Why is cheat day important or is it?

ryanfeltz
ryanfeltz Posts: 126
edited October 3 in Food and Nutrition
I have seen different comments.... and I am sure someone has asked before so sorry if a repeat. I havent had a cheat day in 2 weeks and was wondering their importance... does it help your body realize the days you are eating too few or is it mentally good to alleviate too many cravings..... or something else entirely

thanks
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Replies

  • skinnylove00
    skinnylove00 Posts: 662 Member
    its after my cheat days that i see the biggest drop on the scales...for some reason the body just burns through food!!
  • lostsoul2216
    lostsoul2216 Posts: 57 Member
    Some say it shocks the body out of a normal routine so you lose weight easier.
  • cheri868
    cheri868 Posts: 77
    Don't know about you guys, but some days I just HAVE to have a pizza or burger, and knowing that I can have it one day a week makes it easier for me to stick to healtheir eating the rest of the week.
  • godroxmysox
    godroxmysox Posts: 1,491 Member
    I never do cheat days, but it's a personal preference for me. Every once in a while I will do a cheat 'meal' but if I do a whole day of eating whatever I want....it's hard for me to get back on the wagon. I still log everything though, even if I know it ill put me over for the day.
  • speakz82
    speakz82 Posts: 46
    its after my cheat days that i see the biggest drop on the scales...for some reason the body just burns through food!!

    What she said!
  • Grokette
    Grokette Posts: 3,330 Member
    My personal opinion -

    I personally feel "cheat" days are counter productive to making permanent lifestyle changes. The whole point of losing weight and keeping it off is to make permanent changes. That means changing the way you think about food, how and what you eat, the way you live, etc.

    It is truly a life changing event. If a person haven't experienced that, it is highly unlikely that they will keep the weight off.

    Changing the amount of what one eats is not a lifestyle change and should not be treated as such.
  • lostsoul2216
    lostsoul2216 Posts: 57 Member
    I admit I cannot resist places like TGI fridays and a few favorites.
  • bry_all01
    bry_all01 Posts: 3,100 Member
    it helps to shake things up and keep your body from falling into a rut, but it is a completely personal decision.
  • jiggs31
    jiggs31 Posts: 117
    Cheat Day??!!! You mean you are actually meant to break the healthy cycle once in a while???!!

    Awesome news!!! Less guilt for me then!!

    I'm gonna go plan my next cheat day..... :)
  • godroxmysox
    godroxmysox Posts: 1,491 Member
    My personal opinion -

    I personally feel "cheat" days are counter productive to making permanent lifestyle changes. The whole point of losing weight and keeping it off is to make permanent changes. That means changing the way you think about food, how and what you eat, the way you live, etc.

    It is truly a life changing event. If a person haven't experienced that, it is highly unlikely that they will keep the weight off.

    Changing the amount of what one eats is not a lifestyle change and should not be treated as such.

    Well put!
  • joninasigrun
    joninasigrun Posts: 9 Member
    Like someone said here above, that its the cheat day that gets me through the week but Its also what has made me stop doing my diet .. Cuz on sundays I feel like I have to eat the lefovers from saturday so I wont have aby tenpmtation on mondays, but then comes monday and I have no will to eat healty ..

    But im trying to figure a system, a friend of mine she told me that se has a cheat hour every saturday.. So not the whole day.. Makes more sense I guess ?
  • HOSED49
    HOSED49 Posts: 642 Member
    I think a cheat day keeps you from going crazy....its just a reward day for all your sacrifices throughout the week...
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    It depends on what your view of a cheat day or meal is. You can easily negate all your hard work if you overdo it, and you will probably not feel very good. If you look at it as a day that you still watch your portions, but you eat foods that can be part of a healthy diet if incorporated as an infrequently eaten food. Potato chips can be part of a healthy diet, but probably not a daily thing. Cheesecake can be part of a healthy diet, so can twinkies, if eaten in extreme moderation. I am teaching my kids this very thing now. If I keep these types of foods to certain days and events, I am teaching myself things that will help me with long term success.
  • NovemberJune
    NovemberJune Posts: 2,525 Member
    It's been a couple of months since I went over on my calorie goal. My goal is pretty loose though, I want to eat 1400-1700 per day and average about 1500-1600. Usually the only time i have what would be a cheat day, is if i'm traveling all day and have to eat out, or if i go to a party or something, I'll go over. And after i have a "cheat" day, my weight goes up a couple of pounds, but it's water weight from too much sodium i think :)
  • atsteele
    atsteele Posts: 1,358 Member
    My "cheat" days are the days that I run long distance. Because I can get away with it. I love my long run days. :)
  • NovemberJune
    NovemberJune Posts: 2,525 Member
    I think it really depends on if you see yourself as being on a diet, or if you're doing now like you plan to do for the rest of your life. I understand that some people go on a diet to get to their goal weight, and then adjust their diet to what they will do forever.
  • Avalonis
    Avalonis Posts: 1,540 Member
    Cheat days or cheat meals depend on the person.

    I don't have a scheduled cheat day. With that being said, I ate 1200 calories in pizza and booze last night. Did I gain? Absolutely. It will probably slow my progress a little, but I am not worried about it. I needed that pizza. Absolutely you can take it over the top and turn every day into a cheat meal, which then its just back to bad eating habits.

    I guess what I am saying is if you need a cheat day to keep you on track, HAVE ONE. If you don't, don't. If you need a random cheat meal once in awhile... have one. If you don't... don't.

    See the pattern here?
  • megala65
    megala65 Posts: 34 Member

    Changing the amount of what one eats is not a lifestyle change and should not be treated as such.

    I disagree. Changing the amount you eat is a huge lifestyle change. Perhaps not as significant or important as changing what you eat, but still valid. If you teach yourself to eat a smaller portion of what you normally ate that is a change and a start toward self discipline.
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
    i believe in cheat days... not gluttony days. i still log, and chose nutritious food. i don't go out and get a six pack and eat a whole pizza.
  • Triathlynne
    Triathlynne Posts: 99
    NOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love my cheat days :) I'm sorry but I won't deny myself occasional treats..especially if I'm training for a race. Nuh uh!
  • monih10
    monih10 Posts: 577 Member
    i believe in cheat days... not gluttony days. i still log, and chose nutritious food. i don't go out and get a six pack and eat a whole pizza.

    I totally agree!! IF you are going to have cheat days....at least do it in moderation!! :smile:
  • megala65
    megala65 Posts: 34 Member
    One of the dangers of a cheat day or meal is if you do it as a "reward."
  • Scott613
    Scott613 Posts: 2,317 Member
    Its called a spike day and I do it once a week. It keeps my metabolism from slowing down and adjusting to my calorie defecit through out the week. Ive lost bodyfat the quickest this way.
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
    Its called a spike day and I do it once a week. It keeps my metabolism from slowing down and adjusting to my calorie defecit through out the week. Ive lost bodyfat the quickest this way.

    this is good. how much of a spike are we talking about? how many extra calories over your intake, and do you still work out that day?
  • mattellis2
    mattellis2 Posts: 152
    My "cheat" days are the days that I run long distance. Because I can get away with it. I love my long run days. :)

    This right here. I love the days I can get in ~50 miles on the bike. That is worth about 1800 calories for my body, which means I get to relax a little on what I eat that day.

    i've been eating around 2200 day, and i am pretty much maintaining within a couple of lbs of where i am at.

    one thing i have learned though...going completely off the reservation is a bad thing. i like college football very much, and used to enjoy a really big plate of nachos with all the extras while watching a game. when the season kicked off this year, i fixed a plate (worth about 1100 calories) and had at it. the grease along with the high fat content was a shock to my system, and i felt terrible the remainder of the day. my cheat meals or snacks now consist of just eating more of what i have been doing all along. seems to be working well.

    -matt
  • wolfcounty
    wolfcounty Posts: 55
    im all for cheat days, but they have to be reasonable. ya know if you are running a 300 cal deficit per day and eat like 1000 plus extra calories on the weekend it can totally set you back. its no good. a slice of pizza and a beer is great, but try not to eat the entire pizza lol.

    often you can find smart things that taste like and feel like indulgences anyway. half of the decent protein bars out there are all chocolate and peanut butter stuff! and i absolutely love the chobani greek lemon yogurt. it feels like a treat, but its super healthy.
  • JulieSD
    JulieSD Posts: 567
    Ya know what?! This is real life. Everything in moderation is my motto. I've never been one to eat a whole pizza because I have never had a problem with portion control. My problem is snacking!

    I know on the weekends that I'm going to stray from the path, I still make sure to be near my calorie goal and work out. You cant deprive your brain of something you really want, you'll go bananas. And as for this being a total life change, I'm doing a total life change - and I still, get this, eat what I want!! lol

    Just be happy!
  • MayMaydoesntrun
    MayMaydoesntrun Posts: 805 Member
    Don't know about you guys, but some days I just HAVE to have a pizza or burger, and knowing that I can have it one day a week makes it easier for me to stick to healtheir eating the rest of the week.

    This is me! Saturday is "my" day.
  • BackwoodsMom
    BackwoodsMom Posts: 227 Member
    I choose to not record my food intake or my exercise on Sundays so it's sort of a day off but I find I'm quite conscious of what I'm doing.
  • kitinboots
    kitinboots Posts: 589 Member
    I think a cheat/spike day you're only supposed to go up to your maintenance calories. Which makes **** all difference to me since the difference is only about 150cal :(
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