Does anyone have cheat days?

matchbox_girl
matchbox_girl Posts: 535 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm considering having one day out of the week where I can exceed my calorie limit and not document it....does anyone do this? Is it successful or a bad idea?
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Replies

  • iqnas
    iqnas Posts: 445 Member
    I do it! It allows me to not feel so restricted all the time with a calorie intake. It also allows me to have one day of the week that I look forward to eating whatever I want.
  • iqnas
    iqnas Posts: 445 Member
    And I should also mention, it has no effect on my weight if it's only one day a week, and only up to 500 calories more.
  • zaithyr
    zaithyr Posts: 482 Member
    I do splurge every now and then but I still document it best I can in order to stay in the habit and keep myself accountable. Typically if I'm going to have a day like that I plan ahead for it and eat a little less on the days surrounding it and/or throw in an extra walk. It's really more about your calorie intake/burn throughout the week rather than just one day anyway!
  • TexanThom
    TexanThom Posts: 778
    I do...But I log EVERYTHING anyway. Makes it harder to do it to often.
  • picimadar
    picimadar Posts: 68 Member
    Nope! That just encourages binge eating and perpetuating the mentality that you deserve to reward yourself with food. Try rewarding yourself with something else you love instead, and stick to eating to live, not living to eat.
  • grnice
    grnice Posts: 96
    I have a cheat meal. I stay on track all week and eat whatever I want on Friday nights but then back on track first thing Saturday morning.
  • F1uffy2
    F1uffy2 Posts: 84 Member
    I usually have 1 or 2 days where I eat, drink and be merry! I do log everything though. I try to save my exercise calories for the week for these days. That way I still keep a nice steady weight loss, and because when I look at the bigger picture I've not gone over, I also keep on track!x
  • kimmy0811
    kimmy0811 Posts: 8 Member
    I do....1x per week! We work so hard to maintain the healthy lifestyle, we deserve a cheat day!
  • Beckas2012
    Beckas2012 Posts: 1
    I do have cheat days but I still record it. Only so that I dont go toooo crazy lol good luck.
  • Josie_lifting_cats
    Josie_lifting_cats Posts: 949 Member
    Sometimes I document it, sometimes I don't. And my "cheat" days are usually over my TDEE. I consider my BMR and TDEE a range - not less than 1,400, not more than 1,880..... and then over 1,880 is a cheat day.

    That said, now that it's summer I think I'm being far naughtier than I was a month or two ago. But I'm also somewhat close to my goal, not going to lose weight quickly, and I want to enjoy summer.... smores, grilling, etc. So it's okay with me. :-)
  • giantsr1
    giantsr1 Posts: 45 Member
    I read Bob Harper's book Skinny Rules and one of the rules is to have a cheat meal once a week. Just one meal and you aren't supposed to go bonkers and eat fast food but allow yourself a treat or extra something if you want it. I think it helps keep me motivated. Good luck to you!!
  • rae_84
    rae_84 Posts: 40 Member
    I often have unplanned cheat days... oops.
  • Promqueen_74932
    Promqueen_74932 Posts: 203 Member
    Hey honey!

    When I was heavier I did take a cheat day, and I mean a whole day! Now that isn't so good for me to reach the goals that I've set for myself. I do still have a cheat meal, and with an eating disorder I do not deny or restrict myself from anything. I just eat a serving size of the "bad" food. We're all different with our eating habits, nutrition, and fitness, so I think it would just depend on your goals.


    I hope this information helps. :-)

    Sara
  • dalygirl_2010
    dalygirl_2010 Posts: 95
    My husband and I have one meal a week where we can eat anything we want. We normally go to a buffet....Eat till we burst... BUT I log EVERYTHING!!! And rarely go over my calories.... It gives me some feeling of normalcy. Funny the longer I have been on this new lifestyle the less I eat we we do go out....
  • Kooraloo
    Kooraloo Posts: 362 Member
    I have a full on cheat -3 -days. It used to just be a cheat meal but progressed into something worse... I say don't do the cheat days. Just do a meal, but watch yourself. I'm struggling to get out of mine.
  • gmichaelguy
    gmichaelguy Posts: 123 Member
    I think a regular cheat DAY is too much for me. But I certainly will have a cheat meal or a cheat snack once or twice a week. On those days I usually make sure the rest of my day and activity level are in order.
  • delilah47
    delilah47 Posts: 1,658
    Why would you do that? All it does is slow you down. Why not fit whatever you want into your day's meal plan? If it's too many calories to do that, it could cause you to stall for a day or two on weight loss. That way you could have a little of whatever is driving you crazy without guilt instead of having a big gob of something you know isn't healthy. You may as well learn to plan ahead or you will end up in the same boat you are in now. Leave the "cheating" to once-in-a-blue-moon so you don't make cheating part of your meal plan. If it fits in your meal plan it isn't cheating.

    Edit: And, if you don't document it, you will find yourself leaving stuff out on a regular basis. Then you will complain you aren't losing weight and you just can't figure out why. Mm-hmm. :huh:
  • nylitak
    nylitak Posts: 18 Member
    Log it anyways! My diary on the weekend looks terrible. It's so easy to get off track if you stop logging for a day or two.
  • laneydawn
    laneydawn Posts: 64
    Mine is today! And you know what? It wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be. I had envisioned pigging out on all my favorite foods that I haven't eaten, but I just didn't feel like it. I had a slice of black forest cake and some pasta. That was my cheat day - the rest of the day was as usual. That being said, I think its important to have a day to allow ourselves to eat whatever and not feel bad about it. I picked Saturday as it is my weigh in day, so I have the rest of the week to burn off the cheat day.
  • wild_wild_life
    wild_wild_life Posts: 1,334 Member
    Do it! But document it. You can get a lot of valuable information out of it, like awareness of what you are really eating (don't judge, it's a cheat day) and how different calorie or macro levels affect your weight or mood.
  • kshiraakshara
    kshiraakshara Posts: 119 Member
    I have a cheat meal once a week, but I still log it to keep things in perspective.
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
    I have days where I go a couple hundred over, but I log everything. That way I can always look back and see if I need to change things. Keeps me from going over the top with cheats too. If your not writing it down, your body is still counting so who are you fooling. A full on no logging cheat day for me could wipe out 3 days deficits. Lol. I need to keep myself in check! X
  • dawnmarie57
    dawnmarie57 Posts: 53 Member
    It works for me. I usually don't do a "day" of it, just a meal and maybe a snack. Something that's really a treat-an ice cream (baby cone) or piece of candy. But I do track it. Keeps me on the right path. Good luck!
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
    I don't plan them because life will throw them my way here and there anyway. That said, I am taking this weekend off from calorie counting, because I am a tad bit burned out. I'd rather take a rest for a couple of days than be struggling for weeks.
  • piinchi
    piinchi Posts: 172 Member
    The plan I try to stick to allows for one cheat day, but I find I don't really take it. Its more like a "cheat meal" and even then, I make a healthier choice than I used to. I feel better when I eat well, but I do find that the one meal/day hasn't hampered my weight loss... if anything, the shakeup of adding more calories than usual seems to wake my body up a little and jolts it out of its usual state! It is working for me, but everyone is different.
  • kdetmar
    kdetmar Posts: 13
    Personally, I recommend a cheat meal rather than day! You can do some damage like I recently found out! I do cheat meals because if I dont' I feel deprieved and then binge. I was doing no sweets and cheat meals which lead me to a 4 day binge and 10 pound weight gain! Never again, I will be using my cheat meals on sundays! Take it day by day hunnie!! Lifestyle change, not diet!
  • OnMyWeigh464
    OnMyWeigh464 Posts: 447 Member
    I sure do. Usually it's a cheat meal or cheat snack...I use to cheat the full day away but was feeling really gross when I went to bed at the end of cheating so now I limit it. And I pick depending on my mood...somedays I just really want dessert so I'll eat great all day and allow myself a piece of cake or pie or whatever...
  • Karen5732
    Karen5732 Posts: 64 Member
    I do... normally on a Friday or Sat... Fri is my weigh day and I know that if I go over my calories at the weekend then I have all week to make up for it with extra exercise or slightly go below my calories
  • ProjectTae
    ProjectTae Posts: 434 Member
    I take full on diet breaks I'll diet for about 6-8 weeks then eat at maintenance for a full week, but occasionally I'll splurge and will eat something like fast food etc, while staying within my calorie limit.
  • nlawing
    nlawing Posts: 36
    I do it, at least once per week.

    It helps me in a lot of ways.

    1. It keeps my body guessing on the amount of food it will receive.
    2. The human body isn't 100% energy efficient, all the extra calories won't be stored as fat.
    3. If I overeat enough, it guilts me into doing really well the next day/week.
    4. It helps keep my sanity and cravings in check.
    5. It's rewarding. I think to myself that I EARNED this.
    6. I'm not a body building or fitness competitor.
    7. I won't live forever and what's life without the small pleasures?

    Hope this helps.

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