What do you think of a "cheat" day?

2

Replies

  • CMorning99
    CMorning99 Posts: 924 Member
    Weekends are usually my "easy" days. I don't say cheat b/c I don't go all out pizza and ice cream type of thing. But I will go out to dinner maybe 1 or 2 times and enjoy a moderate meal.

    I try to be careful because even if I feel like I did things in moderation, I end up spending 3 or 4 days the next week just losing what I gained over the weekend (water and bloat).
  • Amber82479
    Amber82479 Posts: 629 Member
    I think it's critical to the success of any diet plan. I just try to eat reasonably and not go completely overboard. Otherwise, I end up binge eating all the stuff that I'm trying to avoid. :)
  • JulieSD
    JulieSD Posts: 567
    I pre log my food.

    This morning I logged 19 Doritos for an evening snack.

    I do not consider this cheating or a cheat day.

    This is my normal life.
  • ninkdole
    ninkdole Posts: 243 Member
    I don't have a scheduled "Cheat" day, but we go to Disneyland and Universal Studios quite often and on those days, while I'm not as strict as I am the rest of the week, I still try and keep tabs on what I'm consuming and still log the calories and hope I walk a lot of them off. Those are the only times I would consider that I come close to a "Cheat" day.
  • blueyeb
    blueyeb Posts: 85
    If you are eating in a caloric deficit for a long time and you are close to your goal weight, 10-15 lbs out, cheat days otherwise known as "REFEEDS" by people who seek to get lean are beneficial to your goals because they help with hormones, as well to give your metabolism a boost from eating under maintenance for quite some time. There are a lot of good reads about cheats/refeeds, if you learn how to incorporate them into your program (after a certain training day, or on a certain training day) google is your friend. :D

    Thank you! That is exactly what I was looking for :)
  • 223730
    223730 Posts: 55
    For me, cheat days are a bad idea. If I was to let myself eat bad for one day, then I would start justifying other things on other days, and then all of my effort would be wasted, because it would be that easy for me to slide back into old habits. If I want to cheat, aka indulge, then I might have a few fries from my son's happy meal, instead of eating a big mac meal for myself. Or maybe I'll share an appetizer that is not so great, like a bloomin onion, but everything else in my meal is going to be the right stuff. And it is definitely not a weekly thing, becaues that would not work for me. I think it can work different for different people, but I know in my gut (bad pun, sorry) that a cheat day or full cheat meal is a no-no for me.
  • Russellb97
    Russellb97 Posts: 1,057 Member
    I highly recommend a "bad day" It's how I've lost over 100lbs.

    1. It's guilt free
    2. You can really enjoy the food you're eating
    3. It's spikes up your metabolism
    4. Gives you a day to look forward to
    5. Balances out your hormones that go out whack from dieting
    6. Makes your following day workout better.
    7. It's fun and will NOT mess up your long-term weight loss.
  • dreilingda
    dreilingda Posts: 122 Member
    I think there are several factors to consider. Will the person doing the cheating be able to resume their diet like nothing ever happened? How excessive of a cheat are we talking? 1k surplus? Maintenance? 4k surplus?

    I think that for certain individuals it's a great idea. I currently have 1 day that I don't necessarily call "cheat" because I don't really know if I'm even going over. I incorporate an IDGAF day where I eat what I want and don't log it, just for the mental break. I'm willing to bet that in my case there are positive physiological effects as well, but I don't think it's a blanket "good idea" for everyone.

    I do the same thing. It's on Sunday. Football Sunday. I'm going to drink beer, eat wings, etc. while watching football and I don't want to hear what MFP thinks. It's like my body and mind just need to reset for a day and relax. I usually have a strong workout on Monday's and I'm sure it's related to the extra energy. I turn right back to logging and eating health on Monday's. It's worked fine for me.
  • Ebbykins
    Ebbykins Posts: 420 Member
    I highly recommend a "bad day" It's how I've lost over 100lbs.

    1. It's guilt free
    2. You can really enjoy the food you're eating
    3. It's spikes up your metabolism
    4. Gives you a day to look forward to
    5. Balances out your hormones that go out whack from dieting
    6. Makes your following day workout better.
    7. It's fun and will NOT mess up your long-term weight loss.

    Yep yep! I make cheese cake on cheat day... hahaha. :D Refeeds have taken me from 19% bf to 15% since February, people who are my MFP friends must look at my journal on those days and think I'm such a freak, lol.
  • Jenninedinburgh
    Jenninedinburgh Posts: 70 Member
    Weight Watchers created a whole new core offering out of this idea - the extra "points" or calories per week to use as you wish.
  • KettyLan
    KettyLan Posts: 440 Member
    in my personal exxperience, if i have a day off, i will tend to eat every bad thing that i have been craving for the rest of the week...

    what results is that the next morning, i have put on 2-4lbs, and i spend the next 3 days trying to shift that back off, and overall loose 1lb for the week if im lucky..

    i found that i spend the whole week that im sticking to my diet, just waitng for my day off, when i will totally over indulge.. where as without the cheat day, my mind gets around the new diet/excersise, and accepts it as a final decision, and i can just get on with it.

    I feel the same way.
  • FAVOLOSOMII
    FAVOLOSOMII Posts: 188 Member
    Sundays are MY day. Most of the time I don't exercise, but I DO log my food in my journal. And if I blow all my calories in one meal, so be it.
  • Sandy2658
    Sandy2658 Posts: 20 Member
    I don't think of this as a diet...I think of it as a life plan, so "cheats" don't exist. I allow myself to have whatever I want *in moderation*. (When my husband and I go out to dinner he keeps asking can I find something at a restaurant. I tell him I
    can eat anything...just not ALL of it.)
    If you're constantly telling yourself you can't have something, of course you're going to crave it. If you eat healthy, you'll find
    yourself craving the "bad stuff" less and less. Do I still crave chocolate...certain time of the month we all do (ok, not the guys). I have a Weight Watcher english toffee square and that is enough. When you see how far you've come and you feel pride (the feeling that was absent in fatter days) in your achievement, you really don't want to blow it...at least I don't.
  • blacksterbmw
    blacksterbmw Posts: 7 Member
    If you are training hard with weights and plenty of cardio then 1 or 2 days a week will be good for you. I'd personally only go for 2 half days and eat everything you want as it will spike your metabolism and keep the fat burning, especially if you are being strict during the week.
  • brucedelaney
    brucedelaney Posts: 433 Member
    I highly recommend a "bad day" It's how I've lost over 100lbs.

    1. It's guilt free
    2. You can really enjoy the food you're eating
    3. It's spikes up your metabolism
    4. Gives you a day to look forward to
    5. Balances out your hormones that go out whack from dieting
    6. Makes your following day workout better.
    7. It's fun and will NOT mess up your long-term weight loss.

    Here here, I actually bought Russell's book and have a cheat day every week. I feel great, and continue to lose 1.5 to 2.5 pounds weekly, in fact I just did the math the other day and I've been on my weight loss journey for 90 days with 2.6LBS average per week since I've started and 6 weeks have incorporated "Cheat" or "Spike" days.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    I don't do cheat meals or cheat days. I eat what I want, whenever I want to eat it. I make sure that I have room in my daily calories for it (or I'll go workout so I will have room), I log it and then I choose something that gives me the most enjoyment for my calorie buck.

    I've found that being able to eat the treat NOW makes it feel less like diet and more like a lifestyle change for me. I would rather enjoy that treat today than have to wait for a set day to have it. Denying myself what I really love only leads to resentment and binge eating (for me, anyway).
  • Nursepoca
    Nursepoca Posts: 1
    Not fan of the whole "cheat day" concept. Often the reason we have such a hard time loosing weight is our body has become dependent on the bad stuff we have been eating (basically addicted to carbs, sugar, extra salt). Get rid of the bad stuff, and the cravings that go with, and that's the biggest battle won. If you revert back, you run the risk of developing those cravings again, and destroying all the hard work you've done (basically, giving in to the addiction again). That being said, every once in a while, if I have a HUGE craving, I find a healthy item that is very close. Example, if I crave something sweet...I will have frozen fruit with sugar free whipped topping. Or, a cup of dark chocolate almond milk takes care of my chocolate fix, the fat in the almond milk controls cravings...don't know if that helps or not.
  • joseph9
    joseph9 Posts: 328 Member
    What do I think of a "cheat" day?

    Well, it's very kind of you to offer, but I'm not that kind of guy, and in any case, I don't think my wife would go for it.

    Seriously: I track average calories for the week, and try to keep them in line without going too low. So if I have a 2300 calorie day, I might plan a few 1500 calorie days until I get back to an average of 1700.
  • NinjaTurtleDude
    NinjaTurtleDude Posts: 39
    I believe in a little indulgence. A day off from exercise is perfectly reasonable, but I wouldn't have a free-for-all eating day. Instead of it being an entire cheat day, one cheat meal a week seems to work for me. I get to enjoy what I love, relax, and still stay slim.
    I hope this helps :)
    What she said
  • aosmith101991
    aosmith101991 Posts: 1
    i would be okay with a cheat "meal" not a whole day....


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  • blacksterbmw
    blacksterbmw Posts: 7 Member
    Its more beneficial in the long run to have a cheat day if you want to really see a change in body composition, its one thing to lose weight on scale but most of us want to look good naked and that's by lower body fat and more muscle tone, just eating what you want and staying inside calories will never achieve that look, sorry to be the barer of bad news guys
  • blueyeb
    blueyeb Posts: 85
    I highly recommend a "bad day" It's how I've lost over 100lbs.

    1. It's guilt free
    2. You can really enjoy the food you're eating
    3. It's spikes up your metabolism
    4. Gives you a day to look forward to
    5. Balances out your hormones that go out whack from dieting
    6. Makes your following day workout better.
    7. It's fun and will NOT mess up your long-term weight loss.

    That's what I was thinking by a "cheat day" or a "bad day" being beneficial.... oh the irony! Maybe we should call it "indulgence day", lol :-)
  • flabulous4
    flabulous4 Posts: 599 Member
    I don't see the problem with a cheat day or in cheating every so often...I'm close to goal weight and must admit I don't log food any more because I want to be able to make food choices without worrying, and it's still working.

    Lots of people on here will say that having an odd day over recommended calories, or not exercising for a weekend, will do you good - it's about what works for you, so try it and if it's not for you, you'll soon find out!
  • TheFitHooker
    TheFitHooker Posts: 3,357 Member
    I do have a cheat day once in awhile but I usually beat myself up for it, I really don't like to have a cheat day because I fear if I cheat I'm going to slip back to my old ways.
  • SmartFunGorgeous
    SmartFunGorgeous Posts: 699 Member
    Sundays are my rest days for workouts and everything else, so they are also my "cheat" days. I still log, and I usually still fall under, but those calories are not planned and thought out ahead of time like most of the rest of the weak. I'm trying to change the way I live, and so, for me, I'm not going to try to be perfect and not go over for the rest of my life. This has worked really well for me.
  • anthony008
    anthony008 Posts: 21
    I plan my diet around 3-4 cheat meals a week, usually during the weekend. Friday night, Saturday night, Sunday afternoon and night (beer included.)

    I'm aware this isn't ideal for losing fat but I'm not on a diet, it's a lifestyle change. I simply know I wouldn't ever last by avoiding beer, wings, and pizza on Sundays or going out on the weekends. Bet your *kitten* I do some serious cardio Monday to feel less guilty though.
  • Russellb97
    Russellb97 Posts: 1,057 Member
    I highly recommend a "bad day" It's how I've lost over 100lbs.

    1. It's guilt free
    2. You can really enjoy the food you're eating
    3. It's spikes up your metabolism
    4. Gives you a day to look forward to
    5. Balances out your hormones that go out whack from dieting
    6. Makes your following day workout better.
    7. It's fun and will NOT mess up your long-term weight loss.

    That's what I was thinking by a "cheat day" or a "bad day" being beneficial.... oh the irony! Maybe we should call it "indulgence day", lol :-)

    Exactly, cheat is negative. That's why I call it a "Spike Day"
    It's spikes up our metabolism, leptin, glycogen, mood, and results.
    It's a good thing to do, and far from "cheating"
  • npostma
    npostma Posts: 33
    I think of it this way...

    This is a lifestyle change and although right now I am working to lose weight, I eat what I want when I want. I stay in my calorie goal. Realistically, life happens and some days, I won't be in my goal. That is ok because as "LIFE" continues, I am going to live it. So no, I don't schedule a day to "cheat" - if I "cheat" I am cheating on LIFE! Everyday is different and some days will not be as good as others.

    ~Nikki
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    Cheat day for me is more of a carb refeed day. And I will have that on legs day normally. (for all the same reasons Russell said)

    Having said that, I follow the IIFYM style of dieting so I can eat pretty much whatever foods as I want as long as it fits into the macro goals each day. So I'm never really feeling like I need to "cheat" anyway.
  • mariapuhl
    mariapuhl Posts: 529 Member
    I haven't read this whole thread but here's my take:

    I don't say "every Saturday is my cheat day. Gonna do whateverrrrr I want tooooo wooo hooooo"

    I just eat normally, healthy, all the time, and if a meal comes that I'm going to eat out, I enjoy it as a random cheat meal. Or this weekend, I know is Oktoberfest in town. I'll eat a sausage (or two!!) and have a beer. And I'll enjoy it. But I don't generally plan it. That's just setting yourself up for disaster. You'll binge more that day if you're always expecting it.
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