Is it Okay to have a cheat day?

I let myself have a cheat because I have heard that cheat days can speed up your metabolism. When you hit a platue. But are there certain rules about cheat days. like how many calories you can go over. And what you can eat?
I let myself have one yeasutrday but I think I ate to much.
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Replies

  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,467 Member
    Yes. It’s ok if that’s what works for you. The “best” diet is the one you can easily follow all your life.
    Personally, I have a cheat meal once a week, not a day. For me, it’s a meal to practice maintenance and awareness. If I’m actively trying to lose, I never eat out without
    Researching first. Look up the menu and calories online before I go, figure out what fits my calories and macros. Cheat meal, I just go. Figure out what comes sorta close when I get there, but no worries if it’s not as good as I thought, or if they really don’t have anything low calorie that I like. I know I’m trying to eat less, so even on a cheat meal, I try not to go way overboard. You CAN eat all the calories you saved all week in that one meal, but that would defeat the purpose.
  • vanmep
    vanmep Posts: 406 Member
    Who you gonna cheat on?
  • amyrluk
    amyrluk Posts: 13 Member
    edited April 2021

    freda78 "Who or what are you "cheating"?

    I don't know if I agree with your philosophy that I am somehow cheating myself. Because a cheat day is not a bad thing. I saw a weight watchers post of facebook. and several of the posters said that cheating actually helped them break a plauto of not loosing. I hit a platue. and a i cheated and I broke it. Cheat days are not bad. I just want information on how to do it right.

  • mylittlerainbow
    mylittlerainbow Posts: 822 Member
    To me, it depends partly on how you define "cheat day". No holds barred, the sky's the limit? I have occasional days when I eat something I've been craving (usually mixed nuts or trail mix), but I log those calories and still remain within my limit for that day. (So I have to eat less of the healthier foods and my diet is not balanced that day). I consider that a "cheat" in the sense that I've pushed aside better choices, but I log every bite and stay within bounds. I haven't maintained for as long as most of you - just 7 months at this point - so I do feel that I need to be more vigilant still than others are able to be.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,717 Member
    amyrluk wrote: »
    freda78 "Who or what are you "cheating"?

    I don't know if I agree with your philosophy that I am somehow cheating myself. Because a cheat day is not a bad thing. I saw a weight watchers post of facebook. and several of the posters said that cheating actually helped them break a plauto of not loosing. I hit a platue. and a i cheated and I broke it. Cheat days are not bad. I just want information on how to do it right.

    So why is that "a cheat" rather than "a strategy"?

    In the thread I linked up above, there's information about "how to do it right", if there is such a thing as "doing it right". (By which I'm not saying you shouldn't have a higher intake day; I think that's something a person can choose to do for various reasons. My implication is that I don't think it's something that requires profound technical correctness, if we're talking about something that happens relatively rarely. Other than avoiding allergens or poisonous/dangerous things, or foods contraindicated by some health condition or medication, I don't think it matters a lot what the over-goal calories consist of.)
  • CaydensMommy
    CaydensMommy Posts: 315 Member
    What about a "treat" day while doing keto?