Cheat Day

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  • beyg
    beyg Posts: 212 Member
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    I plan ahead some I can do cheat meals almost daily :bigsmile: :bigsmile:
  • yuckidah
    yuckidah Posts: 290 Member
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    @Razique I don't know that you meant it this way, but I do not appreciate the implication that those who use "cheat" days as part of their eating strategy have eating disorders. Your blog post gives an example of how using "cheat" days can lead to deviating from your diet plan, but that is in no way a guarantee. Many of us use cheat days as a method of sticking to our diet plans.

    I will use myself as an example. Here are the things I know about myself:
    1. If I consume refined carbs, I will have difficulty stopping. I simply do not have a hunger-based "off" switch for them. My doctor understands this, and he agrees that lowering my carb count is a good thing, especially since I do not metabolize carbs as healthily as I metabolize fat.
    2. While I enjoy my usual diet a great deal (mostly meat, veggies, and beans), I also want the sweet and starchy dishes I love.
    3. No matter what, I will not naturally eat more than ~4500 calories in a single day. No matter the food combination, this seems to hold true. (This makes sense, since 4500 calories is a LOT of food)
    4. I enjoy excess. Some people like to live like a monk; I do not. I understand that while I enjoy excess, I must enjoy it in moderation, since too much is just too much.

    Traditional dieting and calorie counting alone has never worked for me. It does nothing to curb the bottomless hunger I experience when I, "just have a reasonable serving of pasta." This is a physiological issue, confirmed by my doctor through a full metabolic blood panel.

    By counting my calories and limiting the foods I eat six days a week, I can enjoy an overall reasonable amount of all of the foods I enjoy in the long run. I can attend parties and not be, "The guy on a diet." I can enjoy every single food I love, and I can lose weight and become more healthy while I do it. I am eating less of the unhealthy foods I enjoy, but I am getting more enjoyment out of them because I can turn the day into a sort of special occasion.

    It's cool if cheat days do not work for you. No one method is correct for everyone. It is not cool, however, to imply that those of us who use them effectively as part of a comprehensive plan to increase health have eating disorders.

    I completely understand what you're saying about the lack of a carb 'off switch' - I am exactly the same & now limit them extensively.
    Given the choice I would eat creamy pastas, breads, muffins, scones, rice dishes........every single day for every meal. I absolutely LOVE those kinds of foods, but as a result I end up bloated, uncomfortable, tired, and basically an unhealthy, miserable blob. I just don't seem to have the kind of body that burns carbs efficiently.
    Now the limited carbs I do eat are mostly gluten-free as I find these foods don't cause the bloating that normal white flour does.
    I would consider myself self-diagnosed gluten intolerant, certainly not allergic in any way - I just know I feel a heck of a lot better without that sort of stodge in my system.

    I have yet to try having a 'cheat' meal/day but after seeing the amazing weight-loss results that so many of you are having while allowing for the occasional 'splurge' certainly makes me think it might be something worth considering :smile:
  • it_be_asin
    it_be_asin Posts: 562 Member
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    If it's a really big event, I will go a bit nuts - at a maximum once a month, but more likely to be once every three months. It's the time of the year though for it still - Christmas, then New Year, then Birthday and Easter - after that, no real occasions until next Christmas time. Although I didn't go crazy this New Year, and probably won't go crazy this Easter - but I did celebrate when I quit my job a bit over a week back.
  • ryansgram
    ryansgram Posts: 693 Member
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    Dr Oz says you should have a cheat day once a week. That way your body doesn't think you are starving it and you will lose more weight. But he also says not to eat EVERYTHING you want that day. Try not to consume too many extra calories. But if you want something you dont normally have on your diet, go ahead and eat it.
  • Kendrawinn
    Kendrawinn Posts: 160
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    If I consume refined carbs, I will have difficulty stopping. I simply do not have a hunger-based "off" switch for them. My doctor



    Hit the nail on the head. I can't just cheat one day. If i go there with any refined carbs It will take me a week to get back on track.
  • Julesh964
    Julesh964 Posts: 51 Member
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    No cheat days for me, I eat what I want when I want but in moderation and all within my calorie allowance, if I don't have enough I make sure that I do enough exercise to cover that extra glass of wine, or chocolate I want...
  • ClascyParra
    ClascyParra Posts: 85
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    I have a treat meal once a week....usually on Sunday or Monday afternoon since I weigh on Sunday.....
    I found that just by changing the term I used for this meal took away the guilt I associated with it. If I was cheating it was a bad thing I was doing....it was wrong and my cheat inevitably turned into an entire binge day. Since retraining my thinking I've stuck to the single meal and been absolutely satisfied with just that.
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
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    Once a week on Sunday.

    I am STOKED for tomorrow. I'm gonna eat until my stomach explodes.
  • sarahdatace
    sarahdatace Posts: 51
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    I would love to incorporate a cheat day! But could someone tell me...say I want to lose 1 lb a week, need that 3500 calorie deficit in a week, if I have a cheat day, won't that wipe out oh say like a 3rd of my deficit? Which....there goes my lb a week? Maybe cheat days are for people that have a higher deficit?

    I have cheat day Beverly saturday and I am on a 1200 cal diet. Cw 131 pds gw 120.... That day I log nothing. Eat what I want and I still lose a anywhere from .8 to 2 pds a week. It tricks your metabolism Into believing that you are not on a diet. Otherwise yur body will try to hold on to the weight thinking it is starving.
  • mjbrenner
    mjbrenner Posts: 222 Member
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    @Razique Thanks for taking the time to respond. I do know what it is like to be involved in a community and to be bothered by the problems that are very common that community. I also dislike the word "cheat" for the same reasons. I wish I had a better phrase. I also have the same fear of watching people fail in their journeys. I failed so many times trying to lose weight and gain health. I wish more people could find strategies that they can sustain in the long term. MFP has been an important tool for me in this process, and I am glad so many others are also using it well.

    @mrandolph69 Thank you!

    @yuckidah Good luck! I always try to organize my cheat days so they do not break my calorie rules for the week. Maybe the same approach will help you as well.

    Now if you will all excuse me, tomorrow is my cheat day, and am ending today 5742 calories below my goal for the week. Since my normal daily goal is 1990 calories, this means I can dream of all of the wonderful foods I can enjoy tomorrow. I stopped at a bale sale today and picked up a few goodies. While it was hard to not dive right in tonight, I am looking forward to having fudge, cake pops, and cheesecake bites tomorrow while still staying "on diet". This is after I had a lovely meal of chicken korma, poori, and buffalo wings for dinner tonight.

    If you wonder why I love having "cheat" days, it because it lets me eat like a king, so long as I plan it well. I am happy to have my steak one day and my cake another if it means I can still enjoy both in the quantities I want.
  • michelleck23
    michelleck23 Posts: 25
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    I have a cheat MEAL once a week, but not a full on cheat DAY...the cheat meal helps to actually boost your metabolism according to The Abs Diet book.
  • SammyPacks
    SammyPacks Posts: 697 Member
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    Depends! It can be once a week to once a month depending how dedicated I am :P! I think today is my cheat day! -goes and looks for something sweet to munch on while I read- :P
  • wackyfunster
    wackyfunster Posts: 944 Member
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    Never. I have in the past, and in my experience having cheat days at all REALLY sabotages your results. If you are calorie deprived constantly due to dieting and then overeat, that excess carbs/fat are going straight to body fat stores. One cheat day a week can easily eliminate all results from the other 6 days.

    But hey, if you "cheat" and still get the results you want, then I can't criticize that! :)

    Edit: With that said, I run a caloric surplus on weight training days, so maybe it's not such a big deal for me :)
  • kathyc609
    kathyc609 Posts: 258 Member
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    I started dieting on Nov. 1st. i havent had a cheat day yet. I just cant think of anything worth eating at this point. i felt empowered that I made it thru the holidays and my birthday without cheating.
  • gemiwing
    gemiwing Posts: 1,525 Member
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    How about we call them FREE DAYS?

    Sunday, Sunday SUNDAY!!!!

    Once a week- like a charm. I eat whatever I want. Funny thing is- eventually it just levels out to be around 3000cals or less for me. It's just where I naturally stop for some reason. Monday morning's workout is wonderful because of it- I feel very pumped because I just indulged a bit and am still on track.

    I love my free day. I too let foods know when I'm going to destroy them- I have a box of gluten free mac n cheese that's on warning.
  • angdan31
    angdan31 Posts: 95 Member
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    I wouldn't say I plan a cheat day but I don't stress when I have a day where I go off the rails, so to speak. I figure it's a lifestyle change and if I mess up one day I can choose to compensate on another day or exercise it off. Or just accept I had a bad day and move on. Sometimes it depends on what's happening in my life that day. We go over to my in-laws every Sunday for dinner. I know I'll probably go over my calories that day. It's harder to calculate when someone else is doing the cooking. You can't always know if they are adding extra butter or whatever. She's been trying to help by telling me how she cooked everything and what recipes she's used but it's never a perfect system. Plus she such a darn good cook I always want more :wink: I just get back on the plan the next day and move on with my new "lifestyle".

    So I guess my very long answer to your simple question is I don't plan it but I usually end up having one cheat day a week.
  • Ashes51113
    Ashes51113 Posts: 14
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    I have what I call a cheat day once a week. Although, I have only once gone over my calories. So I suppose I only have a REAL cheat day once a month.
  • amyjanetx
    amyjanetx Posts: 70 Member
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    wow! this is good to know!!
  • mjbrenner
    mjbrenner Posts: 222 Member
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    How about we call them FREE DAYS?

    Sunday, Sunday SUNDAY!!!!

    Once a week- like a charm. I eat whatever I want. Funny thing is- eventually it just levels out to be around 3000cals or less for me. It's just where I naturally stop for some reason. Monday morning's workout is wonderful because of it- I feel very pumped because I just indulged a bit and am still on track.

    I love my free day. I too let foods know when I'm going to destroy them- I have a box of gluten free mac n cheese that's on warning.

    Amen for Free Days as a better term! It's not cheating if you plan for it in your calorie goals.
  • kag1526
    kag1526 Posts: 210 Member
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    I allow myself a cheat day once a week. Not only for calories since my normal goal is 1780 and I usually only get to about 2500 (so not even 500 calories over maintenance since my usual goal is 1lb loss per week). I am always still under goal for the week as a whole.

    The bigger cheat is sodium. I have, well actually I used to have, high blood pressure. I love eating at spicy places like chilis and would eat alot there. The problem is almost all their food has your whole day of sodium... in one dish. So although I am not over a lot on calories my sodium levels are huge... 6000 mg sometimes. So that day and over the next few I drink alot of water and get the water retention down.

    I have been doing this for a little over 2 months. I did go 2 weeks without a cheat once because I was seeing progress and wanted to see more, I did worse that second week. Went back to this plan and have been losing great again. I don't know if it is just psychology or if it is more too it. But I do know that knowing I can go out to Chilis or the Cheesecake factory once in a while is great. I know that my DH is happier about me being on a diet since that means he can still go out to eat to the places he loves with me because I have cheat days. And my blood pressure has gone down to healthy levels of less then 120 over 80 for the last 3 weeks. I had not once ween numbers this good before then since I was 17.

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