Is it okay to have a cheat day once per week?
danielleg0094
Posts: 38 Member
So I don’t work out and have a sedentary job. I aim to eat around 1200-1500 calories per day. For the past few months, I have one day out of the week where I eat everything I want. I’ve maintained my weight loss for the past 2-3 years. At most, I think I’ve probably gained back 10 lbs. I wear the same clothing size but you can tell that I am thicker. I’m in my mid twenties, if I keep this up, will I be obese my 30?
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Replies
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I'd say figure out what your weekly caloric intake looks like and if a cheat day would you put you above your target budget range. If you find that you're consistently going over on calories for the week because of it, then I'd probably cut back on the cheating.
Personally I think a cheat day is fine but with the caveat that you plan for or around it.4 -
Maybe trade "one day out of the week where I eat everything I want" for "one day a week where I have ONE extra thing I want."13
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At what weight will you be obese? How many years of adding on 3 to 5 lbs a year will it take before you're obese?7
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I dont feel you should have a cheat day if you are commited to losing the weigh. The only person your cheating is yourself. We work so hard to lose and when we give ourselves a cheat day that defeats the purpose of all our hard work and efforts. I dont have reward or cheat days. I do portion control and work the things I like into my menus and don't deprive myself of the things I like I just dont eat them often or in huge amounts. So its not cheating ifits part of a planned meal. If you notice on the diary there is a snack section.
Just my opinion but I have lost 98 pounds in 2 years and I am just two pounds away from my goal weight.11 -
so..a. cheat day is not working for you... let's go with a cheat meal.. and then see how things go. You could always start exercising too...and cutting back 100 calories a day to compensate for the cheat meal.10
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Take it from this 57 year old. In time that creeping 3-5 lbs per year is going to turn into 5-10 pound per year, and then 10+ pounds. You're in the early innings of life; start training yourself for the long game. You don't need an all-day food fest once a week. Have an off meal, or better yet, as @MsCzar said, "ONE extra thing".
Learning to maintain one's weight is one of the most useful skills we homo sapiens, surrounded by fast food and junk food and multi-acre grocery stores in this modern world of ours, can learn. If you're weight is creeping up at all, it's time for some fine-tuning.15 -
Well, I think you should do whatever works for you, personally, in the long run.
If that means you need to overeat once a week, ok.
Well, for weight loss, in my opinion it is ok to eat more than what MFP has set as a goal for you whenever you want to with the caveat that you still track what you are eating and keep an eye on how many calories you are eating on average within any one week, including the calories you eat on your cheat day. - Be aware of your maintenance calories, too.
If what you eat in a week exceeds naintanance calories you cannot lose weight on it but will gain, so don't let it get there (or only around Christmas /other important holidays you follow). Otherwise, simply be aware that you will only maintain or will lose weight slower than you would have if you did not have the cheat days.1 -
If you like that one big day/meal a week, but don't want creeping gain (that will keep creeping over decades, trust me): Calorie bank. Eat a little less most days, eat a little more on one or two days. Make it balance. It works.14
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If you are overeating by 1000 or 2000 calories once a week, it will definitely begin to add on the pounds. If you want to enjoy certain foods that don't fit into your current calorie allowance, then become more active so you burn off the extra calories. I have been maintaining a 55 lb weight loss, enjoying all the foods I want, because I get a lot of exercise. I enjoy it and it helps keep my depression under control. I don't have cheat days, but I do go out to eat occasionally (not much these days) and I eat pizza or ice cream or drink beer when I want.6
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Take it from this 57 year old. In time that creeping 3-5 lbs per year is going to turn into 5-10 pound per year, and then 10+ pounds. You're in the early innings of life; start training yourself for the long game. You don't need an all-day food fest once a week. Have an off meal, or better yet, as @MsCzar said, "ONE extra thing".
Learning to maintain one's weight is one of the most useful skills we homo sapiens, surrounded by fast food and junk food and multi-acre grocery stores in this modern world of ours, can learn. If you're weight is creeping up at all, it's time for some fine-tuning.
I second this. I was gaining ~5 pounds a year from 18-25 and thought nothing of it, then suddenly it became 20 pounds a year from ages 26-28. I wish I had reined things in a lot sooner. You're still at a good place to prevent a lot of this damage, and working on it now will save you so much trouble in the future.6 -
It's my opinion that a cheat day once a week is an indication that your usual eating pattern isn't a sustainable weight loss/ maintenance option for you.18
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Is your cheat day because you're meeting with family / friends and eating and drinking more? Or because your calories through the week aren't sufficient so you feel hungry and blow it?
If it's due to meeting with people, I'd cut a little from each meal during the week (one clice of toast with breakfast, a smaller serving of cereal, one less potato, a smaller portion of pasta, half the amount of cheese topping on whatever, only one small scoop of icecream etc) to bank cals for the so-called cheat day.
If it's the latter, I'd spend a week or two logging my meals (if not already doing so), including the cheat day, and see how many cals I'm actually eating. I'd then look at whether I could even my week out a bit so that I'm not so hungry after a few days plus I'd look to see how I could also cut 500 hundred cals, on average, per week. I'd also be looking at WHAT I eat - am I eating foods that don't make me feel satiated? Could I eat more protein and veg and less carbs?
Why do you eat 1200-1500cals a day? What's your maintenance number? You could eat that many as an average per week - and then choose whether to just spread them out through the week or go low on some days to bank for a splurge. I've only maintained fora year, but I haven't gained any pounds back. I have continued tracking and I have continued following the number of cals that MFP suggests is how many I can eat. However, although I try to eat that many each day, due to various factors that doesn't always happen, I'm more concerned about ensuing that my weekly average is on target.
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If I have a cheat day once a week, I find that:
1. I am treating my eating habits like they are temporary and too restrictive when in reality they are only a little below what I need to maintain my weight
2. I am building unhealthy anticipation toward that day of overeating
3. I will likely erase most of my calorie deficit from the entire week!14 -
Cheat day. Cheat meal. Whatever works with your goals and motivation system. I do prefer, however, to refer to these as "splurge" meals or days. Cheat has such a negative connotation!6
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Cheat meals turned into cheat life for me (at least food wise!) and that's how I got here in the first place. Trust me..it may be 10 pounds now..but before you know it, it may become 20...then 60...
That's what happened when I was in my 20s, anyway, especially when I started dating! Lol Why not try eating at maintenance for a day instead just as practice?0 -
katierthanmost wrote: »It's my opinion that a cheat day once a week is an indication that your usual eating pattern isn't a sustainable weight loss/ maintenance option for you.
Here's a graphical representation of a slightly different pattern of that:
https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/1200-calorie-diet/
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lynn_glenmont wrote: »At what weight will you be obese? How many years of adding on 3 to 5 lbs a year will it take before you're obese?
I'm around 180 & am 5'7. It's considered overweight but I hoped my height can help with how the weight is proportioned0 -
mpkpbk2015 wrote: »I dont feel you should have a cheat day if you are commited to losing the weigh. The only person your cheating is yourself. We work so hard to lose and when we give ourselves a cheat day that defeats the purpose of all our hard work and efforts. I dont have reward or cheat days. I do portion control and work the things I like into my menus and don't deprive myself of the things I like I just dont eat them often or in huge amounts. So its not cheating ifits part of a planned meal. If you notice on the diary there is a snack section.
Just my opinion but I have lost 98 pounds in 2 years and I am just two pounds away from my goal weight.
But what if I want to just maintain my weight loss?0 -
AndreaTamira wrote: »Well, I think you should do whatever works for you, personally, in the long run.
If that means you need to overeat once a week, ok.
Well, for weight loss, in my opinion it is ok to eat more than what MFP has set as a goal for you whenever you want to with the caveat that you still track what you are eating and keep an eye on how many calories you are eating on average within any one week, including the calories you eat on your cheat day. - Be aware of your maintenance calories, too.
If what you eat in a week exceeds naintanance calories you cannot lose weight on it but will gain, so don't let it get there (or only around Christmas /other important holidays you follow). Otherwise, simply be aware that you will only maintain or will lose weight slower than you would have if you did not have the cheat days.
I am just looking to maintain, how can I tell what my caloric weekly budget is? My daily budget is 1200, I usually have one day out of the week, aside from my cheat day, where I go over 200 calories0 -
If you like that one big day/meal a week, but don't want creeping gain (that will keep creeping over decades, trust me): Calorie bank. Eat a little less most days, eat a little more on one or two days. Make it balance. It works.
My daily budget is 1200, aside from my cheat day, I have one day where I go over maybe 200 cal. Is it still bad to have a cheat day?0 -
spiriteagle99 wrote: »If you are overeating by 1000 or 2000 calories once a week, it will definitely begin to add on the pounds. If you want to enjoy certain foods that don't fit into your current calorie allowance, then become more active so you burn off the extra calories. I have been maintaining a 55 lb weight loss, enjoying all the foods I want, because I get a lot of exercise. I enjoy it and it helps keep my depression under control. I don't have cheat days, but I do go out to eat occasionally (not much these days) and I eat pizza or ice cream or drink beer when I want.
So how many cal should I eat per week? If it eat around 1200 per day for maintenance, I may go over a lil bit one day out of the week aside from my cheat day, how much should I eat on my cheat day to avoid from going over my weekly budget?0 -
katierthanmost wrote: »It's my opinion that a cheat day once a week is an indication that your usual eating pattern isn't a sustainable weight loss/ maintenance option for you.
Right but I mean if I am decent one day, why should I not have a bad day out of the week? I have maintained most of my weight loss for the past 3 years0 -
Strudders67 wrote: »Is your cheat day because you're meeting with family / friends and eating and drinking more? Or because your calories through the week aren't sufficient so you feel hungry and blow it?
If it's due to meeting with people, I'd cut a little from each meal during the week (one clice of toast with breakfast, a smaller serving of cereal, one less potato, a smaller portion of pasta, half the amount of cheese topping on whatever, only one small scoop of icecream etc) to bank cals for the so-called cheat day.
If it's the latter, I'd spend a week or two logging my meals (if not already doing so), including the cheat day, and see how many cals I'm actually eating. I'd then look at whether I could even my week out a bit so that I'm not so hungry after a few days plus I'd look to see how I could also cut 500 hundred cals, on average, per week. I'd also be looking at WHAT I eat - am I eating foods that don't make me feel satiated? Could I eat more protein and veg and less carbs?
Why do you eat 1200-1500cals a day? What's your maintenance number? You could eat that many as an average per week - and then choose whether to just spread them out through the week or go low on some days to bank for a splurge. I've only maintained fora year, but I haven't gained any pounds back. I have continued tracking and I have continued following the number of cals that MFP suggests is how many I can eat. However, although I try to eat that many each day, due to various factors that doesn't always happen, I'm more concerned about ensuing that my weekly average is on target.
No, I eat for the sake of getting a break after being good for most of the week. I count calories every day, how can I find out how much I am supposed to eat a week for maintenance purposes?0 -
dragon_girl26 wrote: »Cheat meals turned into cheat life for me (at least food wise!) and that's how I got here in the first place. Trust me..it may be 10 pounds now..but before you know it, it may become 20...then 60...
That's what happened when I was in my 20s, anyway, especially when I started dating! Lol Why not try eating at maintenance for a day instead just as practice?
My 1200-1500 a day is for maintenance already, I feel like I need one bad day because I have cravings0 -
danielleg0094 wrote: »If you like that one big day/meal a week, but don't want creeping gain (that will keep creeping over decades, trust me): Calorie bank. Eat a little less most days, eat a little more on one or two days. Make it balance. It works.
My daily budget is 1200, aside from my cheat day, I have one day where I go over maybe 200 cal. Is it still bad to have a cheat day?
I think you're not thinking this through. You say your calorie budget is 1200. How did you determine that budget? That's quite a low budget for your current weight and height. It sounds like a weight-loss calorie budget.
How many calories do you eat on your cheat day? If you don't log it, start (even if you have to estimate). Understand what you're dealing with, otherwise it's all wishful thinking.
At 5'7" and 180, you're toward the higher end of the overweight BMI. Is that a too-high weight for your best health? That's a question for you and your doctor, not for us random idiots on the internet who know nothing about you or your health history. It's enough to be talking to your doctor about though, because BMI is a rational *screening* metric, i.e., it tends to reasonably identify people who should talk with their doctor about their weight.
You figure out your weekly budget by looking at your daily maintenance calories, and multiplying by 7 days. You can be over some days, under others, and if you average your maintenance calories you stay the same weight. If you average below your maintenance calories for the week, you lose weight. The calorie estimates from an online calculator or MFP are *estimates*. You real-life *actual* experience may differ from the estimate. Trust the calculator estimates for 4-6 weeks (at least one whole menstrual cycle if you're a premenopausal woman, so you can compare weights at the same relative point in two different cycles). Then adjust your calorie goals based on experience, to personalize.
If you want to have some higher calorie days interspersed with some lower-calorie days, that's fine. What matters is the average over time, and your scale weight is the check on that average. MFP in the phone/tablet app will let you look at a weekly view of calories. If you only use the web browser MFP, you'll need to do a bit of arithmetic yourself to balance things yourself. It isn't hard arithmetic.
You can do this, but it takes focus and attention. It's unlikely that you can just do random "cheat days", without looking at the scale and cutting back if weight starts to increase, and plan to stay at a healthy weight long term. It's not hard to manage better than that, but it's not automatic.9 -
If I have a cheat day once a week, I find that:
1. I am treating my eating habits like they are temporary and too restrictive when in reality they are only a little below what I need to maintain my weight
2. I am building unhealthy anticipation toward that day of overeating
3. I will likely erase most of my calorie deficit from the entire week!
Spot on, csplatt! I had these same feelings, but didn’t know how to articulate them, and you nailed it. Especially no. 2.
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danielleg0094 wrote: »AndreaTamira wrote: »Well, I think you should do whatever works for you, personally, in the long run.
If that means you need to overeat once a week, ok.
Well, for weight loss, in my opinion it is ok to eat more than what MFP has set as a goal for you whenever you want to with the caveat that you still track what you are eating and keep an eye on how many calories you are eating on average within any one week, including the calories you eat on your cheat day. - Be aware of your maintenance calories, too.
If what you eat in a week exceeds naintanance calories you cannot lose weight on it but will gain, so don't let it get there (or only around Christmas /other important holidays you follow). Otherwise, simply be aware that you will only maintain or will lose weight slower than you would have if you did not have the cheat days.
I am just looking to maintain, how can I tell what my caloric weekly budget is? My daily budget is 1200, I usually have one day out of the week, aside from my cheat day, where I go over 200 calories
Where did you get the budget 1200 calories from??
If you want to maintain your current weight, put your stats in to MFP and select maintain weight - it will tell you how many calories
One some devices you can set your amount to weekly calories - if not, just manually multiply the daily amount by 7
If you eat your weekly amount per week, then it doesnt matter if some days are over, some under - as long as average is around the mark
So if your one day is 200 calories over and the other days you have eaten 200 less over the week, then it evens out
hard to see how 200 calories over can be 'eating everything you want' though
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Is your daily menu varied and satisfying? There is a big difference between preparing and eating a wide array of delicious foods (including desserts) and subsisting on celery sticks, hard boiled eggs, skim milk and plain chicken breasts. I eat around 1200 calories daily and make sure that every morsel is 100% delicious. Pre-planning allows me to include chocolates, bread and pasta when the mood strikes me. I never feel like I'm deprived and need a calorie blow-out to feel satisfied. Maybe take a good hard look at why you feel you need a massive cheat day as often as every week.4
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paperpudding wrote: »danielleg0094 wrote: »AndreaTamira wrote: »Well, I think you should do whatever works for you, personally, in the long run.
If that means you need to overeat once a week, ok.
Well, for weight loss, in my opinion it is ok to eat more than what MFP has set as a goal for you whenever you want to with the caveat that you still track what you are eating and keep an eye on how many calories you are eating on average within any one week, including the calories you eat on your cheat day. - Be aware of your maintenance calories, too.
If what you eat in a week exceeds naintanance calories you cannot lose weight on it but will gain, so don't let it get there (or only around Christmas /other important holidays you follow). Otherwise, simply be aware that you will only maintain or will lose weight slower than you would have if you did not have the cheat days.
I am just looking to maintain, how can I tell what my caloric weekly budget is? My daily budget is 1200, I usually have one day out of the week, aside from my cheat day, where I go over 200 calories
Where did you get the budget 1200 calories from??
If you want to maintain your current weight, put your stats in to MFP and select maintain weight - it will tell you how many calories
One some devices you can set your amount to weekly calories - if not, just manually multiply the daily amount by 7
If you eat your weekly amount per week, then it doesnt matter if some days are over, some under - as long as average is around the mark
So if your one day is 200 calories over and the other days you have eaten 200 less over the week, then it evens out
hard to see how 200 calories over can be 'eating everything you want' though
I have seen what my maintenance daily budget is and when I tried that, I felt bloated & think I would gain weight if I did that ongoing. So eat 200 less everyday except the cheat day & eat 200 more one day?0 -
Is your daily menu varied and satisfying? There is a big difference between preparing and eating a wide array of delicious foods (including desserts) and subsisting on celery sticks, hard boiled eggs, skim milk and plain chicken breasts. I eat around 1200 calories daily and make sure that every morsel is 100% delicious. Pre-planning allows me to include chocolates, bread and pasta when the mood strikes me. I never feel like I'm deprived and need a calorie blow-out to feel satisfied. Maybe take a good hard look at why you feel you need a massive cheat day as often as every week.
Do you still disapprove of the cheat day idea?0
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