Cheat day ?

Pretty much what everyone else said. I’m generally against the term “cheat day.” Maintaining a healthy weight and body is about changing your lifestyle, not going “on a diet”. I include cookies and ice cream and whatever in my regular diet because cutting everything “bad” out is not sustainable in the long term. So. I have nothing to cheat on. Plus, if I did try to eat super healthy all week and then have a cheat day once a week, I feel that I would go crazy and eat everything in sight and basically undo the deficit (or maintenance) that I did all week long.

However i see no issues with going lighter some days and heavier on others. Like I would rather go a little under during the week So I can go over on the weekend. I don’t consider that to be cheating.

I don't have cheat days. But, I do have days (even weeks) where I preplan my meals in order to fit in something that would normally blow my deficit to hell. Day before yesterday I managed to rearrange my day and eat enough of a deficit the day before as well, to fit in 1/2 a pizza, a half order of hot wings and a few beers. I was still in deficit for the week (almost for the day), so it wasn't "cheating".

kzshelbi wrote: »

So I’m wondering different opinions on having a cheat day once a week and if it’s worked better for anyone or if it doesn’t work. Let me know your thoughts and opinions. Have you tried it? Did it work for you?

I would aim to have a cheat meal .. and not a day .. so one meal in the week which you crave and is a treat for you. If you spend the day eating badly then your more likely to undo all your hard work

Cheat days, years ago, used, to work for me, until they didn't. I started out just having a cheat meal. Then, it became a cheat day. Then, it became an issue because I was obsessed with cheat day coming up, so I'd move it forward. Then, eventually, I just wanted to continue the cheat day forever, and eventually lost focus. Nowadays, if I'm really craving a food that isn't usually ideal in my regular diet, I just have it, but use portion control, track it, and try to cover it with exercise calories. It works much better and keeps me on track.

without reading any of the posts on this thread.....

cheat meal? sure.

cheat day? ... an entire day? no so much.

Down 33 pounds after I started in mid-January. I bank my calories through the week and have a cheat day on Sunday. I really believe everyone is different. I know many who bank calories and I also know people who take "diet breaks" every 3 or 4 months. We all just have to find what works best for us.

I don't limit my food choices to "diet foods" on any day and I fluctuate my calories based on my hunger, desires, plans, what and when I feel like eating...etc. Some days are lower, others are higher. Some days have foods that people associate with cheating, others don't. What's important is that they average to my desired budget. I don't cheat, I just make food choices that fit my life and desires.

I only plan specific higher calorie days when I know I have an event that involves high calorie foods (holidays, birthday parties, family gatherings..etc) or when I want a particularly high calorie dish that I need to plan for it in advance. Other than that, they just happen when they happen. I feel planning a steady schedule of higher calorie days is not useful for me. What if that day comes and I don't really feel like I want something high in calories? I would feel like I'm wasting my calories and eating for the sake of gorging. What if I want something high in calories on an unscheduled day? I would feel like I'm holding my breath all week just to finally breathe on weekends, then I dread the start of a new dieting week because it means I have to wait again. I don't do well with that. That's just me, though. Some people do well with planned higher calorie days.

Here is what my calories looked like in the past 6 days to lose 1 pound a week:


P.S: you may want to clarify what you mean by cheat day to get better answers.

kzshelbi wrote: »

So I’m wondering different opinions on having a cheat day once a week and if it’s worked better for anyone or if it doesn’t work. Let me know your thoughts and opinions. Have you tried it? Did it work for you?

So, I am HUGE on mind set! To me, that is everything. So, you can imagine what is about to follow!

This is not directed at you. Not one bit....so please dont take any of this personally.

For me, there is nothing good about the eord cheat. Nothing. You cheated on your test in school. You cheated on your girl friend in college. You cheated on your taxes. You cheated on your wife. None....absolutely none....of that is positive. In any way, shape, or form.

So the term cheat day seems counter-productive. Setup for failure.

I alsi believe that refeeds are the better thought. Specifically, two refeeds in a row. So, one meal....no bueno. One day...no bueno. Two days in a row? Bueno. So, caloric deficit for five successive days followed by two days at maintenance seems to be the answer. And on the two refeed days....carbs are where the increase lives (mostly, anyway).

That is what Lyle McDonald and Eric Helms seem to believe. Generally speaking, anyway.

So, for someone like me where mindset is huge the word sets the tone. One meal has been shown ineffective. One day has been shown to be ineffective. Two successive days, generally speaking. If you are already very lean then a third day may benefit.

Seems counter-intuitive, I know. Its all about working with leptin.

Hey, I helped a woman who was 53 snd was 5'2" @ 203lbs. She was eating 70p calories a day. I told her that she needed to eat more. The look....followed by "You are telling a fat person that you need to eat more to lose weight?". It worked. We reverse dieted her and in the six weeks we worked together she lost weight, gained a ton of energy and felt amazing. Total game changer for her. My point? That seemed counter-intuitive but was the right thing to do.

Enjoy!

For me I know that once I have a cheat meal I'm gonna binge eat and make it longer to achieve my goal.

I would honestly allow yourself 1 cheat meal per week on a heavy training day at the gym or on the same day as a heavy exercise apposed to a full day of binge eating that can throw away the progress that you made for the week of maintaining a caloric deficit. I personally just fit foods in my everyday eating lifestyle that I actually enjoy so there really is no temptation at the end of the week to go on a ravenous binge. Good luck and be consistant and you will get consistant results! 😁💪