Cheat Days

My friends and I recently finished our first round of Biggest Loser and it seemed like all of us took a “cheat week,” which caused several pounds weight gain, before starting back up with the next round.

For me, “cheat day” or “free days” means eating whatever I want w/o worrying about the calories. I do log everything, though, and that helps me gauge the impact of my cheats. And now that I’ve lost a little weight, I find myself sometimes limiting the indulgence. Not always, lol!

I look at the weekends as "Free days" because we weigh in on Fridays, and generally speaking my schedule is so spontaneous and chaotic on the weekends that I can't plan like I used to. For me, looking at the weekends as free days takes away the mental stress of not doing as well as I’d like.

When I was married, before I had my son, I was on an incredibly (and IMHO, unhealthy) strict diet, and the only way I could really maintain it was to allow myself to eat anything I wanted on Sundays as a reward for “being good” all week. Unfortunately, a lot of “cheat” foods made me sick.

I cheat every week, but I log it to be responsible for my actions.
I don't dwell on my cheats (even though sometimes they are huge), I just accept them for what they are and move on. And it's been working for me. It's good to let go once in awhile.

Does not exist in my vocabulary. Cheat days have negative connotations and I don't believe in negativity with food. I also don't believe in healthy and unhealthy foods either, only unhealthy and healthy diets.

I've allowed myself cheat days on holidays and such. Christmas, Valentine's Day, etc. It's just a day when I don't have to worry about or feel bad about what I eat.

I have about one day a week where I eat in a less healthy manner and call it a "cheat day." However, in all honesty I do not go above my calorie goal + exercise calorie allotment.

It's more of a day where I don't pay much attention to my macronutrients and sugar intake... This day is typically a Friday... when I make homemade pizza with my little girls and I try to not feel bad about the carbs in the crust or the amount of fat in the pepperoni but I still eat proportionally.

This week Saturday was my cheat day... and I ate more than my allotment (but not by much) but then took a 2 1/2 hour walk on the beach as the ending to my date.

personally i don't agree with cheat days... i mean whats the point of taking away the work you've done? if anything a cheat meal is more understandable but i don't have the problem of having massive cravings for "bad foods" so i don't find it necessary!

Same. I used to be all for them but the more I pushed away the "bad foods", the less I craved them. Every now and then I'll have a "cheat meal" but I account for it with the rest of the day's diet. It's alright to let yourself have something that you want every now and then, but I think an entire day where you don't account for your actions is just setting yourself up for failure.

I agree with many of the opinions out there related cheat days, particularly as I entered into this plan with the expressed intention of regaining a more healthy lifestyle. I find the counting and logging a bit tedious, but it is of course rewarding once you get to see the progress that you've made in terms of weight loss. Additionally, I am so much more aware of how many calories that I really used to consume without even a moment's thought! So, whereas a cheat/splurge day would have meant going nuts and driving 40 miles to a Ben & Jerry's location (!) or seeking some outrageously yummy and fatty treat( like the thick cut maple pepper bacon at Two Rows Restaurant), I really stop and think of the implications of that splurge and how I am going to feel the following day and week. And...since we do our weigh ins on Sunday, I am less likely to "go for broke" on Saturday, knowing that I have to weigh in the following morning!

Instead of splurge or cheat days, I usually just adjust my caloric/fat intake during my morning/lunch meal, to allow for a greater allowance during the evening meal or to make room for a dessert that I'd like to have. Crunching the numbers allows me to not only stay accountable to the 1550 daily limit, but also affords me the freedom to enjoy the things that I choose to eat.