How do you feel about cheat days/meals?

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  • willismack2
    willismack2 Posts: 84
    .. Instead, I try to find healthier alternatives to the foods I crave. ..

    Good Advice
  • busyblkgirl
    busyblkgirl Posts: 264 Member
    My fitness instructor gives me 2 cheat days a week, tues & fridays, but the catch is, I can only cheat between the hours of 12 - 3. This is for when I really have a hankering for something. So like I don't cheat just b/c it's within my days & hours, if I'm not feeling it, I don't eat it. Like last tues, I stuck w/ my healthy meals all day, but fri, I opted to get an 8 piece chicken nuggets and sweet tea from chick-fil-a, it wasn't even worth it :-/ So I probably won't be doing that again, but it's good to know the option is there if I feel like I need it.
  • SexyCook
    SexyCook Posts: 2,249 Member
    Personally I think cheat days are horrible. It is so much easier to say "I can eat that today and tomorrow I'll be back on the wagon". If you haven't cheated then I suggest not to. Stay strong and stick to your diet because it does make a difference when you eat bad again, even for just one day, it makes a difference! Good luck!

    Agree...Cheat day..why...this is a lifestyle why schedule or plan a day out to cheat..Yes you may have a meal or snack off odieting but to create it..don't agree...OPEN invite to indulge for a time..
  • jewol
    jewol Posts: 74 Member
    It comes down to your psychology and your level of motivation. For me, it's a matter of WHEN it's compensated for. Today, I'm going to have spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. Because of exercise, I was under my calorie limit ever day last week except for yesterday when I was about 100 calories over. So, I won't feel like I'm cheating this evening because I "earned" it. As long as I pay in advance and not in arrears, I'm fine with an extravagant meal.
  • funkycamper
    funkycamper Posts: 998 Member
    I don't have cheat days or cheat meals. I eat what I want, when I want it. I simply do it moderation. For me, having to wait for a specific meal or a specific day to eat something? Well, that is far too "diet-ish" for me. If I want something, I want it NOW. I do not want to have to wait or to set aside a day/meal when it is deemed "okay" to eat it. I don't consider any food "bad" or any food "good" - it is all just food. If I want a Reese's, I eat it. This is a lifestyle change... not a diet. Nothing should be considered "off limits".

    Ditto!!!!!

    I used to think some foods were bad, others good, and if I ate a "bad" food, that I might as well blow it and go whole hog. Starving/binging/starving, yada yada. That along with inactivity and just bad food choices for my body, in general, got me up to 237#.

    I've lost all my weight by making my peace with food. If I want it, I eat it. I put it in my diary. No guilt, just some pleasure. Because I feel better eating healthier, my splurges are automatically more controlled. Yesterday I bought a big, yummy macadamia nut & caramel bar at a local bakery. Ate half yesterday and just finished off the other half right before I wrote this. Yummmm.

    I also have some massive calorie burns during the week and days that I can't eat all my exercise calories so I actually have a weekly target instead of a daily target and zig-zag my calories throughout the week. By the weekend, I always have extra calories that need to be eaten. And, yes, I do believe they should be eaten to keep my metabolism fired up. I have quite a few to eat today so I'm trying to figure out what to make to get them in. Hmmmm...haven't had lasagna and garlic bread in awhile. That sounds good.

    I actually often have my biggest scale losses the day after my biggest splurges. I guess my motto might be "eat healthy 85% and enjoy splurges the other 15%" or thereabouts. Works for me. I'm loving not feeling deprived or even like I'm on a diet at all. After several decades of not losing while dieting, this is a dream come true.

    A lot of people have success eating with a Spike Day. I guess I do that sometimes but I'm not following the specific protocol. The reasoning behind it makes good sense.

    Also, there is a lot of research showing that people who are flexible dieters tend to achieve their weight loss goals and maintain their weight loss better than those who are rigid. Some good articles on it here:
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/index.php?s=flexible+diet
  • Alphawolf02
    Alphawolf02 Posts: 94
    I don't like to call them cheat days; I call them free days. Since starting MFP, I plan for a free day every week, but I usually don't use it. Even when I say "This day will be my free day", I still find myself making sure that I make good, healthy choices. I know there will be days where I will go over, but I don't fret too much about them. Because I am in this for the long haul, I try and look at weekly caloric intake, instead of daily. If there is one day that I am over, but I am way under my weekly allowance, then I know that I will still lose weight.Plus, I work out 6 days a week, running hard three of those days. Free days aren't for everyone, but if it works for you, then go for it.
  • dHowe4406
    dHowe4406 Posts: 114
    I have a cheat day every Friday, after my weigh in. I've been steadily losing weight, with no plateaus or anything.

    I am much more inclined to not over indulge when I think to myself "if I still want it, I can have it Friday" That being said, I still eat anything I want, just less of it. However, its comforting to know that if I want TWO pieces of cheesecake on Friday, I can :)

    ^^this

    If I didn't have my Cheat day I would of gave up a long time ago. That being said do whatever works for you. Also I don't go crazy on my cheat day and normally do it on a day I have a long run, so most of the times I'm still under my calories.
  • maf66
    maf66 Posts: 211 Member
    Thanks! I don't really want to take cheat meals or days there's just to much risk of it all going to pot! I'd rather just turn what I'm doing into a habit. If that makes sense. The reason I asked the question was because i read somewhere that they can boost weight loss, and wasnt sure how that would work!

    I don't know if I'm repeating anyone or not as I've not read each and every reply, But here's my opinion and why. Keep in mind my journey is mine alone and I'm going about things very different this time. According to Dr. Oz and other health and fitness "guru's", the reason "cheaterday" works is that it tricks your body into not thinking it's dieting. Eating too few calories puts your body into starvation mode, thus lowering your metabolism and saving calories. This also simply makes you tired and can actually make you gain weight. So a cheaterday, or cheatermeal can counteract that effect. If you have the willpower to follow a diet then you DO HAVE WITHIN YOURSELF the willpower to occasionally cheat responsibly. What has worked for me is I allow myself 5 weekly cheat foods. I can only have 1 per day and honestly, I usually only have 1 per week. But I give myself permission to "eat outside the lines" so to speak. And my cheat foods are/were my favorite things. I say were because honestly, fried foods are mostly just gross to me now :)
  • rstultz14
    rstultz14 Posts: 3
    I think a meal is fine but you have to be disciplined to just do that. A day of cheating can take you overboard and lead to confusion and failure. My opinion.
  • thecloud6
    thecloud6 Posts: 11
    I eat what I want throughout the week, staying below my calorie range. For instance, I have a dark chocolate/caramel Ghirardelli square daily. I just count it in my calories. So I don't feel deprived. I do have a cheat day a week. I have found that it is more like a cheat meal. I usually eat light for two meals but may indulge more for dinner (usually it is pizza or eating out). The next day I go right back to counting calories. I have been losing weight so far. We will see if it continues to work. :)
  • januarygal
    januarygal Posts: 336 Member
    I tried doing this for awhile and it eventually got to be too much cheat and too hard to get back to routine. I am now not a fan of cheat meal, but I do like have a glass of red wine twice per week, that is cheat enough to me:drinker:
  • xXKatrinaXx
    xXKatrinaXx Posts: 234
    personally i prefer not to have them! I dont know if its true or not, but I am scared a regular cheat day or cheat meal could mess up my results. ANd honestly I am so used to eating healthy/clean that I actually enjoy it. I dont really crave junk foods anymore...

    The ONLY thing I will do that is a cheat meal is when I go out to sushi...I hardly ever go out and it is my favorite food ever so when we go out I get all you can eat and I pig out on it... yum... =)
  • Mibs131
    Mibs131 Posts: 12 Member
    I think you're absolutely right. It's not about "cheating". It's about not cheating yourself out of anything. All things in moderation is the bottom line.
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