Personally, my goal is to stay on plan. I try to make it so I don't beat myself up if I happen to slip, and get right back on plan. But generally speaking, I get better results when I stay on plan and I personally find that one slip tends to lead to a second, and then a third.... Also, I'm doing a low carb plan, so once you are in ketosis, having sugar and starchy carbs has more of an impact beyond just the extra calories.
But I also know that a lot of people are very successful with having a planned cheat meal or day periodically.
I'm curious how you handle this issue and why you made the choice you did?
I was on IP - well, actually still am technically for about a week yet. I found that if you had a cheat day (I only had 2 myself) then it would take me abut 24 hours to get back into Ketosis, which was 24 hours that I couldv'e been burning fat ...
I would love it if I could do a cheat day and continously lose at a good pace, for me in particular, it's not an option.
I'm basically done at this point and will phase out starting Friday. Once in maintenance, I will have a cheat day on the weekends and then follow up with a strict P1 day to rebalance.
I was on IP - well, actually still am technically for about a week yet. I found that if you had a cheat day (I only had 2 myself) then it would take me abut 24 hours to get back into Ketosis, which was 24 hours that I couldv'e been burning fat ...
Calories matter. Not ketosis. You can burn fat or gain fat in ketosis depending on your energy intake.
I gave myself 2 chat days, Saturday and Sunday. I find that I go crazy wanting everything on every commercial if I don't. I also find that even on my cheat days, I sometimes make good choices. I'm speaking from past experience. I've only been on my recent journey for a week now, but I still had a salad at the buffet instead of two platefuls of junk.
My suggestion would be to have at least one "no guilt" meal per week, if you don't want to do a whole day.
After being on numerous diets over a 20 year span, the one that worked the best was when we allowed ourselves a cheat day, or even just a cheat meal.
I don't know why, but changing our diet plan at least once a week seemed to keep us (husband and myself), losing at a steady pace.
We found that we really didn't need to pig out on that free day. I think just mentally knowing that we were a bit looser with our expectations was enough. When we tried to do the same diet plan every day, either counting calories, limiting carbs, or using a diet program, we always fell off the wagon, and even if we stayed with it for months, the results weren't as successful as when we had a cheat day.
This is the only way we'll approach it this time. We stick with our diet plan 5 days a week. It's going to be a way of life for us now, at our age, and we can live with this.
Calories matter. Not ketosis. You can burn fat or gain fat in ketosis depending on your energy intake.
The question was whether a cheat day worked for us .. for me it doesn't. My losses are considerably lower with a cheat day involved. So for me, a controlled intake while in ketosis is the answer.
I'm doing a low carb diet my Dr. requested me to be on and have found that one cheat meal a week hasn't hurt so far. On WW's I usually always saved my weekly points for one day and it never hurt my weight loss. I've actually noticed I lose more sometimes after a cheat meal or day.
When I say cheat btw, I'm not diving into a tub of ice cream and chips LOL. I mean in moderation. Add a tortilla here with fajitas, a small soft serve ice cream, or a handful of popcorn at the movies. Small things occasionally once a week or every now and then an off plan meal when I go out to eat for a special occasion, like Valentines. If I know I have a special day coming up, I adhere heavily on plan up unto that day, enjoy the occasion, and go right back to being on plan. Life happens and its going to keep happening lord willing diet or not.
Planned cheat days aren't a bad thing if you can get right back on track the next day or meal with no problem. Some people can, some people can't. It really depends on you. I make sure my cheat meals are things outside of my house. I eat them, I go home and all I have is food on my diet there to keep me accountable so I don't go off on binges. I do not buy things I'll see every day at home to make me crave them because I know my limits. Other people have different ones. Do whatever works for you.
Hasn't hurt my weight loss so far. I would rather my weight loss slow down and me stick with a plan instead of be miserable at every family/work function and give up completely. Skinny people eat a piece of cake occasionally and don't beat themselves up about it. Why should I?
I calorie count, so I can eat whatever foods I'd like, no neat to set aside a special day. There are times I indulge and go over maintenance calories. I really refrain from using the work "cheat", though it may be semantics, because it's just my life! I suppose it also helps that I'm in maintenance now. There will be times I eat cake and ice cream and have a big fat burger and end up a bit over calories, which will then lead to a few days of making up for it -- but that's how things go. So far that's worked for me.
I calorie count, so I can eat whatever foods I'd like, no neat to set aside a special day. There are times I indulge and go over maintenance calories. I really refrain from using the work "cheat", though it may be semantics, because it's just my life! I suppose it also helps that I'm in maintenance now. There will be times I eat cake and ice cream and have a big fat burger and end up a bit over calories, which will then lead to a few days of making up for it -- but that's how things go. So far that's worked for me.
Me too. I go by gut feeling and daily weigh-ins rather than calorie counts. If I eat a ton of food and am then not hungry at all the next morning/afternoon, I just wait until I'm hungry to eat.
I calorie count, so I can eat whatever foods I'd like, no neat to set aside a special day. There are times I indulge and go over maintenance calories. I really refrain from using the work "cheat", though it may be semantics, because it's just my life! I suppose it also helps that I'm in maintenance now. There will be times I eat cake and ice cream and have a big fat burger and end up a bit over calories, which will then lead to a few days of making up for it -- but that's how things go. So far that's worked for me.
This, but I'm not in maintenance yet. For example, today I met a friend for lunch and ate a large-ish sandwich from a local sandwich shop and chips. It's more food than I normally eat for lunch, so I won't want snacks this afternoon. I will go over my calories today, but if I try to stick to plan exactly every day then I will binge. Tomorrow my lunch will be more on plan.
This is the first time I've really allowed myself to live while dieting and worrying more about overall trends than just one day or just one meal has been life changing for me in these few short weeks. If I felt like I was depriving myself, I would be more likely to have a cheat day where I ate hundreds and hundreds over plan which is how I've sabotaged myself in the past.
We also have our "cheat meal" outside of our home. That's part of the fun for me, get out and enjoy a night away. We don't keep any food in our home that might be too tempting. For me, the cheat meal works the best when we're eating a more structured diet. When I was counting calories, it didn't work that well, I could work in some chips, or a cookie, and still stay within my calorie limit, but it just wasn't that exciting to live like that. I mean, I wanted more out of it. The cheat meal does that, and I looked forward to it.
Low carb was the easiest for me. After a week of eating low carb, I really didn't crave any sugary snacks. So, my cheat meal would be pretty healthy, for the most part. Maybe we would have a few nice cocktails, while going out and dancing.
Now we're doing BistroMD, and I really like their meals, but we do look forward to getting those 2 nights out. I can eat like this for a very long time, and be very satisfied. Now, if I could only duplicate some of the recipes Bistro uses!
We are much looser with our eating here on Saturdays. If we want something or want to go out with friends, we try to choose Saturdays and go for it! It works for us and may not work for everyone! I plan to exercise and eat this way forever, so I want to do it in a way I can live with for the long term. I am a big fan of doing whatever works for you as an individual. Best of luck!
The question was whether a cheat day worked for us .. for me it doesn't. My losses are considerably lower with a cheat day involved. So for me, a controlled intake while in ketosis is the answer.
Of course - a "cheat day" involves going off plan and because you're eating more (calories) you're losing less, if any, fat. That's not what you said though. You said ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by healthyangie
...it would take me abut 24 hours to get back into Ketosis, which was 24 hours that I couldv'e been burning fat ...
The implication is that you need to be in ketosis to burn fat which is far from accurate for anyone.
Of course - a "cheat day" involves going off plan and because you're eating more (calories) you're losing less, if any, fat. That's not what you said though. You said ...
The implication is that you need to be in ketosis to burn fat which is far from accurate for anyone.
Thanks for that clarification John ... now I know what I was really thinking
Staying on plan vs. planned cheat days
I would rather my weight loss slow down and me stick with a plan instead of be miserable at every family/work function and give up completely. Skinny people eat a piece of cake occasionally and don't beat themselves up about it. Why should I?
