Cheat days anyone?
 

Just wondering. Does anyone do 'cheat days'? Its like a day in a week where you can eat whatever you want though in small reasonable portions. Its suppose to help even out the food cravings. So...anyone?

shockingp

Yup, practically every week since the beginning. They have evolved from all out binge days to more of an eat whatever I want as long as it's fairly healthy type of thing. But, I couldn't live without it. I lost steadily for 12 months doing this. Now, that I am close to goal I have been plateaued at the same exact weight for 4 straight weeks, so I am calling it maintenance :) but I still do the days and haven't gained anything. It's different for everyone. I have no problem going back on plan the next day so it works for me. :)

To be honest... no. But that doesn't mean I'm horribly strict with myself. I am just choosing and planning for each day as it comes. I haven't really had any cravings (until today, but I drank a wee bit too much wine last night, and I tend to want junk food when I do that - I don't have anything I "want" here in the house and I refuse to buy it!) either. I've been eating 'clean' for a while now and honestly I don't crave ANY sugar or fatty stuff at all... maybe it's the food I'm eating, maybe it's coincidence.

I personally find the word "cheat" to be negative - I think one should just choose and plan for each day and not be hard on oneself if a choice is made to eat or drink something that is not specifically on the plan that's being followed. Cheating means you've done something "wrong" and (for me anyway) that sort of thinking is generally not a good road for me to be on.

I have cheat a "meal" once a week rather than a whole cheat day. Thus, I feel like I'm letting go but not completely out of control.

I agree with the advice to have an occasional "cheat" meal, not a whole day. I honestly wouldn't even categorize it as cheating. But, I do go out to eat with friends on a fairly regular basis, and I order what I want on the menu, which is not always the lowest calorie item. Food is very much a part of the enjoyment of life, and my personal opinion is that depriving yourself all the time is more likely to lead to binging in the end.

Now, that said, I still log all the calories that I've consumed into fitday so that I know what I've done and how it fits into my overall goals. And, one thing I have finally learned is that even if something is really yummy, I don't have to eat the whole thing - I can actually leave a few bites on the plate, and still be satisfied. Another way to approach the portion control issue is to order an appetizer rather than an entree (especially when ordering something like a crabcake). As we all know, the size of meals that restaurants in America serve is a little out of control.

YES. I weigh on Fridays because I often eat more on the weekends. Either just from that feeling of 'I need a little treat' to the more practical matter of often eating out on weekends or having a different schedule that disrupts my more planned eating during week.

Yep every sat i cheat thats how i lost alot of weight in the past and it worked ......FOR ME i couldnt diet 7 days a week i would fail i know cause i've tried it

I agree that thinking of it or calling it a "cheat" is pretty negative--if it helps you to better maintain your healthier habits, then it's not a cheat; it's a tool.

I can't speak for what I'm doing currently (I fell off the wagon a few miles back...), but when I am doing well with my weight loss, I do not have intentionally scheduled off-plan days or meals. If I schedule a certain day or meal to go off-plan, then I will basically save up all my bad cravings from the whole week and gorge myself at that one time--not cool.

I have also found that by eating certain things, even if only once a week, my cravings for them NEVER go away. For less-than-healthy foods that I often crave, I have found that eliminating them from my diet completely actually helps to eliminate the cravings completely, and I don't NEED to "cheat" anymore because I no longer crave them.

That's not to say I'll never eat certain foods ever agin in my life--I still have junk food when I "need" to--I just know I don't ever really "need" it on such a regular basis as every week :^:

An additional thought--maybe if you need a "cheat" day or meal every week, you're not eating foods you enjoy regularly. When I am perfectly on plan, I still only eat foods I enjoy. I find healthier substitutions for the regular junk I used to eat, so I usually still feel as if I'm eating "normally" rather than "dieting," and this is supposed to be a lifestyle change, so isn't that really what it's all about?