Hey guys

I was wondering about cheat days. I have been on WW for 9 months. I have been pretty strict, I follow it pretty much to a T. I feel guilty of thinking of even having a cheat day but I know its realistic to have one every now and then. I don't even know how to have a cheat day lol. So my question is, how many points do you go over? Is there a recommended amount? Do we even go over the points, and if we do then we are jeopardizing our weekly weight loss correct? I was thinking of having a day to just not worry about keeping the points within my limit, but not go completely overboard either.

So in a nutshell, how do you have your cheat days?

Thanks

Warning: This is not going to be the answer you want.

I don't have cheat days and I think most WW don't have cheat days. Why? The whole point of the plan is that you can live with it and have the room to treat yourself with food. If I want to have a day out where I eat pizza and have ice cream, I just save my WP then, that day, have a light breakfast and lunch. That, however, is not cheating - it's planned and within my points.

If you did go over your DP and WP (and AP), then yes, you would jeopardize your weight loss for sure. If you did choose to do this, I would do it once and quickly move on.

I don't have cheat days either.

In fact, calling it a cheat day to me, just makes this less than a lifestyle change and more of a temporary thing. WW works for me and is structured in such a way, that is real life.

If I want cheesy pizza, or a waffle cone Sundae, I have it. Provided I have the points, workout to make it even or adjust.

I wouldn't say that you couldn't ever have an over indulgence day, just know the consequences from it.

What do you mean by a cheat day? That may sound like a silly question, but I think it is important.

Is it a day you go over your daily points and eat some weekly points? If so, then most of my days are cheat days....

Is it a day that you eat more than X number of points, but you stay within your weekly points? That isn't cheating. Way back when I started with WW when it was an exchange plan you had optional calories which were sort of like weekly points. You had a certain amount per week, but there was a limit to how many you could have per day. WW doesn't have that limit for weekly points. You could eat all 49 in one day if you wanted to. Personally I try to not go more than 10 points over my daily points on most days, even if I eat out, because it puts too much pressure on me to restrict myself on other days. But, sometimes I do go higher than that, but it isn't cheating.

Is it a day that you eat a lot of junk food, but you still meet the Good Health Guidelines? Not cheating. It may be unwise to do it very often but it isn't cheating.

Is it a day that you just don't meet the Good Health Guidelines? Some would say that wasn't following the program (I don't like the term cheating). I am more flexible about it. I try to follow the principles of it but not every little bit of it (for example, I eat nuts most days and I feel that satisfies healthy oils).

Is it a day that you eat so much that you go over your weekly points for the week? If you do that every once in a while it probably won't totally derail you. But, if you have a cheat day every week that causes you to go over weekly points for the whole week, then you likely won't have very good results. The other week I had a 62 point day - and I get 26 points per day. It did cause me to go over for the week. I didn't actually intend to do it. I ate out without checking nutrition content which was a mistake. That week I had no loss or gain. If I did that every week - just went into the restaurant and ordered what I wanted such that it put me over my weekly points - I wouldn't lose.

I also think that the concept of WW is to either track all the time or use Simply Filling if you don't want to track (even then you have to count weekly points used). Having a day where you don't keep track of what you eat (and you weren't using Simply Fimply) can be very dangerous to your weight loss as it can really undo everything else you've accomplished the rest of the week.

I just mean a cheat day lol. I think the complex here I am having is that WW motto is to eat whatever you want and still lose weight as long as you stay in your points. Well I haven't been doing that. I hardly ever go over my points, I don't use any of my weekly points. I have been eating plain healthy food this whole time-not that I mind or anything. I get my 5 veggies and fruits a day, I stick to healthy grains and limit my refined sugar and flour etc...I pretty much don't eat sugar.

The days that I do eat Pizza, yes I do count it in my points, but those are the days where if I want 3 slices I have to make sure I eat a lighter lunch and breakfast. And same goes for pasta. Most of these "junk" foods I chose not to eat when I started. So I guess thats why I am asking about cheat days because technically I haven't been taking advantage of WW's motto since the beginning. Maybe I should start.

And by that I don't mean eat pizza everyday, but maybe Im being a little too strict and its making me think of these "cheat" days.

Krissypants, that's not cheating - it's a part of the plan. Enjoy yourself once in a while! That can be hard to do when you've lost quite a lot - I am just now getting used to the idea that yes, I can have a day where I eat bad food; 90+ lbs are not going to all come rushing back at once! It's okay.

Thank you I guess Im being a little too anal about what I eat!

Im so thankful for WW though. It has taught me a lot about portion sizes. Most of us eat way too much-not you guys. It has taught me that if I want pizza, you don't have to eat 5 slices, you can have 2 slices with some salad to fill you up. It has taught me the amount of points or calories in pasta and that is a clear indicator that those are the types of foods that need portion control Extremely happy with my lifestyle change. And I am glad I lost so much weight off of it. Congrats to all of you

I don't like the term cheating. First, it really doesn't mean much. Everyone has different meanings of it. I also see it as dangerous. If some is regularly "cheating" it is very easy to start thinking of it as the norm or to stop the program entirely (well, I'm not doing it since I cheat so much). I also think that it is sort of takes away accountability in a funny way. If I am cheating then it almost seems like it is something beyond my control rather than me making a deliberate choice that I take responsibility for.

If you stay within your points, including daily points and weekly points and activity points and you substantially meet the Good Health Guidelines then you are on program. If you go way over your entire points then you are off program.

Eating weekly points is not cheating. Eating activity points is not cheating. Eating every last point you have available is not cheating. Now - depending upon your age and your daily activity then you might lose as much weight as you would otherwise. A woman who is 60 years and works a sedentary job and who is 5'2" might not lose very much if she ate all of her activity points and weekly points -- but she would still be on program.

Yah the thing is I don't eat my weekly points, never have. So I assume its safe to say its better if I don't. I figure since I started this way I my swell continue. I might change it up later.

I asked because I know bodybuilders have cheat days, men and women. Yes I know bodybuilder diets are different, but they are still on a strict diet most of the time. But I think the difference mainly is that they excersize like mad to burn off their cheat meals.

Also, if you can have a cheat meal once a month and have enough will power and control to keep it that way, I don't see a major problem with it. But as I stated above, the problem is I haven't been treating WW the way it is meant to. I don't eat junk mainly ever. But its ok with WW, thats what they want you to do because thats what makes WW much less of a diet and more of a realistic lifestyle change. I think I will re evaluate and try to incorporate some of my favourite foods into the foods I eat, in moderation of course.

It just doesn't seem worth it to eat pasta, so I generally don't. I tend to buy the 100% whole grain pasta, and extra lean meat for the sauce, but even with all of that it still ends up being massive points for just a little amount. What if "one" day I want to indulge in a full plate of pasta? That would be half of my points gone for the day, including the weekly points. See what I mean? I can live without gorging on pasta for a day, because as I said WW has taught me about portion control. But it would be nice for one day.

Sure I think it is fine to one day have a large bowl of pasta. I would say that, though, it is better to count the points for the day (and if you go over daily points, eat weekly points). I am not saying btw that you have to eat weekly points every week. Personally if I had to eat 26 points or less every single day I would blow a gasket. That is just too restrictive for me. But, you have done really well and lost a lot of weight and if that works for you then it works for you. And, if you can have a day where you eat more than that, then I suspect you will do fine even if that one day is a lot of points.

However, most likely even in doing that you will still be on program for WW if you don't go over your daily points, weekly points and APs combined.

Thanks for the input

Krissypants29 It sounds like you are very on plan and if you are simply tired of counting points and want a break then use the power foods plan for a bit. I forget the proper name but it is based on the former Core program, where you do not count points but eat only power foods until satisfied and you can have so many fats etc. per day. Just review your material on that. It is an idea. Good luck.

Simply Filling!!!! It just came to me. lol

Ok Ill check it out, thanks