What is a cheat day??????

I look at it as a day I still stay at or under my net calories but eat the wrong kinds of food.

I wanted to see what everyone else thinks it is within the plan they follow?
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Replies

  • PAV888

    Not asking what is right or wrong I think everyone has to decide that on their own. It just seems like a lot of posts talk about cheat days and was trying to understand from the mass why someone uses the term.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 8,926 Member
    I look at it as a day I still stay at or under my net calories but eat the wrong kinds of food.

    I wanted to see what everyone else thinks it is within the plan they follow?


    It isn't anything within the plan I follow.

    The plan I follow is just eat appropriate amount of calories, on average, per day and eat a reasonably nutrtitously balanced diet

    There are no wrong kinds of food for me - anything that fits above plan is right kind of food. Which is any food really but Of course within portion amounts and not to the detriment of overall diet.
  • wunderkindking
    wunderkindking Posts: 1,615 Member
    edited April 2021
    I don't really use the term personally because I don't believe in moralizing food or eating and cheating implies I'm doing something wrong.

    But sometimes? I make the conscious decision to eat above maintenance for a day. Could be a holiday, could be a family gathering, could be that I am on vacation, could just be that I saw this REALLY killer burger place I want to try so I start planning for it.

    I average my calories over time, though - usually a week - not every day.

    So the days when I'm less hungry and way under my goal even with a decficit typically balance very well against days I decide I'm eating a brownie sundae.
  • davew0000
    davew0000 Posts: 125 Member
    I don’t use the term myself, but I frequently find that social situations aren’t compatible with my eating plans.

    A couple of recent examples.

    We had a virtual cheese tasting night last night. With all the cheese and wine, I was 300 calories over my target and my macros were way off.

    I went for beers at a friend’s backyard. Had four beers and a pork pie.

    I ate an Easter Egg on Easter Day.

    No biggie. I don’t go nuts and don’t do it that often. But I’m not going to stop doing things I enjoy.

    Those are cheat days in my mind.
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,467 Member
    I’m an accountant. It’s all about the exact numbers. A cheat meal allows me to forget numbers for one meal, then start again next meal.
    Pretty much the same attitude as Davew other than numbers.
  • NicolaCross2
    NicolaCross2 Posts: 9 Member
    I'm with the majority here. I'm counting my calorie intake and macros and not taking it to any extreme. As long as I'm under my maintenance calories most days I'm happy and it's working for me in terms of weight loss, although it's a long term thing rather than a quick fix for me. If I have a takeaway one day, I'll make sure to balance it out with a healthy breakfast and lunch either the day of, if I know it's the plan for later, or the following day if I get the takeaway on a whim. I very rarely go over my maintenance anyway, even when I do treat myself to some chocolate or a piece of cake. And if I do it's usually because I've done some hard work in the garden or around the house and I'm just hungrier, so in balance I probably maintain a deficit anyway. It's about balance for me and I don't see eating a takeaway or a piece of cake as a "cheat", just something to balance out in my other meals.
  • ridiculous59
    ridiculous59 Posts: 2,807 Member
    I use the weekly average calculator on mfp. As long as my week averages out to my desired calories, I'm happy. No cheat days required. Just "getting on with life" days.
  • AlannaWulf194
    AlannaWulf194 Posts: 24 Member
    Cheat days use to mean eating whatever I want and not logging it. That's why I kept having to 'start over'. Now I don't have cheat days because I'm not cheating myself. I will have maintenance days though. These days are when I need a break from the lower calories or if I have a special thing going on like going out to dinner. I eat at maintenance those days and don't go over that.
  • LisaGetsMoving
    LisaGetsMoving Posts: 664 Member
    I don't use the term because to me it would mean I'm trying to cheat myself, which is the opposite of what I want. I have off plan meals, and even had one entire day off plan with no way to track everything so I did a quick calorie entry instead and probably overestimated how many kcals I ate.
  • nanastaci2020
    nanastaci2020 Posts: 1,072 Member
    I personally don't accept the notion of a cheat day or meal. One cheats when they do something unknown to someone else. I can't cheat myself. I make decisions regarding what to eat and how much. There is no wrong food - unless perhaps it leaves you feeling lousy? Some days I even choose to eat more than I need, knowing this is a lifetime approach.