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'Cheat' day or 'Treat' day?

Minoesh
Posts: 105 Member
Hi All,
If your current eating regime is part of a lifestyle change and not merely a diet, you may find this helpful. I find it really beneficial as part of my regime to have a day where I would allow myself a couple of treats, that way I don't feel I have to deprive myself for the rest of my life. However, I found it psychologically helpful to call it a Treat day rather than a Cheat day. To some of you this may not make any difference but to someone like me who used to struggle with feelings of guilt after a 'cheat' and then feel there was no point in continuing with the diet, it made a HUGE difference. My treat day is a way of rewarding myself for continuing on a path that can be quite difficult at times.
It's much better to view a nice meal in a restaurant as a treat rather than a cheat! I hope this makes sense and good luck to everyone on their journey to good health!
If your current eating regime is part of a lifestyle change and not merely a diet, you may find this helpful. I find it really beneficial as part of my regime to have a day where I would allow myself a couple of treats, that way I don't feel I have to deprive myself for the rest of my life. However, I found it psychologically helpful to call it a Treat day rather than a Cheat day. To some of you this may not make any difference but to someone like me who used to struggle with feelings of guilt after a 'cheat' and then feel there was no point in continuing with the diet, it made a HUGE difference. My treat day is a way of rewarding myself for continuing on a path that can be quite difficult at times.
It's much better to view a nice meal in a restaurant as a treat rather than a cheat! I hope this makes sense and good luck to everyone on their journey to good health!

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Replies
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Everything is psychological and I totally agree with you! Treat Day is what i will call it now :happy:0
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It DOES make a difference. If I have a CHEAT day, I have let myself lose control!!! Everything in moderation....Treat days are awesome!0
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that's an awesome idea! treat day it is!0
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I agree with you about allowing ourselves to have treats vs cheats. Knowing it's ok to have a treat every so often is what keeps me on track.0
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I don't do cheat days, cheat meals or anything like that. If I am going out and want to have dessert, I plan for it. I budget my calories so that I can have it without going over. Cheat day or treat day to me sounds like something forbidden or special in a way that I no longer want food to be. This is true whether it's dessert or a slice of pizza. I no longer want those foods to have that sort of power. I want to clearly see how I can safely incorporate those foods into my regular eating habit.0
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Hi All,
If your current eating regime is part of a lifestyle change and not merely a diet, you may find this helpful. I find it really beneficial as part of my regime to have a day where I would allow myself a couple of treats, that way I don't feel I have to deprive myself for the rest of my life. However, I found it psychologically helpful to call it a Treat day rather than a Cheat day. To some of you this may not make any difference but to someone like me who used to struggle with feelings of guilt after a 'cheat' and then feel there was no point in continuing with the diet, it made a HUGE difference. My treat day is a way of rewarding myself for continuing on a path that can be quite difficult at times.
It's much better to view a nice meal in a restaurant as a treat rather than a cheat! I hope this makes sense and good luck to everyone on their journey to good health!
Thank you so much, this is what i needed. I was feeling so guilty after i ate 400 cals extra today, feeling much better after reading this. I am gonna consider it as treat day and start a fresh tommorow.0 -
I don't do cheat days, cheat meals or anything like that. If I am going out and want to have dessert, I plan for it. I budget my calories so that I can have it without going over. Cheat day or treat day to me sounds like something forbidden or special in a way that I no longer want food to be. This is true whether it's dessert or a slice of pizza. I no longer want those foods to have that sort of power. I want to clearly see how I can safely incorporate those foods into my regular eating habit.
This is what I've done from the start, and am SO glad I did!0 -
I don't do cheat days, cheat meals or anything like that. If I am going out and want to have dessert, I plan for it. I budget my calories so that I can have it without going over. Cheat day or treat day to me sounds like something forbidden or special in a way that I no longer want food to be. This is true whether it's dessert or a slice of pizza. I no longer want those foods to have that sort of power. I want to clearly see how I can safely incorporate those foods into my regular eating habit.
I totally agree with this.
No cheat meals, days, etc here. I eat what I want, when I want it. I've learned all about portion control - so I eat the serving size of whatever it is I want, I log it and I move on. If I want some rich, calorie laden dessert - I work it into my calories for the day. If I want a piece of pizza - I work it into my calories for the day. This isn't a diet, it's my life.I plan to enjoy my life -- but, I plan to enjoy it while wearing size 8 pants.
LOL
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MFP is merely a tool as long as you record everything you don't have to worry about a treat day or cheat day. So what if sometimes you splurge.0
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I call it "a day of increased calorie intake" because, well...that's what it is. Call it what you will, be it a spike day, cycling calories up, free day, treat day, cheat day, me day, whatever...just as long as it's with purpose and without remorse or guilt.0
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cant do cheat or treat days!! For me that's a recipe for disaster!! I cheat enough of non-cheat days :{0
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So happy I found this topic. I was wanting Arby's so badly and I knew I would HAVE to eat curly fries with my sandwich, but WHOA! Lots of calories. So I decided to have a "cheat" day and do it anyway. Then I started to feel badly about ruining the progress I have made, and thinking what I did wasn't right. Glad to see that others do this too, and your right, "treat" day feels more guilt free! Thank you so much!0
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Its ok for a cheat or treat day. You will just have to workout hard for the next two days if you don't want it to mess up your progress.
that's what I do and it hasn't cause me any hardship. So go have that slice of cake, cookies, pasta etc. Just think of it like this every meal you eat its just a chance to workout!!! Best of luck to everyone on there weighloss journey or lifestyle change.
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Bump -- I fully agree! No "cheating" here, just realistic goals.0
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Treat(s) Day0
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