Cheat Days?

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Chamomileon
Chamomileon Posts: 3
in Health and Weight Loss
What is exactly constitutes a cheat day, and do you think it helps? Please I'd like everyone's opinion on this. Thanks!

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  • runnercheryl
    runnercheryl Posts: 1,314 Member
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    I'd say cheat days are different for everyone.

    For some people I know, it's a case of eating whatever you want for a full day without recording the calories.

    Others record the calories and keep track of how much they indulge, and others have just one meal that can be whatever they want.

    I take the approach of resisting treat foods whenever I can, but occasionally I have a strong craving for a specific food that just won't go away until I've had it. Rather than allowing myself designated treat days, I identify those strong cravings and allow myself things in moderation when my mind says it simply can't cope without it - these are cravings for very specific things, not cravings for a certain nutrition, and they can go as specific as wanting a certain brand for a very specific flavour. I find that I usually have one extreme craving approximately every two months, and I give in when I do - otherwise, I'll allow myself small treats within my calorie limits but remain careful the rest of the time. For me, that works better than a day of over-indulgence where I'm left feeling ill and regretful.
  • galvodka
    galvodka Posts: 102
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    Some people do a cheat day where they eat anything and everything they want for a day. I used to do that now and again and realized that the whole reason I was overweight was because of years of bad eating habits and not having self control. An any/everything (all meals and snacks) for me was going back to my old habits which caused me to be so overweight in first place.

    Now, I usually go out for food/drinks one night on weekend and will go over my calories that night. I don't completely splurge and eat heavy appetizer, dinner, and dessert, but I found that I plan my days meals accordingly so I can have the things I want. I might eat light dinner and have no dessert but will have the boneless wings I like so much for appetizer. I feel like I am not losing control over what I'm eating but I'm still having some of the things I enjoy in moderation so it's much easier for me to stay on healthy eating plan than totally falling off wagon like I've done so many times in the past.

    So my opinion is that everyone has a different opinion of what a "cheat day" is for them based on their eating habits and self control. For me, it's about having a little bit of the things I crave now and again so I don't feel completely deprived and totally start eating like garbage again. I'm not trying to trick my metabolism to show bigger loss on scale but just trying to adapt to better eating habits so I can maintain control over what I eat long term.
  • Reinventing_Me
    Reinventing_Me Posts: 1,053 Member
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    Well put, ladies! It's all about making good, healthy choices. Not necessarily always from a dietary standpoint, but from an emotional standpoint as well. Cheating (full out cheat days) is cheating ourselves and can often lead back to that cycle of overeating and guilt we're working so hard to overcome. We have to learn how to make the healthy decisions that will allow us to be healthy for the rest of our lives. If that healthy decision means having a scoop of ice cream, or a couple of boneless wings, or even a slice of cake, when we REALLY want them (not necessarily at the same time, lol) then that's fine as long as we don't overindulge. I'm not talking about it's there so I'm going to eat it, or I see it so I want it. This may not work for everyone, but it works for me.
  • shine_
    shine_ Posts: 150 Member
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    How you want to do them and if is a really personal thing of course - and it should be. Personally I don't really agree with them in general. I get the whole "don't deprive yourself" thing, I do, but if I had cheat days once a week for example when I got to eat whatever I wanted it would be a way of using food as a treat or as a way to award myself for how super good I have been during the week and that's what I don't agree with. I don't want to see food as a way to award myself, and cheat days would signal that all other days are some sort of super effort, not a lifestyle change.

    That might be an extreme outlook though. I don't know. All I know is that for the past 4 months I haven't needed cheat days to keep going as most cravings have gone. As I have cut down my sugar intake for example my taste has completely changed, and I don't like the same foods/sweets I used to like.
  • fordster99
    fordster99 Posts: 181 Member
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    I don't have a "cheat day" because I learned that depriving myself of any of the foods I love only caused me to quit eating healthy all together. I cook a lot at home and have learned how to make my favorite foods a lot healthier for me so I don't feel like I am missing out. When I do go out to eat, I try and eat a healthy alternative but if I am really craving something else then I will split a meal with my fiance or leave some on the plate. I always try to stay within my allotted calorie limits no matter what and if I don't then I get out there and try and work it off. Do what works for you.
  • Reinventing_Me
    Reinventing_Me Posts: 1,053 Member
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    ...I get the whole "don't deprive yourself" thing, I do, but if I had cheat days once a week for example when I got to eat whatever I wanted it would be a way of using food as a treat or as a way to award myself for how super good I have been during the week and that's what I don't agree with. I don't want to see food as a way to award myself, and cheat days would signal that all other days are some sort of super effort, not a lifestyle change...

    Agreed! I had a pretty good week and instead of rewarding myself with food, I'm going to go out any buy this Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred I keep hearing so much about, some resistance bands and a floor mat.
  • Jeeenjohnson19
    Jeeenjohnson19 Posts: 54 Member
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    The only time I don't record my calories is Christmas day and my birthday, as these days I think its silly to not enjoy myself! As for other cheat days I don't have them, I simply eat everything in moderation. For example the other day I bought some Ben and Jerrys caramel chew chew! Only ate about a 1/4 of the tub tho (instead of the whole thing like I used to!) and then just had a smaller dinner.
    I found ways to make things healthier too :) Like I love chilli but I make a meat free one now when I fancy it, so its practically guilt free :) Just lots of veggies and wholegrain rice!
  • chicklidell
    chicklidell Posts: 275
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    I think they have there place, provided you have some control over it. I see patients eating 5-6 thousand calories on a cheat day, then wonder why they aren't losing weight, you still need to achieve your deficit by the end of the week to lose weight, just because you eat 1200 calories a day 6 days, you can blow the entire week with a poorly planned cheat day.

    It's all about planning. I have a cheat meal, and even still I have guidelines, no more then 600 calories for that meal, so if that cheeseburger is going to take up all my calories and let's say I still want fries, then something has to give, usually I cut the burger in half and have the sweet potatoe fries...lol. My cheat meals are now only 1x a month, and rarely are they bad food choices, but that's because I no longer crave those types of greasy foods. I think you need to do whatever makes the weight loss process bearable for you and if that cheat will make you stick it out and you're still losing weight because you're smart about it, then go right ahead and indulge!
  • strawberrie_milk
    strawberrie_milk Posts: 381 Member
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    I consider a cheat day as a day of eating at maintenance or higher. Honestly, I don't think they help at all. Maybe psychologically, but they will obviously offset your weight loss since you're eating more than you should. I prefer not cheating because it usually gets me off track for the next couple days and can lead to binging.
  • Aurelious_
    Aurelious_ Posts: 5 Member
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    I personally find cheat days to be fine. It definitely gives you something to look forward to as the days wind down. "If I can just eat this tuna sandwich for two more days I can have that fried chicken smothered in cheese on Monday!" (or whenever that day is.)

    I record these days in my log as well. By the end of the week my average is still going to be right where I need it to be. Since I had that wonderful chicken sandwich I am more inclined to eat healthier or do a little more exercise to work it off to prevent it from being a source of failure.

    All in the discipline. No right/wrong answer here.
  • Nikkiray32
    Nikkiray32 Posts: 123
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    Personally for my cheat days I eat what ever I want for the entire day. I do it one day a week. The cheat day helps me stay straight for the other six days a week. If I don't have a cheat day, I end up binging on junk one or two days a wee. The cheat days doesn't have to mean junk all day. On MFP, my calorie intake is 1200 calories on most of my cheat days, I don't go over 1500 calories. Usually, on my cheat day, I cheat at dinner and eat balanced the rest of the day.
    Hope this helps :wink:
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    I don't really do cheat days in the sense of just eating whatever I want all day, but I do have days occasionally where I intentionally treat myself by going over calories. I don't binge and I only go over by 400-500 calories. I like to use those days to go out with my husband or stop by my favorite restaurant for a treat, but I don't go completely crazy. It helps me to know that I'm not depriving myself and I've heard that it helps switch things up for the metabolism, but I'd probably do it either way. I used to do it a lot more actually-- now that I've seen significant progress I don't need to "cheat" as much as I used to. I don't know if it's because I've trained my palate to prefer healthier food or if it's psychological (I know I'm holding up my progress if I do it too often), maybe it's a little of both.

    I've also kind of switched from the cheat day camp to the everything in moderation camp-- if I'm craving pizza I have a healthy portion of it and work it into my calorie goal for the day. That way there's no guilt associated with "cheating."

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