Cheat days

[babyd]

Hi Cathe and friends.
I just thought I would consult you for some good advice and maybe see if I'm not the only one who feels this way. I often feel that the eating aspect of my fitness lifestyle is very difficult to stick with. Sometimes I have some weekends ( and sometimes a weekday ) where I really feel like I may have taken a step back in terms of meeting my goals. This past week in particular seems to have been a mess up in regards to my diet (almost everyday this week) for me. I have eaten a lot of sweets and not enough protein. I am feeling pretty bummed about it and worried about the effects it will have. I try to stick to a certain calorie level everyday and it seems like almost everyday I surpass that level. Some days I surpass that level by eating good quality foods ( but surpass the level none the less ) and sometimes with not so good foods. My downfall is cakes ( particulary the frosting ). I know deprivation does not work well for most however the guilty feelings after eating like this is a real downer too!!!!! Does anyone feel like they really try to watch their portions but sometimes tend to go overboard? I feel this way. I want to maintain where I am at and would love to lean out some more which is why I get so upset with myself. Does any else ever have these crazy eating day episodes? Any advice on how to handle these?

 

[Olivia]

Hello,

I'm not always right on with my diet, but what I find helps for me is to have one 'TREAT day' (not cheat day) per week, usually for me I like to go out for dinner then do dessert, or perhaps on my 'treat day' someone at the office brings cookies so I'll have one (still going out for dinner of course). If it is not my treat day then I decline. On my none 'treat day' I try to stick to a healthy clean diet, sometimes I give in, but more often then not I look forward to my 'treat day' and so therefore stay within my goal. Also what I do about once every three months I turn my treat day into a 'treat weekend' and I snack on my favourite foods starting Friday night ending Sunday night, then continue on as before. My body shape is not perfect, I'm still working on it, but I would say at 42 it's not bad, I'm conciderd slim, my clothing size is a 6 or 8 I would tribute this to my consistent exercise routine, clean and healthy eating with treat days included. Hope this gives you some ideas!

 

[honeybunch]

I have a cheat day every week, just one, and find it helps to stay on track the rest of the week. If goodies show up at work, I just take some home and freeze it till cheat day.

 

[lorihart]

It is funny that you say this because last night my friend and I were chatting on the phone and she asked me how my week went.For the last few weeks we have been trying to follow the Body for life book.I was doing really well at the beginning but you get to have a cheat day once a week and I think maybe we went a litle over board and I would find it really hard to get back on track the next day. Our other friend had her baby on Wed and Tuesday night we were at the hospital and that sort of through us for a loop because we got there and ended up being there for longer then we intended.By the time we left we were both starving and had to have some timbits that were in her room.
And then I find all of this leaves you with a bad week.Because when you think, o.k I am having a bad day so it is just as well if I eat whatever today b/c tomorrow i have to get back on track , then you end up over indulging and gaining weight, if you have to many days like this.
I myself am still trying to figure out how to handle these days.i don't do it very often but when I do I over do it.I just had one last week, on friday.i ate so many sweets i can't even remeber.But we are human, we could be here today and gone tomorrow.
But today I have started my Body for life program again and see how far I can make it this week.The first week I was on it I made it to wed without wanting anything sweet.And then I was fine.I just have to find the motavation again.
i think it depends alot on what type of person you are and how much will power you have.I don't even know what will power is.
best of luck,
lori

 

[DEEDEE]

Hi Lori,

It's so funny, I'm doing Body For Life too and I do like the one cheat day. The problem I ran into is that if eat really bad one day, I mean just really go for it, I swear to you I have a food hangover the next morning! I wake up sluggish, I feel kind of 'vile' until about an hour after I eat something nutritious and drink some water. Now how bad does that suck?! I actually am on an eating program that lets me have a spurge day (and in the book he says have a big mac or two if you want) but my body tells me 'You really didn't want all that junk DeeDee...trust me.' So I've had to modify my spurge day.

I eat healthy in the morning because I need the fuel for my workouts. If I eat junk before my workouts, they are over before they even really get started. I'll crash and burn after about 20 minutes. I have my junk during the middle of the day, usually when I'm out with friends, or just kicking it with my sister. Then about two hours before bed I have a healthy low glycemic carb with a very lean protein. So I can't just splurge all day like some, but I do enjoy my mini-splurge days.

It funny how cravings for some foods just doesn't go away. I really got focused on eating healthy and losing weight back when I got Cathe's Cross Train Xpress series. It's been about a year and a half or two years (I'm terrible with guessing time periods. At one point I thought I had gone two months without any weight loss, my sister reminded me it hadn't even been three weeks. )since I got those workout and really cleaned up my eating, yet I still crave cakes every now and then and my worst craving...caffeinated coffee! I'll drink noncaffeinated coffee for months and months but I still crave that good, creamy, full bodied caffeinated coffee. I'm real sensitive to caffeine so I can't just drink regular coffee when I want. If I drink regular coffee for say a week then a day goes by when I don't want coffee, I'll get the most terrible headache that will last for about 2 days and no medicine will help it.

Oh well, at least I'm no longer sore from Power Hour so...life is good.

DeeDee

 

[JenniferAnn]

I allow myself one cheat day a week. It's usually on the weekend but every once in awhile I'll have such a bad day that I'll make that day the cheat day instead of saturday. One weird thing that I've noticed is that since I eat pretty healthy all week (really watch the portion size moreso than anything else) is that I don't have a huge appetite for junk food on my cheat day. For example, I ordered McDonald's french fries the other day and I could only eat a handful of them. All of that fat made me sick to my stomach. But I have had days like you describe where I'm like a bottomless pit. But it seems more emotional than physical to me on those days. It's like I have an emotional need to eat tons of comfort food even though I'm not hungry. My best way of handling these days is first not to have junk food around. It's harder to eat it if I know I have to go to the store to buy it. Then I try to think about what the underlying emotional thing going on is. But it doesn't always work.

 

[mogambo]

I remember these cravings from years ago, but I really don't have them anymore, unless I decide to let myself have some very sugary stuff, then it is hard to stop eating it. I cannot guarantee anything, but it seems that when I committed to eating lean protein, whole grains, vegetables and all that yadiya that we all know about already, the cravings just died away. Now, not only do I not have any interest in Big Macs, Twinkies, candy, etc, but if I eat them, I feel sick.

I guess my point is that maybe if you can stick with a really clean diet for a few weeks, or maybe it takes months, it will become a lot easier. Quitting smoking may be a good analogy. It took me weeks before the deathly desperate cravings went away, a year before it was really gone. Maybe 2 years before I never ever had a whimsical positive memory of how good it felt to have a Camel non-filter.

I not only crave healthy foods, I find I am totally satisfied with reasonable portions, and the thought of eating more is repugnant. I am NOT trying to sound smug or self-important. I used to eat vast amounts, crave junk, I was even anorexic and bulimic. I am just saying maybe if you can hang in there a bit longer before you give in...

 

[babyd]

Thanks guys. It helps to know that other people go through the same things. I appreciate the good advice and helpful tips.

 

[nancy324]

Okay, just for you, I'm repeating my

10 COMMANDMENTS OF WEIGHT CONTROL:

1. Never, ever deny yourself anything you really want. There is no surer way of defeating yourself.

2. If there is a lower fat substitute for something, try that instead. The world today is filled with low-fat substitutes for everything, most of which taste just as good to me, if not better. Stonyfield Farm organic non-fat frozen yogurt is to die for, and is worth all the money it costs. Have you tried Healthy Choice ice cream??? Heaven on a spoon.

3. Avoid empty calories if at all possible. (If I want a cookie, I eat a nutritious sweetened breakfast cereal instead. If I want a chocolate bar, I eat a chocolate brownie Balance bar or chocolate pecan pie Luna bar instead.) The world today is filled with wonderfully delicious, satisfying, sweet NUTRITIOUS foods.

4. Never, ever deny yourself anything you really want! Fulfill every craving with the most nutritious and totally satisfying food that does the job. Treat every craving with the utmost respect.

5-10. NEVER, EVER, DENY YOURSELF ANYTHING YOU REALLY WANT!! :-jumpy

Any questions?

And I'll add one more for this thread: Make everyday a "cheat" day!

-Nancy