Help! i want to have a cheat day but scared incase i mess up my diet!.
Replies
-
As others have indicated, to be successful at losing and maintaining sustainably you should try learn how to incorporate "bad"/"junk" foods you like in moderation into your daily intake. It'll surely take some trial and error to find the right balance that works for you but for seemingly the vast majority of people those who maintain a good/bad, on/off "the wagon" mentality seem to cyclically start and stop losing constantly.2
-
Nobody losing weight quickly wants to believe that they are part of the 95%, but there's a 95% chance they are.
That's the 95% of people who lost weight and failed to maintain their loss for 3 years.6 -
chrisboyle1 wrote: »I had a three week cheat days when I went on vacation and guess what??? It was just water weight that I gained and it went away within a week or so when I went back to my diet routine.
It stalled my process definitely but I was tripping for no reason. ONE day won’t hurt you.
Thank god for that! so if i do see say an extra 1-2lb the day after, not to worry it will go down in a day or so? what about if i continue with my 1200cal the day after? will i continue to loose or will it be at a stand still due to my cheat day?
As a male, you have no business eating 1200 calories per day.2 -
chrisboyle1 wrote: »midwesterner85 wrote: »How often are you planning to have cheat days and how big are they going to be? It is possible to ruin things with too many and/or too big of cheats.
A potential way to go about it is to set goals and allow a cheat day when you reach those goals. For example, allow a cheat day every 20 lbs. (or whatever makes sense for your total weight loss). You may gain some back, but then you wait until the next 20 lbs. for another cheat day. This way, you have built into the plan that you can allow cheat days that won't ruin your progress because you have to lose the cheat day gain plus another 20 lbs. (or however much you decide).
Once a week
and not that big just a few cookies and a Chinese takeout
How many calories in your Chinese takeout? I had one at the beginning of the week, but I ended up splitting the food (one entree, a side of combination rice -- the steamed rice went right into the freezer -- and three smallish veggie & shrimp dim sum) over four or five meals so that they wouldn't break the bank on my weekly calorie budget, which is based on 2100 kcal/day to lose half a pound.
A few cookies? Is that three small cookies for a total of 200 to 300 kcals, or five huge bakery-size cookies for a total of 1500 to 2500 kcal?
If you want to know, figure out the calorie cost of what you plan to eat.1 -
chrisboyle1 wrote: »I had a three week cheat days when I went on vacation and guess what??? It was just water weight that I gained and it went away within a week or so when I went back to my diet routine.
It stalled my process definitely but I was tripping for no reason. ONE day won’t hurt you.
Thank god for that! so if i do see say an extra 1-2lb the day after, not to worry it will go down in a day or so? what about if i continue with my 1200cal the day after? will i continue to loose or will it be at a stand still due to my cheat day?
It takes 3500 calories to make 1lb of fat. Do you plan on eating that much? then yeah maybe you will gain fat but other than that one day won’t hurt you esp. if you’re only eating 1200 cals everyday, that 1- 2lbs will be water weight though.
Statements like this always baffle me. It's possible to gain, say, a quarter pound of fat one day, then a half of a pound a few days later, then a quarter pound five or six days later. I certainly gained fat in even smaller increments than that over the decades. I once calculated that my weight gains since high school worked out to an average of less than 25 extra calories a day. I wasn't putting that on eating 25 kcal over maintenance every day. My "typical" weekdays before I started following a calorie-tracking approach were, if anything, a bit below maintenance. It was the "infrequent" days (once or twice a week, plus holidays, plus vacations, plus celebrations, plus parties...) where I was not 3500 kcal over maintenance for a single day. Most of those days I was 1000 to 2000 kcal over maintenance. Maybe 2500 kcal over on days where I ended up feeling a bit ill.
You can't just say if you never eat 3500 kcal in a day (much less 3500 kcal over goal, or 3500 kcal over maintenance) all the extra energy just disappears at the end of the day and your body starts with a fresh calorie-balancing slate.4 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »chrisboyle1 wrote: »I had a three week cheat days when I went on vacation and guess what??? It was just water weight that I gained and it went away within a week or so when I went back to my diet routine.
It stalled my process definitely but I was tripping for no reason. ONE day won’t hurt you.
Thank god for that! so if i do see say an extra 1-2lb the day after, not to worry it will go down in a day or so? what about if i continue with my 1200cal the day after? will i continue to loose or will it be at a stand still due to my cheat day?
It takes 3500 calories to make 1lb of fat. Do you plan on eating that much? then yeah maybe you will gain fat but other than that one day won’t hurt you esp. if you’re only eating 1200 cals everyday, that 1- 2lbs will be water weight though.
You can't just say if you never eat 3500 kcal in a day (much less 3500 kcal over goal, or 3500 kcal over maintenance) all the extra energy just disappears at the end of the day and your body starts with a fresh calorie-balancing slate.
This is true, but the statements about 3500 calories are given for perspective for those who have been eating in a deficit (often an excessive one) for many days or even weeks who are concerned about a big jump on the scale after an occasional day of over-eating. Certainly, a consistent small surplus (over maintenance calories) is going to result in fat gain over time, but that's not what is happening in these instances.0 -
It's ok to treat yourself. Do it regularly without guilt or calling it cheating. Track and log your food even if you go over because of a treat or two. Get out of the idea of binge eating because that's what a cheat day means to me. Binge eating isn't healthy. If you slip up forgive yourself and move forward. Make a better choice the next meal the next day whatever. If you want a sweet or a bit of junk food here and there and you go over your allowed cals once in a while it's not going to ruin your journey on weightloss. The only thing that will ruin it is by giving up because of a day or two or even a week that you ate more or not the right foods...0
-
Just to reiterate: 1200 calories per day for a male is *way* too low. Yes, you will lose muscle along with the fat. Keep in mind that your heart is a muscle, too.
1500 minimum per day. MINIMUM.3 -
Have a great day, log and exercise, and then splurge for dinner, or whatever.... you may go over, but that's ok... you will be back on track tomorrow. Sometimes I even find a cheat day gives my progress a little kick!1
-
Change the relationship. Have a cookie everyday. Hell, have chinese everyday if you can deal with the salt and MSG. Just make it fit into your overall daily/weekly deficit. Food is neither good or bad. The whole concept of 'cheating' sets it up to be a bigger deal than it should be.3
-
It takes a very special person to thrive on a diet which keeps you continually hungry, reach your goal, and then NOT immediately go back to your previous poor eating habits.
The kind of person who can do that generally doesn't get fat in the first place.
The simplest reason that 1200 is a problem, and by no means the only reason, is that 1200 calories doesn't teach you how to maintain your loss when you get there. You might have the willpower to live on 1200 while dieting, but once the weight is gone, you won't magically be happy eating at your maintenance level from that point forward. You have to learn which foods work for you and which don't, for satiety and nutrition. Dieting done properly will influence the foods and portions you eat for the rest of your life. You have to earn that knowledge the hard way, by trial and error.
As alluded to a couple posts above, there are lots of people who dropped 100lbs, but failed at maintaining it and ended up putting it all back on and then some extra. What happened is they dieted, but then went back to old eating patterns when they got to their goal weight. It's a humbling lesson. You want to lose the weight, but you also want to maintain the loss in perpetuity.4 -
chrisboyle1 wrote: »Hey guys!
I'm a new member here and new to the diet world. I've currently lost 5 pounds from 13st.5 to 13st.0 and i'm 5ft11, this is just under a week! i also used to eat like pig, seriously, not snacks, large meals! 3 a day maybe even 4 but i'm missing my junk food. I want to have a cheat day at the end of the week and my crave is for some gooey cookies and a Chinese takeaway (Special chow mein, egg fried rice and curry sauce) will this affect my diet? will this gain me weight in 1 day and mostly will this put be back at square one on the scales? i.e a wasted week of dieting?, Thank you.
You'd probably be shocked, about what they dump into the food at restaurants...flavor enhancers included....
Why not take your fitness journey as opportunity, and learn how to cook those things yourself.
It'll keep you in control of what goes in it, as well as calories and portion size. It's not as hard to do, and you'll find out that it won't take much time, either. You can create entire recipes/meals in MFP with all ingredients, and you only have to log your portion size for your meal...cutting out excess cheap noodles, rice....and don't get me started on all the corn syrup in the sauces...
It will certainly teach you to pack a whole lot of better quality food into a minimun number of calories, just by replacing ingredients.
You can easily blow 3500 calories on a single cheat day...I have seen my family do it. It won't get you anything, but regret.
Best of luck!
I'm all about cooking from scratch, I really am. That said since when are rice and noodles bad. Never mind that noodles can actually be very expensive
.
Making chow mein or fried rice without noodles or rice would be impossible (and I am not counting cauliflower rice as rice...). They are key ingredients to those foods. Never mind that there are millions, if not billions, of people who manage to eat noodles and rice and maintain a healthy weight.5 -
I have a "treat" meal once a week. It's whatever I feel like, sometimes it's as simple as donut and a milk coffee, other times burger, or fish and chips. The way I eat is sustainable, I dont feel deprived.. this was how I succeeded this time over the thousand strict "diets" I tried to follow.
Sure, I lost weight a little slower but I'm happy and satisfied.
I'm not sure what treat you'll have but if it's higher cal, earn it.. and log every bite.
Btw a high salty treat does normally put my weight up for a day or so but then goes back to normal.3 -
JeromeBarry1 wrote: »Nobody losing weight quickly wants to believe that they are part of the 95%, but there's a 95% chance they are.
That's the 95% of people who lost weight and failed to maintain their loss for 3 years.
+11 -
chrisboyle1 wrote: »Hey guys!
I'm a new member here and new to the diet world. I've currently lost 5 pounds from 13st.5 to 13st.0 and i'm 5ft11, this is just under a week! i also used to eat like pig, seriously, not snacks, large meals! 3 a day maybe even 4 but i'm missing my junk food. I want to have a cheat day at the end of the week and my crave is for some gooey cookies and a Chinese takeaway (Special chow mein, egg fried rice and curry sauce) will this affect my diet? will this gain me weight in 1 day and mostly will this put be back at square one on the scales? i.e a wasted week of dieting?, Thank you.
You'd probably be shocked, about what they dump into the food at restaurants...flavor enhancers included....
Why not take your fitness journey as opportunity, and learn how to cook those things yourself.
It'll keep you in control of what goes in it, as well as calories and portion size. It's not as hard to do, and you'll find out that it won't take much time, either. You can create entire recipes/meals in MFP with all ingredients, and you only have to log your portion size for your meal...cutting out excess cheap noodles, rice....and don't get me started on all the corn syrup in the sauces...
It will certainly teach you to pack a whole lot of better quality food into a minimun number of calories, just by replacing ingredients.
You can easily blow 3500 calories on a single cheat day...I have seen my family do it. It won't get you anything, but regret.
Best of luck!
I'm all about cooking from scratch, I really am. That said since when are rice and noodles bad. Never mind that noodles can actually be very expensive.
Making chow mein or fried rice without noodles or rice would be impossible (and I am not counting cauliflower rice as rice...). They are key ingredients to those foods. Never mind that there are millions, if not billions, of people who manage to eat noodles and rice and maintain a healthy weight.
I understand and agree with what you're saying, and I don't avoid pasta & rice, but it is true that those things are often used as "filler", particularly in restaurants, and limiting them can be an easy way to reduce calories for some. Whereas a Chinese restaurant may serve 1/2 a plate of an entree and 1/2 a plate of rice, at home I would typically only have a small serving of rice.2 -
chrisboyle1 wrote: »it's just the Chinese i'm craving, i doubt that will add up to 3500 will it? i've also read that your scales may say you've put on 3-4lb over night, but that could just be water weight and will go down? is that correct?.
Go into the MFP food database and search for your favorite Chinese dishes. Don't forget the rice and sauces you add. Most of them are in the range of 300 to 700 calories for 1 to 3 ounces! The salt and sugar contents will put your numbers through the roof. And you'll be hungry an hour late.
Disclaimer: This is my option. Consult your doctor for a professional diagnosis.3 -
... Never mind that there are millions, if not billions, of people who manage to eat noodles and rice and maintain a healthy weight.
Eating white rice regularly, as is commonly done in many Asian countries, may increase risk for developing type 2 diabetes. I read this on the InfoNet, it must be true . I'd wager a bet some of those millions and billions have some form of diabetes.
Disclaimer: This is my option. Consult your doctor for a professional diagnosis.2 -
Hi I feel if I have a cheat day it sets me back I'm a emotional eater and I would rather stick to plan and prolong trying to get the weight off .0
-
I don't think you can have a cheat day , I was 18 st 4 on new years day 2018 I am now 16 st 1 complete diet change and I think if once a week I smash a huge pizza then the weeks work has been wasted . I used to eat like an amazing amount of junk food 4 macdonalds a day plus kfc and pizza . Instead of a cheat day I may add an ingredient to my diet meal like cheese on my omelette or bacon in my stir fry once a week . O I miss bag mac .3
-
IMO if you cheat in your life you're lying to someone about something. if you cheat on your diet you're only lying to yourself.Slipslimo1 wrote: »I don't think you can have a cheat day...0 -
IMO if you cheat in your life you're lying to someone about something. if you cheat on your diet you're only lying to yourself.Slipslimo1 wrote: »I don't think you can have a cheat day...
That's why I don't "cheat" or "diet"😏
1 -
Slipslimo1 wrote: »I don't think you can have a cheat day , I was 18 st 4 on new years day 2018 I am now 16 st 1 complete diet change and I think if once a week I smash a huge pizza then the weeks work has been wasted . I used to eat like an amazing amount of junk food 4 macdonalds a day plus kfc and pizza . Instead of a cheat day I may add an ingredient to my diet meal like cheese on my omelette or bacon in my stir fry once a week . O I miss bag mac .
Not at all.
I was 25st 3 at the start of 2018, today I'm 18st 8 and by your standards I've 'cheated' practically every single day while losing weight.
I too used to eat an ridiculous amount of "junk" food. Now I eat a reasonable (ie: within my calorie target) amount of "junk" food, regularly (including McDonalds, KFC and Pizza). The bonus is that I'm successfully losing weight and I don't miss a thing.
Food, even junk food, isn't the enemy and losing weight doesn't have to be deprivation, denial and elimination.3 -
Loosing weight is one of my goals. Restoring my blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol and mobility are some more. I've found a calorie deficit alone won't work for me. "Less" junk food going into my body won't provide me with the nutrients I need to correct everything else that's wrong.5
-
Slipslimo1 wrote: »I don't think you can have a cheat day , I was 18 st 4 on new years day 2018 I am now 16 st 1 complete diet change and I think if once a week I smash a huge pizza then the weeks work has been wasted . I used to eat like an amazing amount of junk food 4 macdonalds a day plus kfc and pizza . Instead of a cheat day I may add an ingredient to my diet meal like cheese on my omelette or bacon in my stir fry once a week . O I miss bag mac .
So you don’t plan to eat McDonalds,KFC or Pizza ever again?1 -
Loosing weight is one of my goals. Restoring my blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol and mobility are some more. I've found a calorie deficit alone won't work for me. "Less" junk food going into my body won't provide me with the nutrients I need to correct everything else that's wrong.
If your food diary is accurate, you are also consuming an extremely low amount of calories. On the days where you're consuming under 1,000 calories, you're dipping into the calorie range that is recommended for 10-12 month olds. And before you mention it, even people on My 600lb LIfe are prescribed a diet that is higher in calories than that.
Consistently consuming that few calories isn't going to end well.
edit: additionally, you're not actually providing yourself with the nutrients that you need to function at an optimal level period. Not with how few calories you're getting. There's simply no way that you're getting the number of calories and macronutrients that you need unless you're not including various things in your diary.2 -
I think I'm doing alright and my Doctor thinks I'm doing alright. I know I need to incorporate some more fat and protein and I'm working on that. My big problem right now is my insulin resistance. Carbs jack my BG through the roof and it takes days to recover, thus I fast. I'm a work in progress. What works for me ...4
-
Does your doctor know how few calories you're consuming? How much or little education have they had in nutrition (unless they really went out of their way, probably not much). Again, those calorie numbers in your food diary are, quite literally, not enough to sustain a 18 month old.1
-
Thanks, it's under control. Don't worry your self.4
-
I think I'm doing alright and my Doctor thinks I'm doing alright. I know I need to incorporate some more fat and protein and I'm working on that. My big problem right now is my insulin resistance. Carbs jack my BG through the roof and it takes days to recover, thus I fast. I'm a work in progress. What works for me ...
Of course carbs are going to skyrocket BG. Carbs convert to glucose at 100%. If you have trouble with managing glucose, the solution is to limit carbs.0 -
Does your doctor know how few calories you're consuming? How much or little education have they had in nutrition (unless they really went out of their way, probably not much). Again, those calorie numbers in your food diary are, quite literally, not enough to sustain a 18 month old.
Some years ago my doc wanted to put me on a diet to fix my cholesterol, or take lipitor (spelling?)...and the diet was a very bland, cabbage/veggie etc type meal plan - no more than 800-1000 calories a day. I respectfully refused and asked if I could come back for another test 6 months later.
This was about the time I had started lurking here, reading tips and info - on 1900-2100 calories a day after 6 months my bloodwork came back clean.
In all fairness I was nervous about the approach, and my macros were a higher % of fats/protein than carbs, but the nerves stemmed from the fact that I knew literally next to nothing about how the body worked.
You folks saved me from a medication I didn't need and helped me improve my markers immensely. That's huge in my book.10
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 430 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions