Cheat Days? Do you do it?
 

So, I have been sticking with my diet very firmly. Calories between 1200-1500, everyday. Lots of water, no soda. Going to the gym everyday or every other day depending on how sore I am and how hot it is outside (my gym is not air conditioned).

Today, I am craving a small bag of lays potato chips and some taco bell in the WORST way. I dont really feel like working out today because I have to work 12 hours overnight and havent been able to sleep all day. I've been up since 7am and will not be home from work until 8am tomorrow. 25 hours awake is going to be miserable and I simply do not want to go to the gym and expend more energy!

Does anyone allow themselves cheater days? Where you say "you know what, i CAN go to the gym, but I dont WANT to. I COULD eat some fruit and yogurt, but I WANT chips and a taco!"

Part of me looks in the mirror and thinks "You cant have any of those lovely things because you look like you do now!! Maybe when you are thin, you can allow a taco here and there or chips here and there! Maybe when you are thin you can permit yourself a day away from the gym - but not when you look like this!" ... which is just a depressing way to look at it. I feel like maybe I am punishing myself for my obesity, maybe that is a valid thing, maybe it is not, I do not know.

Does anyone else struggle with this? What do you do?:?: I want to be careful not to fall into the pit that made me fat in the first place, but it is so dismal to want a day off so badly and feel like a slob at the same time...

No, I don't do cheat days or cheat meals.

Before when I lost weight, I told myself I had to completely abstain from treats and indulging myself. Well, the inevitable would happen - I would cheat and then feel horribly guilty about it. So, this time I have tried something different (and have noticed that I am much better at staying on track!):
I allow myself "cheat" days - once a week, I'm allowed to break a few of the rules and enjoy some treats (in moderation, obviously!) I'm not hitting up the all-you-can-eat buffet or anything, but I allow myself some pasta, ice cream and / or popcorn, etc. Usually, I keep myself to 1000 - 1200 calories a day, but on my cheat day, I don't worry too much, as long as I'm not going 2500+ calories in that one day. I find this works best for me because it gives me a chance to 'indulge', while still staying on track. And, whenever I feel tempted throughout the week to cheat, I tell myself "that would be a great yummy thing to enjoy on Saturday (my cheat day) - I'll save it for then". Having a cheat day also allows me my treats without the follow-up guilt. I worked hard all week, and I'm allowing myself a break. Strangely though, I am finding that as the weeks go by, I feel the need to 'indulge' myself less and less (ie) instead of eating a big helping of pasta on my cheat day, my appetite and craving is appeased by a smaller portion.
Long story short, I say - go for it - PROVIDED of course that you only allow yourself this one indulgence, and then the next day get back on track. Your weight loss is not going to be horribly affected by you eating one taco, provided you get back in the game the next day.
ps - congrats on losing 24 pounds so far - that's awesome!

The trick to "cheat days" is to avoid back sliding into bad behaviors, and I think sometimes cheat days only prolong your "withdrawal" from junk food.

I also think this is a "your mileage may vary" issue. Some people have no physical (or philosophical) issues with "cheat days", and to others cheat days are an anathema and totally counter-productive. You may need to experiment and discover for yourself what works for you.

100% - but what I did was switch my way of thinking. Because what my body deserves the MOST is to be thin, fit, trim, active, confident, sexy, productive and healthy. So I had to change what I thought of as a treat.

Snacks are a BIG part of my plan - they taste delicious and keep me going and not hungry till my next meal - they just happen to be lower calorie and perfectly on plan and good for me.

During the time I was losing, cheat days/meals were not an option for me. Once I made the decision to lose the weight - I wanted it off and wasn't taking any chances. Besides, I had cheated more than enough in the past. I cheated my way up to super morbid obesity and I cheated myself of years and years of self confidence, self respect, self worth, energy, stamina, optimal health, femininity and a fantastic wardrobe.

To remain obese is the punishment, not to feed and care for yourself day after day. It's no punishment to adhere to a healthy lifestyle.

It's okay to tell yourself no! Sometimes we've just got to dig down deep and find the mature, responsible adult in ourselves and be a grown up.

You're working 12 hours overnight, even though you probably WANT not to. Because you're a good worker and dedicated and know that it's the mature thing to do. Your food has to be thought of in the same way. As for going to the gym, if I was going to be up 25 hours straight - I'd take a pass. And by the way, I'm not sure how eating chips and tacos would help with that either. Sounds like you could really benefit from some good nutrition. :)

This times 10 :)

Some people can do cheat days with no issues. For others, they stall weight loss, they result in a loss of self-control and subsequent overeating, they trigger cravings, etc.

I think the key to cheat days is to have PLANNED cheat days. Not emotional - trying to find a way to justify going off plan type cheat days. KWIM?

Man, if you're gonna cheat, make it something worthwhile. Not some crappy junk/fast food full of toxins. If you really want taco's make your own taco's. They can actually be low-cal and delicious. I eat taco's about once a month...totally healthy and on-plan. Cheat on something good, like a t-bone steak and baked potato. ;)

I never cheated and really still don't, even in maintenance. Part of killing food's hold on me was simply to acknowledge that my body doesn't need crap and that certain foods were never going to be a good idea.

While people may disagree on the cheat issue; I think it's fair to say that cheating because you are stressed or emotional or just plain tired is always going to be a bad idea. Food doesn't fix emotional issues; much better to deal with why you feel the way you do and keep food out of it.

No, I don't cheat. It really, really matters to me that I don't, and not cheating has not made giving up altogether inevitable in the 13 weeks and 3 days I've been doing this.

I think there's a massive difference between planning to have a treat, if that is what you want, and succumbing to a craving. For me, it's about being grown-up, responsible and in control. And about doing what it takes: even being 100% on plan, my weightloss is steady, rather than speedy ~ I started this programme because I was frightened I'd die if I didn't, so I choose not to put anything in the way of achieving goalweight before I succumb.

We all choose our choices to make things work the best way we can.

I also draw a line between "cheat" and "treat".

A cheat is something not consciously planned, the sort of thing that results from getting to a restaurant and being too hungry so you dive into the breadbasket. Or not packing food for your business trip so you end up eating far too much at the crummy hotel breakfast buffet because you didn't plan yourself some other options. Or craving a cupcake when you see the supermarket tray a coworker brought in, and eating one even though its not very good/your favorite flavor. The food, for a cheat, at least for me, is typically not worth it.

A treat is something different. It's planning to enjoy one slice of bread with your dinner, because omigoodness, the bread is baked on-site at this restaurant by an amazing baker and you know it's delicious. It's a slice of your very favorite kind of cake that your mom bakes you every year on your birthday. It's a choice, and for me, "treats" are, when carefully chosen, worth it (and are part of my plan). It's a glass of wine, some good cheese, and some artisan bread for a date-night picnic.

I rarely "cheat". I do incorporate regular "treats".

i dont really have cheat days either although i call it a cheat day. if im craving taco bell, i make my own with fresh healthy ingredients! If im craving something salty, i love pico de gallo with a few baked tortilla chips and if im craving something sweet, i love frozen blue berries in milk with a little sugar! You dont have to binge to satisfy for cravings! Fit it in to your lifestyle but just tweek it up a little! good luck!!

I find, for me, that if I am craving "cheat days" on a constant basis, if I am living from one cheat to the next, I need to up my calories: what is really going on is that I am starving to death and it comes out in daydreams about chocolate cake and chicken fried steak. If I start eating a little more healthy stuff each and every day, I quit craving the really bad stuff (I don't quit wanting it, but the craving goes away).

I think it's okay to tell yourself no and we need to learn how to do that. We need to learn how to aim for long term satisfaction instead of immediate gratification.

I think by cheating, folks make this process a LOT harder than need be.

By *giving in* so easily, not only do we slow things down calorie wise and therefore not losing weight wise, but more importantly, you slow down things by CONTINUING to have cravings for the *bad stuff*, but you also don't allow the good habits to form. And THAT'S what makes it so much harder, because once those cravings die down and those habits become ingrained - this lifestyle is MUCH easier to adhere to. So though it may *seem* a bit harder initially, down the road (and not all that long) it makes it much, much simpler and smoother sailing.

I used to do cheat days, but they only turned in to cheat weeks, then cheat months and cheat years. ::Sigh:: When I discovered weight watchers I did not have to do that anymore. As long as I stayed within my point range I was fine! (I do free WW at home!! Its an easy to stick to plan!)

It's not like I have one set day a week where I eat whatever I want. I guess you can call what I do cheat meals. More or less they're worked into my plan for the day. My co worker and I like to order nachos on Wednesday nights at work - so I eat lower calorie foods during the day to prepare for that.

I don't cut much out of my diet completely, either. For me, simply knowing that things like french fries and other sorts of fried foods are not "forbidden fruit" so to speak is enough to keep me from wanting to binge on them. If I want them badly enough, I eat them, no guilt. I just don't eat them every day .

But you have to see what works for you. Because sometimes eating something you're "addicted" to triggers you to want more and then you can't help but binge on it. So like the others said, you have to play around and see...

To me... I guess I'm doing it the weird way... but it's the way I've found to be the most effective (I've fallen off the bandwagon, and have had to start up again from scratch, but that was due more to laziness rather than WHAT I was eating).

Personally, I find that the more I restrict myself (or others restrict me), the higher likelihood I have of rebelling. I always thought of myself as a very dependent person, but in the past year, I've been finding that it's exactly the opposite. I'm very independent, and in a lot of things, while I'm willing to change, it's my way or the highway. :p If I ever feel like I'm not ALLOWED to take something, or eat something, or do something... I'll go out of my way to do it. For example, when my entire family went on Atkins, I went out of my way to buy chocolate and candy, so I could be the one in control, and almost out of defiance in a way.

So, what I'm doing now is quite simple, and I'm hoping it'll lead to more independent eating and less reliance on calories and such once I hit maintenance. I will probably add more "structure" later on... but for now... this is what I'm doing.

Pretty much, I am allowing myself to eat within 800 to 1900 calories a day. I go through "moods" with my eating, some days I want to eat a lot, other days I want to eat hardly anything. So... I allow myself to do that, as long as I'm always above 800 calories, and below 1900. And, I can eat anything. If I want a Big Red can of soda... sure... I can have it. But only one. Not five, and depending on what I'm eating the rest of the day, I'll either not eat something that's the same calorie-wise, or I'll eat less. As long as I stay within my 800-1900 calorie limit. I find I don't binge eat if I'm not restricting my eating. Sure... I'm eating quite a bit of crap. ;) I'll admit it. BUT... I'm staying within my calorie limit, am losing, and am trying to convince my grandparents to get more veggies and less meat and sugary things! :p

I love this. Thank you!

If I do things this way, I'm way less likely to beat myself about it rather than having a bad day with no sleep the night before and having an apple pie at McDonald's because I felt weak and needed something happy in my life. (Errr..yeah that happened the other day and it was a bad idea).

It's true also what RockinRobin says - it doesn't serve you in the long run to do this.

~BreathingSpace~

I don't have cheat days and I may have a higher calorie meal in the evening than normal (like a dinner out with DH). But, I make sure I am under for breakfast and lunch and I have to work out at least 90 minutes that day in order to "treat" myself and still continue to lose weight weekly. Keep in mind this has literally happened once per month since I started in March. Otherwise it is by the book eating and exercise the other 29 or 30 days of the month. :)

As you can see, I've been around this site for about five years. About four years ago, I was nearly to goal and decided I deserved a cheat day here and there. Well, the cheat days became more frequent and I "cheat-dayed" myself back to my high weight and then some.

So now I don't do cheat days. And besides, who am I cheating? And why would I want to cheat myself?

Now I plan for treats, much like some of the others who have replied. They are deliberate and I make adjustments in other areas. And I make sure they are worth it. I realize this is my life now and it actually is very freeing, in a way (I am in control, not the food, etc). It has become very easy to make better food choices and I really don't crave the junky food any more. And when I do have the occasional treat, I feel like I am truly treating myself, not cheating myself.

Oh My Goodness, what amazing replies!!!!

@rockinrobin - you said "To remain obese is the punishment, not to feed and care for yourself day after day. It's no punishment to adhere to a healthy lifestyle."

That really resonated with me. It isn't a punishment to be healthy. It IS a punishment to not fit into my clothes, not go to the beach with my friends and avoid photographs... So true. What a great perspective.

@RockinRobin - you also said "I think it's okay to tell yourself no and we need to learn how to do that. We need to learn how to aim for long term satisfaction instead of immediate gratification..... By *giving in* so easily, not only do we slow things down calorie wise and therefore not losing weight wise, but more importantly, you slow down things by CONTINUING to have cravings for the *bad stuff*, but you also don't allow the good habits to form."

Wow, you really, really hit the nail on the head. Cheating is how I got to 236 pounds. Cheating on every diet I have ever had since I was a teenager is why I never lost the weight the right way to keep it off. I never learned to allow good habits to form and have been so used to having the immediate gratification that I have simply never changed.

@sf40, you said "who am I cheating? And why would I want to cheat myself?"

yup. exactly. I am not cheating ANYONE but myself and my dreams for myself. ... at all.


... So unfortunately, I did not read all of these until AFTER i had my binge. I only had taco bell, no chips - but it was 3 tacos, a side and a giant mountain dew. When I came home, I felt depressed, bloated, thirsty and like I failed myself. Then, since I am using the bodybugg, I uploaded the calories so far for the day and put in my meals - and oh my goodness, did I ever wreck my plan with that one. It wasn't a little cheat like I had intended it to be, It was a disaster. Not only to my weekly goals, but also to my body. I didnt FEEL good. It tasted excellent going in, 20 minutes later - my body did not feel good. I ended up drinking 2 liters of water and hitting the gym for 90 minutes to try to make up for it - and still am 400 calories SURPLUS for the day!!! Thats the first surplus calorie day I have had since I got serious about this!!! :( :( :( :(

Reading everyones excellent stories about their own experiences, what works (and doesn't) for them, and gaining insight from everyone on the differences between treating yourself and cheating yourself... I will now be on the "no cheat" plan as well.

Truly a learning experience, not only physically for myself, but thanks to you all as well. Where would I be without this forum!?! ... Oh thats right, bloated and miserable.