Should Cheat Meals/ Days Be Allowed.............?!?

Jordant107
Jordant107 Posts: 218 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Do these do more harm than good when trying to stick to a clean and healthy diet??

Replies

  • Candida1983
    Candida1983 Posts: 188
    I have found that they work well for me as long as it is one time per week or less.
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
    Everyone is different and has a different consensus on this. I do one every 2 weeks or so. They were weekly but it's reducing bc I just don't crave crap anymore. It's never once harmed my progress. I've never gained even on the worst days in the beginning. I usually reserve them for outings or special events.
  • rachaelgifford
    rachaelgifford Posts: 320 Member
    I had a 'sod it Sunday' thing going that worked really well. I didn't go mad - but if in the week I really wanted something I told myself to wait for Sunday. Most of the time I would no longer want it by then - but it was good to know that all the foods that I were avoiding were avaliable to me still - just in moderation!
  • strawberrie_milk
    strawberrie_milk Posts: 381 Member
    Depends on the person. Some people work well with cheats while others go overboard with them.
  • carrie31023
    carrie31023 Posts: 17 Member
    I do a "cheat" day on Sundays. I find that if I can have my chocolate one day a week I will stick to it all week long!
  • em9371
    em9371 Posts: 1,047 Member
    I usually go over my allowance on a Friday or Saturday and am losing my goal amount each week.
    What I did is reduce my daily cals by 100 each day, so I have 700 'extra' for the weekend, but they are from my allowance so I'm not really over.
    Also odd 'bad' meals don't hurt if it fits in your macros :-)
  • DianneBoo
    DianneBoo Posts: 226 Member
    I refuse to say I am cheating. That implies that I am doing something wrong. Rather, I allow myself one Indulgence Day per week (Tuesdays) and I track everything. I just include a little more exercise later in the day.
  • HotAshMess
    HotAshMess Posts: 382 Member
    It really depends on you as a person. I heard of people who were very strict during the week and had "free weekends" where they would eat whatever they wanted and they lost 25-30 pounds and were still going. Some people choose to have those, other try to avoid it like the plague. I personally have to have little cheat treats....chocolate here and there, dessert, dinner out at a restaurant (TGI Fridays is the devil and I love it). But...one meal at Fridays can be an entire days worth of calories. Seriously. So I have treats and whatever I want in moderation here and there (or I try anyway) but I can't do a an entire cheat day because there will be leftovers or I will lose control and end up eating like crap for days. For example....Tuesday night the bf and I were drinking (already a treat) then we decided to order pizza. Total damage for dinner and drinks...2299, more than a days worth of calories. Which I'd be ok with if I hadn't eaten at all that day, except I had. And I would say....ok, I slipped up that day, if I didn't have the leftovers staring at me from the fridge. I ate pizza for 3 more days at 421 calories a slice. I totally did it to myself, but it affected my entire week. So...I learned my lesson. Little treats, never buy more than one serving unless I can control myself.
  • amymeenieminymo
    amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
    As in, should you allow yourself one? Or should the MFP police come arrest me for a "cheat day"?
  • nylitak
    nylitak Posts: 18 Member
    I cheat every Saturday. I go way over my caloric intake for the day but log it anyways. You can't totally deprive yourself our you will always have cravings. Sunday is the start of a new week!
  • chellk71
    chellk71 Posts: 69
    yes. unless of course its a daily thing. But once a week as long as you don't go hog wild I think its helpful.
  • ArtemisMoon
    ArtemisMoon Posts: 144
    Seems to keep your metabolism more active but eating a little more at least one day every week or two. I had a terrible day where I went 2,000 calories over last weekend...and I've lost several lbs since. So I don't think they really seem to hurt and even does you some good.
  • runfatmanrun
    runfatmanrun Posts: 1,090 Member
    I don't think people should treat them as cheat days. It makes it seem taboo or something, doesn't make sense to me. Today I had banana bread does that mean I cheated, I don't think so. I think that eating "cheating" food prevents you from binging on that food later or binging on something you didn't want to begin with. And no I don't think they are illegal. Each person has to understand the consequences for eating something that is not as healthy as it could be, for their ownself.
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,010 Member
    What is a "cheat" meal/day?
  • Claire594
    Claire594 Posts: 349 Member
    I cheat every Saturday. I go way over my caloric intake for the day but log it anyways. You can't totally deprive yourself our you will always have cravings. Sunday is the start of a new week!

    This.

    I weigh in on a Saturday morning and then eat over my cals just this day though i usually try to get some exercise in ad well to compensate. Then come Sunday, I am back to my healthy eating. I do log everything though so u am totally aware of what is going in my mouth. I've been losing steady and it hadn't hindered my weightloss so far
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,010 Member
    Ohhhhh.....cheat = intentionally eating over your goal.......no....I don't think you should do that
  • southernbelle85
    southernbelle85 Posts: 13
    My nutritionist instructed me to allow myself one cheat meal a week. He said to never "cheat" the entire day. He also told me to make sure not to go overboard on the portions of the cheat meal. :)
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
    Ohhhhh.....cheat = intentionally eating over your goal.......no....I don't think you should do that

    For myself that's not it. It's the eating out, eating fast food or having pizza and ice cream. There were times I didn't go over my goal and still netted right where I needed to be.
  • finallyFIT_ForMe
    finallyFIT_ForMe Posts: 26
    I can't allow myself to cheat because it will go over board. I find it easier to work in the "cheating" snacks I want into my calorie count by limiting serving size and exercising to earn the snack. I feel like if I go over my calorie goal I have failed.

    Note: in my mind cheating is not eating something unhealthy it's going over your calorie goal. I feel ok with eating ice cream for instance as long as I have budgeted my calories for it or have earned it via exercise.
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,010 Member
    Did you hit your macros? If so I do not believe that is "cheating"

    Ohhhhh.....cheat = intentionally eating over your goal.......no....I don't think you should do that

    For myself that's not it. It's the eating out, eating fast food or having pizza and ice cream. There were times I didn't go over my goal and still netted right where I needed to be.
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    I don't really do cheat days.. I do a more of what ever happens with my food happens. If I want a burger, I eat a burger... If I want fries, then I eat fries.. If I want ice cream, I eat ice cream.

    Does that mean I eat massive portions? No. I eat a serving size and I'm done. Since I've lost 29 pounds and maintain fine, I highly doubt this mentality has hindered my weight loss process.
  • boocah
    boocah Posts: 7
    "Cheat" days do work, I believe. Letting yourself binge one day a week or so keeps your metabolism high and makes it more likely for you to stick to your diet the rest of the week, too!
  • Sabine321
    Sabine321 Posts: 55 Member
    I don't call them cheat days, I call them "reward days" and have one once a week or every 2 weeks. I eat what I like that day, but not large amounts. But I enjoy those days a lot.
  • Awkward30
    Awkward30 Posts: 1,927 Member
    I train dirty so I can eat dirty all the time. I'm usually under my goal but sometimes I'm not and as long as I decided to be over (not a binge) I'm fine with it. I like where I'm at even now, so I'm not in so much of a hurry that I'll miss out on free pizza at work!
  • lanzaroteblue
    lanzaroteblue Posts: 198 Member
    I have 1 'splurge' day a week where I do go a little ott BUT I
    stick to 1200 cals for the rest of the week (eat about 70% of
    exercise cals back) and I'm losing about 1lb a week which
    I'm thrilled with.

    Monday (my 'splurge' day) is the only day off I have with my
    husband and I don't want to either obsess about cals or feel
    left out on this day. I still log everything.

    This is working for me now and I reserve the right to change
    my mind in the future but while I'm losing, I'll keep my 1 day
    a week for treats.

    Whatever you decide, good luck
    Nicola xxx
  • chapparra27
    chapparra27 Posts: 115 Member
    I think everyone should have a cheat day, whether it be once a week or once a month....depends on prefrence.
    I have cheat days but I also always have extra calories from the rest of he week so actually it is a "make up day". :wink:
  • lar4290
    lar4290 Posts: 55 Member
    I always let myself go over by about 500 calories one day a week. Sometimes its for a party, birthday dinner, etc. or sometimes it's unplanned--someone brings treats to work or I am too exhausted to go to the gym (I eat back my workout calories). If it's a really special occaision (e.g. Thanksgiving, my birthday) I give extra wiggle room too.

    However, I don't do a day a week where I don't log or think of it as a total break. I know that this works for a lot of people, but I think I'd save all my indulgences for that one day and undo all my hard work on the other six!

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