Cheat day

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Priasmama416
Priasmama416 Posts: 103 Member
in Chit-Chat
Is it ok to have a cheat day? Even though I still track everything I eat, I give myself 1 cheat day a week. I use this day to go to family functions, or out to lunch with the girls ect. ,although I don't go overboard with it. Does anyone else give themselves a " cheat" day, and what are your thoughts on it?

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  • vanityy99
    vanityy99 Posts: 2,583 Member
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    Yeah as long as you get back on track and not make it a cheat week, month then before you know it, year. As long as you have more days being on track, you’ll be good.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    What is your definition of a cheat day? Going over on your calories? There are many ways to have a higher calorie day, as long as you are hitting your goals over time and happy with your progress it's all good.
  • ghudson92
    ghudson92 Posts: 2,061 Member
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    Some people like to "bank" their calories, ie they eat a slightly lower amount of calories on some days and then use the saved calories for the slightly more indulgent day. You can monitor this by looking at your net calories for the week. I found this strategy invaluable when losing, and still use it in maintenance.
  • SwannySez
    SwannySez Posts: 5,864 Member
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    Most people here cheat.
  • GaryRuns
    GaryRuns Posts: 508 Member
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    It's absolutely NOT ok! You will cause huge rift in space and time if you do that!

    Just kidding. :D

    It's your fitness, do what you want. Personally, I've been eating fewer calories than I burn for months in an effort to lose fat, but there ain't NO way I'm missing my waffle-Sundays! I eat waffles with syrup every Sunday and I don't bother logging food all day. I think that's the only way I've managed to keep my sanity for all this time.
  • Motorsheen
    Motorsheen Posts: 20,492 Member
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    cheat meal - maybe, sure.... okay


    cheat day - nope.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    Priasmama416 wrote: »
    Is it ok to have a cheat day? Even though I still track everything I eat, I give myself 1 cheat day a week. I use this day to go to family functions, or out to lunch with the girls ect. ,although I don't go overboard with it. Does anyone else give themselves a " cheat" day, and what are your thoughts on it?

    I don't think in terms of cheat days or cheat meals. I eat food. For the most part I eat pretty well nutritionally speaking and I do well calorie wise...but I also have a life and enjoy indulgences. Sometimes that's Friday night pizza and a movie with the fam...sometimes that's hitting up Two Fools Tavern for some pub grub...sometimes that's hitting up one of my favorite New Mexican restaurants or sitting around eating wings and meatballs while I watch the super bowl. In my experience, what I'm doing most of the time is what matters, not occasional indulgences.

    I will say that when I lost my initial weight I was pretty strict and disciplined for the first couple of months just to get things really rolling. I'm in the process of dropping 10-15 Lbs right now and I've been cleaning up my diet a bit from the holidays and whatnot, but I'm not in full diet beast mode yet...I usually hit that in March and I'm usually pretty strict and disciplined for a couple months heading into summer and pool season.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    Motorsheen wrote: »
    cheat meal - maybe, sure.... okay


    cheat day - nope.

    What about cheat life? :)
  • Motorsheen
    Motorsheen Posts: 20,492 Member
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    sardelsa wrote: »
    Motorsheen wrote: »
    cheat meal - maybe, sure.... okay


    cheat day - nope.

    What about cheat life? :)

    .... maybe.
  • Priasmama416
    Priasmama416 Posts: 103 Member
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    Let me clarify that I consider my cheat day a day that allow myself to have something such as pizza or chips, or a dessert. I don't go over 2000 calories for the day, and I usually stay 1200 and 1500 the rest of the week
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    In that case everyday is a cheat day for me since I eat dessert everyday :) . Provided you are within your calories and hitting your goals (nutrition, macro, fibre whatever they might be) and they don't cause you to go off track, then I don't see the issue.
  • minimiss669
    minimiss669 Posts: 86 Member
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    I decided that I could have foods that I don't normally eat during the week, like cheese and sweets. I really like what @ghudson92 said about banking calories. There are some days during the week when I don't eat breakfast because work is hectic or I'm just not hungry, so my calories are lower for that day. I figure if I go over by 200 calories one day a week, then I'm still good. The tricky part is pulling it back and not going off the rails for an entire weekend. Doing that will just keep you fluctuating between the same two or three pounds over a long period of time. Sadly, I know this from personal experience.
  • wwwtheselion11
    wwwtheselion11 Posts: 422 Member
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    There is no such thing as a cheat day.

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