Cheat days?

bethieannie
bethieannie Posts: 75 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
How many of you have "cheat days?" Why do you have them, and what day of the week? How is it going for you?

I personally weigh in on Tuesdays, and let myself eat less than healthy foods for the rest of that day (I stay close to my calorie allotment, but often eat takeout or processed snacks). My reasoning? If I had a great weigh in, I am not going to sabotage it by going nuts on junk food, and if i had a bad weigh in I am that much more conscious of what I am putting in my mouth. Plus if I go overboard, I have the rest of the week to make up for it.
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Replies

  • ckdub428
    ckdub428 Posts: 453 Member
    I recently heard someone call them "spike days" because cheat implies guilt. I usually have one day that is high and its normally when I need to to help my sanity.
  • LolaGotThin
    LolaGotThin Posts: 111 Member
    I do have cheat days but I usually only cheat for one meal and snack and that's it. It really depends on how I'm feeling. For example, it was that TOM and I had this killer craving for sea salt and vinegar potato chips. I had the same craving for two days so I caved and got a tiny bag of Tim's Cascades. They were delicious and hit the spot and nixed that craving.
    Then there are holidays or birthdays or special occasions. In general, I get between one and three cheat days a month. :> I haven't had much issue with that.
  • EatClenTrenHard
    EatClenTrenHard Posts: 339 Member
    4000 calorie once per week. and 2700 calorie(my maintenance) once per week. the rest days are 1kcal deficit per day.
  • cantjustcant
    cantjustcant Posts: 1,027 Member
    The first 43 years of my life were cheat days....I am caught up
  • itsuki
    itsuki Posts: 520 Member
    Once or twice a week (usually one week day and one weekend). I call them cheat days rather than spike days because I usually don't see a spike in my net calories - I eat one bad meal (mmm french fries) but I compensate either by more exercise or less calories at other meals.
  • mjbrenner
    mjbrenner Posts: 222 Member
    I like the term "cheat day", because I am breaking my daily routine. "Free day" is a another good term. I dislike the "spike" terminology, only because it is tied to a specific commercial diet plan, whereas a cheat day is more generic in focus.

    I have one cheat day per week, usually Sundays, where I eat two to three times my normal daily allowance, and no food is off limits. To balance this, I eat less than my MFP recommended calories the other six days per week. For example, MFP recommends I eat 1990 calories per day, so I do 1500 calories six days a week, and 4500 on my cheat day. It has been working really, really well for me. I don't get hungry on my lower calorie days, and I can really enjoy some crazy meals on my cheat day.

    When they are part of your diet plan, cheat days also have the advantage of giving you a chance to be "normal" in social situations. Thanksgiving day I did not need to be the only family member on a diet. I ate until I was stuffed and it did not interrupt my weight loss goals at all.
  • Buddhasmiracle
    Buddhasmiracle Posts: 925 Member
    The first 43 years of my life were cheat days....I am caught up

    Ditto.
  • skinnyeli
    skinnyeli Posts: 1
    Cheat days really arent a good idea at all. Its better to have a "cheat meal" that way, you don't go out of control and blow your entire week on a single day. Perhaps either every friday or every sunday, you can let yourself indulge with dessert and whatever meal youre craving :)
  • shaycat
    shaycat Posts: 980
    I have cheat days. I call them "relax" days. I do them on the weekends and enjoy a nice meal and some wine with my husband.
    It makes me feel like I am not depriving myself of anything. I eat well during the week and relax on the weekends.
  • robinogue
    robinogue Posts: 1,117 Member
    I don't have any cheat "days", I do have a cheat meal. It used to be every Saturday. Now it's on occassions and mostly on the weekend.
  • mjbrenner
    mjbrenner Posts: 222 Member
    Cheat days really arent a good idea at all. Its better to have a "cheat meal" that way, you don't go out of control and blow your entire week on a single day. Perhaps either every friday or every sunday, you can let yourself indulge with dessert and whatever meal youre craving :)

    Some people do better with a single cheat meal and more freedom in their daily routine. Some of us are happy to have less freedom day-to-day in exchange for a full-blown cheat day. Neither is inherently wrong.
  • fourthewebbs
    fourthewebbs Posts: 11 Member
    I like your way of thinking
  • holthaus30
    holthaus30 Posts: 58 Member
    Once or twice a week (usually one week day and one weekend). I call them cheat days rather than spike days because I usually don't see a spike in my net calories - I eat one bad meal (mmm french fries) but I compensate either by more exercise or less calories at other meals.

    Im the same except I do it one time a week, which is at random, or one time in two weeks. I feel too guilty if I cheat once a week consistently.
  • lovinmysoldier
    lovinmysoldier Posts: 156 Member
    I do and have for awhile. I pick at most one day a week as a free day, no counting calories. Multiple reasons really. Mentally when I need a break from counting and not think about it, secondly I believe giving the body a bit extra helps to prevent plateuas or lack of weight loss due to decreased calorie intake. I do have rules though, I will only continue to do it as long as my week to week weight is overall less than or equal to the week before and I can easily get back on track the very next day.

    I don't necessarily do this every week, just when I feel I need a break or if I know we are going to a party or out for a special occasion.
  • onlysony72
    onlysony72 Posts: 6 Member
    When I did the Body for Life plan they put in 1 cheat day per week - "cheat" as in eat anything and everything. I'd eat myself sick on those days and still lose weight. This time around...simply on a healthy eating plan I'll have 1 cheat meal a week. Matter of fact, if I seem to plateau at a certain weight, and know I've been eating well and exercising but the scale isnt budging, I'll have a cheat day and low and behold...I'll start dropping weight again. The BFL program said this is because you're body may have slowed down its metabolism due to the lower calorie intake and having a cheat day tricks it into believing its not starving and can release some fat and calories. I'm not sure if there is any scientific proof behind this but it works for me :)
  • MenaMena
    MenaMena Posts: 232 Member
    If I were to consider myself on a diet, I would feel the need to cheat. But since, I am learning how to eat responsibly then I figure I can eat what I want as long as I stay within my calories. If I eat more, then I need to move more. I chose to eat healthy so if I "cheat", who am I cheating but myself.

    Just my opinion, for what it's worth.
  • NoExcuseTina
    NoExcuseTina Posts: 506 Member
    I make myself burn calories with exercise in order to eat more 90-95% of the time...occasionally I will not log, but I try not to even if I have to guess at the calories
  • bethieannie
    bethieannie Posts: 75 Member
    I have been a yo-yo dieter for years! I do really well for a while, then feel VERY deprived, and throw it all out the window! Thats why I do my cheat days, so that I can have the crap that makes my mouth water, and not feel like I have failed and give up completely. I try to stay within a couple hundred calories of my target, and if I am over more I add a workout in. And I do this on my weigh in days, because I am less likely to completely over indulge if I have that number from the scale on my mind. To each their own I suppose!
  • deniseselah
    deniseselah Posts: 225 Member
    If I were to consider myself on a diet, I would feel the need to cheat. But since, I am learning how to eat responsibly then I figure I can eat what I want as long as I stay within my calories. If I eat more, then I need to move more. I chose to eat healthy so if I "cheat", who am I cheating but myself.

    Just my opinion, for what it's worth.
    ^^ good point!

    I have a spike meal, not a day (whatever program 'spike' refers to I'm not a part of; I just personally like that word) - really, this is the first week I am trying this. I usually eat out either Fri or Sat night with friends, so I wanted to set aside a meal for that.

    I set up a special section of my diary called "my one weekly cheat meal" - just reinforcing it for myself that I do it ONCE a week - not a meal here, and 'oh well I screwed up and might as well keep eating' - nope. One.

    For me I want to log everything I eat accurately - spike, regular, off-the-rails ... I have been in denial for YEARS about how much I eat so even if I go overboard I log it and forgive myself.

    To whomever said "I've had years of cheat days - I'm caught up" - yep that's me too! :laugh: so true.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    I don't do cheat meals or cheat days. I eat what I want, when I want it - I simply do it in moderation. Having to wait for a specific meal or day to enjoy something I want is too diet-ish for me. I would much rather enjoy that Reese's NOW than have to wait for a certain day. Eat it, log it, move on.
  • invisibubble
    invisibubble Posts: 662 Member
    I don't do cheat meals or cheat days. I eat what I want, when I want it - I simply do it in moderation. Having to wait for a specific meal or day to enjoy something I want is too diet-ish for me. I would much rather enjoy that Reese's NOW than have to wait for a certain day. Eat it, log it, move on.
    ^THIS.
  • dalygirl_2010
    dalygirl_2010 Posts: 95
    We( my husband and I ) call it a BOOST meal, we do a single meal where we eat whatever we want. It is always Thursday after we weigh, and to this day we have not gone over our calories due to it... ( oh and its a Boost meal cus it gives your body that little boost from the extra calories, helps your metabolism, it may not be true but hey it helps ease my mind while eating)
  • Skeebee
    Skeebee Posts: 740 Member
    I don't know if I would call them "cheat days" but if i have a big allotment of calories from my workout on Thursday, my hubby and I do a date night on Friday night where I use those calories from the day before.
  • CuteAndCurvy83
    CuteAndCurvy83 Posts: 570 Member
    I call it a free day. But usually it's just more the evening. I try to have a healthy breakfast and lunch and then allow myself to not care about what I choose for dinner and dessert. I do it about once a week, simply because it makes me feel balanced, and helps me get through those hard cravings when I tell myself "if you still want it on your free day you can have it." usually by that time the craving is gone, but on the off occasion it isn't I allow myself that treat.
  • brittigno
    brittigno Posts: 193 Member
    I really don't have any 'cheat days'. If I feel like having something that's on the unhealthy side, I will but in moderation.

    Although today is probably considered a major cheat day for me, it being Fat Tuesday and all.
  • Deipneus
    Deipneus Posts: 1,861 Member
    Cheat days really arent a good idea at all. Its better to have a "cheat meal" that way, you don't go out of control and blow your entire week on a single day. Perhaps either every friday or every sunday, you can let yourself indulge with dessert and whatever meal youre craving :)

    I don't use cheat days or spike days whatever people call them either. But losing weight is a highly individualized endeavor and what doesn't work for one might be the best thing in the world for another.
  • LastSixtySix
    LastSixtySix Posts: 352 Member
    I agree with Jillian Michaels philosophy and I don't believe in cheat days. What or who, pray tell, am I cheating on? Me?? Damn well better not be! I will choose occassionally to have something out of the norm for me, be it a birthday cake slice or a slice of pizza but I include those "calories in" my daily intake budget. Every day. No slacking. Slacking or cheating implies lying to yourself. Sorry. Boyfriends and husbands may lie to me but I'll be damned if I'm going to lie to myself.

    Be true to you and what your goals are - health and strength and abundance, or fences and rules and potential cheating.

    -Debra
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
    If I were to consider myself on a diet, I would feel the need to cheat. But since, I am learning how to eat responsibly then I figure I can eat what I want as long as I stay within my calories. If I eat more, then I need to move more. I chose to eat healthy so if I "cheat", who am I cheating but myself.

    Just my opinion, for what it's worth.
    Pretty much this.

    Eating food is not "cheating." Nor can you eat clean. All marketing gimmicks made to make the "dieter" feel guilty.
  • Larissa26
    Larissa26 Posts: 12 Member
    Cheat meals throw me off, I go into "CHEAT DAYS" and i mean day(S) LOL!
  • alyson820
    alyson820 Posts: 448 Member
    Well, I cheat on holidays, but I up my deficit throughout the week to even that out. If I'm in a plateau, I'll spike my calorie intake for a few days and then get back to 1200.

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