month for me, I can usually take or leave chocolate.

    FWIW I am not a fan of the term cheat either, but I use it for want of a better one :)
  • disawell
    disawell Posts: 102 Member
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    Oh and I'm thinking just ONE nice creamy Brandy Alexander on a Friday night as something to look forward to?.... Someone please tell me I can do that and no undo a week's worth of HARD WORK?!
  • disawell
    disawell Posts: 102 Member
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    Also I'm thinking that even if you are having a meal out or whatever and not worrying about it (I mean most of our social lives involves some kind of food!) it's still good to log it so you can see what you've had and maybe think about portion control just a bit (say entree size rather than main size for example) and I guess if you log it at least you'll know if you want to make that choice again?
  • runlaugheatpie
    runlaugheatpie Posts: 376 Member
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    why not plan in the Brandy Alexander?
  • Ash_76
    Ash_76 Posts: 186 Member
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    i cheat every sunday, i will have half a roast patato and a yorkshire pud with a table spoon or 2 of gravy with my main meal
    but as someone said above you still need to be strict
  • disawell
    disawell Posts: 102 Member
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    planning it in is a good idea. this is my first week, so havent got it all down pat yet. can i factor that in retrospectively?
  • Ash_76
    Ash_76 Posts: 186 Member
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    i plan my meals in advance, and also make them in advance, if you dont have your meals ready made, you usually find you fail your diet by lunch, and with shops only doing quick food which is usually loaded with rubbish, i find this the best way to stick with it
  • Maree_
    Maree_ Posts: 65
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    planning it in is a good idea. this is my first week, so havent got it all down pat yet. can i factor that in retrospectively?
    i do my meals for the week ahead on my food diary on here. I'd be lost without it!
  • sherodswife
    sherodswife Posts: 19 Member
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    If I stall, I will allow a cheat day and usually it helps to jumpstart the loss again. Other than that I try not to cheat because I worry it will become a month long cheat or worse.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    I track with Weight Watchers (an older program) and it allows me to have 35 points per week and any exercise points to use whenever. So, if I go out to dinner or a party or something, I'm able to indulge and stay within my weekly limit.

    I don't consider it cheating since it's on the plan. I eat very healthy 90% of the time, so I'm OK with that 10% of not so healthy.
  • BeeRod527
    BeeRod527 Posts: 104
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    I usually treat myself as long as I don't go over my calorie (and nutrition) goals for the day. As for cheats, since I've made these changes to my diet, the only time I cheated was in the first week (a cheeseburger) since I've planned to stay away from beef.

    You can indulge but never overindulge.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
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    I don't plan them out but I do often have cheat days, sometimes a few in a row due to vacations, visitors or whatever. I log them to keep an idea of my weekly average. I try to be extra good afterwards. Yeah Sunday was 4000 calories, Monday 3000. I've challenged myself to be under and workout for the next 7 days as a results. So far so good.

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