Cheat Days

I wanted everyone's thoughts on "Cheat Days."

I know some people are completely against them and others are all for them. First let me explain my rational.

Every other day of the week except Friday I have a plan for breakfast, lunch and dinner and snacks. I DO NOT under any cir****tances deviate from that plan unless I can devote the time to burn off those extra calories. For example: If I want a piece of chocolate and it was not "budgeted in" I will need to stay at the gym x amount more time. So usually I am on plan.

Then come Friday, (as long as I am within my "happy range" I have a cheat day. This is the only day of the week I eat out. I will possibly even stop by a bakery for a cupcake and who knows, maybe even donuts for breakfast!

I don't know, but for me I would rather be really structured all week and have a day with no counting and no worrying to look forward to than allowing little treats through the week here and there.

Last week was the first week since goal that I cancelled my cheat day (I had just gotten back from Vegas and was still a couple of lbs away from my "happy range,") I was ok with it on Friday, but come Saturday I was just cranky about it and ended up binging and eating an entire box of Girl Scout cookies throughout the day!!!

My point is, having something like that to look forward to keeps me motivated through the week to "stay on plan." And I find that if I don't have that to look forward to, it's easy for me to derail. Does this even make sense to anyone but me? Ha!

It makes perfect sense.....if it keeps you motivated to stay "on plan" as they say!  I don't call it "cheating" though! (too negative a connotation!)  I call it "planned"  "off plan" eating!   As long as the "off plan" doesn't take over your "on plan" eating.....it is all good! My "off plan" food was pumpkin spice bread!  (Oh heck lets call it cake! it is more "cake" than bread....but pumpkins are "vegetable" like aren't they?) ) I think being TOO extreme  (permissive or restrictive) ....is never a good choice........moderation is my motto!   

You had me at pumpkin! I love everything pumpkin!!! But what makes it even better is you're having pumpkin bread/cake in the spring!!!! It tastes so much better when you're eating it past Thanksgiving. Kind of like the whole white after labor day! You're a rebel!

Yes a very "off season" treat!  Kinda like havin' eggnog in July!

sounds fine to me if it works for you. I am not yet sure I could stop the cheating if I started so I am not at this point doing anything like you describe, but hope to someday. I agree with Jimbo about the word "cheat" as it has moral implications and guilt and morality shouldnt be infused in our eating.Emotions and eating were how some of us got in trouble in the first place. You are right that planned "calorie surges" might be a better designation. You seem to be doing very well so kudos and keep it up!  Diane

I have "special" foods that I don't allow myself every day which are low carb but more splurgy.. sugar free chocolates, nuts and goats cheese are my splurges.

 
Hey if it's workin for yah!.....

You have lost the weight and you have enough knowledge to know what's up.....

For me.... I don't plan them.....life dictates certain opportunities to eat off my normal regime. Sometimes it's for more than a week at a time. I am forced to make decisions.

These to me are "tests" that my daily disciplines (mental) work. I do not track per-say....I keep track on a plus or minus system. Just like I keep my score playing golf without a scorecard every hole has a par. I keep track of my meals the same way. After every time I eat I know if I'm plus or minus from par.

This forces me to shoot for par or under par at every meal. Most days I'm under in both calories and carbs......so I get to add a meal at night. (don't freak... I stay up late and my last meal is hours prior to sleeping.)

I don't plan "cheats" because I know when I can have Mom's cooking.....I'm eating it. My mom is getting up there in years...still going very strong....but I know those tastes will be gone when she goes. I get her cooking a couple times a month and on Holidays. She is totally on board to the way I need to eat and makes food for me accordingly. Only bummer is that a lot of her food goes really good with rice...So recently I have been adding limited rice.

All that is good until she makes her Scratch built Apple Pie or her famous Persimmon Bread....I don't go overboard...but I'm not afraid to eat a small piece but I know it puts me at a plus. I just adjust accordingly the following meal. 

Same with birthdays..... I'll eat birthday cake......most times I know birthday cake is coming...so I go into it at a minus so I end up even.

So I pretty much do the same thing as you but not as pre-planned.

It's just all a balancing act !

frisco

I think again, its a whatever works!  I could undo a lot of hard work if it was a whole day and if it were once a week :}.  The only real "day" of splurge I have is my Spring Party, otherwise I am safer with a meal once a month, if that, because mostly it just does not happen monthly, because we do not go out to eat often and until partay season, there are not so many functions happnin.

I also mostly do not schedule it, (unless somebody is having a function and I know ahead of time) it just happens upon me.  I tried to schedule it once, and I just got all lustful and was dwelling on whatever foods I was going to have, so that just stirred up mind chatter for me.

Its working for you though chickle!  That is what matters a lot!!

ETA - me too with "cheat"  Because food is benign for me, not good, not bad, I am not good or bad if I eat it, its an indulgence, or possibly like for Spring Fling, its an overindulgence day. ha!

sounds like you found exactly what works for you, and that's the main thing.  I am much less structured and when I have treats it tends to be spontaneous.

 
If it isn't broken, don't fix it