Who here has a cheat day once a week?

workoutgirl23
workoutgirl23 Posts: 267
in Food and Nutrition
just curious, who on here has a cheat day once per week. I've been really good at logging my food and dieting lately, and i've lost 12 pounds so far. but i still like to allow myself one cheat day/meal per week. where i won't log, and will let myself indulge. and then at the end of the cheat day, i'm more than happy to go back to my diet the next day. and it hasn't seemed to hurt my weight loss at all. i'm still losing. what's your views on cheat days once a week, are they harmful to a diet or good? I've heard mixed things.
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Replies

  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    I have never done a cheat day and never will. You can undo a whole week in just one day. In my opinion, it's a bad idea and a bad habit to get into. I definitely do cheat meals once every couple of weeks. There is only so much damage you can do in one meal.
  • tomhancock
    tomhancock Posts: 100 Member
    If it works for you, great. I do not do it. I find it just makes me crave food I can't have, because I eat that food once in a while.

    The only time I "cheat" is if I am burning so many calories I need to eat lots more - for example my wife and I hiked six miles saturday and six miles sunday, so we did not feel bad eating about 1000 calories over what we eat dieting. We were still eating healthy food.
  • MariarR33
    MariarR33 Posts: 69
    I have never done a cheat day and never will. You can undo a whole week in just one day. In my opinion, it's a bad idea and a bad habit to get into. I definitely do cheat meals once every couple of weeks. There is only so much damage you can do in one meal.

    Eating whatever 1 day will not undo what you have been working so hard for the week. It may slow things down, but eating right is about what you do in general. Not that i recommend a cheat day, but a cheat meal, or a dessert every now and again is not going to harm you. Sometimes you just need to indulge a little. Just be careful you do not allow yourself this all the time. When you plan to cheat, I feel you are more successful because you knew it was coming and don't have to feel guilty about it.
  • katharineshalia
    katharineshalia Posts: 243 Member
    Bumping this cause just undid all week's work in one day :( went over 636 yesterday and drank too much wine Friday. Still under weekly goal by 13 calories, so..
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    I have never done a cheat day and never will. You can undo a whole week in just one day. In my opinion, it's a bad idea and a bad habit to get into. I definitely do cheat meals once every couple of weeks. There is only so much damage you can do in one meal.

    Eating whatever 1 day will not undo what you have been working so hard for the week. It may slow things down, but eating right is about what you do in general. Not that i recommend a cheat day, but a cheat meal, or a dessert every now and again is not going to harm you. Sometimes you just need to indulge a little. Just be careful you do not allow yourself this all the time. When you plan to cheat, I feel you are more successful because you knew it was coming and don't have to feel guilty about it.

    Re-read my post, I agree with you. I said I do a cheat meal but not a cheat day.
  • CristaA42962
    CristaA42962 Posts: 45 Member
    You don't have to have a cheat day, you can allow yourself to eat the things you enjoy in moderation. It is all about watching what you put in and out. If you want ice cream, have 1 scoop not 4, make sure you exercise too. I would not recommend cheating unless you have the calories to do so. I find not having something I want now and then is bad for you because instead of taking a few bites I want to just shove my face. So allowing a treat in small portions works for me perfectly. I have only been disappointed by cheat days and found I binged my face out.

    Also, try to curb your cravings with other things. When I am craving something sweet, I try to have a slice of watermelon instead of chocolate. Something salty, go for planters heart healthy nut mix. Eventually you will get used to it. Unfortunately, loosing weight and eating food, I find you have to treat it as if you were an alcoholic or drug addict. I also found that Fiber Ones 90 Calorie Brownies are not terrible, and they make 100 calorie ice cream sandwiches. There are things you can find and do to satisfy those needs.

    Good Luck!!
  • VForce1990
    VForce1990 Posts: 1
    I always have a cheat meal once a week without fail, and for a few of very good reasons which may or may not be applicable to everyone.
    1. I am on an EXTREME calorie deficit, and I would need to be eating an excess of 8000 calories to undo my weeks work.
    2. It replaces my glycogen in my muscles and boosts my metabolism for the coming week.
    3. Towards the end of the week i begin to feel very fatigued and this gives me the boost I need.
    4. Without it to look forward to I would not be able to keep to my diet, (although this probably says more about me than cheat days themselves)

    And finally the reason I do not simply have cheat meal or even try to control my cheat days, and that is because when my cheat day does finally roll around my body needs the nutrition (or at least it feels that way, if you can barely hold a conversation). And if I only had a meal I KNOW that I would no be able to stop.... And I would probably go off my diet for a week (which would harm your results :L) rather than just a day.
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
    I don't do it n a schedule. Sometimes I'll go weeks or even months without one Sometimes I'll have a couple back to back.
  • workoutgirl23
    workoutgirl23 Posts: 267
    Yes. i agree. i love my cheat day once per week. it hasn't hurt me yet, if any thing i thinks its helped me stay on track. as long as its just one day per week, i don't think it hurts any thing.
  • mrmanmeat
    mrmanmeat Posts: 1,968 Member
    just curious, who on here has a cheat day once per week. I've been really good at logging my food and dieting lately, and i've lost 12 pounds so far. but i still like to allow myself one cheat day/meal per week. where i won't log, and will let myself indulge. and then at the end of the cheat day, i'm more than happy to go back to my diet the next day. and it hasn't seemed to hurt my weight loss at all. i'm still losing. what's your views on cheat days once a week, are they harmful to a diet or good? I've heard mixed things.

    I don't. I don't see the point in wasting what you're working hard for. Everything in moderation. Cheat days aren't in moderation.
  • DietingMommy08
    DietingMommy08 Posts: 1,345 Member
    I dont call them "cheat days" I call them "Not logging days" lol. I do it every saturday and they have NOT done any harm to me. I am still losing weight the same as I was before.

    Its watever works for you.
  • corrinnebrown
    corrinnebrown Posts: 345 Member
    Not once a week. Maybe once every couple of weeks.
  • zsaoosh
    zsaoosh Posts: 402 Member
    I eat ice cream almost daily :blushing:
  • NewChristina
    NewChristina Posts: 250 Member
    I have never done a cheat day and never will. You can undo a whole week in just one day. In my opinion, it's a bad idea and a bad habit to get into. I definitely do cheat meals once every couple of weeks. There is only so much damage you can do in one meal.

    ^^ agreed. I'm afraid to have a cheat day. It's kinda like smoking: I quit 4 years ago and I know that if I cheat- it's all out the window. :noway:
  • hippietofugirl
    hippietofugirl Posts: 430
    I have a cheat day probably once a month. During that day, I consume enormous amounts of food. Upwards of around 6,000 calories. If I had one of those days every week, I would never lose weight. I am actually trying to get rid of my monthly cheat days because I feel absolutely terrible after I'm done indulging. It feels like I'm poisoning my body and I have no control. Not to mention, it makes me crave the things I indulge in more than if I didn't have them at all.
  • jentarver
    jentarver Posts: 192
    I used to when I first started, but then after a while it just became habit to be constant day after day. I have something every once in awhile.
  • adriansharred
    adriansharred Posts: 3
    I would just have the "nice meel day" and still log it down i only been on this for a week and yer i seem to be burning a hell of a lot more then i can eat due to work, infact most days i get the warning popup saying that im not eating anoth and that my body will go into starve mode and wont burn as much but would still log it all down. But i am useing this website more for fun then anything else
  • Angie_1MR
    Angie_1MR Posts: 247
    Cheat meals, not cheat days....for me, cheating is a slippery slope!
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,010 Member
    What is this "cheat" meal/day that you speak of?
  • shilo2609
    shilo2609 Posts: 2
    I just started with a personal trainer last week. They told me to do a 5-2 or 6-1 week. Means I regulate what I eat 5 or 6 days a week but give myself one day to eat what I want. Now, having said that, it does not mean go eat a whole pizza. For me it means, if I have a family day and have a few drinks or BBQ, I will still watch what I eat but will not stress if it's not celery and salad. :-\
  • LennyInFlorida
    LennyInFlorida Posts: 202
    I have a cheat day twice per week when I hit my goal.

    It's the extended holiday's I take with my family that screws me up for a few weeks.
  • ReneeCK
    ReneeCK Posts: 63 Member
    I have one "cheat day" a week. Not a day where I just gorge myself with everything in sight, but a day that I don't "track". It hasn't hurt my weight loss one bit. I think it keeps the body guessing and wards off sudden plateaus in my case. And, the next day? I am right back on track with no guilt. It's just whatever works for you :)
  • emmymae22
    emmymae22 Posts: 206
    I guess I can see why people think that this is helpful, but it having a cheat day does not work for me. Having a "cheat day" feels sorta..I dunno..."diet-ish"? I'm trying to completely change the way that I think and feel about food, and while it's an on-going process, I think I've gotten to the point where I try not to view some foods as "bad" foods and others as "good" foods. I try to just keep in mind that my body needs nutrient-dense food to operate correctly for me and I try to make most of my food choices reflect this fact. That being said, I do work in chocolate, beer, pizza, etc..into my diet, and just make sure I do it in a way that isn't indulging. Moderation!!!
  • Gatorjrm
    Gatorjrm Posts: 54 Member
    I just posted a message to my friends on this and then saw this post. I have been on track, off track, on track , off track my whole life it feels like. I get very focused and serious, then go back to eating whatever I want. The good thing is that I maintain... I don't gain. The bad thing is that I need to lose- not maintain. So, I've been struggling with my love for food and my desire to hit goal. I started thinking that one "cheat meal" a week is really going to be key to this for me. Eat clean 6.5 days of the week and allow myself one cheat meal. I'm not going to go crazy and binge and eat everything in site. But rather, eat what I feel like and not worry about being so strict with my portions/choices. Thoughts?
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    On Sunday's I eat whatever I want. I don't like to refer to it as a 'cheat' day...I consider it more a 'fun food day' lol.
  • cmp_denver
    cmp_denver Posts: 44 Member
    There's nothing wrong with enjoying something that you like to eat, even if it's not "healthy." I eat a cookie and have frozen yogurt on occasion, but I ALWAYS record it. Not recording it gives me "permission" to NOT be accountable to myself, and slows my weight loss. I also like to record everything I eat because then I can look back over a week when my weight-loss has been less than expected to see if there's a trend that might be holding me back.
  • LennyInFlorida
    LennyInFlorida Posts: 202
    I have a cheat day probably once a month. During that day, I consume enormous amounts of food. Upwards of around 6,000 calories. If I had one of those days every week, I would never lose weight. I am actually trying to get rid of my monthly cheat days because I feel absolutely terrible after I'm done indulging. It feels like I'm poisoning my body and I have no control. Not to mention, it makes me crave the things I indulge in more than if I didn't have them at all.

    Wow I feel that way on some cheat days and I'm impressed you can eat as much as me!
  • Josie_lifting_cats
    Josie_lifting_cats Posts: 949 Member
    I have a cheat day probably once a week. Or a better way to put it is that my goal during the week is my BMR, and my numbers during the weekend are more like my TDEE. I nearly always am at/under my TDEE on the weekends, and that's okay. I'm pretty close to my goal weight anyway, and I like to have fun once and a while.
  • sdoldsMD2013
    sdoldsMD2013 Posts: 128
    First, do whatever works for you. Obviously, you've been having a great results to lose 12 lbs so far. I don't have a cheat day or even cheat meals for all that matter. It just wouldn't work for me, but that's not to say that it is a horrible idea for anyone else. :-)
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
    I know a lot of people do have cheat days and love them. For me, it kind of goes against the mindset I'm aiming to cultivate. I don't want a healthy lifestyle to feel like a chore- to feel like something on which I need to cheat. I try to incorporate as much fun food- be it healthy or junk- as possible (especially in the summer and spring, there's SO much fun about food). I go out with my friends, and try to keep within moderation even when splurging with them (one or two beers instead of several, share wings with a few people instead of my own order).

    Moderation all over is key for me. And I've found as I've gone on, my desire and ability to have large amounts of food has lessened.

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