Cheat day: To do or not to do?

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  • winnsboy
    winnsboy Posts: 20 Member
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    Just wanted to follow up and say what DesignGuy says above me is exactly what I am doing. It works for me as long as I stick to it. That, in the long term, would be the hard part most likely. My routine makes it much easier to fall off the horse permanently I think. Do what works best for you.
  • Awkward30
    Awkward30 Posts: 1,927 Member
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    I don't "cheat" because I don't restrict myself that much. If I crave chocolate, I have it, if there's free pizza at a lecture, damn straight I'll have it. Sometimes even twice a week. I am usually in a deficit, but I can hit maintenance or even go above it whenever I want. I think not feeling restricted makes me stay sane and not feel like I need to go crazy.
  • glowingbride
    glowingbride Posts: 11
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    I allow myself up to 2 "cheat meals" per week. I don't ALWAYS have them, but it works well because one night per week my fiancee usually cooks something absolutely delicious, and I don't want to deprive myself, especially when I know it was made with love (and he is a fantastic cook!) And then that usually allows for one social event per week where I don't have to worry too much about having a couple glasses of wine or eating out at a restaurant. It's worked well for me in the past. (Although now that I am slimming down for my wedding this summer and focusing on vanity weight, I might be a little more discerning when it comes to "cheating"...)
  • SteffieMark
    SteffieMark Posts: 1,723 Member
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    Personally, I don't have cheat meals or days. I eat, workout and log everything. Having a 'Cheat" something makes it seem too much like a reward, to me. I was never a binge, emotional, comfort eater before. My problem was that I never ate enough or ate proper foods. When I got older and sorta 'broke down', it caught up to me with a vengeance!

    I just can't reward myself with food. If I like something and I want to eat it, it'll be in my log and won't be a cheat. I guess I cannot think of a single food that I would feel deprived if I didn't have.
  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
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    It always worked for me for a boost of weight loss when I was heavy to have a cheat day, now that I am soooooooooooooo close to goal weight they seem to work against me.

    Try it out and see what happens for you.
  • _Schatzi_
    _Schatzi_ Posts: 112 Member
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    It works better for me to have an average net calorie goal for the week. There is no option for this on the website, but on the iPhone and iPad, you can easily toggle between your daily calorie goals and your weekly totals. My net calorie goal for the day and the week is 1600 calories. If I go over a little bit one or two days, I don't beat myself up over it, but I do try very hard to be at my net goal for the week. It's my way of forgiving myself.

    The way I look at it is, I'm working SO HARD during the week to exercise and stay on target, that if I indulged, I could easily be so far over my weekly average that it would negate all of my hard work! When putting this much effort into it, I don't want to be flying blind, even for one day!
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,565 Member
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    Do it but keep it below +20% TDEE.
  • OnMyWeigh464
    OnMyWeigh464 Posts: 447 Member
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    I give myself a "treat" meal or "treat" snack every so often. Like lastnight...I had a donut. It was the tastiest damn thing I ever had lol. But I didn't feel the need to have half a dozen like in the past because I knew I was allowing myself this and I was okay with that.

    Sometirme I do the full "treat meal" because it's what I want. I'm human. I know it's not realistic for me to give up all my faves.
  • saraann4
    saraann4 Posts: 1,312 Member
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    I had my first cheat day on Tuesday. At first, I thought I was going to eat this and that and ended up not being a cheat "day", but a cheat dinner which I was happy. The thing was I was soooooo miserable because I ate TOO much. BTW I think I only went over by like 300 calories. Next time, I plan to tone it down.
  • jodigirl03
    jodigirl03 Posts: 111
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    Yes!! I believe in keeping your body guessing so you don't hit plateu and it keeps your metabolism going. Check out ths website and it tells you how many calories can you have extra to keep weight lose, it is call the zig-zag method, hope it helps http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

    I've heard of this method and even used it many years ago. I agree to all of you. Within reason. My personal thoughts are that deprivation lead to binge eating. Just saying.
  • jodigirl03
    jodigirl03 Posts: 111
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    SOO WAIT .... on your "free day" or "cheat meal" are we staying within maintenace calories for the day or going just a little over? At this point maintence would feel like cheating I've gotten so used to so much less food.
    BTW - I do have a time frame/deadline I'm trying to lose my weight in for an event, does that make a difference? I personally think staggering calories keeps your metabolism guessing.
  • AzhureSnow
    AzhureSnow Posts: 289 Member
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    I guess I do "cheat" occasionally, but it's not a specific day or meal or anything. It's more of a once a week I'll decide to have cookies or ice-cream as a desert or something. It helps keep me from feeling deprived. I try to make the absolute healthiest choices when possible even when I'm "cheating" (for example, a bagel with cream cheese can be a whole-grain bagel with low-fat cream cheese, y'know?).

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