Weight-Loss Cheat Days

Weight-Loss
Don't overdo it!

Whatever you do don't go over the top with treats on your cheat day, I ended up eating almost 6000kcal on one and it caused me to gain 1lb and it basically undid the weeks weight loss, best to eat one of your favourite unhealthy foods in a reasonable portion. i've learned my lesson...
 
I don't know. This approach may work well for lots of people, but I'm pretty sure it would be a bad idea for me. When I made the decision to be healthier I swore off many old favorites cold turkey. While I think it would be very appealing for me to allow myself to indulge in these foods every once in a while I think I might "open the floodgates" to the possibility of eating in an unhealthy fashion again.

Guess I'm destined to be a continuously recovering food addict from now on. I better "just say no".
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This is what John said way back on page 1. That's it exactly for me too.

To plan to cheat is to invite failure. I will no doubt slip up badly from time to time. I would rather not do this more often than necessary so no "cheat" days for me.
 
Okay.. there's cheat days, and there's CHEAT DAYS... you know?
You don't have to eat at McDonald's for breakfast, have 2 pizzas for lunch, and go to a Chinese Buffet for dinner on your cheat days. I think cheat days are just a sort of rotation to help confuse your metabolism a bit.
Let's say you're on a 2,500 calorie maintenance program. But you're eating 2200 - 1800 calories daily to lose weight. If you eat 2800-3200 calories one day a week, you're still controlling your intake, and maybe you get to eat that something you've been dying to eat all week.
As it is... I don't really have a cheat day, because... I cheat too often as it is.....
:-(
 
My opinion is, if you follow your plan 100% through the week then it doesn't matter what you do on your cheat day. If you go the whole week eating right and exercising then that one day won't hurt you that bad. Now if you are trying to lose weight in a hurry then the cheat day will hurt you.
 
I am against "cheat" days unless the cheat food's calories stay within the daily limit! Otherwise its just counter-productive I think, especially for people wanting to lose a lot of weight.
 
Dietoptimist said:
I am against "cheat" days unless the cheat food's calories stay within the daily limit! Otherwise its just counter-productive I think, especially for people wanting to lose a lot of weight.
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I agree with this. Budget the rest of your calories around a "cheat meal" to stay under your maintenance.

The feeling of self confidence by having a good body is way better than any satisfaction junk food gives.
 
I believe that cheat MEALS are ok, as previously stated.

For example, when I quit smoking, or at least at my most sucsessful, i found smoking maybe one or 2 every other day kept my cravings under control. I quit to help me with my cardio and endurance. and one or 2 werent going to kill that for me.

But when it comes to cheating with the diet, maybe going to get that buger or piza you want isn't SO bad, but for the day. I always find myself feeling guilty about having a cheeseburger at chilis, so I almost eat it mid day, get overly full, and don't eat anything else.

I was thinking of something as i read the first few pages (didn't read all 10) but instead of cheating with these high calorie meals, cheat with what you already have...
for example

I have been trying to stuff my face with broccoli and cauliflower to help my fiber intake and veggies. Why not have these meals with the extra condiments as a cheat, so its not TOO bad and you don't feel as guilty. like with some melted cheese on top and a little sauce or dry rub something? that way you get the flavor you crave, but not feeling like you killed your diet and continuing that binge?

Ofcourse, nothing going to stop me from my cheeseburger on Sunday night now that I read some of these posts lol
 
justinisloco said:
I have been trying to stuff my face with broccoli and cauliflower to help my fiber intake and veggies. Why not have these meals with the extra condiments as a cheat, so its not TOO bad and you don't feel as guilty. like with some melted cheese on top and a little sauce or dry rub something? that way you get the flavor you crave, but not feeling like you killed your diet and continuing that binge?
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No matter how many condiments I put on, it is still going to be Broccoli and Cauliflower. Nothing can make that stuff into something I actually enjoy eating, ever.

My cheat day is holy for me, and there is no point in having more of the stuff that I hate so much the rest of the week. I want something that I can truly enjoy - the extra calories should damn well be worth it.
 
AllCdnBoy said:
Hi All.

I've been asked a few times about cheat days, so I will try to explain it.

how to cheat
Once a week, you can go a little crazy with your "diet". For example, each Saturday, you can have a huge pasta dinner with your favorite desert.

how does this work
Our bodies love balance. The longer you are at a certain weight, the harder it is to move from it (up or down). This is why a lot of people go on crash diets ... they want fast results. As soon as they go back to their old diet, the weight comes firing back on because that's where the body is confortable (or even higher because it's preparing for another crash diet).
Your body needs time to adjust and become happy again. "Diet" is a lifestyle, not a 5 week plan to lose weight. The only one that is going to be successful is one that you can stay committed to.

Warning
The only real exception is if you aren't getting enough calories. What happens here, is your body will store any extra food over your recommended intake as fat because it is in starvation mode.
It shouldn't be how much you eat, but what you eat. I've heard this many times "eat more to lose weight". It's obviously not that cut-and-dry, but it does make sense for those people that are not eating with their goal to lose weight.
When I switched to my 6-7 meals / day, I started losing weight after about 6 weeks and it's been easy to keep off because that's where my body is happy now. My metabolism is going hard all day and melts any food I eat with ease.

summary
Eat healthy for 3-4 weeks and then start your "cheat days". The cheat days are quite important for your body too. It needs time to adjust and you will find that you will have some pretty huge cravings if you've made some drastic (but needed) changes to your diet. You need to satisfy them to a certain degree to keep yourself steady on that path. Over time, your body will lose those cravings and the food you eat on a regular basis will make you quite happy.

Cheers,
Sean
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I agree with you! I think as long as you have reached your goal weight loss and you follow a good regimen the rest of the week one day does not hurt! It actually saves you from going crazy on food that you can’t have. People start to get into trouble when they turn that 1 day into 3 or 4 days and then their back to their old eating habits. I think this 1 cheat day will help a lot of people with maintaining their weight loss.
 
When you plan a cheat day on your diet once a week, you can look forward to rewarding yourself for your hard work. Every time you feel the temptation throughout the week to stray off of your diet, you'll be able to remind yourself that you will have that treat on your cheat day and you'll find the temptation less strong than if you'd told yourself you can never touch that unhealthy food again.
 
I tend to stick to one cheat meal and one clean cheat meal per week.

The cheat meal will be still in moderation like a burger and fries or pizza and a desert, etc.

The clean cheat is optional and is something like subway, pita pit, etc

And I always make sure to do it on a day with either legs or back
 
My cheat day is everyday!! :)) I don't deprive myself of the yummy foods, I just take it in moderation. Or else I'll crave and will take more than I could take. And, a no-food-intake-after-6pm works effectively for me and to most people I know who is doing it as well.
 
A trainer told me you can have 3 cheat 'meals' a week, not 3 cheat days ;). That is for myself.. When I cheat one meal I'm likely to cheat all 3 meals in one day! It's a slippery slope lol.
 
An interesting point of view is to focus on them as 'Treat Days' reward yourself for good discipline. Alters the mental approach as well to the days in between the days you allow yourself something different.
 
Oh wow this is great advice! I always feel horrid after I've had a cheat meal *cough binge*.. It feels like the end of the world!
 
Organa Girl said:
A trainer told me you can have 3 cheat 'meals' a week, not 3 cheat days ;). That is for myself.. When I cheat one meal I'm likely to cheat all 3 meals in one day! It's a slippery slope lol.
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Hi Organa Girl, I appreciate the approach you've mentioned! So what "cheat" meals do you prefer to choose?
 
Hmm, even don't know what to say about cheat days. I think that if you eat right you can afford yourself something you like. But when you are waiting for particular "cheat day" marked in calendar it is kind of nerving I guess, and it makes wish to eat some sweets as hell)). I think the better way is not to refuse but to substitute this "cheat food". For example not to fry but to boil food. Or eat diabetic sweets instead of not that healthy ones..
 
I think the problem with cheat days is that they are sacrificing themselves too much during the week and then are way too excited for the cheat day (which makes it very hard to stay on track during the week). Cheat days, in theory work, though, as once you start losing weight and are on a strict diet, it becomes the norm. So, a cheat day won't affect the rest of the week because your metabolism then kicks in to high gear to burn off the extra calories (which is the double-edge sword when it comes to trying to lose weight - your body doesn't want to, so you have to be really strict).
 
On a lighter note 'I don't always have a cheat day.But when I do, I eat for myself and 1/2 of Africa' ..hehe!:p!
 
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