Does anybody have cheat days/meals?

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KentClark
KentClark Posts: 22 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
When I lost a 80 lbs years ago, i would have a cheat day once a week. that may have been one meal that day, or maybe all 3 meals that day. I gained all that weight back plus more after I slowly gave up all my good habits and adopted bad ones. Now, many years later, I generally will allow myself one cheat meal per week...but I still log it and try not to over-do it, I just feel too guilty afterwards. Some weeks i won't even use my cheat meal, i just won't have the cravings so I won't bother.

I'm just curious if others do this.

Replies

  • Mellie289
    Mellie289 Posts: 1,191 Member
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    I absolutely have cheat meals, not really days unless I'm travelling and have little control over my food choices. I'm trying to have a healthy lifestyle, not have be on a diet, so that means enjoying some of the things that don't necessarily fit in my health and weight loss goals, but to keep them to maybe once a week so it's a treat. I feel too deprived if I don't have a cheat meal every now and then, but I do try to limit them to maybe once a week so it's not too frequent.
  • jynxxxed
    jynxxxed Posts: 1,010 Member
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    I don't do cheat days either.. though I completely support people who do have them if they feel like it helps them be healthy for the rest of the week.
    Personally I just eat whatever I'm craving in a much smaller portion and then proceed as normal without really 'cheating'.
  • quinntendo
    quinntendo Posts: 34 Member
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    I have cheat meals, although I don't overindulge. I just don't count calories as closely or have dessert after a meal.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    dont see this as a diet. this is pretty much me relearning how not to binge eat for the rest of my life, so i dont consider anything as cheating.
  • Jesse_Hunter
    Jesse_Hunter Posts: 162 Member
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    Never be hard on yourself for cheating or eating something you know you shouldn't every now and then. Restricting your diet away from something you have grown accustomed to your whole life is not an easy task and it demands a positive attitude and patience.

    That being said, You should try your best to eliminate cheat days altogether.

    Out of sight, out of mind.

    If you are experiencing intense craving while being on a calorie restricting diet try these 3 tips:

    1.) Eat smaller meals, more frequently and space them out evenly throughout your day.

    2.) decrease the % of calories you get from fat (especially concentrated fat like oils)

    3.) increase the % of calories you get from carbs (fruit is best)

    Good luck!
  • caramellattekiss
    caramellattekiss Posts: 32 Member
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    I don't have 'cheats' as such, and I always log everything, but I do ease up on treats some of the time. Last weekend, my flatmate had had a killer week at work, so we went out for a few drinks and a Thai meal. I choose lower-cal options off the menu and switched my drinks to lower-cal options too. I was over my calories, but not by a horrendous amount and I didn't worry about it. If this is going to be a lifestyle change, I have to factor in stuff like this. It's not realistic to think I'll never eat out, or never go drinking again. I just have to find a way to make it work for me.
  • GloynByw
    GloynByw Posts: 24 Member
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    I have one day off a week from my programme, ie. a day when I don't exercise and I don't have to eat six times a day. I usually have Chinese take away and I think it gives my body a jolt :)
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
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    When I lost a 80 lbs years ago, i would have a cheat day once a week. that may have been one meal that day, or maybe all 3 meals that day. I gained all that weight back plus more after I slowly gave up all my good habits and adopted bad ones. Now, many years later, I generally will allow myself one cheat meal per week...but I still log it and try not to over-do it, I just feel too guilty afterwards. Some weeks i won't even use my cheat meal, i just won't have the cravings so I won't bother.

    I'm just curious if others do this.

    The problem with the first time you used cheat meals is that you probably used it as an opportunity to go crazy. With cheat meals, you still need to go easy but you can relax a bit more and have the stuff you really fancy. No need to feel guilty about it, though. As long as there's a weekly calorie deficit, you will be fine.
  • sensualmess
    sensualmess Posts: 47 Member
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    everyone has cheat days or meals.. :) the best thing to do, is to enjoy our meals...
    and from time to time, everyone should have something that they wouldn't normally eat :)
  • sloanranger55
    sloanranger55 Posts: 108 Member
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    Hiya, I have yo yo dieted for 15yrs and doing my best now. In my opinion, there no such things as cheat days. I eat what I want to eat. Years of denying myself not so heathy food has got me nowhere, just heavier. I eat what I want to eat. Only difference now, I do my best to eat as healthy as possible and keep with in my calorie goals but if i go over on a odd occasion thats fine. As long as I am not going over by 1000s daily. I firmly believe. You have to work around your basics needs. Denying yourself, for me just leads to binging on so called forbidden foods. I am never not going to ever eat again, cake, biscuits, pies, chips, fried food, takeaways. So what is the point in cutting them out, just work them in.

    Jo x
  • ElizaRoche
    ElizaRoche Posts: 2,005 Member
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    once in a while, like in a special ocassion (birthday, anniversary, etc). Normally its just a meal, or some special dessert as I dig chocolate cake mmmmmm
  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
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    today is my birthday. i've had a cheat week because ihad the flu and some other stuff came up. lots of chips, ice cream, pierogies, pizza.

    i'm pretty good at making most things low carb, but there isn't a good substitute for potato pierogies, heh.

    i make sure to have a cheat day once a month or so, or i go crazy. birthdays, xmas, turkey day, halloween, easter, valentines day.. yep. but the next day i drink a lot of water and get back on track.

    if i plan for cheat days they are a lot easier to recover from and i'm not tempted to cheat in between.
  • LizAWDavis
    LizAWDavis Posts: 45
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    I agree with some of the posts. I started changing the way I viewed food last November. I needed to lose 4 stone (56lbs) every time I would start a diet then slip up and think well i've messed the day up now so might as well eat more then that little bit of cake would becaome a lot of cake then crisps and dips or extra this and that. I did this all the time, have a couple of good days followed by eating too much! Don't know what happened to my head in November but I stopped "dieting" Started thinking more about the types of food I ate - if I want a chocolate bar I'll have one but now I'll log the calories and not have something else. Filling up on healthy foods cutting down on pasta and rubbish. So I don't have cheat days as for me that was the problem i'd cheat have too much and start the cycle of unhealthy eating. I do watch my calorie intake and what I eat, when I go out i choose a healthier option but if I wnat a glass of wine or some crisps or choc i will let mysel, then be more carefully the next day. If you are going to lose weight it has to be something you can stick to and keep up. Sorry to have rambled so long - but I think if it works for yo, cheating or not cheating go for it! So far i've lost 34pounds - 22lbs left and counting!!

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