[I had this in a different thread but thought it might attract more attention if it had its' own]
I'm on a fairly restricted calorie diet although it doesn't really feel like it. At any rate, I like to have fun on weekends, have a few drinks, maybe go to dinner. Just wondering what everyones thought was on "cheat days". What do you have on them ? Do you totally let go and pig out ? Only one meal? Two?
I think I'm going to pick Saturday from dinner and onward to be a bit relaxed with the strict diet. I'll probably still plug everything into my calorie counting app, but I don't be AS crazy about it.
What is your definition of a cheat day ? And what day did you pick ?
I tried to have cheat days but it never really worked, too much guilt.
I did eat a slice of birthday cake (above my calorie limit for the day) on my daughters bday, that was my cheat for the month lol
When I am pregnant I deal with 9 months of severe morning (all day!) sickness and I always long for ice cream during those time. If I had a cheat day I would have ice cream. But not regular ice cream - I would want something truly fattening like double chocolate with chocolate chunks and a little chocolate mixed in.
That or a slice of cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory.
Great post! I often wonder about this myself! I personally try to have one serving max each of white flour and sugar per week. I am still at the start of this journey though! I have DEFINITELY had my cheat day derail me in the past....it's like my body was like "mmmm....we forgot about that stuff. MORE please!"
As for alcohol, I decided to give up alcohol for the first month of my weight loss journey. I figured it would help lower my tolerance anyway, and give me the chance to see results!
If I could have any cheat this weekend, it'd a Tim Horton's Sour Cream Glazed donut. The closest Timmy's is a 3 hour bush flight away!!! lol maybe that's a good thing!?
Just wondering what everyones thought was on "cheat days". What do you have on them ? Do you totally let go and pig out? Only one meal? Two?
I avoid using the term "cheat" day because I see it as a choice, rather than a cheat. I make the choice to have an all-out meal (as in three plates plus dessert at an Asian buffet, totalling about 4000 cals) about once every 2 months and a substantially larger dinner than normal (totalling about 1,500 cals, usually at a restaurant or other people's home) once or twice a month. I compensate by eating about 100 fewer cals than my maintenance requirements the rest of the time. Of course it doesn't always work out so neatly, but that's the general idea.
I don't have a cheat day, but do a cheat meal once a week normally on Sat. Or Sun. We normally go out or have a get together with friends and allow myself to eat/drink what I want. I don't go crazy but don't limit myself either. Hope that makes sense
I don't, but I do keep my calories very flexible. I try for 1200 - 1500 most of the time, but 1500 - 2000 days (or higher, more occasionally) are fine by me. I consider them days I'm maintaining. If my weight loss stalls out for too long, I crack down a bit on the higher calorie days. I don't have a set goal for total number of high/low days, I just play it by ear.
But I don't ever have meals or days where I don't have a reasonable idea of the calories. That's how I plan my maintenance to be, so I'm okay with this.
Yeah I dont have a cheat day (because frankly I can eat 3000 calories easily that way) instead I have one cheat meal and keep that very slow and controlled as well.. and that seems to be working for me. I dont feel deprived that way, but I make sure to get right back on track. No excuses.
I never plan cheat days as they happen quite naturally on their own.
I do try to keep myself in check and eat under 2000 those times, but sometimes that just doesn't happen. The key for me is to keep it to just one day or to one meal, then right back on plan.
I find though as time progresses I can have less and less of those while still losing weight. I don't really gain when they happen but I definitely don't lose.
If I had a planned "cheat" day, I would be eating outback's cheese fries, DQ's chili cheese dogs and Sonic's soft serve with orange fanta. In a day. So..for me, that's a bad bad idea..
I cheat a lot... I am really well meaning, but occasionally I have too many cookes or ice cream before bed and after a pretty successful day of watching what I eat. I have found that although it seems to hinder weight loss over a couple weeks, I never gain and I just recently lost two lbs. I try to remember that even though I feel like I'm cheating, it is usually not enough to ruin your diet. I have even done crazy fast food binges and come back from it. Though, I might not be built the same as some who say if they eat off of plan they gain almost immediately.
I don't really see the point in calling an indulgence a "cheat." This is life—sometimes in life you're going to want to let go a bit and have some fun. Just like everything else it should be done in moderation.
Today I shared some of my fiance's dessert when we went out to eat. I had a relatively low calorie meal (500ish cals) of grilled mahi mahi (yummy!) and I had about 500 cals left for the day after my dinner.
Looked up the dessert online because I was curious...2700 calories!. Granted, we shared it, and left about a third of it uneaten, but I probably ate more than 500 calories of it
It's not a cheat—it's just life happening. Tomorrow I'm back on track...and maybe next time I'll pop the gum into my mouth sooner.
i dont plan cheat days and i dont really consider it "cheating" because i calorie-count so nothing is really off limits....there are times when i choose to go over my calorie limit, sometimes by a little because i'm HUNGRY and sometimes by a lot when there's a reason (bday etc)...it hasn't been often enough to really make me gain weight although if i cut it all out, i'd either lose weight faster or binge myself right back up the scale eventually....
i don't do cheat days or "unlimited calorie" days either because i'd feel miserable physically...however i will do "unlimited moments" like for example on a friday night i will eat my fill of pizza...not every week, maybe once a month, and i'm not worried about calories...i still log it and sometimes try to estimate teh calories but i'm not obsessed over it...and i consciously chose to eat that way for that "unlimited calorie moment" and it wasn't something uncontrolled
I have every Saturday night off , I don't call it cheating because its planned. As long as I try and make sure my calorie intake for the rest of the day is as low as possible without being silly and staving myself as well as exercise for an hour i don't feel guilty at all. Sometimes after doing all that and taking into account my exercise calories i can make it all fit into my daily allowance. Plus i make sure that even though i'm allowed to eat what i normally wouldn't i control myself one plate of the more fattening stuff i don't eat in the week , 1 pudding and a few drinkies .
I need it , but i know for some it would be a trigger to eating like that all the time . For me it keeps me going and its nice to have that one night to have a drink and relax with my husband.
Last edited by baileyboo9; 01-11-2013 at 03:16 AM.
I do one cheat day a week! Unlimited day whatever you want to call it! But it gives me something to look forward to AND I just keep in the back of my head that if I want that donut just hold off and you can have it on Sunday!! Works like a charm I have done this in the past and find it's what works for me! I keep my calories fairly low during the week and that one day it also helps to break up the low calorie counting i keep all week...keeps my body guessing!
Cheat days
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