Do I get a cheat day?

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alliejo
alliejo Posts: 23
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi fellow MFP'ers......im not on the site a lot (im not very good at tallying the calories/exercise that i do)....anyways I have been hearing a lot about this idea that you get to pick 1 "cheat day" and eat whatever you want (but not in excess). Do any of you guys do this? It makes sense because then at least you get the "deprivation" out of your system.....i just wonder if it works well or if its just another "diet myth"?

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  • ecumiki
    ecumiki Posts: 1
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    My old nutritionist, who mainly went by the Body for Life method, did a "cheat" day, usually Saturday or Sunday. She had me make sure not to drop my workout/cardio on my "cheat" day. The idea was so that you weren't depriving yourself and would not cheat the rest of the days...
    I was able to lose about 100 lbs trying to follow the Body for Life method with my old nutritionist/trainer. Although I have gained back 70 lbs over the last 7 years so not sure what that says...
    Good Luck!
  • ali258
    ali258 Posts: 403
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    I have a cheat day (or a meal, usually) once every week. I did this the first time I lost 80 lbs, and it worked wonders for me. Some people don't do it because they can't get back on track, but for me, it gives me a chance to eat what I'm craving, or at least have a meal where I don't have to measure and worry about every little ingredient in it.
  • MaryFrances65
    MaryFrances65 Posts: 9 Member
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    I'm pretty good following my diet during the week. It is the weekends that might be a little over on my calories. Going out to eat with the family etc. I think it evens itself out over the week. You have good days and bad days. I use fitness pal as a guide to monitor my intake and remind me of portions and what I am putting into my mouth. It has worked for me so far!

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    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Chart
  • TKelly06
    TKelly06 Posts: 225 Member
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    I weigh in on Monday. My cheat day is Monday. I still lose the recommended one pound a week, and that is without exercising other than my job.
  • smcollard
    smcollard Posts: 1 Member
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    i like to eat what i want 2 as long as i dont go over my calorie count for the day (including workout calories burned), but i also dont eat 10 cheeseburgers just because of the math. if i know i might eat a little higher calorie dinner i try to eat very light for breakfast and lunch to make up for it, and of course if i have that dinner i just do an extra 20-30 mins of aerobic exercise to help balance it so i can maintain weight rather than gain. so far this method has worked for me. :flowerforyou:
  • kzalusky360
    kzalusky360 Posts: 29
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    I have a cheat day (or a meal, usually) once every week. I did this the first time I lost 80 lbs, and it worked wonders for me. Some people don't do it because they can't get back on track, but for me, it gives me a chance to eat what I'm craving, or at least have a meal where I don't have to measure and worry about every little ingredient in it.

    to add to this...

    i lost 75 lbs in 7 months following Weight Watchers, doing 65 mins of cardio 4-5 days a week, and throwing in my own "cheat day" each week directly after my 530pm WW meeting. On weigh-in days I would eat breakfast and a snack, then not eat or drink an excessive amount until the weigh-in meeting at 530. After the meeting I would go out to eat WHATEVER i wanted...but again, within reason. I would usually go to some sort of restaurant and get an appetizer (shared by hubby and friend/s), an entree, and a dessert (again shared by hubby and friend/s) I wouldn't hold back on the choices. cheeseburger, mozarella sticks, etc...

    Having the option to "cheat" once a week made it much easier for me to pass up cookies, cupcakes, etc at work because I would remind myself that I'd be having something I reeeeaally wanted in a few days. It gave me something to look forward to while I was working so hard throughout the rest of the week.

    But! for me it did become difficult to get back on track--I admit. At first it didnt bother me. The first few months i tried the cheat day it was easy to get back on track because the amount of weight i was losing each week was very motivational...It made me WANT to get back on track immediately the next day after "cheating." But then as the weight loss slowed down (As it naturally does) it made getting back on track a little more difficult and the cheat day slowly morphed from one meal, to a whole day, to two days, and so on....

    I eventually gained 40lbs back...but thats because i stopped working out...and eventually stopped tracking my food. (but ive lost 25 of the 40!! woot woot!)

    Also, as I learn more about how the metabolism works, "cheating" affects your blood sugar, etc and can make it more difficult for your body to bounce back into burning mode. I like the fire analogy: If you throw a big heavy log on a hot fire, it will knock the fire down and make the fire work twice as hard as it was originally to burn the new fuel. If you feed the fire small frequent pieces of kindling, the fire will burn hot and fast. Think of the "cheat meal" as a big heavy log on your hot fire. ;) just a thought
  • girlaskew12
    girlaskew12 Posts: 14 Member
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    I'm thinking of doing two cheat "meals" a week. I feel like if I have an entire cheat day, it would encourage me to binge eat (a problem I already am trying to quit). Having cheat meals makes me feel like I can go out to a nice lunch one day and then a nice dinner another day or get popcorn at the movies or something without feeling guilty.
  • jessicajoy87
    jessicajoy87 Posts: 905
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    I can't do a cheat day because of my all-or-nothing personality. If I am going to diet I have to stick with it 100% because I will not get back on track. I wouldn't recommend a cheat day if you have a personality like mine. My mom, several years back, did a low calorie diet and lost 65 pounds in three months! She had one meal a week that was whatever she wanted. Good luck.
  • slightingscale
    slightingscale Posts: 1,209 Member
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    I agree with Jessica. It depends on your personality. I tried it, and it didn't work for me in the long run. Instead, I try to incorporate any cravings into my daily calories (in smaller portions), so I don't feel deprived.

    My advice to you: try it and see if it works for you. If it's too hard to get back on track, stop doing it.
  • fitinyoga14
    fitinyoga14 Posts: 448 Member
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    i'm going to try the 2 "cheat meals" a week approach. right now, i incorporate what i'm craving into what i eat for the day, and i'm careful about my other calories. however, i find it hard not to eat a small of something i'm craving, and then have some more small portions of it later that day. in the end, the attemped "small portion" of the food i'm craving adds up and i go over on my calories for the day.
  • slightingscale
    slightingscale Posts: 1,209 Member
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    i'm going to try the 2 "cheat meals" a week approach. right now, i incorporate what i'm craving into what i eat for the day, and i'm careful about my other calories. however, i find it hard not to eat a small of something i'm craving, and then have some more small portions of it later that day. in the end, the attemped "small portion" of the food i'm craving adds up and i go over on my calories for the day.
    I agree, gymnast, that those smaller portions can add up! I just make sure I don't have any more around for that second (or third) helping. I hope your 2 cheat meals will work for you.

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