Diet ‘cheating’

[purplefish]

If I stick to the right amount of calories I’m recommended daily to lose weight, how often can I have a ‘cheat’ day?

[Hidden]

No need for “cheat” days if you plan and prepare delicious meals, is there?

[purplefish]

I suppose my cheat day would come under birthday celebrations, holidays etc

[Misslovely]

Its not just about sticking to the calorie range, its about the calibre of the calories too!

So as long as the foods youre eating on the whole are healthy, then an occasional indulgence shouldnt matter too much.

And i suppose it depends on your definition of a cheat day!

[moreless Administrator 7 stone]

Hi and welcome, purplefish

You can have as many cheat days as you like, but the only person you'll be cheating is you.

Rather than thinking of this as a diet, where you will stop and start, be 'good', or 'bad', why not embark on a healthy and sustainable lifestyle, where extras are factored in on occasion, rather than daily 'essentials', or 'off diet' days?

Follow this link to our chat thread and a list of all the activities we run. We've found active participation to be key to success, especially with our weigh-ins and Daily Diary

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

To make navigating the forum easier, we've put all the information you'll need in a newbie pack and here's the link

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Wishing you all the best

[IndigoBlue61]

If you know you have an event coming up you can eat a little less for a day or so, called ‘calorie cycling’ or ‘flexible dieting’

Very generally, it’s advisable to have 80-90% of your calories as good, nutritious food which allows a little lee-way for the occasional indulgences. 😊

[S11m in reply to IndigoBlue61]

Before Christmas I had four big festive meals in four days - but I made it to my target weight by eating OMAD (One Meal A Day).

You can earn yourself a "treat" by getting two or three pounds below your target weight for the week.

[purplefish]

Thanks everyone. I used to be so disciplined with myself. I gained weight during my last pregnancy 20 years ago, lost it all and kept it off up until two years ago when I began the menopause. I’ve tried to make peace with my size but deep down I know it’s not healthy and it’s not really who I am.

[IndigoBlue61 in reply to purplefish]

Have you seen this? Please don’t be offended by the title 😊 healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

[rachelleigh73 in reply to IndigoBlue61]

Thanks for this link IndigoBlue61. I'm menopausal like purplefish - and weight loss feels impossible. This link has been a good reminder about why that is. Good luck purplefish x

[IndigoBlue61 in reply to rachelleigh73]

Hello and welcome to the forum rachelleigh73 😊

You’re very welcome, I’m pleased the link has been useful

If you haven’t already, then please read the Welcome post here which has lots of useful information about all the things we have on offer healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

Best wishes in your weight loss journey

Indigo 😊

[focused1 Maintainer 13kg]

It is important I have a social life so I see it as a different day as I never want food to control me but I still think about what I will eat when I go out. I eat any main course I fancy but don't have starter or pud . Drink wise I alternate alcohol with just the mixer with the 2nd , 4th drink etc so just tonic and leave the gin . Great if you exercise next day too as no fuzzy head . Holidays I find after trying a few different dishes I enjoy a lighter breakfast so balance like at home . If you have regular or the same cheat days - say Friday then it becomes habit . I would change not cheat for an occasion as cheat is for me a negative thought .

[Joanne82]

A better way of doing it is to multiply your calories by 7 and that's your weekly amount. You then take from that pot as the week goes on so you can have your 'cheat day' and eat a little less the other days but you don't go over your calories. Best to start it on your cheat day so you know what you have left to work with the remainder of the week rather than getting to the end of your week and realising you don't have enough calories for what you want!

[topgeargirl212]

Avoid the concept not cheat days as they can really go out of hand and develop into a horrific binge eating cycle as you will likely feel guilty after a cheat day. Also, if you restrict too much, a cheat day can quickly get out of control. Trust me - I've had cheat days where I was close to throwing up because I just couldn't stop my body from stuffing my face with all those bad, forbidden foods I thought I had successfully sworn off.

Firstly, all foods are friends - and as with friends, there are some you like to spend more time with than others.

Try and build in those treats into your diet. E.g. if you eat 1800kcal a day you can easily fit a chocolate bar, a muffin etc in.

I personally eat 80/20. 80% of time I eat whole, nutritiously dense foods, 20% I eat whatever I want. Just don't try to "reward" yourself with "bad food" for sticking well to "good food". Every food group should have a space in a log term sustainable diet. And if you are on holidays and want to eat a bit more for 1 week that's fine, as long as you go back to your normal habits after.

So an example: on Friday evening I like to have pizza. But if I go and get a large Domino's, fries, a bottle of coke etc I pile up 4000kcal in a single meal. So one meal can ruin the progress of an entire week. What we do instead now is my boyfriend and I will share a medium pizza, and I make us a huge, delicious side salad with it - with carrots, hummus, tomatoes, boiled egg etc. Proper delicious 😍.

You still get the full satisfaction from the pizza, but you also learn moderation. This way you'll have fewer cravings. Control is not about cutting out entire food groups but learning to have them in moderation. If someone offers you a treat e.g. at work, just learn to ask yourself "do I REALLY" want this right now? Or would I rather have a sweet later on after dinner? Sometimes you will want it, sometimes not. You get the idea.

It's trial and error but you gotta figure out what suits you, what is sustainable for you on the long term. And most importantly if you fall off the wagon and accidentally have a day of over indulgence, don't beat yourself up. We all have them. Just make sure you just go back the next day to your balanced diet and you'll hardly have an effect from it. Just don't see this as a "I blew my diet, I am a loser, I may as well give it up".

Single biggest factor for long term fatloss is consistency. Took me 3 years to loose 3 stone. But I kept it off because every time I went off the rails, I just went back on track right away.

[purplefish in reply to topgeargirl212]

Thank you so much! It all makes sense 😊

[9stoneandcounting]

I don’t have cheat days as such. I eat 1500 kcal each day. On special occasions (birthdays, family dinners etc.) I have a little bit of what’s on offer (like a slice of birthday cake) burn i try to keep under 2000 kcal for the day still.