Do you cheat?
 

On June 1st I gave up sugar and refined carbs. It is my own program, a little atkins, a little south beach and a little sugar busters...it is working really well for me. When I was on WW I would use my points on empty calories (lots of 100 calorie packs and too much junk) and the weigh in frustrated me so I decided to do my own thing and for the most part it is working really well. I don't weigh myself, so I gauge my loss with non scale victories. And I feel better, which I think is the most important part of this adventure!

So...my question is this....do you cheat? I have a day, the 1st of each month, that I allow myself to eat anything I want. I will make those chocolate chip cookies that I crave and eat them hot from the oven. I will go out to the local pancake house and have a huge carb loaded breakfast (the one thing I truly miss). I will have lots of calories and I usually feel crappy afterwards but the emotional demon is kept at bay knowing that the 1st is coming and I can keep away from the sugar and carbs until then.

My friend thinks that this is pure sabatoge and I am doing nothing but harm. She actually called me weak and told me if I was a strong woman I wouldn't need the "cheat" day. She wasn't being nasty, she was trying to help, but it got me thinking. Does anyone do their programs without straying from their "program paths"? And should my mindset be that I eat healthy now and to cheat is only cheating myself?

Jane

You may find that, after a while, it inhibits your weight loss to have a major cheat day. But if it doesn't now, that's good.

Or, perhaps, all these months without carbs and sugars, you may find that you crave sugar and carbs less, and then after gorging on the first, you won't feel very good the next day, since you're not used to that food.

I think really eliminating things from your diet is very hard. I have to have little increments of carbs and sugar to keep from having cravings. I think that being a "strong woman" and totally swearing off carbs and sugar is not possible.

I don't call it a cheat day, but instead a "free" meal. Right now I'm trying to make my free meal not so crazy that I regret it. Last night my sweetie and I went and split some grilled hot wings and I had two light beers. It was higher than I would normally eat, but not so bad as to affect my weight loss. I think you do what works for you.

So since you started your new plan you have had 2 cheat days right? 2 and only 2? How do you feel the day after? Do the cravings come back full force? Is it hard to get back into the swing of things? If you can do it, and easily get right back into it, then I don't see a problem. But if you do it and agonize for a week after with the sugar/carb demon, then I agree with your friend and you are just torturing yourself. Have you lost any weight?

Oh...and NO I did not "cheat" for MANY months. I didn't have anything off plan until I got down below 199. I now have a treat now and then, but it certainly is not a free for all. Honestly, I'm afraid to do that to my mind and body.

I don't have a cheat day or meal. Very very rarely I have a handful of chips or fries but I always make sure to just have a single serving available when I do so that I don't go overboard because I can and have very quickly.

If that works for you then by all means do it! Everyone does things a little differently, it's the results that matter. People tend to really fall off the wagon when they are laden with guilt. By your method you are hitting two blocks with one stone (tackling your cravings and avoiding guilt) and coming out successful - that's huge!! And terrific :)

I'm kinda doing the same thing as you... following Atkins but also cut out most of my sugars. I find that when I do cheat I feel really awful. My stomach gets upset, I have gas issues and I get headaches. Cheats are becoming more annoying than fun. I like your idea of waiting for once a month. I think I might pick a time around AF since I'm craving then anyhow and already feel kinda crappy ;)

I think it's much safer to have a planned "cheat" day, than to try to abstain completely from all your favorite foods and then the cravings get so bad you give in and binge on them in an out of control fashion. Better yet, you can budget a few "cheat" meals into your weekly calorie intake, then the "forbidden" foods will lose their allure because you're eating them on a regular basis.

If my experience might be helpful, this go-round of trying to modify my eating habits permanently has been the most successful because it's been the least restrictive. If I feel like having a "bad" food, I go ahead and do it, and just budget it into the weekly caloric budget, or do some extra cardio to work it off. I think the more you tell yourself "you can't do that", the more you think about doing it. So tell your friend thank you for the advice and if her way works for her that's great, but if planned cheat days work for you, then why change that?

I don't do a planned cheat day. What I do instead is every 12 weeks (roughly) eat maintenance calories for a week. That's usually about 750-1000 cals a day less than I usually do. If there's something I've been craving, but feel is too high in calories I convince myself that I'll have it then. The reality is that I usually buy a package of bacon, add a protein shake, and an occasional small treat. It usually keeps me sane the rest of the time and, in theory, resets my hormone levels. I feel rested and ready to get back at it afterwards. Usually I'll go up a pound or so, but it comes off immediately. If I go on a major carbfest it adds more pounds, but usually comes off in a few days... or a week. :)

Funny, I've lost 180 pounds by abstaining from my favorite junk foods, and not once have I had an "out of control" binge. Matter fact the longer I go without eating them, the less I desire them. Same with booze. I certainly don't plan a weekly drunk into my intake...

Wow, I know you didn't likely mean it that way, however, my honest response to your post was 'must be nice to be perfect'. I've lost 175 pounds myself, and still am not finished. I could still happily sit down with a pint of my favourite ice cream. I don't, but I could. I haven't done so in years... but I still could. :(

Well, I don't think Lori was being superior, she was just sharing a different approach. I'm a little biased, because it is also my approach. I think it's okay when someone says something like "you must plan to cheat to be successful" to respond "I never cheated and I was successful."

My experience was very like Lori's - the whole time I was losing weight, I had two treat meals - my birthday and Christmas, otherwise, I stayed on plan the entire time. I was amazed, absolutely amazed, that the binges, aimless munching and random eating that had plagued me my entire life completely went away.

I don't view myself as perfect at all - having an iron clad, black/white rule made things easier for me. There was no thinking "can I eat that, does it fit in my plan, can I move some calories around" or any of the brain power I now expend as a maintainer figuring out treats. It was just YES NO - simple.

I definitely think that both approaches can work (since I've read success stories from people who have done both) and each person should make a plan that works for them!

^ This

Once a week I go out and eat whatever I like without worrying about the calories, be it a hamburger and fries, a rich dessert, or what have you. Since it's planned I don't feel guilty and it doesn't wreck me emotionally. Food shouldn't have to... It has also taught me to control myself with "cheat" foods so that I don't have to avoid them for the rest of my life due to binge potential. It works.

Thank you Glory87. That is what I meant. I didn't mean to come across as "perfect", and I'm sorry if I sounded rude. I meant that a person is NOT more likely to binge if they abstain from eating their favorite junk foods. I have found the opposite is true...*for me*. I think of junk food as a drug, (for me), just like alcohol was (for me). I don't need junk food to live, just like I don't need a shot of vodka to live, and by not eating/drinking them makes the craving less, not worse.

I find that if I'm craving something or want to binge on something, I'll always tell myself that I can eat it a few days if I stay on plan until then. Odds are, by the time that day gets here, I'm over that crazy craving feeling, and I don't want to ruin my week by going so far over my calories. It helps to think that the food will always be there, so I don't have to eat it right now.

Also, there are days where I won't count calories. These are times that are more difficult to count calories, like when I have an out of town visitor and we're out for a lot for meals. Although I don't count, I still order what I see to be the healthiest option. Last time, I ordered this shrimp with pasta dish instead of some type of heavy cream pasta dish (which is what I would have ordered before!).

And MissBliss, regardless, your friend was being nasty when she said you weren't a strong women. That's a below-the-belt comment and totally unnecessary. Don't let it bring you down. She can't possibly know what works for you, and if this is what works, that's none of her buisness!

Hmmm...very interesting. I agree with this perspective. Junk food really can become an addiction just like alcohol. Most doctors don't reccommend that an alcoholic learn to "drink in moderation." They reccommend no drinking period. If junk food is a true addiction to some, then it would only make sense that the same approach be taken, eh?