Is it okay to have a cheat day once per week?
Replies
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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 -
If it were up to me, I would keep the day eating more food (no need to call it a cheat day if you plan for it!) but add in a day or more of being active. Being completely sedentary 7 days a week is horrible for you and will catch up to you in terms of health eventually.
You may not be able to eat EVERYTHING you want in one day, even with added activity, but you could raise your calories to offset the exercise and still maintain.
The thing is, you are not maintaining right now. You are gradually creeping. A cheat day can work for some people but the cheat day isn’t working for you. Think ahead five years, do you want to be 25 lbs overweight? Best to modify your lifestyle now, instead of trying to lose the weight in the future.4 -
It really doesn't matter what a bunch of strangers on an internet forum approve or disapprove of; it's all about what works best for you. If you really love your weekly cheat days and want to keep them, maybe find a way to make them serve you better... like setting a calorie or portion cap. I sometimes declare snack days where I only eat snack-y things. It satisfies my desire for chocolate, popcorn and pork rinds without overloading on calories. Bonus: the next day, I can't wait to get back to eating 'real' meals.2
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To find your weekly calorie allowance to maintain, count your calories EVERY day for a week, including your cheat day.
Aim for that much each week for a month or two and see how it goes. If you gain a pound or two, you’ll need to cut back a little.
If you’ve gained just a little since you started maintenance and would like to lose just a little slowly.
After you find your true maintenance, if you cut an extra 100 calories off your cheat day, or exercise just 100 extra calories a week worth (that isn’t much). You could lose about 1.5 pounds/year. If you do both, you could lose about 3 pounds a year.
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danielleg0094 wrote: »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?danielleg0094 wrote: »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?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?
At 180 pounds, you're within spitting distance of Obese already. Your BMI is 28. 30 is Obese.
I put your stats into the calculator and used 25 for your age.
https://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_guided
Your maintenance calories are 2,200 per day, making your weekly calories 2,200 * 7 = 15,400.
So to be gaining weight, albeit slowly, you're eating much more than you think on your 1200 calorie days or you're eating more than 8,000 calories on your cheat day, or, more likely, some combination of more than you think during the week plus more than is good for you on your cheat day.
15,400 - ((1200 * 6) + 200) = 8,000 on your cheat day.
You can lose that 10 pounds a half pound per week by eating 1,950 calories per day, 7 days per week. Try that and see if you still feel the need for a cheat day.
However, there is probably something wrong with your logging because otherwise that means you are eating more than 8,000 calories once per week, every week, and not being aware of what a huge amount of food that is.
We can help you with that if you change your Diary Sharing settings to Public: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings12 -
A 5'7" 180lb female in her mid-20's has a BMI of 28.2 and will be in the Obese category (BMI > 30) in 12 pounds. You're gaining 3-5 lbs per year, so yeah, you'll be there in a few years unless something changes. That's the easy math.
Now for some more complex math.
TDEEcalculator.net says that as a sedentary person with the above stats, your maintenance calories are 1907. TDEEcalculator.net is accurate for most people (e.g. my results have been well under 1 % off their estimate, over a 20 month period - they say 2,337 and the exact number pegged to my scale readings is 2,321), so let's assume that 1907 estimate is sound for the purpose of this post.
Since your weight is creeping up around 3-5 lbs per year, which at 4 lbs would be 14,000 calories, then you are eating 14,000/365 = 40 calories per day over maintenance, on average, and therefore your actual *average* daily intake is probably right around 1,950.
At 1,950 calories on average per day, if you're truly averaging 1,350 calories the other six days ("1200 to 1500"), that suggests you are eating an average of 5,500 calories on your cheat day each week.
Only you can decide what works for you, and people do make cheat days work. But in a general "applies to anyone" sense, if someone said "A person with a BMI just shy of Obese is eating a 550 calorie deficit 6 days per week and then having a big, uncounted binge, and is slowly gaining weight" most people who've tried to incorporate binging into their diets and know where it ends up would say "Not a good idea."
There's a monumental difference between a counted, controlled casual/off/cheat-day with a calorie cap based on what you managed to bank during the week, and an uncounted, uncontrolled binge-type cheat day. The former works for many people. The latter doesn't really work for anybody, at least no one I've ever known.11 -
danielleg0094 wrote: »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?
No.
If you are eating 200 over one day, you eat 200 less across the other 6 days, not 200 less every day except the cheat day
Would work out to about 33 less each non cheat day.
Really hard to see how 200 is a cheat day myself , that's really not much of a splurge
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you can undo a weekly deficit with one day. especially if you are not weighing everything on a food scale or have a small deficit.
I don't have cheat anything. I make what I want fit. As long as I am under maintenance, being over on calories isn't a big deal.3 -
danielleg0094 wrote: »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 cravings
From what I looked up your maintenance is actually around 1900. You need to change your way of thinking or you won’t be successful at losing weight or maintaining it. You have cravings because you are restricting too much. You have a similar thread you started about gaining weight based on your habits (eating late). You never answered my question there. In your other thread you said you’re eating bread, pasta, etc around midnight 2-3 times a week. Why? I’m assuming it’s because you’re starving and binge. You can continue to ask people on this forum if x behavior is going to make you gain weight or if y behavior is going to make you obese. They can only go off of the info you give them and I don’t think you’re being honest. I’ve seen conflicting info. You say you’re sticking to 1200 calories, except “one bad day” but on your other thread you say you’re eating calorie heavy foods at midnight a few times a week. (From my experience, if I was eating bread and pasta at midnight- there’s no way I’d be hitting 1200 calories!) I believe you are in a restrict/binge cycle. If you aren’t going to be 100% honest with yourself, you’re going to gain weight. 1200 calories isn’t sustainable, as you’re finding out. I feel like you’re on the same path I was 20+ times. Adjust your calorie intake, track what you’re consuming honestly, and hold yourself accountable. You’re looking for people here (without all the info) to tell you that your behavior won’t make you gain weight so you can justify maintaining that behavior. People have tried to give you helpful advice and multiple times you just shoot back the question “but will this make me gain weight?” Look through the advice, and quit obsessing over your behavior and adjust it. These forums are a gold mine of awesome information from a lot of really helpful people who have been successful! Doing the same thing over and over again, will yield the same results over and over again. If you want to be successful take their advice and info to heart.15 -
If you've gained 10 lbs over 2-3 years that's 200 - 300+ calories per week. It sounds like you are staying on budget for 6 days and going 200-300 calories over on your cheat days. This matches your weight gain and isn't sustainable without continued weight gain.
Having said that, there is nothing wrong with going over 1 or 2 days a week if you are under other days to compensate. I generally go over my budget 2 to 3 times per week but on other days I'm under my budget. I don't really consider those cheat days, I just consider them normal life. As long as my total weekly budget is near target, it doesn't matter how those calories are distributed throughout the week. During the week I'm generally 100 - 200 calories under each day and then on the weekends over. I personally think this is a good approach. In fact some people call this calorie cycling and use it during weight loss to mitigate plateaus.
My recommendation is go back on a weight loss plan and lose some of the weight you've regained but stay under budget a little on those 6 days and then it will be ok to go over budget on that 7th day. I'm also 5'7' but likely a different sex and a different age -- but my goal weight is around 150lbs or less.
My second recommendation is increase your activity -- assuming you are able bodied ... it isn't healthy (independent of weight) to maintain a completely sedentary lifestyle. Increasing your activity will allow you to eat more -- so it will not only improve your health but will give you margin in your budget for those over days.3 -
paperpudding wrote: »danielleg0094 wrote: »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?
No.
If you are eating 200 over one day, you eat 200 less across the other 6 days, not 200 less every day except the cheat day
Would work out to about 33 less each non cheat day.
Really hard to see how 200 is a cheat day myself , that's really not much of a splurge
I had to re-read this numerous times, but the + 200 day is not the cheat day but IN ADDITION to the cheat day.
So she has five days way below maintenance calories, one day that + 200 calories, AND the cheat day.2
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