cheat days ?

I do whatever I want with the understanding of what it will do to me.

I don't. I like so many of the good healthy foods that I feel I don't need to eat junky stuff or over-indulge and stuff myself. Plus I'm trying to train myself to be satisfied with a little less...

I do but I don't want to have them often because I make a pig out of myself and hate myself the next day. Small treats in moderation everyday work for me.

~ Happy Logging ~ )

This^^^^ if I wait and have only one day, I will undo the entire week!!! Lol

I dont have cheat days anymore. If it fits into my calories and macros Ill eat it. I dont have to worry about "cheating" as long as I dont go over my TDEE Maintenance target.

I've had one real cheat day so far, and that was at a family cookout. (And with homemade food, and my family's tradition of altering recipes to the extreme, it was impossible to say just how many calories I had that day.) With that exception, I don't set aside cheat days. Instead, I try not to deprive myself of anything. If I want to have a not-so-healthy treat, I make sure I keep my portions under control. For example, one square of chocolate instead of the whole bar; I buy single serving tubs of ice cream instead of pints and quarts; for mixed drinks, I allow myself one or two ounces of alcohol at most, and I only have one drink; and if I ever have Chinese takeout, I make sure I save enough leftovers for 2-3 more meals. Doing this has helped me out a ton, because I never feel like I'm missing out on anything.

I don't have a set cheat day or how often. But I will do this so called "cheating" thing. But i usually only do a cheat meal. Mc Donalds . There's just something about their hamburgers and fries that makes me ever so happy. Lol

I use to have a cheat day as part of following The 4Hour Body by Tim Ferriss. I hit a plateau for 7-8 weeks but kept following. I'm moving over the Eat More to Weigh Less Group (found it here on MFP) so now I try to fit what fits into my overall calories. It's a shift.

What I will say is this-- if you deprive yourself for too long of the things that you crave, it will be hard and you may get frustrated. We all need to find ways to indulge ourselves or eat the food that we love that may not be the best for us.

Good luck.

I do- and it saves me from going crazy overboard... I mean I usually go over my calories by about 500- but make sure on those days I burn at least 650 at the gym so it evens out

I do not have a cheat DAY, I have one cheat MEAL a week, not necessarily having something that is "bad" for me but just having extra calories than normal, it is not a bad thing to do and the weeks that I have had one cheat meal, I have actually lost a little bit more weight than other weeks where I did not cheat. I think that it is important to not deprive yourself of all the things that you think you should not eat, just do it in extreme moderation

I dont have cheat days anymore. If it fits into my calories and macros Ill eat it. I dont have to worry about "cheating" as long as I dont go over my TDEE Maintenance target.

^^^This^^^ I had pizza and wings for dinner last nite. Fit beautifully

I don't call it a cheat day. I just designate a single day in a given week where I eat food I want in any quantity. It ain't cheatin' if it's on purpose.

I've eaten up to 5000 calories in a single day and lost weight the following week.

I dont have cheat days anymore. If it fits into my calories and macros Ill eat it. I dont have to worry about "cheating" as long as I dont go over my TDEE Maintenance target.

THIS! You are making it sound like you are struggling or dieting which means "Death by food" Dont have cheat days just pay attention a little bit eat what you want and watch your portions. This needs to be a lifestyle change and something you have come to love then to hate every bite of food you put in your mouth because you would rather have something else. Take a step back relax a deep breath and just love life. Dont stress yourself out over this whole thing which will only make you retain weight also. Cheers!

In one cheat day you can totally undo a week of good eating. IMO they are a bad thing. I allow myself treats every day and account for it. For example, I love me some chocolate so I have a dark chocolate square every day. So I guess I never feel the need for a cheat day. That being said, every now and then I will eat out and of course end up with a high calorie meal, but I do my best to account for it during the day and maybe into the next one. And I still try and make the best possible choice while at the restaurant.

It would have to be one heck of a cheat day to undo a whole week of healthy eating. If I'm losing a pound a week, that's 3500 calories (either burned or not put in) so I'd have to eat those PLUS whatever my calories would be at maintenance (2,000 something maybe?) to have it wipe out my whole week. That is an insane amount of food! I don't think the typical "bad" eating day even comes close.

(edited to add quote)

A nice trip to a Mexican restaurant, some chips and salsa, a few margaritas, and a plate jammed packed with food, including a ton of cheese. Done. All in one meal. It is a lot of food, and most people will feel like crap and feel like they ate too much and moan and groan on the couch for the rest of the night. Yet it happens all the time. Plus if you were planning for a cheat day you probably went into that meal with a few extra calories already consumed compared to normal, cause it is a cheat day right?

In one cheat day you can totally undo a week of good eating. IMO they are a bad thing. I allow myself treats every day and account for it. For example, I love me some chocolate so I have a dark chocolate square every day. So I guess I never feel the need for a cheat day. That being said, every now and then I will eat out and of course end up with a high calorie meal, but I do my best to account for it during the day and maybe into the next one. And I still try and make the best possible choice while at the restaurant.

That would have to be a hell of a cheat day to eat 3500 to 7000 calories ABOVE your TDEE. I don't think treating yourself once in awhile will hurt you, but I think as you move along on your journey, you will find other good foods that will sate you just as well.

i do the same. a cheat meal here and there. i still try to make the "best" choices i can.... but these days a jr cheeseburger frmo wendy's is just as delishious and filling as the double i used to eat! AND i get a salad.... and steal a few fries from my boyfriend. i try never to feel guilty about it. if i didn't cheat once in a while, it would feel too much like punishment. i eat the hang outta the sugar free fudgcicles at 40 calories a pop i can get my faux choclate fix, and never feel guilty about it. i do eat naughty things if i'm left with calories to eat after dinner. marshmellows..... and i find that the smaller the better. i can eat more for the same cals, and feel like i've had more!!