Cheat meal, or Cheat DAY?

[ZuperGirl]

Hi guys,

I've been eating clean for around 2 weeks now (I know its not much but it feels like a LIFETIME)

What do you guys think is reasonable, cheat DAYS or meals? I feel like a meal isn't enough, but given a days free reign... who knows what I could eat XD

What does everyone else do?

Thanks,
Zuper

[jdrush]

If you NEED a small break, just go out and get a burger and fries.

Worse case scenario, you'll feel better.

Or you can stop eating "clean" and find a way to have a burger here and there or some pizza.

[Onlyspoons]

I fit the foods I want into my daily diet so I don't need cheats.

[muruku]

Just do IIFYC for a day.

[wlodarczykn]

2 weeks shouldn't feel like a lifetime if you're trying to permanently make a change in your diet.

Instead of "eating clean" and burning yourself out, fit foods you enjoy into your diet.

[NotThereYet25]

The foods you love can be a part of your diet without "cheating". Read this:
http://www.completehumanperformance.com/clean-eating/

[kcuviello]

depends on what kind of shape you're in & if your body can afford it.
if you're taking your diet/lifting serious...you won't really want a cheat day after you see how horrible you feel the next day lol.

start w/ a meal...work your way up from there

[desslok]

Read the sticky at the top of the secton about DCA

[Garlisk]

I found that, after running a 500-1000 calorie deficit for 2 weeks, I can have a cheat day (aka binge day) and I simply cant eat enough to do significant damage to the deficit ive built up.

That said, I did not feel comfortable and have no desire to do it again. Lately my cheat days just mean hitting my maintenance calories without worrying about macros and I feel good and satisfied. Its barely cheating even.

[EjnarKolinkar]

After 2 weeks I would be more prone to just have a nice normal meal without tracking.

In the long run if you can incorporate more foods you have not included because some moron told you they weren't 'clean,' you will likely do better. Achieving weight loss through reasonable calorie deficit is hard enough without excluding foods arbitrarily. Plus exclusionary dieting does little to prepare the dieter for the post diet period.

[EjnarKolinkar]

I found that, after running a 500-1000 calorie deficit for 2 weeks, I can have a cheat day (aka binge day) and I simply cant eat enough to do significant damage to the deficit ive built up.

That's nice. You must have a small appetite, good for you. I can eat your calories for the two weeks in the cheat day obliterating all progress, and so can a lot of other folks.

You have to be careful projecting what works for you onto other people, as opposed to just a generally sensible approach.

[okayest]

I include small portions of my favorite treat daily. 10-13% of my daily calories come from chocolate. And then I go out to eat for meals 1-3 times a week and eat until satisfied, not stuffed.
Eating what you love on a regular basis and knowing that you can eat literally anything you want every few days is the key to eliminating feeling restricted and waiting for the day you get to break free and eat everything in sight.

[jdrush]

That's nice. You must have a small appetite, good for you. I can eat your calories for the two weeks in the cheat day obliterating all progress, and so can a lot of other folks.

You have to be careful projecting what works for you onto other people, as opposed to just a generally sensible approach.

This... X 100.

If I have a whole cheat day binge then I done ate enough to feed a small community.

[Garlisk]

That's nice. You must have a small appetite, good for you. I can eat your calories for the two weeks in the cheat day obliterating all progress, and so can a lot of other folks.

You have to be careful projecting what works for you onto other people, as opposed to just a generally sensible approach.

If you've been running a 750 calorie deficit average, you would have to eat nearly 13,000 calories (750x14 + ~2500 maintenance) in a day to "obliterate all progress."

I know its possible, but seems kind of absurd to come down on me like that, especially when...

The OP asked: "What does everyone else do?"

I answered that question, and said "I," not "you should" or even "others do."

[Garlisk]

Wow, sorry guys. I didn't realize you all could comfortably eat 10K+ calories. I feel uncomfortable after a 6000-7000 cal cheat day.

Edit:
OP: My "official" advice, which is worth very little, is to still track your calories for your cheat meal or cheat day (whichever you choose), and make sure it fits into your plan as a whole and doesn't set you back more than you are willing to allow it to. I'm comfortable "giving up" 3-4 of my deficit days over a 2 week period for a cheat. You may only want to give up 1, or maybe 7. You'll have to decide what works for you, and you'll likely discover that by trying different methods.

[jdrush]

Wow, sorry guys. I didn't realize you all could comfortably eat 10K+ calories. I feel uncomfortable after a 6000-7000 cal cheat day.

No hate. But yes, if left without control I will eat 10k+.

[Domicron]

cheat day vs cheat meal really depends on how good of a grasp you have of your macros and your appetite. i can generally eat what i want and just focus on hitting my protein, because i have a small appetite and know that as long as i hit protein, i GENERALLY land where i need to in terms of calories and fat and carbs.

i am careful of certain foods which wreck my macros that i don't eat often: pizza, tex-mex, etc...and so once in a long while i'll sit down and eat half a pizza, or get that cheese-sauce-slathered-burrito, etc...

you should do what jdrush suggested in the first reply and what others have echoed

[boo99]

Hi guys,

I've been eating clean for around 2 weeks now (I know its not much but it feels like a LIFETIME)

What do you guys think is reasonable, cheat DAYS or meals? I feel like a meal isn't enough, but given a days free reign... who knows what I could eat XD

What does everyone else do?

Thanks,
Zuper

Neither

Read the DCA thread Desslok replied to you to read

[99rogue]

Everything is about will.I am on proper diet since 27th February.
Never had cheat meal or day.
Lost 22 kilos.. Need couple more weeks for full 6pack while few months back I was fat as ****.

WILL POWER... try to avoid cheat meals/days.

[EmperorRyker]

That's nice. You must have a small appetite, good for you. I can eat your calories for the two weeks in the cheat day obliterating all progress, and so can a lot of other folks.

You have to be careful projecting what works for you onto other people, as opposed to just a generally sensible approach.

Yeah, this.

If you've been running a 750 calorie deficit average, you would have to eat nearly 13,000 calories (750x14 + ~2500 maintenance) in a day to "obliterate all progress."

I know its possible, but seems kind of absurd to come down on me like that, especially when...

The OP asked: "What does everyone else do?"

I answered that question, and said "I," not "you should" or even "others do."

It's true, you only reported on what worked for you, but I think it's dangerous for OP to listen to your advice, since as was mentioned by others already, it's not hard to undo everything in a single day. And even if someone doesn't have a 13,000 kcal cheat day and only eats 8,000 - 9,000 kcal instead, they still undo most of the progress. Cheat days in general are just not something you want to intentionally include in your diet.

Everything is about will.I am on proper diet since 27th February.
Never had cheat meal or day.
Lost 22 kilos.. Need couple more weeks for full 6pack while few months back I was fat as ****.

WILL POWER... try to avoid cheat meals/days.

Dumbass.

[Melis689]

Are you being super strict and/or not consiming enough? Eating clean shouldn't be as hard as you're making out. You can still eat stuff that you like as long as it fits into your daily macros. Also, a lot of "cleaner" foods taste really good and can be combined with other things to taste even better, example: banana/apple with PB.

Personally I don't do cheat days as such, because I can eat a LOT and if I were to binge all day it would have a negative effect. Have done it in the past and it just seems to stall progress for me. I just do a cheat meal once a week (pizza, burgers, whatever I feel like) usually with a good dessert to satisfy my sweet tooth.

Different strokes for different folks. Find out what works best for you and go with it. Also.. If this clean eating/cutting is new for you then it may just take some time to adjust.

[loganhart]

No hate. But yes, if left without control I will eat 10k+.

Easily!

[comp85t]

For me, I eat clean Monday-Friday and enjoy my food on the weekends in moderation.

Eventually I'm going to start cooking healthier versions of my favorite bad foods on the weekends and limiting the actual bad food to once a month.

[unplugged]

How about neither? I know this has already been mentioned but why not just incorporate the foods you "crave" or desire into your daily allowances? This way you can reach your goals and won't need to consider them cheat days or meals. I hate those terms anyways. Not to mention, it's way too easy for people to just think "i've been good all week so one day won't hurt!" or "I deserve a treat!" and then undo their progress in one meal/day because they fail to realize just how many calories they took in which totally negated their deficit and maybe even netted a surplus. Just my 2c though so you guys can do what you'd like

[AdamWW]

I think your mentality is a little wrong here.

Do you feel the need to do what you're calling a 'cheat' because of hunger or because of the lack of flavor/variety in your diet?

To me, one of the best ways to avoid 'cheating' (as you call it) is to eat more whole, nutrient-dense foods which simply fill you up to the point where you don't really have a desire to eat the more processed items that make it easy to go over calories on. Try eating a huge, huge serving of veggies and some fruit, plus fiberous starchy carbs and protein, then trying to have a big cheat meal that you'd consider 'unclean'. It's hard, believe me.

In general i think the whole YOYO back and forth with starvation followed by massive 'cheats' is just silly... your whole eating process becomes centered on 'working for the weekend' so-to-speak and you only enjoy meals insofar as they bring you a little closer to getting what you want in two weeks time... you end up obsessing about the day you'll finally get to treat yourself or enjoy the food again.

I don't think that's healthy.

[ErikTheElectric]

Some protips for you:

1. Stop trying to "eat clean"
2. Stop having "Cheat days"
3. Stop having "Cheat meals".

Please read the stickied threads above.