What is a cheat day??????

2

Replies

  • glassyo wrote: »
    Cheat day for me is Sunday, I eat my regular calories + one fancy coffee at church, comes out to be maintenance calories for me. Basically, it means eating at maintenance 1 day a week, at a deficit all the others.

    H...h...how is that even cheating?

    It's one coffee one day a week and you're not even going over calories (whether logging it on here or in your head or else you wouldn't know that)...AT CHURCH! :)

    Cheating to me is lying to myself about how much I'm eating by not logging everything when I know I should so I don't gain the weight back.

    Okay, we'll call it an "off diet" day.

    Unfortunately, I tried to convince my body that calories consumed on holy ground should not contribute to weight gain, but alas, it was not moved by my arguement.



    To funny :D:D
  • MsCzar
    MsCzar Posts: 1,039 Member
    edited April 2021
    To me, 'cheat day' sounds too much like 'binge day.' Instead, I take diet/deficit breaks when deficit eating is beginning to wear on me or when circumstances are such that my days include higher calorie meal choices - e.g. Meals provided on a job site or restaurant/take-away meals. In those instances, I guestimate many of the calories and don't worry if I drift into 'generous maintenance.'

    I think of it as generous maintenance since maintenance is a single number and the goal is to hit that target as an average. Exceed that number and you are overeating, fall below and you are eating in deficit. When I take a deficit break, I hover at or more often - slightly above maintenance and don't mind a small weight gain since it helps me re-commit to deficit eating.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,394 Member
    edited April 2021
    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.

    It's an unfortunate term that can have wildly divergent meanings to different people and vastly divergent effects on the psyche and thought process of each individual using it.

    Which makes it a really unfortunate term (squared).

    Now if you combine clean food with cheat days and have a cheat day eating only clean food you can call it a day and weight yourself on a scale using old batteries and placed upon plush carpet! Might as well wear a heavy coat while doing that.... but only if you drink some salted water! :wink:
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,572 Member
    glassyo wrote: »
    Cheat day for me is Sunday, I eat my regular calories + one fancy coffee at church, comes out to be maintenance calories for me. Basically, it means eating at maintenance 1 day a week, at a deficit all the others.

    H...h...how is that even cheating?

    It's one coffee one day a week and you're not even going over calories (whether logging it on here or in your head or else you wouldn't know that)...AT CHURCH! :)

    Cheating to me is lying to myself about how much I'm eating by not logging everything when I know I should so I don't gain the weight back.

    Okay, we'll call it an "off diet" day.

    Unfortunately, I tried to convince my body that calories consumed on holy ground should not contribute to weight gain, but alas, it was not moved by my arguement.

    The church part made me laugh. :) I have the same argument with all those broken pieces of cookies and uneven cake slices and m&ms with parts of the shell already broken off I eat.

    I feel bad for them! I seriously once bought a sugar cookie from Subway, when I normally get chocolate chip, because it was misshapened.
  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,983 Member
    glassyo wrote: »
    glassyo wrote: »
    Cheat day for me is Sunday, I eat my regular calories + one fancy coffee at church, comes out to be maintenance calories for me. Basically, it means eating at maintenance 1 day a week, at a deficit all the others.

    H...h...how is that even cheating?

    It's one coffee one day a week and you're not even going over calories (whether logging it on here or in your head or else you wouldn't know that)...AT CHURCH! :)

    Cheating to me is lying to myself about how much I'm eating by not logging everything when I know I should so I don't gain the weight back.

    Okay, we'll call it an "off diet" day.

    Unfortunately, I tried to convince my body that calories consumed on holy ground should not contribute to weight gain, but alas, it was not moved by my arguement.

    The church part made me laugh. :) I have the same argument with all those broken pieces of cookies and uneven cake slices and m&ms with parts of the shell already broken off I eat.

    I feel bad for them! I seriously once bought a sugar cookie from Subway, when I normally get chocolate chip, because it was misshapened.

    You need professional help. :p
  • A cheat day is a plan to failure. I once plateaued for 6 months because my ex convinced me cheat days reset your metabolism... bs is what that is. It's better to go under one day and over the next making sure both days average out to your weekly deficit goal.

    I like you thinking
  • To me a “cheat day” implies that I’m on a diet, which I’m not. Yes, I’m reducing my calorie intake temporarily but it’s framed in my head as a lifestyle change. I don’t want to start something that requires cheat days since this is long term. There will always be special occasions and random days where I may eat food that’s not as good for me, or I may go over my calories for the day, and that’s completely okay! Those days aren’t cheat days, they’re just part of life.

    Very good points you have put forth. Most of us need to remember that the way to success is a life change not diet lifestyle.
  • CholeRoad
    CholeRoad Posts: 47 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.

    Thanks I did not know about the week average page just took a look and love it. I'm new to this whole thing and trying to figure stuff out. I find it very interesting the post about this subject and look forward to reading more. I just never understood what people are referring to when they say cheat day. I have used it a couple of times but should not have and I will phase it a better way. I just wanted to refer to wasted calories to me on foods that I'm trying to stay away from. Had nothing to do with intake for the day or week I have been doing good with that.

    Thanks again for everyone's input!!!!

    Where did you find that page?
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,036 Member
    CholeRoad wrote: »
    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.

    Thanks I did not know about the week average page just took a look and love it. I'm new to this whole thing and trying to figure stuff out. I find it very interesting the post about this subject and look forward to reading more. I just never understood what people are referring to when they say cheat day. I have used it a couple of times but should not have and I will phase it a better way. I just wanted to refer to wasted calories to me on foods that I'm trying to stay away from. Had nothing to do with intake for the day or week I have been doing good with that.

    Thanks again for everyone's input!!!!

    Where did you find that page?

    In your diary, go to Nutrition (the pie chart icon) and then switch from a daily view to a weekly view.

    kb58beochtg8.jpg


  • meeppeepneep
    meeppeepneep Posts: 56 Member
    @Lietchi Well this might be a lifechanger. Thank you for showing us!
  • Here is another view that we were talking about above.

    4dtwgg6z81by.png
  • crb426
    crb426 Posts: 652 Member
    Whatever you call it. I just remind myself that anything over maintenance calories is undoing my hard work from the day(s) before.
  • freda666
    freda666 Posts: 338 Member
    I have the occasional day or two when I do not count calories but I am not "cheating". It is simply a decision re what I choose to eat.
  • CholeRoad
    CholeRoad Posts: 47 Member
    Lietchi wrote: »
    CholeRoad wrote: »
    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.

    Thanks I did not know about the week average page just took a look and love it. I'm new to this whole thing and trying to figure stuff out. I find it very interesting the post about this subject and look forward to reading more. I just never understood what people are referring to when they say cheat day. I have used it a couple of times but should not have and I will phase it a better way. I just wanted to refer to wasted calories to me on foods that I'm trying to stay away from. Had nothing to do with intake for the day or week I have been doing good with that.

    Thanks again for everyone's input!!!!

    Where did you find that page?

    In your diary, go to Nutrition (the pie chart icon) and then switch from a daily view to a weekly view.

    kb58beochtg8.jpg


    Thank you.