"Cheat Day"

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avw1234

New member
I'm curious how everyone manages their cheat days. I lost 10lbs in three weeks before taking my first "cheat" day. I ate an entire gluten free pizza from Pizza Hut, but it spiraled from one cheat day to three straight days of overeating leading to +4lbs.

Obviously I need to have will power and discipline. Just starting out, however, does anyone have any tips on how to have a cheat day and not let it ruin your progress?
 
Hey AVW, welcome to the forum!

avw1234 said:
I'm curious how everyone manages their cheat days. I lost 10lbs in three weeks before taking my first "cheat" day. I ate an entire gluten free pizza from Pizza Hut, but it spiraled from one cheat day to three straight days of overeating leading to +4lbs.
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I will share with you the limited wisdom I have. I don't do "cheat" days, just don't. To be fair I have only been on this diet for about 2 months but so far I have not broken the rule and it seems easier not to as time goes by. Not to say I don't sometimes eat a little more than planned, or plan to eat a little more when I am out to dinner with others, but the key to that is the "little". I am getting better at figuring out how to limit my calorie intake while socializing, it takes some experimentation and work. If (or maybe I should be realistic and say when) I stumble my plan is not to beat myself up or feel a lot of regret for doing it, but rather to make sure I stick to my plan going forward.

I think you are exactly right to say that one "cheat" day can spiral to more, that is what happens with me, I know from lots of prior experience. That's why in my plan I just say no. You may find others with differing opinions here, and there is no right or wrong answer on this, there is just the answer that works best for you. You will have to figure that out.

And a good way to figure things out is to start a diary. Read others' diaries and posts to get a sense of how things work here, then start your diary and tell us more about yourself and your goals. You will find lots of smart people with good advice and support that way.

Even losing 6 lbs in 10 days is pretty impressive and if you get back on your diet those 4 lbs will come off.

Best of luck to you.
 
It depends on your history with food, but I usually discourage using the phrase "cheat day" at all. It makes it sound like you're doing something that you're not supposed to do. There's nothing wrong with having some foods that you like and building that into your regular routine, or at least acknowledging ahead of time that you might eat something outside of your regular eating routine from time to time. Treating it as something bad or that you're not supposed to do can contribute to feelings of guilt. When you deprive yourself of a food that you enjoy (or feed into the guilt from eating that food), you may end up craving that food more and then overdoing it when you do get a chance to eat it.
 
:iagree: with Rob( & PLB who just posted ) I have never had cheat days, but some days I have a little extra or a treat & log it in my app & move on. Starting a diary is a great idea & you'll get lots of support. Welcome to the forum :)
 
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Yes, welcome indeed! :)
I don't have "cheat days" scheduled, but I do have times when I know there's going to be non-diety stuff happening - obligatory social eating - I'm sure everyone knows the sort of thing. I do try to plan for those, sometimes by eating carefully, but not too lightly ahead of time, so thay I don't go to the wedding (or whatever) and go wild at the sight of the cheese board.
 
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All excellent replies and I agree with the overwhelming sentiment. To add my 2 bobs worth I eat whatever I want whenever I want these days. Exercise works for me FAR more than dieting. Dieting just got very boring and restrictive for me but I exercise a LOT and this means I get to eat however I want (what works here is good begets good. The endorphins released make me want to eat a balanced, healthy diet without actually trying).
 
I don't schedule cheat days either but Wednesday is family night. My kids and their partners come over for dinner and we spend the evening together. That is a day where the calorie count gets gently expanded. If my head is on straight I have pretty good control. If it isn't on straight I can justify almost any kind of eating. So I try to keep my focus as much as I can.
 
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Personally I don't believe in the concept of cheat days. I feel like you should be happy with how you eat every day, and so you shouldn't have to "cheat" on anything. Also the concept of "cheating" is just another negative word put on those of us trying to lose weight. Skinny people can "indulge" but overweight people "cheat"? Sorry... I don't buy it.
I really believe having a positive relationship with food... so that you're never asking yourself 'how much longer do I have to eat like this?" Because if you ask that question, almost certainly whatever weight you're losing... you're going to "find".
I just wrote a long post on my blog about how to make small sustained changes in the way we eat, I called it "the three R's of weight loss." If you send me a PM I'll shoot you a link. It's not appropriate for me to post a link here in a public thread, sorry!
- Frank
 
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