You shouldn't punish yourself. Life happens. But I think it's probably a good idea to go cold turkey from your worst trigger foods for a while, not as a punishment, just as a reset. Once you get the hang of healthy, moderate eating, you can start allowing yourself those foods as treats, not gorge fests.
I think the ALL or NOTHING mentality is what really sabotogues weight loss efforts in the long and short runs!
For me...I ate CHEAT MEAL once/week during my weight loss journey. That made the process painless as I never felt deprived and was motivated to stay "on plan" during the rest of the week in anticipation of having my favorite foods at the end of the week (i.e. jamaican food takeout, pizza, chinese, thai, etc.) It helped keep my metabolism "guessing" so I never stalled (like you see so many do here), the entire 60 lbs lost).
Now that I'm in maintenance....I no longer need to use the word CHEAT MEAL. I eat whatever I want, whenever I want it. There is no food "off-limit" and I don't go perserk on goodies like cookies, icecream, muffins and pies because I've eaten them all along. They were never "off-limit", so the TABOO of eating them is gone...and so is the urge to overeat them as if I'll never see another cookie again!
Fix the head/mind....and the body will follow! All the best.
I don't have a cheat meal or day. I do however have occasions of eating out socially at a restaurant that may not have the best choices. I guess you could consider one of those nights a cheat meal, but I do the best I can at the given restaurant and watch my calories the day before/of/after that meal more strictly than usual.
Having said that, I am looking forward to a cupcake on my birthday and lunch at my favorite Italian place. I know I will go over on my calories and it's high carbs but I won't feel guilty. I'll just watch my calories for the next week and throw in extra minutes of exercise. In fact, my birthday will start at the gym.
Do I go off plan for the sake of going off plan? No. However, I celebrated my 5 year wedding anniversary last week with hot cheesy crab dip, lobster bisque (extra cream!) prime rib, cheesecake, and half a bottle of wine. On Christmas, I have some of my mom's amazing cheesecake. When I go on Dinseyland trips, I don't pay attention to what I'm eating, but I split everything with my husband.
I guess what I'm saying is, I don't generally go off plan because I need a break from my "diet". I do, however, go off plan for something that is truly worth it, and because life isn't about 100% perfection. (Now, picking what is "worth it", that's a totally different battle. ) But, if I am planning on living this way, I'm not willing to completely eliminate foods forever. I can ban them to once a year though *ahem* Mom's Bailey's Irish cream white chocolate cheescake....
I agree with Joyfull. I did calorie zigzagging which naturally allowed me to have a day with more calories than usual. It helped me avoid a plateau, I lost the weight consistently, and the days that were harder, I was motivated because of my "high day" coming up. The issue arose in that I did not practice maintenance at all and had no idea how to work it. So here I am AGAIN after re-gaining all but 15lbs back. That was my version of a cheat day but I never termed it that and I still practiced portion and calorie control.
I do eat higher calorie meals sometimes, but like others who have posted here I don't consider them "cheat meals". I've lost plenty of weight on restrictive "diets", but gained it right back. Now I'm looking to make a lifestyle change for lasting success. I'm trying to find a way to eat NOW that I can be happy with the rest of my life. That means sometimes I'll eat a higher calorie meal or food item. I can't imagine going the rest of my life without doing so, can you?
Ideally, when I eat something I know is higher calorie I stop and really try to taste it and consider a few things. Does this really taste good? Is the experience/taste worth the extra calories I'm consuming? If the answer is "no" then I stop eating it.
Like others, I also make adjustments in my daily and weekly diet when I consume higher calorie meals.
yeah I guess the word "cheat" is such a negative thing that nobody wants to say it, so they say, a free meal or day.. or off plan.. or higher calories meal, etc etc but I think in all honesty everyone goes off plan during their weightloss journey. I did weight watchers years ago and lost 70 lbs and I'd stick to my points all week and then each weekend just go off, eat what I liked then right back on monday's.. it worked for me. I lost the weight (maybe slower than I could have) but I did it without feeling like I was missing out on my favorite high calorie foods etc. Course when I changed plans things drastically changed for me and I'd beat myself up for "cheat" meals or days and it took its toll. But actually this was a interesting topic for today because I just downloaded the book from Paul Rivas MD called The Cheater's Diet. Take the weekends off dieting and still lose weight. I just love the concept since it takes me back to the days I did just that and lost 70 lbs. Of course this doesn't mean binge like crazy each weekend, LOL but to eat healthy all week then enjoy that pizza and beer if you want come saturday... enjoy that chocolate.. never beat yourself up anymore for the word "cheat" but know it's part of a proven plan that works. Anyway, that is my thoughts on this today. I can't wait to start it and see how it works.
This question comes up every so often on here, and I think whether it is a successful thing depends on one's own psyche and self control. I understand the theory, that by briefly revving up your metabolism it'll help break a plateau... but I find that any cheat days will extend me out onto a plateau, and delay what I'm trying to accomplish. I'd rather just stay on plan and keep losing.
Routine works for me, and I have been able to largely train myself to "not seek" crummy food anymore. Why have that cheat day, which re-activates old instincts, that I have to beat down again? Stick to plan, don't mess it up... that's what I've learned.
For me... I refuse to set very stringent rules. Otherwise my first instinct is to rebel against them (stupid independent personality). So...
I'm doing IF... but I don't have a set window.
I'm calorie counting... but I can eat whatever I want, and as much as I want... as long as I stay around 1500 calories (preferably under).
I'm eating healthy... but if I eat something unhealthy I'm not cheating or ruining myself.
I definitely admire those who are able to make a plan and stick to it. But for me... just can't do it that way. There are just WAY too many variables in my own life. So... for me... no matter how I eat... what I eat... when I eat... etc... I aim for healthier... but I'm never "cheating" or breaking any rules... because there aren't really any rules...
You shouldn't punish yourself. Life happens. But I think it's probably a good idea to go cold turkey from your worst trigger foods for a while, not as a punishment, just as a reset. Once you get the hang of healthy, moderate eating, you can start allowing yourself those foods as treats, not gorge fests.
I like this. I Don't say I can't have trigger foods, I say "They don't work for me" Meaning I could have them if I wanted to, but I know myself and my history and have concluded that it's not a good idea. I prefer to not play with fire.
I have had free weekends for my entire weight loss journey and continue to do so now. I'm more or less maintaining 5-10 lbs above goal. I eat a LOT on the weekends so weight loss has been slow, it took me 8 months to go from 158 to 125 and I regained a few.
I sometimes plan more calories. Or I allow myself a treat every once in a while that I normally wouldn't eat. (Like a cannoli for my birthday.)
But I don't call it a cheat. It's not a cheat. It was planned. I was vigilant.
The second I think about cheating, I think of those days when I'd just eat everything with no moderation, no end in site. That's not going to help me change all of my habits in the long run.
I'm with the majority:
I don't do Cheat, because the word has negative connotations - it's my choice to eat healthily, why should I cheat myself?
I don't do regularly planned Indulgences, because my mindset would start increasing them, eating a bit more up to them and away from them.
I don't do stringent denial but I do do calorie counting, so that I can save up for or cut back because of a planned indulgence - but that is absolutely Not going off plan, it's part of the plan.
Of course, this is when I've got the right head on and am really concentrating, which doesn't happen all the time!
my cheat means a day where i consume 1500-1700 calories instead of 1200, looool. but i do plan a higher calorie meal occasionally if i know i'm going to need some wiggle room.
All the best.
