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2004/05/01, 02:27 PM
General question... I understand that many people find a 'cheat day' to be beneficial in maintaining a good diet the rest of the week. I've read that it can actually help prevent the body from going into survival mode and metabolizing muscle tissue.
What are some guidelines for this? All I've really seen is variations on 'eat what you want'. That would mean devouring a large pizza and a six pack. Doesn't seem like a viable option! So just how much 'cheating' are we talking about here? Thanks everybody!
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2004/05/01, 03:41 PM
I think the main thing about your cheat day is that you should not still be walking around wishing for something you don't ordinarily have.
For me, that can mean 1/2 cup of sugar free, fat free jello pudding or maybe a lite beer. For other people, it means an entire day of just eating without having to think about what they are shoving into their heads. I think you will find support for both ends of the spectrum.
Whatever you decide to use for your cheat day, you also have to decide how much you are willing to work to undo it. A good meal doesn't negate a bad meal, but you don't have to walk around miserable either. Remember that this is a sustainable lifestyle choice, not a fad diet, and just react accordingly.
Hope that helps.
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Anni
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Have you hugged your EFAs today?
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2004/05/01, 04:35 PM
The "cheat day" is meant for you to eat whatever you want. I take Sundays as mine but have learned to not go crazy. I have found that a bad day of eating leads to a Monday of low energy and difficulty in my normal routine. Pizza especially is a killer for me the next morning, but is soooo good.
Hope that helps!
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There is no substitute for hard work
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2004/05/01, 04:41 PM
Its easier for me to have a cheat "meal" and leave it at that.When you attain geezerdom the fat accumulates much easier than it disburses.:angry::angry:
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There\'s no joy in mudville.
Charlie
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2004/05/01, 04:45 PM
Oh yeah, if I am renovating my kitchen or stopping smoking, I eat pizza and cupcake frosting exclusively and feel very sory for myself.
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There\'s no joy in mudville.
Charlie
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2004/05/01, 04:58 PM
A cheat day can mean many things, you have to tailor it to your needs. Some folks can thrive on all day binge, others just one meal. My preference is to use one meal, use it as a reward for adhering to my diet. On a gaining cycle, I will do this once per week, usually after church on Sunday, we go out and have a nice meal. Make it something we really enjoy. It may be Mexican one week, Chinese another, etc. Then go right back to the diet. The thing to keep in mind of a cheat day is if you can handle it!! Some folks when cheating it makes them crave the junk even more by getting a taste of it, and makes it harder to stay on their diet. This depends on the type personality you have. So be careful if nothing else here. When on a diet, I do not cheat, I have a goal to reach, and I want to reach it as quickly as possible. Therefore a cheat day/meal may set me back, so I don't do it.
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If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything....
bb1fit@freetrainers.com
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2004/05/04, 02:31 PM
I myself can't do cheat days. I did a cheat day about two years ago and before I started eating healthy, that cheat day lasted nearly two years. I now know what to do. I'm with Charlie with the pizza, I just stay clear of pizza. If I start, I can't stop. And please do not put any hot wings in front of me. I go crazy. If I want hot wings now, I just broil them nice and crisp and put the hot sauce on them. As far pizza, I eat the low fat pizza's and so far, they have been satisfying the cravings. I didn't mean to ramble. :big_smile::big_smile::big_smile::big_smile:
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2004/05/04, 03:17 PM
The weekend is the hardest for me, Monday-Thursday, diet is awesome but Friday is when I have my cheat meal, but sometimes that turns into a cheat weekend, or at least until Sunday, I write down what cravings I have during the week, then i look at the list on Friday, and most of the time I don't even want what's on the list,except maybe Reese Cups, HMMMMMM! take care guys. Gotta go to the store.LOL!
newbreed
newbreed
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2004/05/04, 04:23 PM
Something that works for me is 3 cheat meals during the week. On Sundays I love a HUGE breakfast, then one day during the week, I'll skip the gym and have lunch out with co-workers, then one evening I'll have a few slices of pizza or a larger meal consisting of something I normally wouldn't have. This gives me three times to look forward to during the week, and spacing them out doesn't give me that overeating "hangover!"
Kelly
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2004/05/04, 04:24 PM
I usually do Saturdays. I found out I can't just go nuts and eat everything I want. Usually, I get a mid-week craving for something and wait it out until Saturday. This week it seems to be one of those toasted Quiznos subs. Stupid advertising!
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2004/05/04, 04:29 PM
Would it be better to have 1 cheat day or 5-6 small cheat meal throughout the week?
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2004/05/04, 10:17 PM
I believe only you can really answer that one. How dedicated are you to reaching your goal? Each cheat meal or day will set you back, so it depends on your timeframe. Some folks have a tendency to fall off for good if they do not see results in "X" amount of time. So, it is really up to you. Once in a while, a cheat can be beneficial, but as I posted earlier, the choice is yours according to your goals/personality.
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Quoting from fsdsk:
Would it be better to have 1 cheat day or 5-6 small cheat meal throughout the week?
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If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything....
bb1fit@freetrainers.com
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2004/05/04, 11:01 PM
I cheat, very lightly, about once every 6 weeks. For me, this has been a lifestyle change and not something I'm doing temporarily. I genuinly enjoy how it feels to do something good for myself.
Sometimes it's enough for me to just buy an item that is not on my list of acceptable foods. I can keep it for a few days and then give it to someone else. I get pleasure from buying the candy bar or whatever, but I also get pleasure from giving it to someone else.
I never substitute a bad food for a good food. If I think I want something I wouldn't ordinarily have, I think about it for most of the day and by then I'm so sick of eating that I don't want it anymore.
I think the secret is to stay with it until your body is doing so well that your brain just doesn't dwell on the junk foods. That's just my theory and this does work for me.
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Anni
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Have you hugged your EFAs today?
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2004/05/05, 08:28 AM
What I know about cheat meals is mostly passed on from other bopdybuilders, which doesn't always mean there is science to back it up...but here it is -
If you are getting ready for a competition, one cheat day sets you a week farther away from your goals (a 12 week diet becomes a 13 week diet).
If you are very very lean, a cheat meal will send your metabolism up and cause some bodyfat loss. But if you are not metabolically very active (heavy, out of shape)a cheat won't do much good and could do harm. This would be especially true if you haven't established a baseline diet and adhered to it for long enough.
For people who are just trying to make their lifestyle healthier, a cheat meal or day can help you keep your sanity - but again, there is the chance that it will send you into a week-long (or two years, eh?) binge.
Maybe it is better to try and create healthy versions of the things you carve, so that they are 'allowed'.
Anni - sugarfree, fatfree pudding is not a cheat!!! Eat it al you want as long as it is in your calorie amount. Same with sugarfree jell-o.
What I find is that the longer I eat a clean diet, the less appealing cheat foods taste when I do eat them, they are too salty or way too sweet or too greasy and i end up with a tummy ache.
My favorite cheats aren't even really cheats (except maybe amstel lite, which I just have to avoid comepletely if i am going to compete) - a really perfect appple is the bomb for sweets cravings, some mixed nuts for crunchy/salty cravings, a really cold glass of water often suffices for unspecified cravings (usually that is what your body really needs).
Natural tortilla chips, homemade salsa, lowfat pizza, all the healthier versions of the foods you miss are good as long as you enjoy them in moderation!
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If you fall down seven times, get up eight.
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2004/05/05, 09:06 AM
I of course have to agree with the apple. Cut it up, put some chocolate protein powder and cinnamon on it, and you've got yourself an awesome cheat treat. I'll eat this sometimes at night (I know - bad, bad) when I'm craving chocolate and sweets. It sounds boring, but it's actually very satisfying. YUM!
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2004/05/06, 06:28 AM
Seriously, I was just stirring things up with the 5-6 cheat meals - although the thought has crossed my minds as I see my family downing a rack of bbq ribs and i'm eating my fish and rice....
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There is no substitute for hard work
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2004/05/06, 02:23 PM
yeah I know people who have 5 or 6 cheat meals a day but they're just fat.........
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2004/05/06, 02:31 PM
:laugh::big_smile::laugh:
My boyfriend makes me so mad, he is a toothpick and all he eats is junk food, and eats many cheat meals a day. that is all he keeps in his house. Why can't we all have a fast metabolism. He also only plays bball once a week for a couple of hours. Then here i am working out everyday and i eat one small piece of candy and i undo a whole weeks worth work. It really sucks, no cheat meals for me.:angry:
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2004/05/09, 05:54 PM
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Quoting from skeys:
:laugh::big_smile::laugh:
My boyfriend makes me so mad, he is a toothpick and all he eats is junk food, and eats many cheat meals a day. that is all he keeps in his house. Why can't we all have a fast metabolism. He also only plays bball once a week for a couple of hours. Then here i am working out everyday and i eat one small piece of candy and i undo a whole weeks worth work. It really sucks, no cheat meals for me.:angry:
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But he probably has a hard time putting on muscle, which is worse in my opinion. =)
As far as cheat day...we have gone out every sunday for the last 15 weeks for a large meatlovers pan pizza! I love it!!
I try and keep it to that though. :big_smile:
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2004/05/09, 11:45 PM
I personally have figured out my cheat schedule. I have given myself a few options that I indulge in once or twice a month. I call them vices. The seasonal cookies from grocery stores. They're white with frosting and sprinkles, usually the color of the season. You know, oct=orange, dec=red, april=yellow. The only other one I have is white chocolate reeses pb cups. Good stuff I can't live without. But I can't live with it everyday either.
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In order to live, you must be willing to die.
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