Does anyone else NOT do a "cheat" day?

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Replies

  • SandraD89
    SandraD89 Posts: 809
    I do the same as you. For me cheat days make me feel and actually gain weight right away so it's not worth it.
  • TeachTheGirl
    TeachTheGirl Posts: 2,091 Member
    If it fits, it ships...into my tummy.

    I make sure my daily calorie allotment allows me that food before I indulge OR I work up a deficit so that I don't feel as guilty about enjoying myself at one meal. I don't often plan for larger meals though, but if I know I have an event coming up, I'll work out extra hard just so I can know I have enough calories ahead of time. Sometimes it's not so easy to track birthday parties or eating out at a restaurant.
  • kluvit
    kluvit Posts: 435 Member
    I'm with you. I'm not doing a "diet," but rather a lifestyle change, so I can't "cheat" at life. I find ways to eat what I want within the parameters I've set. I eat them instead of something else or I work out to make up the difference.
  • BriaMc
    BriaMc Posts: 177 Member
    I do not have a cheat day. If I am craving something I work it into my calories and/or exercise my butt of that day. I am just curious, does anyone else not do a cheat day?

    I do the same thing. If i had a cheat day i would take it way to far i'm sure!!!
  • Chantal34
    Chantal34 Posts: 128
    I don't have cheat days. If its not a special occasion, I don't eat sweets or any junk food. Doesn't bother me either. http://metaldetectingforum.com/images/smilies/shrug.gif
  • swiviol
    swiviol Posts: 22 Member
    I usually do have a 'cheat day' because I wait to eat ice cream or whatnot until that day. It's hard for me to just have 1/2 a cup of it, which is a serving - I end up with 3/4 cup or 1 cup. Example: my cheat days usually fall on the weekends, today is my cheat day so I am going to Pei Wei w/ my mom (it's like PF Changs, for people that don't have it in their states). Instead of getting the full entree, I will get the "Diner Selects" which is a smaller portion of meat, and comes with soup. I figured out just the meat and soup is like 320 calories, and if I eat about half the rice it comes out to about 500 calories - really not bad.

    In my case it's just nice not to have to write down 1 day a week. I still try to be conscious of what I eat that day, though - I usually do 1500 a day, so maybe on my cheat day I do 1700 or 1800 - nothing crazy.
  • umachanxo
    umachanxo Posts: 926 Member
    My cheat day consists of having a meal that I wouldn't allow myself to have on a regular day. Be it out at a restaurant or the local market. For me, though, I don't fall off track because of one allowance. Having it actually allows me to do better as I don't feel like I'm not able to have those things. I can't stomach nearly as much food as I used to, either. xD

    But, different things work for different people. For some, having a cheat day would make them fall off the bandwagon. Others would quite literally stuff their face. The best thing to do is to do what works best for you and your body so that you can successfully achieve the goals that you have set for yourself :)
  • gsager
    gsager Posts: 977 Member
    I know i shouldn't but i almost always have some sort of "cheat" food on a daily basis, but i always tend to burn enough calories to afford something that's not really apart of my diet.
    ^^^this
  • kayleesays
    kayleesays Posts: 564 Member
    I don't ever think going over as a cheat day. It's just a day when I go over. *shrug*
  • Lost_Mermaid
    Lost_Mermaid Posts: 136
    I don't. It's all about balance and sustainability for me. I eat ice-cream nearly every day.

    me too, in fact I'm eating some right now :D

    I just work what I want into my calories and macros. I tried cheat days but they always ended up being disastrous binges. Now I can eat 'cheat foods' more often without even going over my calories.
  • pullipgirl
    pullipgirl Posts: 767 Member
    I go over on special occasions
  • sc1572
    sc1572 Posts: 2,309 Member
    I'm the same...small treat each day and occasionally splurge!
  • saragato
    saragato Posts: 1,154
    Personally I've got too much to lose weight-wise to even entertain the thought of a cheat day. Aside from that, there's nothing I honestly crave that much to need a day to just have at it and either not log or not worry about how over my calorie deficit I am. If I want something that's calorie-heavy or whatnot I'll find a way to have it and not be over. Maybe if there wasn't such a long way to go or if I didn't have anxiety problems I might do it, but right now I don't see the point or even want it. I treat myself enough with less-than-healthy stuff while staying within my limit to keep myself going.
  • Hezzietiger1
    Hezzietiger1 Posts: 1,256 Member
    I allow cheat foods.. b/c i try to eat clean and w/in my macros..fat is the one I struggle with when I cheat. But, I always burn the extra calories. It's hard to eat out and not eat processed or higher fat contents.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    No cheat day.

    If I know something is coming up that would be nice to eat more at, I'll back off 200 day before, smaller meals the day of, and perhaps 200 less the next day too.

    Or have a bigger workout than was planned for in my avg TDEE and daily goal.

    An extra 2hrs on a bike ride Sat gives me an extra 1000 to eat in the following day, so half Sat, half Sun allows night out.
  • mg720
    mg720 Posts: 212 Member
    I do not have "cheat" days because I do not consider this a diet that i have to cheat or not cheat. I just live my lifestyle and make sure to work everything into my calorie goals. There are some days (for example a recent graduation party) that I do not log my food simply because it would be impossible BUT i have been doing this for so long that it is such a life style change even if i do not log my food i still am able to make healthy choices. There are days that i crave chocolate or frozen yogurt and on those days I make sure to fit it into my calorie goal for the day :)
  • 012345emma
    012345emma Posts: 57 Member
    i wouldnt say i have a cheat day but i like a treat once a week,usually on a friday night il have a take away tea but like others i do a few more exercises so i dont go over to much but i nearly always have calories left over each day anyway .
  • Jenn264
    Jenn264 Posts: 43
    I don't do a cheat day just because I know if I do a cheat day I will truly go all out. Occasionally I will have oooops moments but I try not to haha
  • SarahE1092
    SarahE1092 Posts: 83
    I do not have a "cheat "day. I work everything I eat into my daily calories. There is usually one day when I make a bad decision and go over my calories, but its never more than 200 over my 1430 daily allowance. I eat a desert every night, I just make sure I exercise to make up for the extra. I know that if I let myself have a cheat day, ( I have tried it) I can not make up for it that week and end up getting depressed when I dont see the scale move.

    I am a sugar fen, and I know that if I do not have something like that at night, I will be starving in the morning and feel like crap! So, no cheat days, just work it into your daily calories, and find time to work off the extra.
  • Mommy_Time
    Mommy_Time Posts: 256 Member
    I don't have a 'cheat day' either.
  • desert_rhino
    desert_rhino Posts: 104 Member
    I don't do a cheat day. If I go over my allowance, I go over my allowance, and I log it. Everything gets logged. It's the only way to be sure you're not sliding down the long, fat slope.

    Also, if I'm going to eat anything really carb-heavy, candy, or sugar, I make sure that I'm eating something with a lower glycemic index at the same time, so I don't have insulin rebound hunger. (That's the WORST!)
  • I don't do cheat days either. In my mind a cheat day is like falling off the wagon. If I cheated it surely wouldn't be for just one day. I account for any treats in my calories and earn them through exercise. It works for some people but cheat days just aren't for me. Besides, when you cheat at dieting you're only cheating yourself.
  • shaelataylor
    shaelataylor Posts: 224 Member
    no cheat days for me either...that doesnt mean i never have things that arent good for me. i just dont have them if they make me go over on calories. they have to fit in the goal or i wont eat them.
  • mrmanmeat
    mrmanmeat Posts: 1,968 Member
    I do not have a cheat day. If I am craving something I work it into my calories and/or exercise my butt of that day. I am just curious, does anyone else not do a cheat day?

    I don't. And I've been given a strike before for commenting on peoples "cheat day" threads. lol silliness.
  • littleworm23
    littleworm23 Posts: 341 Member
    I do not have a cheat day. If I am craving something I work it into my calories and/or exercise my butt of that day. I am just curious, does anyone else not do a cheat day?


    I do exactly the same thing. Since I don't think of this as being on a diet I really don't feel like there is anything to cheat on.
  • odumsmith00
    odumsmith00 Posts: 25
    I don't have a "cheat day" but I do eat and exercise in such a way that if we are having a special meal (birthday, holiday, especially crazy stressful wacked out day) then I don't stress out about what I eat. I don't go overboard but a small piece of cake or a cookie won't kill me. Like a pp (or two) said, "I don't have a diet, I have a lifestyle". Life happens and I refuse to be crazy. For example April was a crazy month for me. We traveled out of the country for a wedding, I had a crazy week long event at work (I was in charge of a huge 3 day party, including food, prizes and entertainment and only had a week to pull it together while caring for my 2 kids under 4).... and then a work 3 day conference. I exercised when I could and ate simply when I could but we ate a lot more junk than normal (god help my husband but he is not a great cook and I only have some many easy freezer meals)... in the entire month I gained 5 pounds (WOOOOOOHOOOO!!!) and lost them within a few days of returning to normal. I've been living my new lifestyle since January and have lost a total of 38 pounds!
  • Nix_
    Nix_ Posts: 94
    I don't have a cheat day. Some people find that if they have a cheat day they will be good for the rest of the week. I do not. haha. If I have a 'cheat' day, it all goes down hill from there!!
  • k9caver
    k9caver Posts: 4
    so far, I've not given myself any "cheat" days, I have certain foods that feel indulgent - I **LOVE** sashimi tuna, and it's fairly low in calories -- so I'll slice up a nice chunk of tuna to fill an empty space. Or maybe grab a bag of freeze dried fruit if I need a sweet fix. If I REALLY need a chocolate/candy type fix, I'll grab an Advocare Snack bar - 140 cal, 2 g fat, 2 g sugar, 10 g protein
    https://www.advocare.com/1204564/default.aspx
  • Linbo93
    Linbo93 Posts: 229 Member
    I consider myself to be living a healthy lifestyle. As part of this, I make a conscious effort to make healthy choices every day. If you look at a person with a healthy lifestyle, they will have that 'cheat food' on occasion, go out to eat and order something terrible for you, have a few beers every so often, etc. The real difference between them and "dieters" in my opinion is that they don't have to think about it as a 'cheat meal' or 'cheat day'. And thats because 90% of the time, they choose healthy foods and keep active, so it all balances out naturally.

    That is the philosophy i have adapted. If i want something bad for me, I will eat it. But I make sure that 90% of my food choices are good food choices, and it all balances out. I have been doing this since December 26th, 2011, and I have remained on a downward trend consistently.

    The second I start thinking about it as a "cheat meal" or "cheat day" I suddenly feel like I'm on a diet, not living a healthy lifestyle. So I say ditch the diet terminology and start living a healthy lifestyle! Its so liberating!!
  • I agree... so as of fact right now I am stopping the CHEAT day cuz all it does for me is tempting for others days... so it's time to get back on track!! So I feel you... Cheat day isnt a thing for me.