Cheat Day?

How often does everyone have a "cheat" day? Is is a day or a meal? Do you log your "cheat meal"? Looking for input because my husband and I are trying to figure out how frequently we should let ourselves do this and continue to eat well. I don't want to end up binging and falling off the wagon!

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Cheat MEAL and yes log it.

If you don't set your weight loss settings too high, you shouldn't feel like you need a cheat day/meal. If you set it to 2lb/wk and are starving, then you need to reduce the goal and increase your calories. You shouldn't feel deprived or you're going to binge or give up. Personally, I don't have cheat meals. I do allow myself to go over slightly ~100 calories of so if I feel that I need the extra.

I think if you want to realistically lose weight you need to let yourself 'go' now and then - i always log whatever i eat and make up for it in the rest of the week!

I don't do "cheat" days or meals.

I eat what I want when I want...might not be in the quantity I think I want but I can't eat like that any more anyway...

For example I am having bbq bacon cheese burgers tonight for dinner...and chocolate later and a couple cookies...some would consider that a "cheat"...not me it's my normal food.

Even when I go over on a day due to say chinese take out...I am under for the week.

I think people who use cheat meals/days have restricted themselves too much and will fall off the wagon eventually due to those restrictions...and yes I am speaking from experience.

I agree with @ruggedshutter

I don't purposely do cheat days. If I go off regular eating plan on purpose, I get the taste of other food and it's hard to get back on track. So, when I say not on purpose, on the weekends, if I want wine or chips and guacamole or piece of cake, etc...I will eat it. I log it of course as well.

As Stef said, if you learn to eat correctly in moderation, you have the foods you like and learn to eat them in smaller portions. You still eat things you enjoy and don't go over your calorie goals. Myself. I eat pretty much to meet my macros and still eat a lot of things like cookies, ice cream, etc, regularly. I don't go over my calories or have 'cheat days' because I don't need to.

One meal. NOT A DAY. And you log it.

Not trying to be mean, but here's some tough love: You've got 11 posts & are already asking about cheat days. You really should go 100% for 30 full days in the beginning.

"Cheat days" turn into "cheat weeks" turn into "Oh well I'll start on the 1st of next month."

If I want to eat more, I move my body more to 'earn' the calories to cover it. Log everything, don't go at it with the 'cheat' mentality. This is your life now, so you're not setting out to cheat anyone

least of all yourselves. I also agree that looking at your weekly calories as a trend is helpful. If I go over on one day, I can finish under on another day to cover it. Over time, you will also begin to see what works for you as a person.

Good luck!

I think everyone cheats even if they want to call it something else or not admit it at all. I will say that I cheat. I work in a field where we have events and there is often food that isn't on my diet. I just chalk it up as a cheat. If I can be good, then so be it but I wouldn't say I don't cheat or have cheat days. I can tell you right now that on Saturday, May 8 I will cheat because I will be celebrating my nieces graduation. Do I have to cheat - no; am I going to be off point - yup.

Some might feel that when people cheat they aren't allowing themselves the little things in life. Perhaps that is true. But there are people who eat what they want within reason but sometimes would like to go a little 'hog wild' sometimes. Just remember as long as you are honest with yourself and with your log, that's what's important. O.k. your way over your caloric intake - tomorrow exercise a bit more and put yesterday behind you.

Cheat meals/days do NOT work for me. Any diet I've ever had with them has failed, big time. Learning how to fit foods I enjoy into my calorie needs for the day has worked much better. I tend to reserve 100-200 calories (more on big workout days!) for treat foods. This has ultimately helped ensure my success. I am actually 5 lbs under my "goal weight" and have been at this for over a year now. Good luck.

xMrBunglex wrote: »

One meal. NOT A DAY. And you log it.

Not trying to be mean, but here's some tough love: You've got 11 posts & are already asking about cheat days. You really should go 100% for 30 full days in the beginning.

"Cheat days" turn into "cheat weeks" turn into "Oh well I'll start on the 1st of next month."

Absolutely.

jinkeys26 wrote: »

If I want to eat more, I move my body more to 'earn' the calories to cover it. Log everything, don't go at it with the 'cheat' mentality. This is your life now, so you're not setting out to cheat anyone least of all yourselves. I also agree that looking at your weekly calories as a trend is helpful. If I go over on one day, I can finish under on another day to cover it. Over time, you will also begin to see what works for you as a person. Good luck!

Be careful with this type of thinking. One 'cheat' meal can often be a couple of thousand calories. you can't 'move more' enough to earn those calories back. Remember, exercise is for fitness and to help create a slight deficit. Calorie deficit is for weight loss. learn to eat at a deficit by eating in moderation. Large portions are not your friend.

mccindy72 wrote: »

jinkeys26 wrote: »

If I want to eat more, I move my body more to 'earn' the calories to cover it. Log everything, don't go at it with the 'cheat' mentality. This is your life now, so you're not setting out to cheat anyone least of all yourselves. I also agree that looking at your weekly calories as a trend is helpful. If I go over on one day, I can finish under on another day to cover it. Over time, you will also begin to see what works for you as a person. Good luck!

Be careful with this type of thinking. One 'cheat' meal can often be a couple of thousand calories. you can't 'move more' enough to earn those calories back. Remember, exercise is for fitness and to help create a slight deficit. Calorie deficit is for weight loss. learn to eat at a deficit by eating in moderation. Large portions are not your friend.

The very next sentence says "Log everything" though...that's what's going to prevent those 2,000 calorie meals. I actually do agree with this kind of thinking. If I'm going to book club and know I'll want to eat 1000 calories, I'll put in an extra long workout and "save" some calories by eating less earlier in the day. In re-reading this advice, I don't think it's off/far fetched.

mccindy72 wrote: »

jinkeys26 wrote: »

If I want to eat more, I move my body more to 'earn' the calories to cover it. Log everything, don't go at it with the 'cheat' mentality. This is your life now, so you're not setting out to cheat anyone least of all yourselves. I also agree that looking at your weekly calories as a trend is helpful. If I go over on one day, I can finish under on another day to cover it. Over time, you will also begin to see what works for you as a person. Good luck!

Be careful with this type of thinking. One 'cheat' meal can often be a couple of thousand calories. you can't 'move more' enough to earn those calories back. Remember, exercise is for fitness and to help create a slight deficit. Calorie deficit is for weight loss. learn to eat at a deficit by eating in moderation. Large portions are not your friend.

Agreed, I don't personally go in for the whole 'cheat meal' thing. If I know I'm going out for dinner and I want to have say a bacon cheeseburger instead of grilled chicken breast, I calculate the difference and work towards bridging the caloric gap. Completely do-able for my purposes.

arussell134 wrote: »

mccindy72 wrote: »

jinkeys26 wrote: »

If I want to eat more, I move my body more to 'earn' the calories to cover it. Log everything, don't go at it with the 'cheat' mentality. This is your life now, so you're not setting out to cheat anyone least of all yourselves. I also agree that looking at your weekly calories as a trend is helpful. If I go over on one day, I can finish under on another day to cover it. Over time, you will also begin to see what works for you as a person. Good luck!

Be careful with this type of thinking. One 'cheat' meal can often be a couple of thousand calories. you can't 'move more' enough to earn those calories back. Remember, exercise is for fitness and to help create a slight deficit. Calorie deficit is for weight loss. learn to eat at a deficit by eating in moderation. Large portions are not your friend.

The very next sentence says "Log everything" though...that's what's going to prevent those 2,000 calorie meals. I actually do agree with this kind of thinking. If I'm going to book club and know I'll want to eat 1000 calories, I'll put in an extra long workout and "save" some calories by eating less earlier in the day. In re-reading this advice, I don't think it's off/far fetched.

Exactly!

Cheat MEAL and yes log it. The goal of a cheat meal is to shock your system and refire your metabolism. (leptin levels read about it). IF it done correctly you can actually better achieve weight loss with it. but be careful, most people go over board with it and it backfires.

My cheat meals are usually a burger and instead of a side salad and no bun i'll get a bun and fries. or i'll have pancakes with REAL maple syrup. It's about an increase in carbs for one meal for me while satisfying a craving i might have been having.

I do cheat days once a week. I log everything and I always end up back in the green by the next weigh in. Everyone is different mentally and physically. Some ppl can't handle cheat days or meals because they let everything go off course. Some ppl need to be regimented in their diet. I never had a problem with food just didn't pay attention when things changed for metabolism wise. Now that I watch what I eat I can "cheat" and still stay accountable to myself. You have to find what works for you. No one can tell you what is best for you. I have lost 28 lbs in A little less than 3 months so I am doing what works for me.

ruggedshutter wrote: »

If you don't set your weight loss settings too high, you shouldn't feel like you need a cheat day/meal. If you set it to 2lb/wk and are starving, then you need to reduce the goal and increase your calories. You shouldn't feel deprived or you're going to binge or give up. Personally, I don't have cheat meals. I do allow myself to go over slightly ~100 calories of so if I feel that I need the extra.

This! Cheat days are not really a good idea. I don't even like the idea of a cheat meal. The word "cheat" alone has negative connotations, like we're doing something wrong or bad. One can easily destroy their calorie deficit for the whole week with a cheat day, or even a cheat meal if it's big enough, if they aren't logging it.

Instead, I fit in the foods I like to eat in nearly every day. Last night I had a small creme brulee after dinner. The night before last it was a big hunk of angel food cake. Tonight I have a work social hour and I'll have a beer. By having the things I like on a regular basis I never get to the point where I feel so deprived that a cheat meal or day is necessary.

There was a great article on cheat meals here last month: http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/the-problem-with-cheat-days/

Also, remember it's a journey. Once you hit your weight loss goal, you move into maintenance. Maintenance is for life. If you haven't learned moderation by then, it's a lot more difficult to maintain if you are still 'cheating' once a week or so.

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