Cheat/treat days?
Replies
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springlering62 wrote: »Every day is treat day for me. Treats vary.
Yesterday was Sunday. That’s doughnut. I soooooo look forward to getting up Sunday’s and going up to the gourmet doughnut place and drooling over the selection. I went hog wild and got three yesterday. Almost 1500 calories. I spaced them out all day long so I could truly savour them instead of gobbling them down and then wondering where they went. Still ended up under goal for the day, even with soup lunch, a nice smoked pork dinner, and my mandatory chai lattes.
Today’s treat is one of my all time faves: BLTs for lunch. Oh joy!!!!! For some reason we have corn dogs in the freezer. I love them and haven’t had one since I began. So a corn dog and XL helping of air crisper fries are on the dinner menu. Dessert will be a double serving of lemon yogurt pudding with whipped cream, honey lemon sprinkles and some yummy TJ Meyer lemon wafers.
Later this week is Turkish Bride Soup and homemade naan bread, and pork and roasted apples. And probably another round of BLTs.
If you factor food you genuinely enjoy into the process, it makes the whole thing enjoyable and so much easier to fall into new habits.
When I was running around looking for the lowest cal foods and recipes, my head was in such a whirl of confusion I just overlooked the obvious.
Eat what you enjoy, just eat less of it and make simple low cal exchanges wherever possible. (And an air crisper will absolutely rock your world.)
I can't even express how much BETTER life is as a calorie counter when you're also ensuring that you're genuinely looking forward to your meals. It takes some experimentation to figure out what works best, but I can't imagine having to wait for a specific day to love my dinner.7 -
Cheat Meals and Cheat Days and Cheat Months go hand in hand with the All or Nothing Dieting Mindset and perfectionism.
Adhering to strict meal plans or food protocols only to be followed up with Cheat Meals or Cheat Days. Aim for good enough instead of more perfectionism with food. When you take perfect off the table then things change.
Give yourself permission to do everything on your own terms. Then you have options and options prevent throwing the towel in... Starting over and over and over again. Constant stops and starts.
The good enough food protocol you follow will always be better than the perfect method you quit.4 -
My hand got slapped on my most recent splurge. I eat plant based but I like a ghood turkey sandwich. So I saw at the market they had a turkey cheddar mayo sammy with cranberry jelly. I love the thanksgiving sandwich... but what I thought was wheat was actually cinnmin raisan bread which I don't like. lol It was soo bad I wanted to cry.7
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For me, they are SUPER helpful. I'm an emotional eater and crave high calorie/low nutrition food multiple times a day. A "cheat day helps me filter these cravings. Was it only a moment, or did it persist as something I really wanted? This helps me filter down from eating 3-5 impulse foods a day, to a few one night a week. Usually pizza 😍
I also do make room in my daily kcals for little things too - last night was ice cream ❤️0 -
You know, it’s the strangest thing.
It just occurred to me, I never even think about ice cream any more, but heaven help
me if I miss my bowl of lemon yogurt pudding in the evening.
This from a woman who would polish off a half a carton of Breyers mint chocolate chip in a sitting.
With all the stuff I add to my pudding (3 lemon thins cookies, teaspoon of honey lemon granules, coconut whipped cream) I might very well be approaching Breyers territory, but I just enjoy it more!4 -
For my own edification and thought I’d share.
1/2 cup Breyers mint is 150 calories. Half a lousy cup.
My pudding was 338 calories but included 1.5c yogurt, 2 oz skim milk, 12 g sugar free pudding mix, 3 servings coconut whipped cream, 7 grams Dutch hagelslag (pure milk chocolate sprinkles), and four large chocolate pizelle cookies (flat “ice cream cone” cookies) It filled a large, full cereal bowl to heaping. (I needed the calories last night so I supersized it.)
Y’all can return to topic now. 😇4 -
The Rock loves them and what is good enough for Dwayne...is good enough for me! Love a cheat day1
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LockdownLoser23 wrote: »The Rock loves them and what is good enough for Dwayne...is good enough for me! Love a cheat day
He also probably has a BMR/RMR high enough to handle a cheat DAY. Most normal people not covered in 10 layers of muscle dont.2 -
KrissDotCom wrote: »LockdownLoser23 wrote: »The Rock loves them and what is good enough for Dwayne...is good enough for me! Love a cheat day
He also probably has a BMR/RMR high enough to handle a cheat DAY. Most normal people not covered in 10 layers of muscle dont.
I've lost weight having a cheat day each week and I'm not built like the Rock (sadly). P.s. wasn't being too serious0 -
LockdownLoser23 wrote: »KrissDotCom wrote: »LockdownLoser23 wrote: »The Rock loves them and what is good enough for Dwayne...is good enough for me! Love a cheat day
He also probably has a BMR/RMR high enough to handle a cheat DAY. Most normal people not covered in 10 layers of muscle dont.
I've lost weight having a cheat day each week and I'm not built like the Rock (sadly). P.s. wasn't being too serious
Again.. most people cannot just have an entire DAY of cheating and somehow not wipe out their entire deficit.
I love how i say most people and youre still talking about just you.
Im happy for you and the rock, maybe you both can go on a cheeseburger crawl for a day and high five each other cause you didnt gain.
However, to keep this post realistic for people reading this, and considering doing it because a famous person also does, its not feasible for most people.
People can wipe out their entire deficit with one cheat meal, let alone a cheat day.
And honestly, if youre just gonna plan something that potentially doesnt do that, and youre just eating a cheeseburger within calories or only putting you over a little and eating a chocolate bar, then your going about the whole idea of this all wrong, youre categorizing foods and labeling them as naughty or once a week foods like its some kind of reward system.
The rock is famous and he is where he is because of his physical appearance, same as a lot of celebrities or influencers, that likely require them to maintain a certain appearance for their job. I dont think the rock would have the same effect he has in movies if he was 400lbs morbidly obese or one of those no muscle tone lanky people who might break if a breeze blew hard enough. He probably had quite a diet regimine to follow to keep up with his work and his workouts and him maintaining his body. One day a week with all his bmr really isnt going to make a bit of difference to him.
You do you. You have your own bmr and your own choices, but again, for most people, who are dealing with a minimal deficit for their weight loss, the idea of a cheat day just doesnt work and its better for them to learn that food is food, you should be just learning to eat those foods within your calories and managing those decisions.1 -
KrissDotCom wrote: »LockdownLoser23 wrote: »KrissDotCom wrote: »LockdownLoser23 wrote: »The Rock loves them and what is good enough for Dwayne...is good enough for me! Love a cheat day
He also probably has a BMR/RMR high enough to handle a cheat DAY. Most normal people not covered in 10 layers of muscle dont.
I've lost weight having a cheat day each week and I'm not built like the Rock (sadly). P.s. wasn't being too serious
Again.. most people cannot just have an entire DAY of cheating and somehow not wipe out their entire deficit.
I love how i say most people and youre still talking about just you.
Im happy for you and the rock, maybe you both can go on a cheeseburger crawl for a day and high five each other cause you didnt gain.
However, to keep this post realistic for people reading this, and considering doing it because a famous person also does, its not feasible for most people.
People can wipe out their entire deficit with one cheat meal, let alone a cheat day.
And honestly, if youre just gonna plan something that potentially doesnt do that, and youre just eating a cheeseburger within calories or only putting you over a little and eating a chocolate bar, then your going about the whole idea of this all wrong, youre categorizing foods and labeling them as naughty or once a week foods like its some kind of reward system.
The rock is famous and he is where he is because of his physical appearance, same as a lot of celebrities or influencers, that likely require them to maintain a certain appearance for their job. I dont think the rock would have the same effect he has in movies if he was 400lbs morbidly obese or one of those no muscle tone lanky people who might break if a breeze blew hard enough. He probably had quite a diet regimine to follow to keep up with his work and his workouts and him maintaining his body. One day a week with all his bmr really isnt going to make a bit of difference to him.
You do you. You have your own bmr and your own choices, but again, for most people, who are dealing with a minimal deficit for their weight loss, the idea of a cheat day just doesnt work and its better for them to learn that food is food, you should be just learning to eat those foods within your calories and managing those decisions.
Most people? What percentage of people ruin their week with a cheat meal? I don't see the big deal about going a bit over one day a week. You are putting words in my mouth and demonising food which you shouldn't do. I didn't label any food naughty - just saying going over calories. You make a lot of assumptions.
Maybe people see cheat days as different things. I see it as a meal and few beers - you assume it is something different. A Cheat should be adapted per person. For me 'my personal outlook, sorry' - the mild guilt makes me knuckle down for the week0 -
LockdownLoser23 wrote: »The Rock loves them and what is good enough for Dwayne...is good enough for me! Love a cheat day
Disclaimer - This was a joke and not direct advice - please don't take me seriously - I am not a nutritionalist - don't take advice from anyone in an internet forum - do your own research
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Im demonizing food by saying eat whatever within your calories and not treat it like a reward..?
And your saying you feel guilt enough to buckle down.
If you feel guilt, then youre the one demonizing food.
I dont feel guilty when i eat a meal.
Again.. people with minimal deficits, can wipe it out with a cheat day or meal. Do you really need a percentage for that?3 -
KrissDotCom wrote: »LockdownLoser23 wrote: »KrissDotCom wrote: »LockdownLoser23 wrote: »The Rock loves them and what is good enough for Dwayne...is good enough for me! Love a cheat day
He also probably has a BMR/RMR high enough to handle a cheat DAY. Most normal people not covered in 10 layers of muscle dont.
I've lost weight having a cheat day each week and I'm not built like the Rock (sadly). P.s. wasn't being too serious
Again.. most people cannot just have an entire DAY of cheating and somehow not wipe out their entire deficit.
I love how i say most people and youre still talking about just you.
Im happy for you and the rock, maybe you both can go on a cheeseburger crawl for a day and high five each other cause you didnt gain.
However, to keep this post realistic for people reading this, and considering doing it because a famous person also does, its not feasible for most people.
People can wipe out their entire deficit with one cheat meal, let alone a cheat day.
And honestly, if youre just gonna plan something that potentially doesnt do that, and youre just eating a cheeseburger within calories or only putting you over a little and eating a chocolate bar, then your going about the whole idea of this all wrong, youre categorizing foods and labeling them as naughty or once a week foods like its some kind of reward system.
The rock is famous and he is where he is because of his physical appearance, same as a lot of celebrities or influencers, that likely require them to maintain a certain appearance for their job. I dont think the rock would have the same effect he has in movies if he was 400lbs morbidly obese or one of those no muscle tone lanky people who might break if a breeze blew hard enough. He probably had quite a diet regimine to follow to keep up with his work and his workouts and him maintaining his body. One day a week with all his bmr really isnt going to make a bit of difference to him.
You do you. You have your own bmr and your own choices, but again, for most people, who are dealing with a minimal deficit for their weight loss, the idea of a cheat day just doesnt work and its better for them to learn that food is food, you should be just learning to eat those foods within your calories and managing those decisions.
The thing is the OP asked for our experiences and if we found them beneficial. I love keeping my food intake smaller during the week, sticking to certain foods and having larger increases on weekends to eat whatever I want (including foods I wouldn't eat during the week). That doesn't mean I don't know what food is or how to fit certain foods in my calories. It's a different way of eating. I don't wipe out my deficit with it, why aren't we who are able to do it and benefit from it discuss it?
Some people call it cheat, treat, refeed etc.
Does it work for everyone? Nope. But it works for some of us and we are free to share our experiences too.4 -
.. lol okie dokie
Obviously its me who doesnt know what im saying
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LockdownLoser23 wrote: »KrissDotCom wrote: »LockdownLoser23 wrote: »KrissDotCom wrote: »LockdownLoser23 wrote: »The Rock loves them and what is good enough for Dwayne...is good enough for me! Love a cheat day
He also probably has a BMR/RMR high enough to handle a cheat DAY. Most normal people not covered in 10 layers of muscle dont.
I've lost weight having a cheat day each week and I'm not built like the Rock (sadly). P.s. wasn't being too serious
Again.. most people cannot just have an entire DAY of cheating and somehow not wipe out their entire deficit.
I love how i say most people and youre still talking about just you.
Im happy for you and the rock, maybe you both can go on a cheeseburger crawl for a day and high five each other cause you didnt gain.
However, to keep this post realistic for people reading this, and considering doing it because a famous person also does, its not feasible for most people.
People can wipe out their entire deficit with one cheat meal, let alone a cheat day.
And honestly, if youre just gonna plan something that potentially doesnt do that, and youre just eating a cheeseburger within calories or only putting you over a little and eating a chocolate bar, then your going about the whole idea of this all wrong, youre categorizing foods and labeling them as naughty or once a week foods like its some kind of reward system.
The rock is famous and he is where he is because of his physical appearance, same as a lot of celebrities or influencers, that likely require them to maintain a certain appearance for their job. I dont think the rock would have the same effect he has in movies if he was 400lbs morbidly obese or one of those no muscle tone lanky people who might break if a breeze blew hard enough. He probably had quite a diet regimine to follow to keep up with his work and his workouts and him maintaining his body. One day a week with all his bmr really isnt going to make a bit of difference to him.
You do you. You have your own bmr and your own choices, but again, for most people, who are dealing with a minimal deficit for their weight loss, the idea of a cheat day just doesnt work and its better for them to learn that food is food, you should be just learning to eat those foods within your calories and managing those decisions.
Most people? What percentage of people ruin their week with a cheat meal? I don't see the big deal about going a bit over one day a week. You are putting words in my mouth and demonising food which you shouldn't do. I didn't label any food naughty - just saying going over calories. You make a lot of assumptions.
Maybe people see cheat days as different things. I see it as a meal and few beers - you assume it is something different. A Cheat should be adapted per person. For me 'my personal outlook, sorry' - the mild guilt makes me knuckle down for the week
Lots of post here show that people aren't using a cheat day as a way to go "a bit over" (which, I agree, probably isn't a big deal). There are people who are eating enough on their "cheat day" to cancel out the deficit they're creating the rest of the week.
That's why people here are typically cautious about them.
Let's say someone is working with a smallish deficit, say 250 calories a day. You only need 1,750 extra calories to cancel that out and that wouldn't be at all hard to do with an entire day of eating what one wants (especially if one is approaching the day hungry and with a sense of "Well, I earned it because I dieted really hard all week").
I can think of plenty of scenarios where "a meal and a few beers" could cause trouble for someone who is otherwise on plan (of course, there are also scenarios where it could fit). A 16 ounces IPA will have about 350 calories. Let's say I do two of those and a entree at a popular restaurant along with half an appetizer and half a dessert. Let's say it's Chili's. I have half an order of wings (about 500-600 calories), spicy shrimp tacos (1,000 calories), and then half a piece of chocolate cake (500ish). I'm not even going all out. I'm doing a cheat MEAL not the cheat DAY that you're saying is no big deal. I'm splitting my appetizer and dessert. And I chose something that sounds kinda reasonable for my entree, shrimp tacos.
My calories for that meal are over 2,500. If I'm doing this every week, I'm going to quickly be showing up here asking why I'm not having progress despite being on plan all week, you know, except for "a meal and few beers," and everyone knows that going a "bit over" is okay, right?4 -
Yes, I do find them beneficial. Not a cheat day, but a large cheat meal with a large dessert. Saturday is my designated cheat meal. I’ve found that establishing the cheat meal ahead of time gives me motivation to stay on track the rest of the week while also giving me something to look forward to.
IIFM just doesn’t work for me personally. If I allow myself special treat just because I have enough calories left over , I will have cravings all week and ultimately fail. I try to use leftover calories for nutrient dense, healthy foods, and save junk calories for day of my cheat meal.
I look forward to my cheat meal Saturday’s so much that I usually do a fasted double workout right before cheat meal so that I enjoy meal even more due to being extra hungry. (Side note: I’m adapted to fasted workouts since I’ve been IF for several years, only difference is I double up on worksouts, two in a roll instead of one, on cheat meal Saturday-I don’t recommend this if your not adapted)
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I had this problem where I used to label foods as Cheats 'Bad Foods'.
It is a battle of changing your mindset, and yes it is hard when everyone you know through chocolate etc all your way. Meaning, I was binging in the end due to stress. However, during a few weeks into lockdown. I managed to get myself on track and now pretty much utilise the IIFYM or 80-20 rules.
But I make sure I always hit my Protein, and go over on my Fibre for sure. I also, save calories for later in the evening just in case I really crave something sugary.
Another way to curb your sugar cravings. Well in my opinion. I find making my own Protein Pancakes everyday really helps as it is a lot healthier in general and filling. Served with fruit and Greek Yogurt! Using Oats and Bananas as the ingredients with Whey & and a Egg. Yummy! It's mostly my post workout meal, if not definately make it fit into my macros each day!1 -
*peeks in*
Why am I now thinking about what kind of deficit you'd have if you cheated on your spouse by having sex with the Rock?2 -
janejellyroll wrote: »LockdownLoser23 wrote: »KrissDotCom wrote: »LockdownLoser23 wrote: »KrissDotCom wrote: »LockdownLoser23 wrote: »The Rock loves them and what is good enough for Dwayne...is good enough for me! Love a cheat day
He also probably has a BMR/RMR high enough to handle a cheat DAY. Most normal people not covered in 10 layers of muscle dont.
I've lost weight having a cheat day each week and I'm not built like the Rock (sadly). P.s. wasn't being too serious
Again.. most people cannot just have an entire DAY of cheating and somehow not wipe out their entire deficit.
I love how i say most people and youre still talking about just you.
Im happy for you and the rock, maybe you both can go on a cheeseburger crawl for a day and high five each other cause you didnt gain.
However, to keep this post realistic for people reading this, and considering doing it because a famous person also does, its not feasible for most people.
People can wipe out their entire deficit with one cheat meal, let alone a cheat day.
And honestly, if youre just gonna plan something that potentially doesnt do that, and youre just eating a cheeseburger within calories or only putting you over a little and eating a chocolate bar, then your going about the whole idea of this all wrong, youre categorizing foods and labeling them as naughty or once a week foods like its some kind of reward system.
The rock is famous and he is where he is because of his physical appearance, same as a lot of celebrities or influencers, that likely require them to maintain a certain appearance for their job. I dont think the rock would have the same effect he has in movies if he was 400lbs morbidly obese or one of those no muscle tone lanky people who might break if a breeze blew hard enough. He probably had quite a diet regimine to follow to keep up with his work and his workouts and him maintaining his body. One day a week with all his bmr really isnt going to make a bit of difference to him.
You do you. You have your own bmr and your own choices, but again, for most people, who are dealing with a minimal deficit for their weight loss, the idea of a cheat day just doesnt work and its better for them to learn that food is food, you should be just learning to eat those foods within your calories and managing those decisions.
Most people? What percentage of people ruin their week with a cheat meal? I don't see the big deal about going a bit over one day a week. You are putting words in my mouth and demonising food which you shouldn't do. I didn't label any food naughty - just saying going over calories. You make a lot of assumptions.
Maybe people see cheat days as different things. I see it as a meal and few beers - you assume it is something different. A Cheat should be adapted per person. For me 'my personal outlook, sorry' - the mild guilt makes me knuckle down for the week
Lots of post here show that people aren't using a cheat day as a way to go "a bit over" (which, I agree, probably isn't a big deal). There are people who are eating enough on their "cheat day" to cancel out the deficit they're creating the rest of the week.
That's why people here are typically cautious about them.
Let's say someone is working with a smallish deficit, say 250 calories a day. You only need 1,750 extra calories to cancel that out and that wouldn't be at all hard to do with an entire day of eating what one wants (especially if one is approaching the day hungry and with a sense of "Well, I earned it because I dieted really hard all week").
I can think of plenty of scenarios where "a meal and a few beers" could cause trouble for someone who is otherwise on plan (of course, there are also scenarios where it could fit). A 16 ounces IPA will have about 350 calories. Let's say I do two of those and a entree at a popular restaurant along with half an appetizer and half a dessert. Let's say it's Chili's. I have half an order of wings (about 500-600 calories), spicy shrimp tacos (1,000 calories), and then half a piece of chocolate cake (500ish). I'm not even going all out. I'm doing a cheat MEAL not the cheat DAY that you're saying is no big deal. I'm splitting my appetizer and dessert. And I chose something that sounds kinda reasonable for my entree, shrimp tacos.
My calories for that meal are over 2,500. If I'm doing this every week, I'm going to quickly be showing up here asking why I'm not having progress despite being on plan all week, you know, except for "a meal and few beers," and everyone knows that going a "bit over" is okay, right?
Exactly this. A "cheat meal" or "cheat day" can be fine, or a completely deficit-destroying thing, depending on exactly what people actually are doing when they call their behavior that. A nuanced discussion of what people actually do & what works, with some context, can be helpful. Just saying "cheat meal, it's fine, great, helpful" or "cheat meal ruins your progress", without defining the terms . . . not all that helpful.
I don't like the term, personally, partly because it is so imprecisely used (fails to communicate meaningful information), partly because I don't like the psychological implications ( implies that some food behaviors or choices are improper, so it's "cheating" something to do/eat them - really, it's food, not sin).
To put a spin on it, once in weight maintenance, most definitions of "cheat day" - any definitions where one materially exceeds calorie goal regularly, eating at weight-maintenance calorie goal on most other days - is going to be a problem, i.e., result in weight gain. The calories need to balance out to maintenance calories on average over a period of time, or weight regain will happen.
Since I thought of weight loss is maintenance practice - because staying at a healthy weight long term is my true goal - I needed to figure out, during loss, what would work for me in maintenance. So, I did (and do) calorie bank sometimes (now, eat under maintenance calories by a little) in order to eat more indulgently once in a while.
I don't think of that in any way as "cheating", I think of it as "having a workable plan". (And I'm in year 4+ of maintaining a healthy weight, so it isn't going too badly, IMO.)2
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