Why a Cheat Day is a misnomer

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Replies

  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
    It must be a blast hanging out with you at a party.

    ... says the person with Homer Simpson as their avatar.

    Sorry I stepped out of the office to go and grab a plate of chicken and rice from the street vendor since today is my cheat day!!!!! (Those !'s are me celebrating the fact).

    It's really quite delicious, you should try some.


    i don't see anything wrong with the OP. having days where you completely give in to temptation and justifying it because it makes you feel better is counterproductive. there are ways to enjoy food without overindulgence.

    people act like having self control means you are a cold fish.
    And people also act like having a day off from their diets is tantamount to prostitution.
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,749 Member
    So, those of you who embrace cheating, what other parts of your life to you have regular cheat days?? If it is good for your body, should be good everywhere else too right?

    So, in your world it's all black and white? No gray areas? If you cheat here, you must cheat there? Sounds pretty silly to me.

    I am fairly certain that at no point I have stated anything about my beliefs or practices. I was just trying to ascertain where this notion of a cheat day is derived from. My suspicion is that it is a term constructed for justification.

    I will say something about myself, in response to your comment. I do not eat corn or anything with corn in it. However, I do allow popcorn once a month given that it's organic and I make it myself with just coconut oil. This is not a cheat. It's a planned exception that from my research has no negative nutritional consequence to me. I log it and move on. I don't post something like "OMG, I ate popcorn! I better run 12 miles tomorrow and eat cucumbers all day!".

    It must be so hard being you. You're just so damn perfect.:bigsmile:
  • iuangina
    iuangina Posts: 691 Member
    It must be a blast hanging out with you at a party.

    ... says the person with Homer Simpson as their avatar.

    Sorry I stepped out of the office to go and grab a plate of chicken and rice from the street vendor since today is my cheat day!!!!! (Those !'s are me celebrating the fact).

    It's really quite delicious, you should try some.


    i don't see anything wrong with the OP. having days where you completely give in to temptation and justifying it because it makes you feel better is counterproductive. there are ways to enjoy food without overindulgence.

    people act like having self control means you are a cold fish.
    And people also act like having a day off from their diets is tantamount to prostitution.

    Wouldn't that happen when my diet paid me to cheat?
  • thistimeismytime
    thistimeismytime Posts: 711 Member
    i don't see anything wrong with the OP. having days where you completely give in to temptation and justifying it because it makes you feel better is counterproductive. there are ways to enjoy food without overindulgence.

    people act like having self control means you are a cold fish.

    Noooooo, we don't care whether he has self-control or not, but most people don't enjoy being lectured by someone who talks down to them like they are complete morons who don't even know the definitions of simple words. That's not being a cold fish, it's being a self-righteous, know-it-all prig who tries to dictate not only how the rest of us eat, but also how we DEFINE what we eat....epic.... F.A.I.L.!!!
  • boobee32
    boobee32 Posts: 450 Member
    well, its NOT a diet anyway..its a way of eating. Who cares what its called. It is the same thing.
  • willismack2
    willismack2 Posts: 84
    I cheated on myself with my old former self now I'm my own grandpa.
  • _Timmeh_
    _Timmeh_ Posts: 2,096 Member
    Ok I'll call it mental health day.
  • Axels91
    Axels91 Posts: 213
    why not have a moderate amount of a "bad food" everyday? if its not so bad?

    i don't understand why a whole day has to be dedicated to it? is it a "break" from your diet?
  • katemme
    katemme Posts: 191
    Whoooo cares. Are you gonna go off why the busy traffic going to and from work in the morning and afternoon shouldn't be called 'rush hour'?
  • jpuderbaugh
    jpuderbaugh Posts: 318 Member
    if this guy (callmeBam) is anything like my brother, and a few other guys I know, he is sitting back, laughing at everyone calling him names and getting really mad at him. He is probably enjoying this debate a little too much, and possibly only posted this forum to start a debate (this place needs a "rolling your eyes" smiley face). I know a few guys who will do this on facebook (including my own brother sometimes). They just like to debate. I say, go be a politician or a lawyer and get paid to argue (I always told my dad that).
  • Only1tracie
    Only1tracie Posts: 31
    I CHEAT every single Sunday. I pop out of bed like it is Christmas morning to weigh in and start enjoying what I have worked hard for all week.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    I don't really like your terminology either. I conciously and actively chose to eat those doughnuts, nibble those cookies, or drink that licquor. I didn't have a lapse in judgment. I thought about what I have achieved, how I have achieved it, what I have eaten already that day, what goals I have left, the timeframe for which I wish to achieve them, the exercises of done for the day and plan to do, the extra activity that I have coming up in my week, and all of my macros. Then, I decided whether or not to "cheat" on my diet. I don't consider any decision that I have put that much thought into to be a "lapse" or "regress".

    Maybe you should consider the practicality of allowing yourself indulgence. If anything, call it an "indulgence day"!!
  • iuangina
    iuangina Posts: 691 Member
    why not have a moderate amount of a "bad food" everyday? if its not so bad?

    i don't understand why a whole day has to be dedicated to it? is it a "break" from your diet?

    A break is a good way to put it. It's a day where you don't have to worry about it. If I eat bad foods everyday it doesn't work. I need one a day week where I have a higher calorie count in order to drop weight. It's just the way my body works.
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
    why not have a moderate amount of a "bad food" everyday? if its not so bad?

    i don't understand why a whole day has to be dedicated to it? is it a "break" from your diet?

    A reasonable question deserves a reasonable answer. It's telling me what I'm doing is wrong that's annoying.

    The timing and frequency for deviations from your diet is more a personal thing than anything. As long as your average caloric intake over time is still below maintenance you will continue to lose weight. If I didn't have cheat days, events like Thanksgiving or my birthday would completely throw me off my diet. Once I'm off my diet I have a lot of trouble getting back on the horse. If it's planned into my routine though, for me at least, it's much easier.

    Some people do have a moderate amount of bad food on a more regular basis. I personally don't have the discipline for that, and prefer the decadence of having it all at once.
  • lrbohn
    lrbohn Posts: 11
    I cheated on myself with my old former self now I'm my own grandpa.

    That's actually a common misnomer because it's presupposing that after you cheat on yourself with your former self you go back to being your former self, which everyone knows is almost impossible. . .
  • gaelyngaelyn
    gaelyngaelyn Posts: 86 Member
    I sometimes call it "I totally f*cked that up" day (if it's a whole day of mistakes)
    or "ruined it" day (if I did great all except for one thing/meal that screwed it all up)...
    If that helps anyone out there... ha!
  • nerdyandilikeit
    nerdyandilikeit Posts: 2,185 Member
    I've always wanted to meet a human dictionary. Neat.
  • 2April
    2April Posts: 285 Member
    I am pretty tired of seeing the term cheat day. People act like throwing out that term magically justifies, well, anything! I drank a fifth of vodka last night, cheat day! I ate 2 bowls of ice cream, cheat day! And everyone is like "Yeah, that's awesome!" or "LOLZ".

    "Cheat day" should not even be a term used here. I mean, do you even know what it means? Or is the herd just falling in line.

    From my 35 years of experience, cheat usually means taking a shortcut to win or finish first. It means doing something you shouldn't. It means you don't brag about it, you hide it hoping to not get caught. It means you lack the knowledge or will to complete a task with integrity.

    But when you cheat on your diet, you only fall further behind.
    Is it just the word "cheat" that you don't like or do you think that people should always be very fastidious about their diet?
    Perfectionism is linked to eating disorders. Relaxing your standards occasionally leads to a more balanced diet/personality.

    It should be called a "regress day" or "lapse day".

    Regress:
    1. To go back; move backward.
    2. To return to a previous, usually worse or less developed state.

    Laspe:
    1. To fall from a previous level or standard, as of accomplishment, quality, or conduct

    Perhaps we would be less cavalier about our cheating if we acknowledged what we were saying.
    Perfectionism is linked to eating disorders.
  • BrettPGH
    BrettPGH Posts: 4,716 Member
    :yawn: Nice lecture. Anyone wanna ditch this class next time?
  • 19danno77
    19danno77 Posts: 84
    if this guy (callmeBam) is anything like my brother, and a few other guys I know, he is sitting back, laughing at everyone calling him names and getting really mad at him. He is probably enjoying this debate a little too much, and possibly only posted this forum to start a debate (this place needs a "rolling your eyes" smiley face). I know a few guys who will do this on facebook (including my own brother sometimes). They just like to debate. I say, go be a politician or a lawyer and get paid to argue (I always told my dad that).

    Except this isn't a debate...there's no intelligible debate and rebuttal. The folks that took the time to address his questions get ignored...which makes this a rant: a useless flamewar started by some measure of an outlandish original post and then followed by ridiculing posts that best suited his desire to fight. The one response he gave to someone answering his second question regarding what OTHER areas people cheat in, he mocks and judges the user based on his avatar. callmeBAM is too vocal to be a troll, but to argue loudly/publicly while ignoring the counterpoints and even the ACTUAL answers to his questions/quips he claims to seek is jerk-like. So he has something against cheat days and specifically the word "cheat." It'd be fine if he actually was interested in an answer but it's clear by his selective arguments he's lurking now at the flame war he's incited. What an accomplishment for the day. Call 'em what you will, cheat days are useful to just about everyone and utilized by almost all...if they are occasional, and the average works out to meet your goals there is no problem with them...this is merely an attack on those he feels are half-a$$ing it, even if the results prove otherwise. He's pulling morality cop here and isn't interested in any opinions but his own.

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