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does anyone have a cheat day?

135

Replies

  • pstaceyca
    pstaceyca Posts: 306 Member
    Yes and today is it!!! :)
  • krystonite
    krystonite Posts: 553 Member
    I don't schedule my cheats. I usually can go a long time eating really healthy, and I never know when it'll hit - that urge to eat whatever the *kitten* I want - but when it does, you can bet your *kitten* I oblige.
  • sharleengc
    sharleengc Posts: 792 Member
    I always do a meal at least once a week. Sometimes I do a day but it's usually a day that I end up with the munchies...where I'm just hungry all day for whatever reason.
  • Pattinan
    Pattinan Posts: 42 Member
    My treat is flavored creamer in my coffee on Sat. or Sun. Also once every 2 weeks I have a nice meal out or buffet and don't feel guilty. A cheat day is a dangerous thing to a compulsive over eater...I have heard it said that "One bite is TOO much and the WHOLE thing is never enough!" That rings true with me. But, when I go without too long I will binge.
  • selenebellydancerlv
    selenebellydancerlv Posts: 9
    well yesterday I had a small amount of nachos, that was my cheat day. But once a month i'd like
    to go out to my favorite sushi restaurant and order all you can eat :)
  • Whaleluvr
    Whaleluvr Posts: 156 Member
    I try not to! So far out of Almost 3 weeks, I went over my Calorie limit 1 day!..................If I eat alot of calories, I make sure, I do enough exercise to make up for it!!!!!! If I want wings one night, I will MAKE SURE I get on the treadmill for an hour, sometime during the day!
  • thelovelyLIZ
    thelovelyLIZ Posts: 1,227 Member
    I don't designate a cheat day, but if I know have an event or something coming up where I'll be tempted, I may designate that a "cheat day". I usually only have one a month though, so it doesn't really do much harm to my progress in the long run.
  • Nikkiray32
    Nikkiray32 Posts: 123
    Absolutely, my cheat day is on Tuesdays. Usually I will cheat with a snack or one meal of the day. Sometimes I let myself go all out.
  • plt55
    plt55 Posts: 111 Member
    My husband and I are both on this and we have a CHEAT day on fridays .Thats the day we get weighed,and we go out and eat I have noticed that we do not go back to buffet 3 times maybe 2 lol .we tried giving them up and it was worse so went back to it .Sort of rewarding yourself for a week well done.As long as u can get right back on track next day,I see no problem.
  • biscuit71
    biscuit71 Posts: 43 Member
    It's important to reward yourself with a treat once in awhile. Of course, don't overdue it but one meal, one day a week as a reward for your efforts can be a big motivational boost...at least for me it is. For instance, I lost my first 10 pounds so I treated myself to a new sub place that just opened. I didn't go to crazy and it tasted soooo good! So, go for it...it'll help keep you going and you deserve it. Good luck to you!!!:smile:
  • jsnearly
    jsnearly Posts: 61
    one cheat meal a week.
  • mharring12
    mharring12 Posts: 1 Member
    My trainer says that a cheat meal is good for you... just try to control your portions since you can't control the content necessarily i.e. the point of cheating. Good luck :)
  • Opheliac_Xx
    Opheliac_Xx Posts: 32 Member
    Would a cheat day still help you lose weight if you are a healthy weight?
  • mrsgrant
    mrsgrant Posts: 9 Member
    yes ..right now im doing 1500 to 1600 calories a day, plus one day of yoga class and 3 times a week at the gym..im eating lots of protein and veggies, Im not a big fruit person but i try to eat some a couple times a week..lots of water.also i bought the Hyvee brand of vanilla diet shake mix and i have that for breakfast sometimes or a snack..every 7th day i let myself have between 2200 or 2400 calories, i am started to lose weight slowly but thats how i want to do it..i think you have to eat some extra calories once in a while or your metabolism will adjust itself and you might reach a plateau quicker
  • laurenstaples
    laurenstaples Posts: 7
    I have a cheat day where I can eat whatever I want for the whole day. In moderation, of course. It's worked in the past for me. It's my way of rewarding myself for being so good all week.
  • Tiffa0909
    Tiffa0909 Posts: 191 Member
    I was thinking about a cheat day ,a couple of days ago I had a couple of cupcakes and exceeded my calorie goal and after that I actually lost 2 pounds. And I was wondering if that incident was part of the reason I lost those 2 pounds.
  • Butterfly3730
    Butterfly3730 Posts: 220
    I don't have cheat meals or cheat days. I eat what I want, when I want it. For me, being able to have whatever I want, when I want to eat fits better with my lifestyle. Having to wait for a specific day to have something I really love tends to make me a bit resentful and I tend to binge eat. I make sure that I can account for whatever it is I want in my calories for the day, I eat the serving size of the item, I log it and I move on.

    I just find this way (in moderation) to be less like a "diet" and more like a lifestyle change. :)

    This -- and most days I make very healthy choices
  • christina0089
    christina0089 Posts: 709 Member
    Absolutley! I used to do it on sundays but now I just do it once a week if I feel like it. If not thats ok. Mostly I get the urge if my body is feeling the effects of just not eating enough. (I have a hard time getting all my calories in, and more often than not, don't) Or I will save the day for a special occasion like this week is my daughters birthday so we are going out to eat at her request. I am going to allow myself whatever I want and dessert within reason of course. But I am not going to fret over everything I eat or smell or touch! lol This is a life style for me. I have been overweight most of my life so this is not a simple diet and get it off, then get back to my regularly scheduled program. This is a life long commitment and it won't always be perfect nor will I and I don't expect to be. Iife has to have room for cake at a birthday party or a drink or dinner out with friends and family. a weekend get away with my man at which time I am sure we will go out to dinner. These things are all apart of life and since life is ment to be enjoyed I'll enjoy and then I will continue to enjoy taking care of my self and being healthy. one day is not a lifetime! Enjoy! :)
  • JollyJane13
    JollyJane13 Posts: 62 Member
    I did this for the first time yesterday. It wasn't really a "meal" it was just simply junk. Afterwards my stomach hurt. But now I am back on the path. I needed to treat myself after 3 weeks of hard work...and I still didn't go over my calories :)
  • bookyeti
    bookyeti Posts: 544 Member
    I don't have cheat meals or cheat days. I eat what I want, when I want it. For me, being able to have whatever I want, when I want to eat fits better with my lifestyle. Having to wait for a specific day to have something I really love tends to make me a bit resentful and I tend to binge eat. I make sure that I can account for whatever it is I want in my calories for the day, I eat the serving size of the item, I log it and I move on.

    I just find this way (in moderation) to be less like a "diet" and more like a lifestyle change. :)
    THIS!
  • PixelTreason
    PixelTreason Posts: 226 Member
    Yep! Every Saturday. I stay within my calories but eat whatever I like. (within reason! - I've noticed even on "cheat" days I feel guilty indulging too much. And I pick and choose what I really want. That tiny McDonald's hamburger and fries is so not going to win when I can eat a large meal of ribs and cornbread instead!)

    I usually do an extra half hour of cardio that day, too so I can eat without feeling too restricted. :)

    I lost over 45 pounds and I've had this "cheat" day/meal since the beginning.
  • sweet110
    sweet110 Posts: 332 Member
    I don't plan cheat days...they find me. Which may seem like like a meaningless difference, but its a mindset that I find more helpful. As a past binger, I find the psychology of "planning" to cheat a little too binge like. So..if something I like, misses me so much that it searches the world until it *finds me* and presents itself, then I say to myself "okay, let's just call this a cheat meal." Because, really, if a piece of cheesecake went through all the trouble just to find me, who am I to say no?

    I really just think of it as a "higher than normal" calorie day rather than a "cheat" day. Because occasionally eating something rich or "not healthy" but dense with calories is one thing. Purposefully "over-indulging", again, feels too much like "binging" or "gluttony" to me, so I don't do it.
  • Debbisue52
    Debbisue52 Posts: 87 Member
    I give myself a few extra calories on my weigh-in day. I set a limit...usually 2,000 calories...and I try to stick to it. It's not always on my weigh-in day...if I have something special coming up that I know will cause me to want to consume more calories, I use my extra calories on that day. I have had "cheat days" in the past and not kept track of what I was eating. Once I started keeping track, I was shocked and embarrassed how much I had consumed! Since my weigh-in is Thursday, it is real easy for that one "cheat day" to roll into the whole weekend and before I know it...it is Sunday or Monday and I have to starve myself to make up for all the damage I had done. I'm a big time procrastinator and there's always tomorrow....lol. So, now I am trying to break my binge habit and eat more consistently. A few extras one day a week, but not over the limit I set for myself...then right back on track the next day. This is not a diet...I am trying to learn to eat in a way that I can live with for the rest of my life....while losing weight as I go. I can't imagine living the rest of my life without some of my favorite foods, and without eating or drinking, a little more than I should now and then. I'm learning portion control...self control...self discipline. So, if you can handle letting go a little bit without losing complete control....I think it's fine to have a day of a little extra. Hopefully, once I am confident in my portion control and self control...I will be able to just have whatever I'd like whenever I'd like...not just one special "cheat day" a week.
  • withwolvesteeth
    withwolvesteeth Posts: 13 Member
    yes! my boyfriend and i go out for coney island or thai/japanese food once a week. i'm pretty mindful of what i eat and since changing my habits, i don't demolish a plate of anything anymore. when we get thai food, i usually eat half. when we went to coney island, i ate a small plate of coney fries with mustard and a bowl of lemon rice soup. if you deny yourself the things you like, then you probably won't get very far into weight loss.
  • Sofithomas
    Sofithomas Posts: 118
    Honestly, putting it in perspective, ONE DAY of bad eating, even if it is way over the calorie deficit, cannot make a hugley detrimental difference...you didn't gain weight overnight, and you didn't lose it overnight, thus oen day of indulgence won't stall it badly. I normally keep my calories very low during the week anyway - I'm good, which means the odd indulgence normally doesn't hinder it. Mathematically, by the end of the week, I am still in an overall deficit.
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
    I seem to have a cheat day about once a week whether I want it or not. In this case, last night after midnight the leftover pasta, milk, and some rootbeer called to me from the fridge. Of course I answered. As long as it's only one day I guess I'm doing okay, still losing weight, anyway. It might even help keep me from stalling out.
  • sbw2012
    sbw2012 Posts: 22
    Usually only on days that end with the letter "Y"...LOL! About once every week or two.


    this has cracked me up!!!!!
    hahahahhaa. :p
  • sweet_lotus
    sweet_lotus Posts: 194 Member
    Absolutely!

    It's always a social cheat - ice cream cones with kids, naughty starbucks coffee with friends, etc. Today Mr. Sweet Lotus and I stopped at Tim Horton's. He had a cinnamon role and I had latte...and a delicious chocolate danish.

    Food is about nourishment, but it's about pleasure, too. For me, keeping a healthy relationship with eating means honoring both of those aspects at different times.
  • christina571
    christina571 Posts: 18
    Yes, I will have a cheat meal once a week, normally during the weekend. Tonight, for example, was my first cheat meal and I enjoyed some delicious barbecue food. I was still under my calorie goal for today, so I'm not stressing out. Usually, when I plan a "cheat" meal, I try to do some extra cardio.
  • BoxingCoachMo
    BoxingCoachMo Posts: 420
    i don't know about a day... i mix it up generally.. i will try to eat proper food but i may have a couple of biscuits here and there and a packet of crisps...

    My downfall use to be pastries but instead of eating the, i'd rather eat a proper meal.
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