Logging calories on "cheat days"?

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  • sandduchess
    sandduchess Posts: 4
    I always, always log no matter what. I've had days where I've gone 2K and even 4K over my calorie goal but I still log it. I don't have regular "cheat days" but I have days where I know I'm going to go over, like going out to dinner, to parties, etc. Like others have said, I find it beneficial to see the net calories and weight loss over time, as well as targeting my weaknesses/problem areas (appetizers at restaurants!). It's also been beneficial for me to see how easily I gained all of the weight that I gained, because instead of eating like that once every few weeks, I used to eat like that all of the time!
  • BrownsFan16
    BrownsFan16 Posts: 38
    Sure I do! Even if over I do it - though those times are rare because of my running. My friend who runs with me is a PT and is good with nutrition has told me before about eating things that aren't exactly fitting into a diet - a cheeseburger at the ball park, ice cream, etc etc. She said it is NOT a bad thing to do, because it creates a spike into your system that tells your body something isn't totally right and it can actually cause your body to work harder, thereby taking care of the extra things you take in. To her credit, so far, she is right. I have been doing that, and I am STILL dropping the weight to the tune of 2 lbs a week!!!!! Freaking love it!!!
  • soontobesam
    soontobesam Posts: 714 Member
    I don't have official "cheat days" - somedays I am on point and some days I am not.

    I think everything should be logged. As a previous poster stated - the calories still count.
  • pineapple1989
    pineapple1989 Posts: 195 Member
    If I have had a day where I have gone over my calories in a major way (e.g. a friends brithday or something) then I will wait until the next day before I log it, I have been doing this long enough now that I know full well that I have gone over my calories but I also trust myself not to go mad and eat everything in sight. So I log it the next day once its all done and I cant get depressed and eat even more or something.
  • fatmom51
    fatmom51 Posts: 173 Member
    For the most part, I'll log it. Sometimes, it's not quite as bad as I thought it was, and even on a "bad" day, I'm generally within maintenance levels. Since I set my goals to lose 2 lbs, that works out to just shy of a 1K deficit off my daily maintenance. If I'm conscientious the rest of the week and stay within my allowances, one day of "maintenance" eating just means I may lose a little less that week. (Mathematically, if every day is equal, it works out to about 4.5 ounces a day.)

    And for me, cheating doesn't mean I'm pigging out or binging. The other night we had a dinner at my daughter's school. Salad was served as you went through a line, but the lasagne (a very modest-sized piece) was plated and brought to the table, as was a piece of sheet cake. (OK, I could have limited myself to ONE piece of garlic bread instead of two, or skipped it altogether, and I could have skipped the cake, but I didn't, so ... whatever. I'll own the results I see on the scale this week. I'm going to have to live with eating for the rest of my life and special events, like sports banquets, weddings, other functions, will come up and I need to just make it part of my plan.)

    So, yes, do write things. You'll learn from it and see exactly what you're eating and what effect it has on the scale and your body.
  • SkinnyBeth4Life
    SkinnyBeth4Life Posts: 116 Member
    I log it. I like to look at net calories on a weekly basis and compare it to loss/gains. Sometimes, even when I "cheat", I still lose. It's good information to know.

    ^^This. I recently wondered about this and find that looking at my calories from a weekly perspective helps me keep in line how much I'm actually eating. As long as the "flow" keeps me at or around goal - I should still lose.
  • Nailrep
    Nailrep Posts: 966 Member
    When I have my weekly cheat meals, i go way over my calories for the day. but i still log. then under notes, i put "cheat meal".
  • NovemberJune
    NovemberJune Posts: 2,525 Member
    I log everyday. What's the point of seeing that you have a 3000 calorie deficit on the days you did log if you went 3000 over on the other day? I don't have cheat days though anyway. I just live my life. Some days I'm way over. Usually I'm close to my goal.
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