Cheat day, cheat meal or none

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  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
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    I have days or meals where I eat something that is more unhealthy (like chick fil a or something) or maybe higher calorie but I don't really consider it a cheat. Maybe that's kind of a foo foo answer but it's the truth. I focus on living a healthy lifestyle with mostly balanced and nutrient rich foods, but I also enjoy eating foods that are good for the soul but aren't necessarily that nutritious.
  • HoneyBadger302
    HoneyBadger302 Posts: 1,972 Member
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    I didn't answer the poll as it's not a "cheat" or something I'm "sneaking" in behind my (own?) back.

    That said, I frequently have a day where I don't worry as much about my calorie limit - along with that, however, I will try to be sure during the week I'm consistently under my limit so that one day over doesn't undo all my progress (a form of banking calories, or at least creating some buffer room). That day also tends to be my most active day of the week. I still track everything right now as that still helps keep me a bit more mindful of just how much I'm consuming and helps me put the brakes on earlier than I otherwise would.
  • musicfan68
    musicfan68 Posts: 1,124 Member
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    It isn't cheating if it fits in your calories. Just because you eat something sweet doesn't mean you are cheating.
  • dragengofit
    dragengofit Posts: 21 Member
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    HoneyBadger302 wrote: »
    I didn't answer the poll as it's not a "cheat" or something I'm "sneaking" in behind my (own?) back.

    That said, I frequently have a day where I don't worry as much about my calorie limit - (...) .

    Yeah - starting to realize the poll is missing an alternative for this exact "option" ... :)

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,389 Member
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    dragengofit wrote: »
    yirara wrote: »

    I'm completely rubbish at planning! Sunday I spent an hour in the kitchen mixing, grinding, cooking, and mixing some more a herb blend for a dish I wanted to cook. And then realized I was missing 4 of the 8 actual cooking ingredients next to the spice mix. Ugh. And of course shops are closed here on Sundays. So I had frozen pizza for exactly these emergencies (and because it's quite tasty). Which had more calories, but it still fitted. And honestly, even if it didn't. Then I would have been over by around 100cal.

    The bold - hate it when that happens.. Then again, it rarely does as I'm (almost) a compulsive planner. :laugh:

    I'm completely rubbish at planning! Really. I'm currently running a week-long food diary for a sports doctor, and for some reason I feel obliged to cook more unusual food because the food item check list I got only lists typical German things* So I just thought: I could do a simple pasta with tinned tuna. Or cook something Indonesian. Checked: Have everything for the pasta but not for the other dish. 10 minutes later: Hmm.. I really feel like eating the Indonesian dish. 5 minutes later: D'oh. No ingredients. Again 10 minutes later: why don't I cook...

    * I did have Ethiopian, Chinese, Thai, and pizza already. So what the heck?!?
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,521 Member
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    CHEAT MEAL/DAY was created by Fitness industry due to many competitors being on strict diets pre competition. And now the Diet industry incorporates the phrase.
    Trust me that there are HARDLY any average people out there that diet like competitors who step on stage. Would probably shock some that some pro bodybuilders "diet" on 3,000 calories a day.
    There are no NEED for "cheat days" for the average dieter. Since most dieters use a plan that's just for weight loss, once they feel close enough, they go off plan and weight regain happens. That's about 90% of dieters.
    Use a plan where you can eat the things you do enjoy, but LEARN how to limit how much you eat on a daily basis. That's what lean people do to stay lean.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • LiveOnceBeHappy
    LiveOnceBeHappy Posts: 432 Member
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    I've only been at this since August. I have had times when I blew away my calories for the day. For instance, Super Bowl Sunday included many, many calories that I didn't even try to log. Handfuls of chips, cheese, veggies, dip, cake, pie..... I kind of knew it was going to happen, and I let it. I find that I do an unplanned (or semi-unplanned) splurge every couple weeks. I was up 1.6 pounds on Monday! Salt and more salt is what I'm thinking. Today, Wednesday, I'm back to Saturday's weight. This has been a common pattern when I've splurged. I'm getting to know my body and how it responds. I'll be on track again for another bunch of days, and I will continue to lose. I'm within 3.2 lbs of my official goal weight. Down 38.
  • JMC3Terp
    JMC3Terp Posts: 2,803 Member
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    Personally a fan of "none". That said, if you go with cheat meals or days - LOG IT. Can't tell you how many people I deal with who have a cheat day. Don't log it. Don't lose weight. And are confused. We will go over their calories and find they had like a 3000 calorie deficit over 6 days. And then when recreating their cheat day, they see they ate almost 3000 over their maintenance. Log it so you know what your working with and can make the necessary adjustments.
  • Rockmama1111
    Rockmama1111 Posts: 264 Member
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    Last Friday, we went out for happy hour and had appetizers, then picked up ice cream while walking home. On days like that (which happens every week or two), I log with my best estimate (3300 calories for that day!), complete my diary, and put it to rest. I know the calories are not very accurate, but the act of logging keeps me accountable. So is that a cheat day? Some might say so.

    I also try to work in a couple of low-calorie days per week so I can balance it all. I have a few go-to meals that are high in nutrition, light on calories.

  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,287 Member
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    Cheat meals. days.. weekends.. It is like talking politics or religion. It is all personal. Work for some.. devastate others.. a consensus can't be met. To each his/her own on this one.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    I don't "cheat" on my life. It's my life. I know indulgences will happen. Birthday parties, happy hour etc. Life happens. I certainly don't "plan to cheat". For me, none of that makes for a healthy lifestyle. I guess I'd compare it to romance. if you feel you have to cheat, and even plan to cheat, is it really "good"? 🤷‍♀️
  • swimmchick87
    swimmchick87 Posts: 458 Member
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    It took me many times of doing the yo-yo diet thing to realize that "cheating" just does not work for me. I tried it several ways. Full cheat day was too much. Then I tried the cheat meal. Nope. Then I tried a 2000 calorie day (with the rest being 1200) so that it was an indulgence but controlled and counted. Nope. Getting in that mindset of "cheating" is super dangerous for me and leads to "cheat week," "cheat month" "cheat 3 months." Breaking black and white thinking (I'm either "on the wagon" or "off the wagon") is really hard for me and this concept of "cheating" really negatively contributes.

    What has worked better for me is just allowing myself more calories in the first place. 1200 was never going to work for me. It took me a long time to admit that. On a 1 pound per week loss goal, I get about 1550, plus eating a few exercise calories back here and there. Much more manageable and I can really fit anything I want into that by being mindful of portion sizes, eating lighter the rest of the day, or doing extra walking to allow myself more calories. I feel a lot healthier with this plan, mentally, than my previous plans which involved some sort of "cheat."

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