tell me it’s ok to have a cheat meal without feeling guilty

trulyhealy · January 2020

basically i’m craving a dominoes and if i don’t have a thing i’m craving for the most part i eat a lot until i get it. but my plan is to get a small pizza instead of a bigger one they i normally get and then chicken wings.

that including other food the total is like 1,500 calories. and i plan to do a workout dvd as i wait for the food to arrive because it’s fun and i might as well burn off some calories and then go to the gym as normal later

i know this isn’t a healthy mindset but what can i do to not feel guilty about eating a fatty meal like that?

Muscleflex79 · January 2020

IIFYM - eat whatever you like within your macros - enjoy the pizza!

nitalieben · January 2020

It IS okay. If you want to do this sustainably, it has to be a lifestyle change. Want to have no pizza forever and ever? No? Then, take this opportunity to learn how to incorporate the things into your diet sensibly.

nighthawk584 · January 2020

Is it the best nutritional or calorie option, probably not, ok...no. That being said, there is nothing wrong with enjoying foods that you love. It's all about portion control and staying consistently in a calorie deficit. If you know you want a certain high calorie food, plan for it and eat sensibly. If it causes you to binge and eat till you're sick, you may want to stay away from it until you can resist binging.

sijomial · January 2020

It's OK to eat your pizza without guilt.
It's also OK to actually enjoy your food.
It's OK to diet (verb) and not eat exclusively "diet foods".
It's also OK to think about your entire diet (noun) rather than over-analyse individual components.
It's OK not to try and balance your budget every day (many people prefer a weekly budget).

It's maybe also better to call it a treat meal - you aren't cheating on anyone including yourself, language matters.

PAV8888 · January 2020

OR you could get a medium and eat it over two days... Not sure where the wings go with the pizza... but I generally do not find them worth the calories... I would rather spend the calories on pizza and maybe add some chicken breast if I wanted extra protein!

ReenieHJ · January 2020

Of course it's okay to indulge once in awhile!! You(we) deserve to. We're human and this is life, meant to be enjoyed. Get the pizza, do the exercise anyways, and stay on track most of the time! You'll still get to where you want to go! If the guilt is truly heavy to bear, just eat half now, half later. Who says pizza's not a breakfast food? Or invite someone over to share a pizza. Or can you order a slice to fulfill your craving? Just ideas....or you can order it, enjoy it, and stay on track the rest of the week.

missysippy930 · January 2020

You can certainly have whatever you want.
For me, all foods in moderation, with portion control, and staying within my calorie budget, for the most part. Choices, and making better ones, are a huge part of my strategy now. Free will. Whatever works for each of us is ok.

fitoverfortymom · January 2020

It's okay to have a chest meal and not feel guilty.

MikePTY · January 2020

It's okay to have a cheat meal without feeling guilty.

Guilt will be nothing but a detractor during your journey. Show that thing to the door and don't let it come back.

LivingtheLeanDream · January 2020

I had Dominoes at the weekend, I enjoyed 3 slices, was actually full by slice no 2. and no guilt whatsoever - I bank calories for the weekend/eating out. Eat what you want if it fits in your calories or bank some calories in advance.

apullum · January 2020

Not only is it okay to eat pizza, it’s also okay not to work out while you wait for it if you hadn’t already intended to do that workout. The mindset of “needing” to do additional, unplanned workouts because you ate more than you intended can cause many problems, including injury due to over exercise.

Eat your pizza, get back to your plan tomorrow. In the future, you can bank calories earlier in the week for a bigger meal.

aries68mc · January 2020

If you allow yourself to eat what you like and keep within your calories/macros, then you shouldn't have to think of anything as a cheat meal, IMO.

knightmagic · January 2020

trulyhealy wrote: »

basically i’m craving a dominoes and if i don’t have a thing i’m craving for the most part i eat a lot until i get it. but my plan is to get a small pizza instead of a bigger one they i normally get and then chicken wings.

that including other food the total is like 1,500 calories. and i plan to do a workout dvd as i wait for the food to arrive because it’s fun and i might as well burn off some calories and then go to the gym as normal later

i know this isn’t a healthy mindset but what can i do to not feel guilty about eating a fatty meal like that?

It's best to not look at food negatively because it builds a negative aspect when you "cheat" if you want that pizza you eat it. Food isn't evil it's just food. I struggled for YEARS with this and finally in the last 6 months I finally came to terms with it and I"m now down 50lbs and have my squat at 315lbs (5x5) and my deadlift at 315 (2x1). I've never been this slim and strong and i'm excited to see where I am at in 6 more months. If i can do this so can you. Just believe in yourself and don't beat yourself up to bad when you feel you "cheated" just enjoy the meal. That boost in confidence might be what you need to get to that next level.

NovusDies · January 2020

When you call it cheating you are inviting guilt. It is just food.

You should be more worried about feeling deprived. It can really kill a weight loss effort.

Have your TREAT meal. I have eaten close to a 100 pizza and lost over 200 pounds doing it so that is 2 pounds per pizza! But seriously I would not have been able to go the last 2 years without pizza. I would have quit and then regained whatever I had lost like I have done every other time.

Go_Deskercise · January 2020

Eat what fits into your calorie goal or make it fit.

I knew I would be having pizza this past Wednesday for dinner so I went light on the calories and moved more so I was able to eat 3 pieces of pizza (no toppings/extra cheese) and still be within my calorie goal.

edit: even if you go over your calorie goal, it's not the end of the world. Enjoy the treat and move on to the next day

bmeadows380 · January 2020

Like everyone else said - its not a cheat meal, its not a failure, its not a "sin". You're taking the right steps by reducing the size. One day once in a while is nothing in the long run and won't derail you unless you let it. And treating yourself is as much a necessary part of all this as losing the weight; after all, your mental strength is a huge part of the battle and vital to making a sustained, lasting lifestyle change.

The only time it becomes wrong is if you do the same thing tomorrow, then the next day, then the next day, then the next day......Enjoy the pizza and determine that its a special once-in-a-while treat and get back to it tomorrow, and you'll be fine.

amusedmonkey · January 2020

It's okay to have a day every now and then where you eat more calories than usual. It's not just okay, it's normal. It's not even "cheating". If you're losing weight and wish to continue maintaining it, days like this are very important because they teach you the value of balancing your food, your life, your desires, and your goals. It teaches you that diet (and weight management in general) isn't a bubble on some uninhabited island. Things happen, you have desires, plans don't always turn out the way you expect them to, and that's all okay, it's called life. If you take that food guilt with you into maintenance you're likely to struggle and burn out.

cwolfman13 · January 2020

Food is food...I never think of eating anything as "cheating". What I'm doing most of the time is what matters to my overall health and fitness. I eat pretty well most of the time...but I also like to nom some pizza or get some pub grub or whatever sometimes. People aren't unhealthy or overweight because they overeat sometimes...they are overweight and unhealthy because they overeat most of the time.

I also don't go around doing unplanned/unscheduled exercise because I overindulged.

CSARdiver · January 2020

I'm questioning many of your "knowns".

What isn't healthy about this mindset?

What rules are you breaking that this is cheating?

What is your daily caloric budget and how does this compare to this meal?

If your plan doesn't allow for food you love, then it's a sure sign that such a plan won't work long term. Time to dump some myths on "good" and "bad" foods.

cupcakesandproteinshakes · January 2020

Eat the pizza. And the wings if you want. Then move on.

tell me it’s ok to have a cheat meal without feeling guilty

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