Is it okay once a week to have a not-so-good meal?
My boyfriend likes to take me out to dinner and a movie once a week. He calls it our special date night. He likes to take me to my favorite restaurant, Olive Garden. Even though I always get the salad, the entrees aren't exactly healthy for you. As long as I eat light the rest of the day, is it okay to eat out once a week? He tells me "It's only once a week."
I actually love Olive Garden. The apricot chicken is delicious and fits perfectly within my calorie budget. As long as I stay away from bread and wine, it's not even a "cheat meal" - it's onplan!
I've considered trying that! I usually go for the Eggplant. It's not as bad in calories as the other foods are, but the fat content is rather high. I think I'll try the Apricot Chicken next time. Thanks for the idea!
Look, you've got to live in the real world and in the real world there *may* be occasions where you choose to indulge a bit -- as long as you are still losing, the meal doesn't lead to a binge, it is occasional, and you are on plan the rest of the time - I think it is perfectly fine.
I think for a lot of people, doing that can lead to a slippery slope of, it's just one meal... it's just another... and another... until they are back to where they started so I would suggest be VERY mindful of that... but otherwise, don't sweat it if it's just once a week
Personally, I usually have one or two meals (or days) a week that I relax about. I try to make healthier choices (ie - burger & side salad versus burger & fries), but I don't go crazy about counting calories or restricting portions. For me, it's important to feel like I have some freedom - that I'm not doing an "all or nothing" kind of diet.
However, only you will be able to tell if the "one night out a week" works for you. Are you still losing weight at a rate you're comfortable with? Does one meal a week turn into one day or two days a week? If it's not something you're able to keep in check, you may want to talk to your boyfriend about taking a break until you're more comfortable making healthy choices while eating out.
Like was already mentioned- if it's only that one meal, and you are careful about the rest of the day- why not?
I do this- one, maybe 2, meals a week that aren't 100% on plan, but don't hurt me too much.
I actually went overboard last week cuz we had sushi (friend's bday) and I couldn't resist and then started noticing I was eating more and more carbs- I had to nip that in the bud! I'm back to phase 1 for a week to help get back on track.
I think the best way to be successful losing weight is to make sure what you are doing is sustainable long-term, I think your once a week treat is a great way to keep things going; if you constantly eat low-calorie stuff I think eventually you will start to feel deprived. At least I do!
Letting myself have pizza once a week is my concession; I lost 30 pounds with that plan and I never felt deprived! Of course then I lost my motivation entirely and slowly gained it all back...but it was more than one 'bad' meal a week that did it!
If I didn't have some form of Americanized Asian food every week, I'd probably become an insane person. The egg rolls... they call to me.
But in all seriousness, having one day not to obsess about my food and another day to have my Asian food fix, I've managed to lose around two pounds a week. This may change as I have to drop my calorie intake or what-not, but so far I have been pleasantly surprised that on my "cheat day," I intuitively eat less and better than I did before.
So I say go for it, but stay honest with yourself.
Last edited by Song of Surly; 04-19-2010 at 03:46 PM.
If you can still lose weight - by all means! A cheat night for me seems to ruin all my efforts through the week - I end up not losing anything. If it works for you, go for it!
I have to have a "cheat meal" or "cheat night". Otherwise I wouldn't be able to do this. As long as it doesn't snowball, like someone else mentioned.
A while back I had a cheat night, then Saturday came and that went horribly, so then I felt bad and Sunday was a waste too. SOOO if it would have been just Friday, then back OP the rest of the weekend it would have been ok.
I definitely think a cheat meal once a week is never a bad thing. In fact, in my experience too, it's usually good. However, if a few weeks go by and you aren't seeing any progress, maybe you guys could try something new for your date day, like making a healthy meal together or going for a hike?
Thank you everybody. He is very sweet. And we take walks all the time when he comes up. He just likes to take me out to my favorite restaurant. It's good to know that I'm not being awful by doing this once a week! Thank you!
Is it okay once a week to have a not-so-good meal?
