to cheat day... or not to cheat day
 

I just decided in the last week that I need to make a change and actively diet or make nutritional changes (whatever you wanna call it ). I've been successful at losing weight before but I guess I let myself blow up again with my highest weight being 317. Since Monday I'm 10lbs down and I'm so happy, but I'm worried about plateaus and also having a horrible binge when the going gets tough. I've decided to have 1cheat day per week. I think it's easier for me to be good the rest of the week when I have something to look forward to. Don't get me wrong my cheat day isn't ice cream and cookies all day long. My current diet consist of only getting carbohydrates from fruits and veggies so on my cheat day (today) I had 1 waffle with strawberries and a banana, I opted for Caesar dressing on my salad instead of vinegrette and at dinner I'll let myself have a little pasta salad with my protein and veg. I was just curious on people's thoughts on the idea of a cheat day. I also am wondering if anybody knows if this will help reduce the occurrence of the dreaded plateau which will inevitably happen, since I'm sorta tricking my body a bit. Any thoughts?

You know, I'm a big believer in a "cheat day". Back when I lost 60 pounds, cheat days got me over many a plateau. I call them "cheat" days because I usually limited myself to 2500 calories (instead of my weight loss 1300) to avoid gaining, since that's close to my RMR. But I'd basically eat whatever I wanted, and throw away the "no fried things, no high sugar, etc." rules.

The good: This prob depends on your body type, your normal eating, your exercise regimen, and a bunch of other things, but I've found it really helps when you hit a plateau.

The bad: when you stop eating unhealthy types of foods (high fat, sugar, etc) you eventually stop craving them. When you reintroduce them, if even for a day, you reintroduce the cravings too.

So here's what I do - wait UNTIL I hit that plateau, then allow myself a cheat day. That way they're not a regular thing, but they're sort of a consolation prize when you stop losing weight that has the added effect of making you lose again. Haha.

Good luck!

Not really in to cheat days. As said above, then tend to induce ravenous cravings for the "cheated with" foods. No sense in throwing the train off the tracks IMO.

I do not like the term cheat days.

There will be days you really will not want to, should not or cannot eat on plan.

So I prefer to save my "cheats" for those days rather than plan them, which for me would be a road to ruin.

So stay on plan unless you need to divert.

I "cheat" if: i) I am socializing; ii) am in a great restaurant; or iii) can't stay on plan (like flying on a plane).

But planning a day? That's just wasted effort. imo.

Absolutely, all of this.

I liked the concept of a cheat day but found it never worked for me unfortunately. It always undid any progress I'd made that week. Maybe because I was a very slow loser.

They worked for me. Helped me get through plateaus so I am an advocate for them :)

Instead of looking at it as a cheat day, let's look at it as life. All of our bodies are different, and respond to things differently.

The key is to find your "sweet spot!"

Some weeks will be ok for the beer and burger. But sometimes, we have weddings, birthdays, work meetings, yada, yada, and so on.

So, this week, you have nothing going on, so, 2 slices of pizza, or one ice cream, or whatever, ok.

But next week, you have a work lunch, and a wedding! So, that needs to be worked into your plan.

It boils down to being mindful, and figuring out, what works best for you!:carrot::D

I weigh in 3x a month, on those days I allow my self to have red meat, or a whole " small" bag of chips with my protien meal. That is my cheat and its worked for over 7 months & 85 pd loss. In the past I had cheat days with chocolate, or a pizza, and eventually, I'd start slipping.I just can't handle sugar, period.( or white flour that breaks down as sugar)

I guess a "cheat day" just means different things to different people. I am glad I asked and was able o get some insight into what people think. I know it has worked for me in the past so I will stick with it. Being so carb deprived, having one day to look forward to for an english muffin with breakfast is a little win for me. The funny thing about my cheat day is that I feel a little bad about them that I start my next day (which is the next cycle before the next cheat) super strong with calorie control and working out super hard. Thanks for all the input

It really depends on the protocol you're following, your body, what works for you, etc. Personally, I'm all for them. They're mental and emotional relief; I'm not sure they help me get over plateaus because last year when I lost 40 lbs I didn't plateau. Ever. I'm lucky. :) But I've heard it's a good way to change the routine and kick your body back into gear. However, due to the protocol I'm following right now, for a few weeks I cannot have cheat days.

OK, definition of cheat matters too. An English muffin once a week is a diet.

My "cheats" are a little more ambitious. Not just a four course meal but a three course dessert as one the courses and two or three courses for the main. I normally make do with one starter. With a cheese plate after dessert. Accompanied by wine, port and cognac.

HAHAHA. IanG. That is quite ambitious. Go hard or go home, right?

Just a personal bias, but I refuse to use the words good, bad or cheat when referring to my eating. I view eating as morally neutral and prefer keeping the focus on the long-range payoff of healthy eating -- a better life -- rather than on my adherence to a set of rules, even if self-imposed.

F.

What you have in mind doesn't really sound like the normal concept of a "cheat" day to me. If anything I'd call it your higher carb day. And yes, having that day can actually be beneficial to weight loss.

Right now I'm doing exactly what you are, the majority of my carbs only come from fruits and veggies, I always do that for the first few weeks after I start trying to lose weight because it gets all the sugar and junk out of my system, I like to think of it as a reset. =)

Google carb cycling. It's what I base my normal healthy diet on, it helped me get down to 180lbs 3 years ago.

The basic concept is alternating low carb days with high carb days 6 days of the week and having the 7th day be the "cheat" day. I've tried lots of different variations and the best for me is to do 2 days on 1 day off. And the high carb days aren't stuffing my face with junk food. It's just a higher amount of healthy carbs from things like whole grains, dairy and more fruits than usual.

On a low carb day i try to stay around 40 net carbs, on high carb I can go up to 100.

Like someone else said, I try to keep genuine - no rules - eat whatever I want days where I do indulge to special events, if I'm dining somewhere and want to enjoy a rich delicious meal or if its too difficult to stick to the routine because I'm traveling.

I do calorie counting. Once a week, when I feel like I need it, I'll go up to a 1600 calorie maximum, up from my normal 12-1400. Being over 50 with apparently NO metabolism left whatsoEVER, I find I simply can't throw all caution to the winds on a cheat day. This way I get whatever treat is calling my name but don't go too far off-plan.

A cheat DAY is a LONNNG time -- I personally think that the way a person eats needs some sort of structure. I have a highly structured eating plan that includes two free meals a week. It doesn't matter when I take them, but they are there and it is helpful to me. I am now taking only one free meal as my metabolism has slowed a bit. I plan for this meal and make it a very nice one too. It's helpful to know that if we go to see friends for dinner, that can be a free meal and I'm still on plan. This meal, though, isn't an excuse to cram as much crap as I can down my throat. It's a chance to have a regular meal, like pizza or Indian food or something like that.

I could do alot of damage with a free DAY. Why not take it down to one or two free meals a week rather than a whole day?

Just goes to show it's all relative. My "low" carb days are about 150 g. More often I net out between 200 and 300 g.

F.

Having had a problem my whole life with compulsive eating, the whole concept of "food as a rewward" for being good the rest of the week is a slippery slope for me.

But a "cheat day" as in enjoying a great night out with friends once in a while and not counting everything in that moment, I'm all for it!

To me it's more in how you approach it that the "cheating" itself!

Sounds similar to what I do... I don't have a specific cheat day, but I do have treats for the week I can use whenever. Some cookies, dark chocolate, cranberry juice. Just things I like but don't need tons of every day. Today I had three cookies, and it was wonderful. I think your idea sounds good and all ready works for you. I also find after "cheat" days I go back I'm full swing the next day. Helps maintain a balance and let's me eatvout with friends once in a while without any guilt.

I think that is what I'm finding. My cheat day is Sunday so on Monday I feel rejuvenated. Again my day is not a binge fest bc then what was all the hard work for during the week but I'm so carb deprived that I'm so happy to eat a subway sandwich on my cheat day. Woohoo bread. I'm sort of in my detox phase so my eating plan is very strict. Can't wait to normalize in a week or two.