Cheat Day?

therealbeanz
therealbeanz Posts: 8
in Fitness and Exercise
I have been good all week with my food intake and exercise. Is it ok to have a cheat day, meaning no exercise and pizza?

Replies

  • drmerc
    drmerc Posts: 2,603 Member
    Depends on how much pizza you eat. As long as you are still in a calorie deficit at the end of the week you should still lose fat
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
    I have been good all week with my food intake and exercise. Is it ok to have a cheat day, meaning no exercise and pizza?

    I typically have a cheat meal every week.
    I think it'd be best to have the cheat meal after excercise, near the end of your day.

    But either way, I've had success in dieting while cheating weekly.
  • Whitney0919
    Whitney0919 Posts: 23 Member
    I have cheat days (or meals) all the time and I've lost 56 lbs in 7 months! I think you'll be just fine!
  • AJ_Pete
    AJ_Pete Posts: 863 Member
    I have been good all week with my food intake and exercise. Is it ok to have a cheat day, meaning no exercise and pizza?

    Hellz yes! My kinda guy!

    I eat fairly clean all week, but man if I want pizza..... I'm gonna eat that pizza. Yum! Enjoy it!
  • staceyseeger
    staceyseeger Posts: 778 Member
    I've had success at losing & maintaining while having "cheat" meals. I don't call them "cheats" anymore because I'm not cheating - it's my life.

    Enjoy your pizza & rest!
  • 20stac10
    20stac10 Posts: 15 Member
    My boot camp trainer says a cheat meal a week can be good for you because it confuses your metabolism and can kick-start it. Hey, I had a cheat weekend last weekend, started fresh Monday and I've lost more weight! Maybe there is some truth to his theory...
  • Cgrnlaw
    Cgrnlaw Posts: 84 Member
    My cheat day is normally Saturday, thats when I have that cake or cupcake I've earned.
  • DBiddle69
    DBiddle69 Posts: 682 Member
    his is a lifestyle change...you never get days off. You make modifications!

    My week runs Saturday - Friday. My weekly calorie intake is 12600 calories (1800 a day)

    On Saturday I workout and burn 850 calories which I add to my weekly total....(13450)...I eat 1800 calories for the day (11650).
    On Sunday I workout and burn 1000 calories which I add to my weekly total...(12650)...I eat 2200 calories for the day (10450)
    On Monday I do not work out...I eat 1500 calories...(8950)

    Without any more exercising this leaves me with 8950 calories for the four remaining days of the week...or 2237.5 calories per day. As long as I do not go over the 12600 calories for the week!

    No cheat days when it is a lifestyle...modification!
  • KatiaClouse
    KatiaClouse Posts: 27 Member
    Brace yourself for the guilt you may feel thereafter! I had my cheat meal last night (after going to the gym in the a.m. and playing softball in the p.m.) and felt miserable. Of course that might have had something to do with the meal being at a Chinese buffet. :ohwell:
  • drmerc
    drmerc Posts: 2,603 Member
    My boot camp trainer says a cheat meal a week can be good for you because it confuses your metabolism and can kick-start it. Hey, I had a cheat weekend last weekend, started fresh Monday and I've lost more weight! Maybe there is some truth to his theory...

    How can a metabolism get confused?
  • bartmo
    bartmo Posts: 5
    Google "joel marion cheat day".
    He is a for profit fitness expert blogger who talks about the benefit of a strategic cheat day once a week to reset your leptin levels, which apparently gradually lower as you diet resulting in diminished metabolism. When leptin levels are low...oh well, there is a lot he has to say about it so I won't try to repeat it.
  • cpaman87
    cpaman87 Posts: 193 Member
    Anything in moderation. We go out every Friday with friends and then go back to one of our homes for dessert. It gives you something to look forward to but moderation is the key. It never means that you eat whatever you want. Sometimes my wife and I will go out for pizza. We used to order a large and eat most of it. Now we get salads and a slice. Still satisfies us but we have not gone overboard with it. Again, moderation.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    I've just noshed sweet and sour pork hong kong style, king do ribs and spicy fried fried. Sometimes it's good to have what you fancy. We're not robots after all.....
  • JessyLovesJCS
    JessyLovesJCS Posts: 169 Member
    I just had my Free Day yesterday...with a slice of homemade chocolate cheesecake (made with low-fat cream cheese though) and 3 small pieces on homemade cheese pizza. But I did exercise some. I think even walking should be done every day....and also some light gardening.

    I agree about the metabolism thing. When I lose 5-6 pounds I sometimes plateau and won't lose weight until I have a few days off and then return to MFP. (I don't totally go overboard on those days off though...instead of 1640 calories I'll do 2000-2100.)
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
    How can a metabolism get confused?

    It was bad wording.
    I think what her trainer was trying to explain was how it can reset hormones.
    eating at a large deficit for a long amount of time can cause changes in hormone levels, but the cheat meals done weekly can play a role in keeping those levels fairly normal.
  • MaryBowen27
    MaryBowen27 Posts: 132
    Anything in moderation. We go out every Friday with friends and then go back to one of our homes for dessert. It gives you something to look forward to but moderation is the key. It never means that you eat whatever you want. Sometimes my wife and I will go out for pizza. We used to order a large and eat most of it. Now we get salads and a slice. Still satisfies us but we have not gone overboard with it. Again, moderation.

    ^ This. I think a cheat MEAL or a cheat ITEM is better than a "cheat day". It's pretty easy to throw away a lot of hard work by going overboard.

    For example:

    You eat at a 500 calorie deficit everyday. So by the end of the week you've earned an extra 3500 calories. While that seems like a lot, it doesn't take much to reverse that deficit.Three slices of pizza, a couple sodas, and cake, you could eat all of it back easily. I have a "cheat night" once a week, which for me is typically 2-4 drinks (more often vodka and seltzer water or wine) so in the end, my cheat only cost me 180-400ish calories and I feel satisfied.

    I only say this because I have seen people on this site, and I know people in life, who act like free days just don't count and quite literally eat everything in front of them. Just because it's an extra tasty day doesn't mean it should completely lack self control. Enjoy in moderation!
  • raeleek
    raeleek Posts: 414 Member
    I have been good all week with my food intake and exercise. Is it ok to have a cheat day, meaning no exercise and pizza?


    Go ahead. Enjoy your pizza. Listen to your body and eat until comfortable. I take a day now and then and oddly enough it energizes me AND the weight keeps dropping at a consistent pace.
  • Tony_Brewski
    Tony_Brewski Posts: 1,376 Member
    Hell yeah man. I made my goal and beat it so my plan to pat myself on the back is a trip to my favorite buffet :D
  • staceyseeger
    staceyseeger Posts: 778 Member
    his is a lifestyle change...you never get days off. You make modifications!

    My week runs Saturday - Friday. My weekly calorie intake is 12600 calories (1800 a day)

    On Saturday I workout and burn 850 calories which I add to my weekly total....(13450)...I eat 1800 calories for the day (11650).
    On Sunday I workout and burn 1000 calories which I add to my weekly total...(12650)...I eat 2200 calories for the day (10450)
    On Monday I do not work out...I eat 1500 calories...(8950)

    Without any more exercising this leaves me with 8950 calories for the four remaining days of the week...or 2237.5 calories per day. As long as I do not go over the 12600 calories for the week!

    No cheat days when it is a lifestyle...modification!

    Well said!

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