Best Cheat Day ever!

Many of these cheats sound like binges to me. How is that a healthy mindset as a reward?

What is the difference between a cheat and a binge? Actually asking, no snark here.

I, personally don't see much of a difference. I know people are here for different reasons. Some just want weight loss, while others want to be healthy, and even fit on top of that. I don't have cheat days/binge because it's something my body doesn't crave anymore. I want more than weight loss. I want to be healthy. Yes, you can be slim and still eat what you want, but by putting certain foods into your body isn't good for you. I didn't come this far to through it all away. I just don't crave these things anymore. It's amazing.

Am having my first cheat day tomorrow and am so looking forward to it. My weakness is lager (I'm such a lady :laugh: ) and tomorrow I'm going out for a pint or two with friends and then over to another friends for dinner. The friend in question is an awesome cook and doesn't know the meaning of the word calorie! Everything will cooked in butter with oodles of cheese and fat and it's going to be yummy. I'm going to get stuck in and not feel bad about it! He's already let slip that dessert will be chocolate grenache with shortbread and raspberry sauce......

When I ate an entire jar of nutella!

FOR THE WIN! Nutella is the most wonderful cheat.

I've never had a cheat day, nor do I ever plan on having one. I have become so in love with healthy good, and being fit I just don't crave those 'bad' foods anymore. Maybe it's just me.

Easy for you to say now, you just started Feb 2012, talk to us when you have more time under your belt of pure clean eating lol

I joined the site in February, not started a healthy life style.

Many of these cheats sound like binges to me. How is that a healthy mindset as a reward?

What is the difference between a cheat and a binge? Actually asking, no snark here.

I think a 'cheat' would be indulging in a bigger piece of cake, or eating a not so healthy meal out if you haven't in a while...and a 'binge' would be eating an entire pizza in one sitting by yourself...or just pigging out throughout the whole day.

Ahhh - gotcha. I think I'd probably rather cheat than binge cause I'd get bored with eating a bunch of one thing. Except doritos. Oh man - I am not allowed near the doritos - even on a cheat day. I guess because it would become a binge?

I think cheat days can actually be good for you though. Yeah - you can eat clean and healthy most of the time, but if you're near goal and hit a plateau, sometimes a cheat day can trick your metabolism enough to get you re-started. Accordingly, not good to knock the cheat!

I've never had a cheat day, nor do I ever plan on having one. I have become so in love with healthy good, and being fit I just don't crave those 'bad' foods anymore. Maybe it's just me.

Easy for you to say now, you just started Feb 2012, talk to us when you have more time under your belt of pure clean eating lol

I joined the site in February, not started a healthy life style.

Oh sorry I see on your profile that you started in January 26, 2012

January 26th was the day I told myself I was going to stop letting my eating disorder get to me. I've yo-yo'd my entire life. I know what it's like to be healthy, and I know what it's like to binge eat. Hence why I'm saying I won't do that to myself again. I'm clean, and I don't crave any of that anymore. Hard to explain I suppose.

Many of these cheats sound like binges to me. How is that a healthy mindset as a reward?

What is the difference between a cheat and a binge? Actually asking, no snark here.

I think a 'cheat' would be indulging in a bigger piece of cake, or eating a not so healthy meal out if you haven't in a while...and a 'binge' would be eating an entire pizza in one sitting by yourself...or just pigging out throughout the whole day.

Well then..Today I will "Binge" on an ENTIRE Artisan Spinach and Feta Pizza. They're so small...but hey...if an entire pizza is called a binge....then a binge it is :-))

Well, I mean more like an entire pan crust large or medium from Pizza Hut or something...

Diner delivery at 1 am...homemade peanut butter cookies (big ones) with vanilla ice cream ice cream in between making an ice cream sandwich and a monte cristo one night and the next night we ordered two ice cream sandwiches, one with peanut butter cookies and one with oatmeal raisin...what can i say, sometimes you just have to cheat! And I'll tell you its soooooo worth it!

In my opinion, you can't go too big on a cheat day. Just eat what you want when you want, don't count calories, and get back on the program with clean eating and exercising the next day, for the rest of the week. And yes, I will explain the metabolic benefits.

The benefits of cheat days are many, and while the topic is controversial in the health and fitness field, there are many metabolic benefits of taking one, as well as phycological benefits as well. Here's why cheat days are good...

When you chronically eat a rigid diet, cutting your calories every day to lose weight, your body starts to slowly metabolically go into starvation mode, causing you to hold on to fat and burn less calories. It slows your metabolism down. Now given, in order to lose weight, you need to cut calories. But over-doing it can start to work against you. Taking a cheat day and causing a major surplus of calories in your body shocks and resets your metabolism and shows your body that your not starving after all and that it can release its fat stores for energy. Also, chronic dieting causes your leptin levels (the hormone that causes you to feel full after eating) to lower, increasing your cravings. Taking one day of the week to eat high carby, fatty foods, ie foods not typically in your diet increases these leptin levels, helping you to have more control in the week.

And about losing momentum, or feeling crappy after taking a cheat day, consider this. I DO NOT like the way I feel on my cheat days!! By the end of the day, I most assuredly go into sugar hangovers, and it reminds me of just how good I feel when I eat perfectly clean the rest of the week. Almost every cheat day I've taken now, by the end of the day I'm thinking, "Wow, I'm craving brown rice..." Lol.

Also, cheat days are fun and it gives you some wiggle room in your mind for pleasure in the foods you love. Throughout the week, if you have a major craving for macaroni and cheese, instead of denying yourself, just save it for your free day. Having a free day after a good week of clean eating and training gives you incentive to work harder and eat cleaner throughout the week, and also gives you something to look forward to. The trick is to keep it to a cheat day. The rest of the week, eat as clean as possible and exercise regularly. If you do take a cheat day, one note- the next day you will have water retention and bloat, and your weight will be up, but don't worry... it will go back down within 1-2 days. It's just water retention.

Hope this helps! If you have any other questions, I'm always here to answer them!

Have a happy healthy weekend!

Alese

Chipotle steak burrito with extra cheese, a whole bag of their yummy chips and salsa, mmmm! That is like 1200 calories right there in one meal, lol!

I go to Chipotle most weekends and have some good light meals there if you're interested. Mostly consist of a burrito bowl with brown rice, but I can even fit some chips in if I split the burrito bowl in 1/2

Yeah. I love Chipotle!

I usually do a bowl and go light on the chips, but tomorrow it is an intentional cheat day and I'm having the works, lol! Love me some Chipotle!!

What is the difference between a cheat and a binge? Actually asking, no snark here.

The difference between a cheat and binge, in my opinion, is that the cheat is planned, and within a limit of control, while a binge is unplanned, and due to letting cravings go unsatisfied for too long.

Before I "cheat" I make sure I have an extra good week. I exercise, plenty, and drink lots of water. I know what I'm going to eat, and how much, but I plan it so that it is not severe.

If I binge, it is likely because I haven't had something in a while, and my emotions take over. For example, once I was stressed and on my time of month. I couldn't stop eating, because I was mad. That was not planned, and I did not keep it within my limits.

Great explanation about the two. I tend to call them "earned days" instead of cheat days. I take all my accumulated exercise calories for the week and I eat them back in one day. I feel absolutely no guilt because I earned every tasty mouthful. It also helps to keep me motivated to burn as much as possible during the week. I'm not a binge eater at all and have no problem avoiding temptation 6 days out of the week but I would think binging would involved guilt and out of control eating.

Totally agree... what separates the cheat day from a binge is whether you control what you eat or whether what you eat controls you. Yes, I ate all that food.. but I planned it all and was in control the entire time.

Many of these cheats sound like binges to me. How is that a healthy mindset as a reward?

What is the difference between a cheat and a binge? Actually asking, no snark here.

I, personally don't see much of a difference. I know people are here for different reasons. Some just want weight loss, while others want to be healthy, and even fit on top of that. I don't have cheat days/binge because it's something my body doesn't crave anymore. I want more than weight loss. I want to be healthy. Yes, you can be slim and still eat what you want, but by putting certain foods into your body isn't good for you. I didn't come this far to through it all away. I just don't crave these things anymore. It's amazing.

I'm not really sure why you decided to post on this board. Maybe you just needed to feel superior to others that you don't eat indulgent food every now and then. Way to toot your own horn. I hope you feel amazing now!

I had my first (and after a 4lb gain this week last) cheat day on my birthday. I don't remember everything I ate (which was the point) but other then the 2 liters of kosher for passover coke and tons of rum, I had hamburger, cheese, more cheese, and basically all the bacon and eggs you have.

And please don't think I meant "A lot of bacon and eggs". I had ALL the bacon and eggs you had.

Many of these cheats sound like binges to me. How is that a healthy mindset as a reward?

What is the difference between a cheat and a binge? Actually asking, no snark here.

I, personally don't see much of a difference. I know people are here for different reasons. Some just want weight loss, while others want to be healthy, and even fit on top of that. I don't have cheat days/binge because it's something my body doesn't crave anymore. I want more than weight loss. I want to be healthy. Yes, you can be slim and still eat what you want, but by putting certain foods into your body isn't good for you. I didn't come this far to through it all away. I just don't crave these things anymore. It's amazing.

I'm not really sure why you decided to post on this board. Maybe you just needed to feel superior to others that you don't eat indulgent food every now and then. Way to toot your own horn. I hope you feel amazing now!

^Love you!!! I could not understand why she bothered to post on this message either