Help! i want to have a cheat day but scared incase i mess up my diet!.

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  • InsertFunnyUsernameHere
    InsertFunnyUsernameHere Posts: 271 Member
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    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.
  • slimgirljo15
    slimgirljo15 Posts: 269,440 Member
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    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.
  • lalalacroix
    lalalacroix Posts: 834 Member
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    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.

    +1
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
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    aokoye wrote: »
    h7463 wrote: »
    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.
  • corrarjo
    corrarjo Posts: 1,157 Member
    edited February 2019
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    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.
  • corrarjo
    corrarjo Posts: 1,157 Member
    edited February 2019
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    aokoye wrote: »
    h7463 wrote: »
    ... 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.
  • jackiec164
    jackiec164 Posts: 2 Member
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    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 .
  • Slipslimo1
    Slipslimo1 Posts: 3 Member
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    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 .
  • corrarjo
    corrarjo Posts: 1,157 Member
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    Slipslimo1 wrote: »
    I don't think you can have a cheat day...
    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.
  • slimgirljo15
    slimgirljo15 Posts: 269,440 Member
    edited February 2019
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    corrarjo wrote: »
    Slipslimo1 wrote: »
    I don't think you can have a cheat day...
    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.

    That's why I don't "cheat" or "diet"😏

  • Danp
    Danp Posts: 1,561 Member
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    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.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    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?
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    edited February 2019
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    corrarjo wrote: »
    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.
  • corrarjo
    corrarjo Posts: 1,157 Member
    edited February 2019
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    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 ...
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    edited February 2019
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    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.
  • corrarjo
    corrarjo Posts: 1,157 Member
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    Thanks, it's under control. Don't worry your self.
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
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    corrarjo wrote: »
    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.

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