Cheat days
 

[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!?

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.

Freelance
blog: www.englishgrammargripe.com

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.

re:
 

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 :lol:

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. :lol:

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.

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! :D

I don't do cheat days, because my cheats are all high carb and since I'm doing low carb, I end up retaining water, sleeping like crap and getting nowhere on the scale for about two days, which just upsets me.

I'm actually aiming for a cheat free January because it seems like every month since I've started there has been at least one weekend where I've been away, or there's been a family event or a holiday that throws me off track. At first it was ok - My birthday was about six weeks in to dieting and I looked forward to cheating for it -but I just think about the progress I could have made and it frustrates me. So no cheats until Valentine's for me!

I don't plan cheat days either. They eventually creep in on their own so I try to avoid them as often as possible.

I don't have anything planned but I know a few times a month even once a week there might be a social occasion where I will eat something "nice" OR have a few drinks.

I don't do those things alone anymore.

I agree with Vex. The thing about cheat days is that you can't cheat "too" much. If you work hard all week to eat 500 calories less than your intake, and then eat 4000 calories one day, you end up breaking even if you aren't careful. If I know I am going out to eat or out for drinks I will try to keep my intake very low until that time of day. Not always easy!

I don't have a cheat day, they always seem to run into cheat days. I do have a treat now and then, though.

I can't do cheat days because for me they lead to cheat weeks, cheat months and eventually cheat years; i.e., I really struggle with will power. But, I also believe in making memories and living life so I allow myself to celebrate family birthdays and the holidays. So that means having Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas dinners -- which are big meals. And having a dinner out followed by cake and ice cream 7 times a year. I don't go all out, but I'll let myself have mashed potatoes, scalloped corn, and stuff like that for my veggies instead of steamed. It's the only way I can do it because I tell myself that I'm creating memories, not cheating on my diet.

I allow myself a cheat day on the weekend, either it be Saturday or Sunday and allow myself to eat out at a restaurant with my b/f.

Cheat days are supposed to be good for you-can't remember why... But I have a history of anorexia so cheat days make me want to die. I have to avoid them for my own good.

I just had a cheat meal on Saturday. It was wings and potato skins.The next day I drank lots of water and went back to 1500 calories. This morning I was down 1/2 lb , since Friday. oh and it was definitely preplanned.

I never plan them, they just happen. I try to count my calories and determine if I have enough to allow for it.

OMG! What dessert was this? I have NEVER in my life seen or heard of a dessert with 2,700 calories!!! I want to make sure to avoid that one LOL

I don't designate a weekly cheat day, because I know I would go right back to my excessive ways of eating.

But if I want to out to dinner/drinks on a saturday night, I will make a conscious effort to restrict my calories for the day's breakfast and lunch, so that I have extra calories to use up that night. Then, I will eat off the menu, and have a couple drinks and not worry about it. I try not to go into it thinking I can eat WHATEVER I want because that will utlimately sabotage my week's efforts, but I can eat a little bit of excess. Example, If I go to a mexican place, it doesnt mean eat a whole bowl of chips, or a blooming onion and order the chimichanga and 3 chocolate martinis. Instead, it means, eat a couple handfuls of chips, get the grilled shrimp tacos, and a couple of margaritas on the rocks no salt.

For me, its OK to go out and I do, but I have made a conscious effort to plan ahead, even when the plan is to overdo it a bit...

Whatever works for each of us, is right for us.

I don't really prefer to call it a "cheat" day. But I do have one HIGHER day. I still count calories, though. On a daily basis, I average 1400 calories. On my high day (Wednesdays, to break up my week) I'm usually around 1800-1900. I find I HAVE to have this high day, or I don't lose weight as good. I think it jostles up my body. That's usually the day we get out for dinner, take out of some type. I always have a super healthy breakfast and lunch, and a very high dinner. So, it's just one meal.

Yeah I cheat on Saturdays, not to crazy just allow myself pasta, rice or bread. My hubby Pigs out since he says the plan he is following allows it. I switched my day last week to Friday since I was out and did not plan ahead, ended up having a sandwich with pasta and pizza for dinner. I felt so crappy that day, the bread and pasta made me tired. Don't wanna feel like that again.

I find I have to do the opposite -- eat a little MORE in preparation for a night on the town. For me, only bad things can come from the hungry-tipsy combo.

Freelance

Haha! It was the brownie sundae at Miller's Ale house. How does one get that many calories in a dessert?! Not eating that one again!

Ah well. No damage done after a few days of cutting back. :dizzy:

I also do this on Saturdays. But I don't have a cheat day, I have a meal which is planned of course, but i eat whatever i want (and as much as i want) and do not count calories. It keeps the cravings at bay and believe it or not, I think the extra intake of calories kind of shocks my system and keeps it guessing. (or maybe it's just in my head) But it works for me.

I calorie cycle, to combat cheat days. I was calorie cycling with an anything you want day on Saturday and then eating nothing on a Sunday.

I got sick of this so switched Saturday to a 1400 day of pure crap and Sunday of pure crap of 800.
So i don't really change the amount i eat, but i change what i eat. I don't eat wholegrains or protein shakes at the weekend. It feels really good to have that break from healthy food.
Don't get me wrong, i do like my diet, i just sometimes would rather eat 4 x 40 cal low fat hot chocolates than say one 1 bowl of porridge and protein shake.

I have my birthday coming up at the end of the month. I think then i will have my usual 1200 and maybe allow myself a 400 calorie piece of cake. It will be my birthday and every birthday needs cake, but i don't want a situation like last year where i ate soo much cake i felt really fat and regretted it.