[SaraJP0804]

So yesterday I had a horrible day!
I decided to have yesterday be my cheat day with 1 cheat meal because I was meeting a friend for lunch. Well cheat meal became cheat day and I totally overdid it! I felt so guilty about eating so much. I probably went 1000 calories over my limit!
Am I dumb to think I can do a cheat meal 1x a week and stay on track or should I just not do cheat meals until I get my eating under control??

[Gonna Get There Soon]

I would still have my cheat meal if I were you. Because I feel like we set ourselves up for failure if we continually deprive ourselves of what we want. Then we just end up having more full days of binge eating instead of just a cheat meal. I have gone over like you have too, and I'm still losing. Just jump back on and go full speed ahead. We're never going to be perfect, but no one ever is. Dont stress. This is all going to pay off in the end!!

[Keep Moving Forward]

I have to have a cheat day, which I usually make Saturday or Sunday. I wish I could keep it to one meal, but really if I tell myself I have one whole day to eat whatever (within reason) then I think I can stay on track better throughout the week.

I agree ^^^ that feeling deprived leads to overdoing it, so do whatever you have to to feel satisfied while still eating properly. I've thought about doing two cheat meals, one midweek & then one on the weekend, for those times when I feel I may completely derail out of frustration. It could take some experimentation to find what works best for you. Don't beat yourself up! It's a learning process

[bargoo]

I don't have cheat days. I plan my meals so I don't feel deprived. It is a matter of making better choices. I am like Sara , once I start a cheat it goes from one meal to all day and if I don't look it it becomes 2 days, etc. BTDT.

[time2lose]

Am I dumb to think I can do a cheat meal 1x a week and stay on track or should I just not do cheat meals until I get my eating under control??

Not dumb at all, the question shows that you are an intelligent person trying to work out the best way for you!

To have cheat meal/days is very individual. I can not have them because I lose control, a cheat meal turns into a cheat day which turns into a cheat week. Also, I can ruin an entire week's effort in one day easily. Now, I can handle allowing myself x amount of extra calories in a day. So I can give myself 200 or 300 extra calories and be OK.

[elvislover324]

I can't do cheat days, I have no control!!!

The way I felt after losing some of my weight, I said I'll just try it one more month. Now it's been almost 8 months and here I am!!

I haven't had French fries, pizza, bread, buffalo wings, all this time. Yes, I do miss them more than you can believe. But now that the spring is here and I'm wearing smaller clothes (I was a 26-28 in August, in a 16 comfortably now), there is no way I'm eating those foods!

I say try to stay perfect on plan for a week and see how you do. All of my favorite foods will be there when I get to maintenance some day. For now, as cliché as it sounds, nothing tastes better than feeling thin feels. I'm not thin yet but I sure am thinner. I ate those junk foods my whole life, skipping a year isn't going to kill me.

[TripSwitch]

Personally, I like to have a plan that doesn't involve "cheating"... Just seems to become a "slippery slope" sort of thing for me... So I do better when I just make the necessary allowances in my calorie budget and do my best to stick with it... It not only works better for me "psychologically"... But I also lose weight more consistently that way as well...

[Fit dad 2b]

Regardless as to whether you decide to keep a cheat meal or cheat day in your plan, don't beat yourself up too much about your extra calorie intake for just that one day.

To gain a pound, you need to ingest about 3500 calories more than you burn in a given amount of time. If your calorie target is set at "maintenance level", (which it's probably not - since you are trying to lose weight, you've most likely set it lower), and you took in 1000 extra calories in one day, this would still only result in a gain of less than 1/3 of a pound.

One of the hardest things to do is get the ball rolling - and you've already done that. Good job and stick with it!!!

[Munchy]

Originally Posted by elvislover324

I haven't had French fries, pizza, bread, buffalo wings, all this time. Yes, I do miss them more than you can believe.

Like Bargoo, I plan my meals so I'm not deprived. I make pizza (with high fiber 90 calorie tortillas or flatout, baked fries, buffalo wings, etc.

If I like something, I find a way to get the same flavor combinations in a way that satisfy me without being too calorie-rich. For example, instead of a bowl of pasta, I really just want that tomato sauce/cheesy flavor, so I'd do my zucchini/turkey meatballs with zucchini noodles and homemade sauce and top with a little bit of potent cheese.

Instead of buffalo wings, I often take hot sauce and homemade blue cheese dressing, mix them together, and toss chicken in, then eat in a low calorie pita or wrap with spinach and maybe tomato. I still get the buffalo flavor without the crazy calories.

So, all in all, I don't believe there is "cheating" because there are no off limit foods to me, but I try to make every meal healthy, delicious, and satisfying so I don't need to veer from my plan often.

[mnemosyne]

Personally, I like to have a plan that doesn't involve "cheating"... Just seems to become a "slippery slope" sort of thing for me... So I do better when I just make the necessary allowances in my calorie budget and do my best to stick with it... It not only works better for me "psychologically"... But I also lose weight more consistently that way as well...

This is me, too. I do allow myself extras, and simply account for them. Wednesday, I mostly skipped lunch, filling in on very low calorie snacks (a string cheese, and loads of raw veg) since I knew I was going to have an early-for-me dinner at a brewpub.

Where I was able to have a Greek salad with dressing on the side and an appetizer order of their deep fried sauerkraut balls. I made them bring the salad first so I would take the edge off my hunger and then enjoy the 'treat' without gorging myself. (And, happily, I did not gorge. I got the small appetizer: four kraut balls, and ate three. Realized I was full, and stopped.) I also had half a pint of a really great beer, and also felt good about my food for the day because I made adjustments. I DO also have one meal a week where I let myself be a bit more whatever, including allowing dessert, but I NEVER call it a cheat.

It is just the food I am eating, and the way I am eating it.

[PreciousMissy]

Just a thought, if you don't think you can control yourself, maybe do a cheat day once every two weeks, or once a month. That way you have something to look forward to.

Personally, I don't have any off limit foods. I find that puts me in a mindset of "I may never have a chance to eat this again!!!" I always know I can have something at a later time, so there's no need to eat it now.

[Ash2007]

I agree with having a special occasion cheat day. Like my anniversary is in June, I totally plan to indulge then. It is a while away but it'll be worth it to say that I stuck to my plan all this time.