Cheat Day - Who Has One?

super_monty
super_monty Posts: 419 Member
edited December 20 in Motivation and Support
I also use my cheat day as motivation (kind of), it has now become Treat Day.

I still have a drink(not beer though), I can go for a whatever I want to eat meal, even eat a few sweets or crisps.

Food and snacks that were every day habit (er crips) are now simply a treat and not part of my actual diet.

This has now been passed on to my 4 year, who has been learning about food and only has sweets on a Friday.

Replies

  • JBG1987
    JBG1987 Posts: 71
    My boyfriend and I totally have a treat day. Usually we make it on the weekend so that we can plan to go out with friends or family. Also we can stay sane. Living with a new diet for 6 days out of the week is hard to start with so one day to enjoy your favorite foods or going out to eat is a must. However, right now we are only eating around 1200 calories a day during the week, that way our one day off doesn't undo a weeks worth of hard work. Eventually as we start to lose, I imagine that our "treat" day is going to be come much more controlled. We're still losing though! I'm down 7 pounds in just 2.5 weeks!

    Good luck and thumbs up to treat day!
  • theberg
    theberg Posts: 80
    I dont. I'm not knocking the idea, its just I don't look at it as cheating anymore. I eat healthy most of the time. Sometimes I dont. There is nothing wrong with a fast food meal every now and then (unless it's McD's, bleh). The trick is (and your body will eventually adjust to this) when you eat healthy you'll find eating "bad" foods will make you feel bad. It starts becoming harder to eat unhealthy food as your body gets used to good stuff.

    If you need a cheat day to keep you on track, by all means use it. Eventually you'll find yourself deciding to eat healthy 90% of the time :D
  • vhines57
    vhines57 Posts: 58 Member
    I look at it as my treat day as well....

    We go to our local theme park on a weekend day & walk for 5 - 6 hours and I allow myself to indulge in two of my favorite junk food meals (cheeseburgers, pizza, fries etc). As long as I walk off the calories that I consume, then everything is allowed. It also makes it a lot easier for me during the week when I have to behave.
  • onmyway1101
    onmyway1101 Posts: 103 Member
    I DO!!!!! Every Saturday! and I look forward to it! I eat whatever I want to whenever for the whole day! Cant wait till Saturday!!!
  • cmeade20
    cmeade20 Posts: 1,238 Member
    I usually do but I got sick from my last one...I may be giving them up
  • bradphil87
    bradphil87 Posts: 617 Member
    Not a set day out of the week. But every so often I indulge a little. For instance, my brothers engagement party is sat and he is having tacos. So I am going to work out 2x that day (early in the morning and once a few hours before) so I can have a few extra cals to use there. Do you guys still consider it a "cheat day" if you burn it off and get back to green?
  • super_monty
    super_monty Posts: 419 Member
    Not a set day out of the week. But every so often I indulge a little. For instance, my brothers engagement party is sat and he is having tacos. So I am going to work out 2x that day (early in the morning and once a few hours before) so I can have a few extra cals to use there. Do you guys still consider it a "cheat day" if you burn it off and get back to green?

    I consider mine a treat day rather than a cheat day, i don't want to got for the occasional meal and ask for a bowel of tomatoes and glass of water. I don't feel guilty either. I am still going the gym and eating healthier than ever.

    Also as someone mentioned above my body is rejecting certain foods, the sight of a greasy cheese burger, pasty or pork pie etc makes me feel ill. I seem to be ordering healthier when i go out.
  • ctooch99
    ctooch99 Posts: 459 Member
    Ya know, I don't believe in "Cheat Days" and this is why: A Cheat Day implies that all the other days, you are restricting yourself from something and I totally don't follow this rule. For the most part I eat most of the things that I enjoy and I follow basic rules. I follow the Mediterranean/Asian lifestyle/eating habits (or I try to) and it incorporates a wide variety into my daily life, so I never feel the need to "Cheat".

    For example - I love pizza. In my "Fatso days" I would order a pepperoni pizza and eat like 5 slices and totally pig out, feel lousy an hour later not to mention jacking my cholesterol and putting on big pounds.

    Now days - I still eat pizza - I LOVE it. But now I eat 2 slices MAX and I choose veggies as a topping instead of the coronary pepperoni slices - I freeze the remaining slices for other meals. I still enjoy the deliciousity of my beloved pizza but more sensibly now and in a more healthy fashion (I usually eat a side salad with it now too). I do not feel at all deprived and I do not feel the need to cheat and eat a whole pizza on the weekend - I am totally satisfied.

    In social settings, I generally pass on the wings and potato skins. Just way too much fat, salt and nasty stuff and I would rather feel my ab muscles and feel nimble and quick playing hockey than enjoying the bar food pig out. The other guys eating it feel weird at me turning my nose up at it (and I don't lecture them) - but it is just a conscious choice for my health - if they offered me a cigarette I would turn my nose up in the same manner...

    my 2 cents
  • benich3043
    benich3043 Posts: 252 Member
    My cheat day is Saturday, and Saturday only. If I feel like I cheated on any other day than Saturday, I throw a lil extra workout in. If I miss my Saturday, I wait until the next week to have a cheat day. My wife makes fun of me for it, but also will cook my favorite meal on Saturday for me. I think having a cheat day helps me from binge eating. If I have a craving for something sweet or "not healthy" I write it down for my cheat day. If I still want it then, I will choose from my list for my cheat item.
  • JBG1987
    JBG1987 Posts: 71
    I DO!!!!! Every Saturday! and I look forward to it! I eat whatever I want to whenever for the whole day! Cant wait till Saturday!!!


    Yes!
  • amandab1669
    amandab1669 Posts: 86 Member
    I don't have a cheat day. I am really scared I will go overboard. But I don't think I will even try it. I try to eat healthy on a daily basis and when I look at certain items and their calories that is enough to turn me off. Before I choose my meal whether I eat at home or out I always check the calories to make sure I am making a healthy chioce and it is in my range. Really I don't want junk food anymore anyway. So for me I am doing very well on my life style change and plan on sticking to it.
  • rebrcca3434
    rebrcca3434 Posts: 67
    No I don't. If you tell me to eat whatever I want I can eat a lot lol. I just make a list of things I want and eat them within my calorie count. I also find I want less so it is easier to satisfy cravings. Also since I keep a list (in addition to mfp) I can get more of a prospective on what and how much I'm eating.
  • kbmnurse
    kbmnurse Posts: 2,484 Member
    Yes, I do.
  • hellokitty41489
    hellokitty41489 Posts: 93
    I don't. If I want something, as long as it is within my calories for the day I just go ahead and have it. I'm to the point though where I don't crave a lot of the "cheat" foods because the thought of the greasy ickness (former yummyness) just KILLS me and isn't appetizing any more! I used to deprive myself entirely and when I'd indulge I'd over indulge and that wasn't effective at all, so now if I want it I just have it and I find I don't crave it NEARLY so much (sometimes not even at all), not to mention I'm still losing weight :)
  • LesIsMoreXX
    LesIsMoreXX Posts: 169
    I don't. If I want something, as long as it is within my calories for the day I just go ahead and have it.


    ^ This is what I do.
  • ncthomas09
    ncthomas09 Posts: 322 Member
    I have them every now and then but it's not necessarily planned and it's usually on weekends. I start out eating my usual breakfast, and I watch what I have for lunch. But my boyfriend still likes to take me out to eat sometimes so where yes I may go over my calories for the day I still pick the healthiest thing I can on the menu and jump back on the next day.

    Even the atkins diet has you on for 10 days off for 2 days for their routine. So I figure if people can do that and lose weight it won't kill if I fall off the wagon now and then as long as I dont do it all the time. The worse thing that has happened to me was I held the same weight for a week...didnt gain and didnt lose.
  • skbohanon
    skbohanon Posts: 15 Member
    I tried to have a Treat Day this weekend and *barely* went over my calories! :) All the posters who've said that you just naturally start to gravitate towards the healthy food are right. I wanted to indulge and totally didn't have the heart's desire! :)
  • bulbadoof
    bulbadoof Posts: 1,058 Member
    I really like and support the idea for whoever it works for, but if I eat a large portion of "bad" food, I feel gross and lethargic and sick; I've been eating (fairly) well for years and my body is very vocal about when I've strayed from that. I prefer to work my treats into my diet in small enough portions that they don't throw off the way I feel.
  • SGRhapsodos
    SGRhapsodos Posts: 47
    My body asks for higher calorie days every three days or so. It's like clockwork. I usually just have ice cream and since I have celiac and a lot of GI problems, avoiding foods is not that hard. Usually I feel like crap when I eat too much anyway. I'm still paying for a cheat day I had a week and a half ago. I used to be able to stomach 3 days a week of cheat meals when I was 20, but now it's like impossible. I can barely stand one day.
  • fletchbaby
    fletchbaby Posts: 62 Member
    Ya know, I don't believe in "Cheat Days" and this is why: A Cheat Day implies that all the other days, you are restricting yourself from something and I totally don't follow this rule. For the most part I eat most of the things that I enjoy and I follow basic rules. I follow the Mediterranean/Asian lifestyle/eating habits (or I try to) and it incorporates a wide variety into my daily life, so I never feel the need to "Cheat".

    For example - I love pizza. In my "Fatso days" I would order a pepperoni pizza and eat like 5 slices and totally pig out, feel lousy an hour later not to mention jacking my cholesterol and putting on big pounds.

    Now days - I still eat pizza - I LOVE it. But now I eat 2 slices MAX and I choose veggies as a topping instead of the coronary pepperoni slices - I freeze the remaining slices for other meals. I still enjoy the deliciousity of my beloved pizza but more sensibly now and in a more healthy fashion (I usually eat a side salad with it now too). I do not feel at all deprived and I do not feel the need to cheat and eat a whole pizza on the weekend - I am totally satisfied.

    In social settings, I generally pass on the wings and potato skins. Just way too much fat, salt and nasty stuff and I would rather feel my ab muscles and feel nimble and quick playing hockey than enjoying the bar food pig out. The other guys eating it feel weird at me turning my nose up at it (and I don't lecture them) - but it is just a conscious choice for my health - if they offered me a cigarette I would turn my nose up in the same manner...

    my 2 cents
  • fletchbaby
    fletchbaby Posts: 62 Member
    I think having your favorite things in moderation is better than a "cheat day"
  • kodaks
    kodaks Posts: 132 Member
    Only on bonafide holidays for me (or my B-day).
  • RudeGyrl78
    RudeGyrl78 Posts: 21
    Saturday's are my cheat day...and I look forward to it! I use that day to get what I've been craving all week, like chinese, pizza, wing dings, tacos, ect. Don't get me wrong I don't eat all this at once...just the one THING I've been craving
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