Do you cheat or do you earn it?

sal10851
sal10851 Posts: 171 Member
edited August 2020 in Motivation and Support
When I first began losing weight I used to rely on cheat days. On such days I would not count calories so it led to overeating. Now my strategy has been to earn the meal. I cut 100 calories from each day and exercise 10 extra minutes for 3 days before a planned meal. By the time I get to eating the meal I can enjoy it more and usually I can't finish it. Mentally I see it as earning the meal instead of rewarding myself for something that is already rewarding. The reward for my efforts is health not food! Weight loss was my original goal but the benefits of a healthier choices is undeniable. I've tried weight loss before but I relied too much on exercise and I never dealt with my bad eating habits. I would eat my regular caloric intake and used the exercise deficit to lose the weight.
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Replies

  • Sand_TIger
    Sand_TIger Posts: 1,070 Member
    edited August 2020
    Right now I "cheat" but only on major holidays - so even if I eat too much at least it doesn't happen that often, since the cheat day is only the actual day, not the days surrounding. Having calorie restrictions the rest of the time means that my capacity is greatly diminished so I get full really fast. :)
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
    Yes and no.
  • brenn24179
    brenn24179 Posts: 2,144 Member
    I have started taking a day a month and eat sweets. I cant handle them very often but one time a month seems to work. This month I had cake, cookies, candy bar and lost 2 lbs . Maybe it shook my metabolism.
  • I don't like the word cheat because the only person I'm hurting is me if I go over my calorie limit. I'm in enough of a deficit that if I do eat more than usual it won't seriously matter, and tomorrow is another day. But I have long refused to feel guilty over what I eat or who I love. Guilt isn't fun and I don't like participating in the little "Oh, I'm so bad for eating this" dance that some women do.
  • Diatonic12
    Diatonic12 Posts: 32,344 Member
    edited August 2020
    Remember those posters. Earn Your Carbs. My dog and horse don't have to earn their carbs or food. They find movement and exercise they enjoy with an amazing natural ability to moderate their food. It's the humans that overstuff them.

    Entertaining ourselves with food rewards is human but I take my cues from my dog. Trying to out outexercise your food rewards can lead to an exercise addiction. Oooo yes, it happens. Release all of that exercise food reward thinking. Enjoy your exercise and food. Life is too short to overthink it.

  • Carp614
    Carp614 Posts: 192 Member
    I log everything view everything in a weekly context. If I'm over for a day but way under for a week, I feel like I'm ok.
  • got2bemybestself
    got2bemybestself Posts: 3 Member
    I don't label foods bad or good, cheat meals or off limits. I have a history of binge eating and thinking of a cheat day or cheat meals was very unhealthy. I eat much smaller portions than what we (Americans) now consider normal, I practice mindful eating, I've cut out sugar, exercise for15 -20 minutes twice a day. With those small changes to the way I think and my lifestyle I have finally started losing weight and it's been easier than I thought. I am done with restrictive diets that when you really stop to think about it, sometimes promote unhealthy habits.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    Not sure what the point of "cheating" would be, since this is only for me personally, and not some kind of public competition where cheating might help one get ahead of others, avoid punishment/judgment or help you win something.

    In this case, cheating doesn't actually do any good. If you do it a lot, it certainly doesn't help you hit your goals. Plus, the word implies wrongdoing, and I don't think having a treat or enjoying food is wrong. I guess that means I don't cheat, then.

    If I want a big piece of chocolate cake or whatever and I'm low on calories, I go for a run or a bike ride or a long hike, and suddenly it fits right in. No "cheating" necessary. I pretty much eat what I want this way and don't derail my goals or sabotage myself while doing it. I've been maintaining for almost 10 years this way.
  • TealTrinket
    TealTrinket Posts: 22 Member
    edited August 2020
    I don't "cheat", and while I generally eat healthier (tons of fruit, veggies, and healthy grains), I still let myself have whatever I want. I just eat the higher calorie foods on days I burn more calories, or I make the portions smaller to fit into my budget that day.

    For example; Saturday, my guy and I did a 10km hike that consisted of nonstop up and down along the coast, and when we got home, he made mac and cheese from scratch. So many calories, but it still fit into my day after the hike we did.
  • siyeonsimpp
    siyeonsimpp Posts: 211 Member
    I feel like as long as you've been counting you calories and eating less than you did before for a while, eventually you just don't need to eat as much food, and you get full quicker, so it could barely count as a cheat day. So as long as you only have a cheat day once in a while, you should be fine, and you'll still lose weight.
  • nexangelus
    nexangelus Posts: 2,081 Member
    Planning to eat more is not "cheating". I no longer use bad and good words to describe my eating and the foods I eat. Being too strict and not eating at maintenance when one has been dieting hard for a long period (12 weeks or so most commonly is the time scale), is more detrimental to the long run (hormones and other things need to come back to normal levels in order to keep on dieting or being in a deficit for a long period)...and no I do not run more, walk more, exercise more to eat more, I just eat according to my TDEE and if I have eaten more one day, one meal, it gets logged and then I can adjust over the week or even the next day accordingly.

    It is no biggie, unless one is still struggling with binge eating, which is another subject altogether...
  • Jch4mb3rs
    Jch4mb3rs Posts: 67 Member
    I have a cheat meal every week so long as I have managed to lose weight that week. I dont do cheat days. On weigh in day I count all my calories and have a dinner where I just eat until I'm full and dont bother counting the calories for that one meal. I will admit it is something I look forward to.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    I don't call it cheating but I always deserve any food I eat whether I earn it (it fits) or not. I also reward myself with food I love but that works for me. If I didn't work or account for it, no biggie I most likely will naturally be less hungry the rest of the week. And while I wouldn't recommend working off calories, an extra walk or cardio session the next week works for me too.
  • AndreaTamira
    AndreaTamira Posts: 272 Member
    I count everything, but I sometimes have days where I go over calorie allowance, maybe even well over. I am under most of the time, so I dont feel bad about this, but I still count things because

    a) I like being honest with myself
    b) It seems to work as a good initiative to keep the over-calorie days to once in a while.
    c) I can check if I am still under for the week and do curse-correction as needed.