Why I don't "cheat" when dieting...what are your opinions?

[pheroshus]

Okay so as someone who has yo-yoed between 180 and 130 lbs for the past 5 years I have done my fair share of dieting and cheating. Now first of all i am a very all or nothing kind of person, I either train every day or not at all and I either eat perfectly clean or don't watch my diet at all. I am now 161 pounds and am shooting for 135 lbs. My bodyfat is somewhere slightly above 30% I'd guess right now. Anyway I do not like utilizing cheat days or meals. I find that by avoiding "bad" foods completely I lose my taste for them. When I have a little bit it makes me want to binge and I will often fall off track on my diet. I also find that having 1 planned cheat meal a week often turns into 1 or 2 more won't hurt. So although I realize that cheat meals serve a vital purpose is varying caloric intake and macronutrient ratios to hopefully stimulate the metabolism I find I just can't do it for psychological reasons. Does anyone else have any opinions on this?

 

[claire]

I prefer to have cheat days because it is easy to eat clean during the week when I know I can have whatever I won't on Sunday. I have a complete cheat day and then get right back on track on Monday.

I would just be careful not to slow your metabolism. You might want to have a day where you eat more calories but you still eat clean.

 

[Bikini Mod]

A cheat DAY is very important if you are to stay on track dieting longterm. If you are eating clean 6 days, trust me, by the time you get halfway through your first cheat meal on your cheat day you should feel pretty ill. If not, then perhaps you are not eating as clean as you think you are the rest of the week.

Claire is also correct about eating too clean actually slowing your metabolism, so to speak.

Please post up your diet so we can have a looksee.

 

[pheroshus]

Thanks for the ideas ladies! I like the idea of just still eating clean but eating more calories, like maybe one day a week I could have some brown rice with supper or something? And yes I bet I am not eating as clean as i think I am. I posted my diet on another thread on here, Pheroshus's diet and training log. Thanks!

 

[claire]

A cheat DAY is very important if you are to stay on track dieting longterm. If you are eating clean 6 days, trust me, by the time you get halfway through your first cheat meal on your cheat day you should feel pretty ill. If not, then perhaps you are not eating as clean as you think you are the rest of the week.

That is so true. If I get carried away on my cheat day, my heart rate increase, I am hot, cranky, bloated and can't sit still. I can not wait to eat clean the next day. I hate feeling like crap.

 

[2raptors]

I was concerned about brown rice being part of your cheat day....are you on a "no carb" diet or something? Keto diets are OK (I suppose) for short term...but you should "cycle" your carbs.... or eat clean all week (including a cup of cooked brown rice, a bowl of oatmeal (or "prot-meal" ) etc. Your "cheat day" should have the slice of pizza if you want....or sweet potato, loaded baked potato, etc....just don't go crazy.... but you should have "some" carbs in your standard diet. What are you doing for cardio???

 

[pheroshus]

I'm doing carbs, only oatmeal though and then fibrous carbs after 4pm. I was thinking brown rice at dinner would be heavenly or some air popped popcorn with becel butter spray...I'm eating carbs! I love carbs haha!

 

[Daisy_Girl]

"Cheats" don't have to be cake and ice cream - or even pizza.

The TRUE point of a "cheat" is a REFEED, especially if you are low-carbing. When you are low carb, your metabolism can be affected. Lepetin, a hunger regulating hormone, is depleted - making you MORE hungry. Having a couple higher-carb meals each week can help keep Lepetin levels stable - and minimizing the extreme hunger and slowing of metabolism.

A decent "cheat meal" (or "refeed") is simply a higher carb meal - one with some complex carbs, with minimal fat. Things like potatoes, rice or even pastas are great.

 

[pheroshus]

Thank you so much for all of the help ladies! I had always thought of cheats as pizza or ice cream, foods that I LOVE. That was my problem cheating, once taste and it would intensify my cravings for those foods whereas if I didn't cheat I could deal with completely eliminating those foods from my diet. I now understand thanks to all you ladies that a cheat isn't "junk food" it is just higher carb, higher calories to stoke the metabloc fire. I was thinking of going out for sushi this weekend, technically a clean food, but it has way more simple carbs than I'd ever eat dieting, I'm really looking forward to my sushi meal!!! Thanks again ladies!

 

[Gymgurl]

I can't cheat with junk either....If I do it just sets me up to keep wanting junk....When I cheat I just eat more of the good stuff...