Do you ever give yourself a cheat day?

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5/2/12 11:18 A

very rarely

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5/2/12 11:16 A

Very rarely: do not wish to compromise all my hard work~ Jb

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5/2/12 11:16 A

one day a month

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5/2/12 11:08 A

sometimes

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5/2/12 10:53 A

No, but I don't worry if I have a day where I overeat because I know that my lifestyle is in order.

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5/2/12 10:51 A

on special occasions

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5/2/12 9:24 A

I don't give myself a cheat day, but if there is something in particular that I want, I will do two things. I will eat a smaller portion, and I will account for it in my caloric budget so that I dont go over. Example, this past Friday I knew we were having a party at work and I knew there was going to be my favorite strawberry short cake there for dessert. So when I fixed my place of food (we had potluck) I made a salad without all the extra stuff I normally like (cheese, egg, etc) and stuck to only veggies in my salad with fat free dressing. And I had a smaller slice of cake.

If its going out to a restaurant, I look up the nutritional information ahead of time, and I always ask for a to go box and box up half of it right away and my husband or kids usually end up eating it the next day if not later that day.

I can't totally give up certain things that I love, but I have found that in the past if I completely deprived myself of certain favroties of mine I wouldn't be able to just take one bite. But now I can take a bite of two and leave the rest. In the past if I took a bite of something I would snarf the whole plate down in 2 seconds flat.

Long story short, I splurge, but in small amounts and I account for it in my food journal.

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5/1/12 12:13 P

I would say yes, but spread over the week!

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5/1/12 10:43 A

I don't spend the whole day cheating just maybe and extra special dessert once and a while. I log it as a reminder but I try to make the rest of the day good so I can get the speciak treat.

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5/1/12 8:59 A

not on purpose

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5/1/12 8:58 A

I regularly take a "rest" day from exercise but don't plan a cheat day on food, it sometimes happens though.

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5/1/12 8:27 A

Sometimes!

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5/1/12 8:20 A

For some people this works but I am trying to get off the "diet mentality," so if I am having a cheat day then that defeats the purpose of my new mindset. We will all have days when we will overeat but I think trying to fit it in to your planner helps.

In the past, having a cheat day often led to multi-day binges so they aren't the best bet for me.

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5/1/12 8:07 A

I do but I always regret it because it often leads to a binge, and then I have to detox the simple carbs out again

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5/1/12 7:27 A

Sometimes

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5/1/12 7:26 A

every now and then.

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5/1/12 7:22 A

no

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5/1/12 7:06 A

Yes, I do

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5/1/12 7:05 A

Yes and that is why it took me longer to lose my 25 pounds. I reached my goal in time though.

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5/1/12 6:44 A

Yes.

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5/1/12 6:42 A

All to often

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4/30/12 10:05 P

Not really. Now I might have some different choices on the weekends when the kids are home like maybe I will bake some oatmeal cookies or have some buttered popcorn and watch a movie with the kids.

I really do try to stay on regular meal plans or my body just feels sick if I get off track, plus I don't even like unhealthy foods anymore. I really would miss my fruits, veggies, meat, and protein shakes.

I am also so very close to goal that I am ok with adding a few things back in like homemade cookies etc as long as I don't go overboard.

If I were just starting out I would stay as clean and lean as you can. It was way easier for me to get off track and stay off track in the beginning than it is now. Now I am just a consistent eater and can maintain my weight just fine even with some cheat foods here and there.

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4/30/12 8:27 P

sort of, but not really.

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4/30/12 8:26 P

yes

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4/30/12 8:21 P

I don't have cheat days, but every so often I'll eat something that I really want that might not fit in my plan. Maybe twice a month. I still try to stay more toward the high end of my range, but sometimes go over. However, I've found that lately, when I think I may allow myself a splurge, I find that I don't even want to.

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4/30/12 8:34 A

sometimes

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4/30/12 8:33 A

Not so much of a cheat day as that is just what is happening that day. I am not about to go to a family gathering and make it about me. I will eat what is there just in moderation. I have a whole week to 'correct' the calories or up the exercise. It is about my life as a whole.

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4/30/12 8:26 A

Yes, a few times and really had a guilt trip

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4/30/12 8:23 A

Once a week for one meal... just a small portion,..

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4/30/12 3:19 A

No, but there are days I make wrong choices.

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4/30/12 2:43 A

Nope, I don't schedule in a "cheat day"...! Nearly every day I have some sort of dessert-- today it was a DQ mini blizzard, yesterday it was a homemade French silk pie, day before was some vanilla ice cream.....yeahhh I love my sweets but if I eat right and have plenty of fruits & veggies in the day, I always still stay within my calorie range for the day.

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4/29/12 10:19 P

No cheat days. You are only cheating yourself. All food need to be accounted for in the nutrition log and stay within the limits.

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4/29/12 10:09 P

I think calorie cycling is a great idea! I just started this program, but I think I will try that. And yeah, I would also be stuck in cheat weeks if I tried giving myself a day to cheat.

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4/29/12 10:02 P

We try to eat out a couple times a month and that is a free meal within reason. No guilt.

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4/29/12 6:56 P

Well kinda, like today I wound up having leftovers from KFC and we went out to Wendy's we don't eat out much but when we do it's usually a couple of times a month on weekends. Anyway I aimed for the high end of my calories range, so I didn't go crazy either lol. I was somewhere in the middle of the range today. I'm usually more towards the low end.

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4/29/12 6:32 P

no as all foods are permissible if I choose to eat something that I know is less healthy for me then I still log it and move on, no guilt trip or self flagellation just renew my determination to take better choices in my future food/energy sources

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4/29/12 6:27 P

I don't feel I really need to, the foods that I cut out of my diet I don't even miss, honestly. The new dishes I cook for myself daily are exciting and taste so fresh, so I'm perfectly content. I still have a few occasional drinks, and like my frozen yogurt once in awhile..so that's all I need!

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4/29/12 6:22 P

yes

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4/29/12 5:35 P

Maybe too often, I'm sorry to say. As a matter of fact, I'm having one today!

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4/29/12 5:34 P

I haven't yet. That sort of defeats the whole purpose.

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4/29/12 5:28 P

only when we have company or go to friends

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4/29/12 5:14 P

I've been having too many cheat days lately... for me, one leads to a second... a third... and so on. I need to stop having cheat days.

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4/29/12 4:51 P

I am doing calorie cycling so I eat at the high end of my calories one day a week and the low end the rest of the week. For me cheat days would turn into cheat weeks and then I would be lost forever.

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4/29/12 4:23 P

One cheat meal a week. And I plan to have a couple of glasses of wine or 2 beers with the meal. It's my " let my hair down" time of the week.... hahahaha

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4/29/12 4:14 P

Not a whole day, I give myself one cheat meal a week. It's usually Saturday, date night, we either go out together or go out with friends. I like it because it gives me something to look forward to and helps me stay on track during the week. I don't like it because sometimes I feel guilty if it wasn't something I 'really' wanted. It has not hampered my weight loss.

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4/29/12 3:57 P

Sometimes 2

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4/29/12 3:25 P

Yes occassionally i share a plate of fish and chips one between the two of us i usually get about 1.4 f it

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4/29/12 2:26 P

yes

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4/29/12 2:05 P

(on purpose).

If so how often, and do you feel it has helped of hindered your progress?