So this is my issue. I always lose about 4-5 lbs after a good week of dieting/exercising. I feel so proud of myself and when I get to my cheat day I binge. Then I get way off track and it takes atleast a week for me to "recover" and get back to eating better again. By then i've gained all of the weight lost back! This is how i've been behaving when giving myself one cheat day a week. Now when I totally deprive myself all day I will binge like crazy by the end of the day. Obviously I have some emotional/addictive/binging eating patterns that I haven't overcome yet. So I am starting a new plan of action. I'm giving myself one cheat meal a day as long as I stay within my 1200 calorie (give or take) range. And I have my day all planned out already with what i'm going to eat and when. (i'm never organized with my food) Sooo... maybe I won't feel so deprived each day? I really hope this will work for me because I am having the hardest time staying on track. Does anyone else have a cheat meal or day and how is it working for you? I would love to hear how everyone is losing weight withought totally depriving themselves.
I just didn't cheat. For some reason I felt great that I was in control and i never felt deprived. This could be because I started out super morbidly obese though. I was depriving myself of a fruitful life by making sure I NEVER went wIthout eating massive amounts of whatever I desired. We are all different, and some people just have to eat certain things in order to feel whole.
I now have days were I eat what I want, but I have no choice other than to get back on the wagOn asap. It's hard to get back on track and usually I regret when I make bad choices. It's easier to walk the straight and narrOw when I'm trying to maintain.
I don't have a specific cheat day that is scheduled into my weight loss plan. There have been occasions where I just couldn't stay within my calorie budget for one reason or another but I still tried to track what I ate (even if it wasn't completely accurate). I also try to at least make smart decisions about the portion sizes when I am off track.
Last weekend was the first time that I completely ignored tracking my food and I just don't feel as motivated this week. I kind of hate the feeling.
For me, 1200 calories is too low. Some days I will go that low but it's not on purpose. I have been successful at losing weekly based on a 1300-1600 diet and I don't feel deprived. I just eat within reason and don't waste my daily calories on empty calories.
For me I don't have anything that I tell myself I can NEVER have. I Just make sure it fits into my plan. As a binge eater, I know where you're coming from when it comes to "diet -> restrict -> give in and binge", this cycle is all too familiar.
On the same note, I dont think that allowing yourself a "cheat meal" every day is beneficial unless you're working it into your plan and just calling it a cheat meal for the sake of calling it something.
Planning your meals out is very helpful. Do you use a method of tracking (on line, notebook, phone app)?
I don't necessarily have a formal "cheat day", but on Fridays and Saturdays I don't count calories. I was on a South Beach diet way of eating before I started calorie counting, so I generally try to stay within those guidelines on the days I don't calorie count.
I'm giving myself one cheat meal a day as long as I stay within my 1200 calorie (give or take) range.
What makes this a "cheat" meal? It sounds like an ordinary meal to me. Diets don't have to be wastelands of nothing but salad, cottage cheese, and tuna.
I eat pretty much anything I want (barring medical limitations) and just watch portions/nutrients. It seems to be working, and what I've enjoyed most is that I've built habits around all the foods my family eats. So when I spent two months focusing on major-medical, my weight didn't bounce more than could be explained by my medication. I didn't lose, but I maintained via inertia, which seems like a good sign for long-term weight maintenance.
Not sure if it would be a cheat meal, but I have a large lunch almost every day. It is when I eat the bulk of my calories and it leaves me feeling full! That was the key for me, once I start feeling deprived and unsatisfied I lose the battle every time after a couple of weeks.
So feeling quite full once a day has really taken care of that for me. I no longer am having cravings for all of my pitfalls and don't walk around feeling hungry all the time like I used to.
I don't count calories on Tuesdays. I weigh-in weekly Tuesday mornings, then kind of let up on things for the rest of the day, figuring I have the week to make up for it. If there's something I've been wanting Tuesday is the day to have it. On the flip side, I eat the least amount of calories by far on Monday prior to weigh-in day.
Not sure if it would be called calorie cycling or what. But it's my personal new and improved method and it's working. LOL
So one large meal a day, one day of the week eating over my calories, one day of the week eating way under my calories, the rest within my range.
I don't count calories on Tuesdays. I weigh-in weekly Tuesday mornings, then kind of let up on things for the rest of the day, figuring I have the week to make up for it. If there's something I've been wanting Tuesday is the day to have it. On the flip side, I eat the least amount of calories by far on Monday prior to weigh-in day.
Not sure if it would be called calorie cycling or what. But it's my personal new and improved method and it's working. LOL
So one large meal a day, one day of the week eating over my calories, one day of the week eating way under my calories, the rest within my range.
Hope that made sense!
I do the exact same thing! Eat less the day before a weigh in, don't count calories on the day I weigh in, then go back to normal
I have off plan days on the weekend, and I often go overboard. I usually start off Sunday or Monday not feeling too great about myself. I keep the cheat days in there so that I won't binge during the week, and it does keep me in line on the weekdays (I guess knowing I have something to look forward to). However, I usually go above and beyond simply being off plan or eating 1500-1600 calories as oppose to my usual 1200-1300 calories. I'm talking about an average of 4,000 calories for one day every week! Obviously that derails all my efforts of staying on-plan during the week and stalls my weight loss. I am trying to get control over this issue.
I don't plan them, but they usually end up happening every Sat or Sun when we go out to dinner. I still try to count calories, but sometimes it's a loss cause. If that's the case, I just skip counting for that day.
Keep in mind, your "cheat" day may give you sanity, but it will add a day or two where you don't lose anything and may gain water weight, so you need to be prepared to deal with that. You also need to make sure you get right back on track and don't let it continue for 5 more days. You just need to weigh what's most important to you.
I haven't had a cheat day yet, and don't plan to. Knowing myself, if I did have a cheat day I would probably keep eating poorly the next day ect. I refuse to make that an option!
I don't have planned cheat days. They just happen sometimes. If I know I'm going to be going away for the weekend, or if I have the opportunity to go out to eat somewhere nice, I just go and do my thing with some moderation, not worrying about exactly how many calories I'm taking in. Usually I gain a pound or so, but since these don't happen often...
By the way, I'm not sure if you think of "cheating" the way that most of us do. To me, it's not a cheat if I'm staying within calorie range. If I drink 1200 calories worth of milkshakes and nothing else, I call that an on-plan day. (Not that I do that, but still...)
I haven't yet, though I figure that some days I'm going to go over my calorie limit, but those days will be planned in advance.
I do eat about half my calories at dinner time. I need to feel full at least once a day to keep myself from feeling too deprived. It also stops me from wanting to snack in the evenings.
Do you give yourself a cheat meal/day?
So I am starting a new plan of action. I'm giving myself one cheat meal a day as long as I stay within my 1200 calorie (give or take) range. And I have my day all planned out already with what i'm going to eat and when. (i'm never organized with my food) Sooo... maybe I won't feel so deprived each day? I really hope this will work for me because I am having the hardest time staying on track. Does anyone else have a cheat meal or day and how is it working for you? I would love to hear how everyone is losing weight withought totally depriving themselves.
