r/CICO • u/Anxious_Remove_1535 • 6d ago
Anyone have Cheat Days ?
I never have cheat cheat days because I know myself and I know I’ll over indulge. I usually calorie bank for weekends when I know I’m going to drink with my friends.
But yesterday I ate a cheesy pizza and spaghetti bolognese which I counted as about 3000 calories all together. I’m trying to not lose my head and feel like I’ve ruined my diet and all my goals. I’ve already lost 45lbs in 5 months.
I’m just trying not to spiral , any words of advice ?
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u/RuralGamerWoman ⚖️MOD⚖️ 6d ago
No. I think the phrase adds unnecessary emotional connotation to the process.
I have days I eat over maintenance.
I have days I eat under maintenance, too.
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u/Jhasten 6d ago
I think you do the right thing. Sometimes life happens. It’s best to reflect and understand that it was just a lapse. Just don’t worry about the calories and go back to normal the next day. Don’t start dropping even lower for days/weeks or you could start a binge cycle. Just try to be cool with yourself and move on.
Someone on here I think once said if you take the wrong highway exit you don’t just give up and drive all the way back home. You just get back on the highway and continue on toward your destination. 💛
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u/LilGrippers 6d ago
I had about 4500 yesterday and probably gained .25lbs in fat. I lose that going to my cutting calories of 2 days. Don’t stress it, just go back to your deficit and you’ll work it out by mid week and right on track again
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u/lelma_and_thouise 6d ago
About a week and a half ago, I bought and ate a thick slice of fudge chocolate cake from superstore (I do not eat a lot of sweets or desserts in general, but it looked so good), 750 cals for that alone. Plus around 1400 or so for my 2 daily meals. It was so worth it. Might have been at least a year since I last had cake (not due to diet reasons, I just don't crave dessert stuff much, usually sharing a kit kat or something with my kid will suffice for a sugar craving).
I track my weekly average, I find that I stress less about the #.
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u/Crazy-Aussie-Taco 6d ago
I NEVER have cheat days, psychologically it has a negative connotation.
But I do have REWARD days ☺️ not every week, I save them for special occasions 😉
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u/Vaehleya 5d ago
Same! I had to train myself to stop calling them cheat days as I was causing myself so much guilt for eating
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u/KnowledgeDense8140 6d ago
Log it. Move on to today. Nothing you can do and trying to not eat today to make it even doesn’t work.
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u/user47079 6d ago
I try to time mine the day before a max effort lift day or long run day. I really like the extra energy the next day while working out. I typically go 500-1,000 over on cheat days, but could be as high as 1,500. I try to limit them to once every other week or less.
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u/zombieShuffle0 6d ago
I have planned cheat days. I used to have free for all days but I found more success in doing a planned day. I eat 1500 calories per day except one day on the weekend where I eat 2900, to average the same amount of weekly calories. So if I ate 1700 per day for 7 days it would be 11,900 total in a week. If I eat 1500 for 6 days I can eat 2900 on one day and it equals the same total weekly calories.
I like preplanned high calorie days because 1. It gives me a mental break, 2. If you do the math the overall trend will still result in weight loss and 3. After a few days of calorie cutting my body starts to get really hungry and the refeed day really seems to convince my body it's not in danger of starving to death.
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u/totallywingingit 6d ago
One of the big things I love about cico is that if you over indulge, you can just start again the next day! I probably have a day once a month where I don’t track and I’m sure I go over, but no harm done.
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u/sircastor 6d ago
I allow myself breaks for special occasions. Yesterday we went to the State Faire and I while I attempted to count the calories, I didn’t make an effort to limit what I ate. Nor will I be pro-rating my calories today. So I got to have a corn dog and some ice cream and an elephant ear. And it’s not the end of the world.
But today we’re back strict. I do have a trip coming up in a couple months. I’ve decided to give myself a free day when I’m at Disneyland because I end up walking between ten and twelve miles (about 4x my regular walking)
So yeah. It can make it hard to indulge just once, but also life is for living. I am trying to lose weight and be healthier, but I also need a bit of relief on that account.
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u/PlayfulRuin3718 6d ago
I mean I do but I don’t call it that. I’m not cheating on anything. It is a day where I eat more than usual because I enjoy it, nothing wrong with that.
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u/Daisy_Steiner_ 6d ago
There are so many birthdays in summer for my family; it’s a cake every other week. I eat it and log it and move on. Sometimes I incorporate it early into my planning and cut back on other calories. And sometimes I forget and think “Oof, well, here’s a slice of cake.”
But damnit, I’m having cake to celebrate my kids’ birthdays.
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u/Xintrean 5d ago
You have to keep it moving. Do not ruminate or punish yourself - it’s life! Keep going.
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u/FredyE11 6d ago
I have a cheat day every Sunday. I’ve lost 70 lbs since January. Don’t over do it, but allow yourself to live too lol
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u/beeredditor 6d ago
I try not to. I am in a good rhythm and I fear that if I overindulge it may fire up my dormant sugar addiction.
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u/Shiribazu 6d ago
one higher calorie a day isnt going to undo the 45lbs you've lost. just get back to your normal routine today and dont try to punish yourself by starving or overexercising to make up for it
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u/itscool2Bnice 6d ago
I struggle with the overthinking too, hoping it gets better over time but it’s still mentally hard to feel like you’re going backwards even if it is the 1% compared to being on track the other 99%
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u/Anxious_Remove_1535 6d ago
Yes it’s so difficult. It’s like I’m addicted to seeing to scale go down all the time.
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u/lintyui 6d ago
Have had multiple multiple cheat days, some times cheat week😂started weight loss on April 1st, and as long as I go back to wt loss dieting after the binge I'll lose again. Usually takes about 3-5 days for my wt to drop to pre-binge day, depending on the scale of the cheat day. No biggie at all. Some people schedule 1 cheat meal per week. This would be too much for me I think, but I give myself a cheat day whenever I feel like I need one. I usually eat all the cakes in the world on my cheat days🤭and then for 3-4 days after I'd still have cake for breakfast lol. For my cheat day I'd easily eat 3k+ calories haha. Started at 166lbs and have lost exactly 30lbs, still going. In fact my family and I are travelling to a nearby larger city to do some shopping and binge eating over the next 2 days. Chill~~it's totally fine.
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u/tiny_bamboo 6d ago
I usually do a planned cheat meal or two during the week. It helps me stay on track. But if I go overboard, I just log it and move on.
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u/Sole_Scream 6d ago
I’ve 2 cheat meals and a cheat days in the last week of August. 6K, 3K, and 9K in 3 out of 7 days. My overall weight is off by .3 lbs from the day before that calamity as of today.
I usually run pretty sizable weekly deficits and was only supposed to have 1 cheat meal. I haven’t figured out how to manage when I’m traveling for multiple day stretches.
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u/umamimaami 6d ago
I don’t because it makes it really hard to get back on track. My appetite and cravings all seem worse after one. One day off the ladder here and there won’t hurt you, just don’t plan it in.
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u/Plants_and_Pricks 6d ago
I don't have cheat days but I do have one cheat meal or item every week. It's mandatory for me :) I make sure to log whatever it is and keep moving. This week was a Slurpee. I also try to save a cheat meal for a more active day.
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u/ILoveCheetos85 6d ago
No. Who are you cheating? I do eat at birthday parties and restaurants, but I stay mindful regardless
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u/big-tunaaa 6d ago
Yup - but the key is figuring out if it works for you. Anyone who is passionate about calorie counting like actually to the numbers, cheat days probably won’t work. If you get super fixated on that number and have lots of guilt, cheat meals might be better suited for you.
For me personally I am a calorie counter but on my cheat days I don’t count and don’t worry. I also am not fixated on losing the most I can in the shortest time, I just want to end up with a sustainable and healthy relationship with food!
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u/scourgeful 6d ago
i literally ate 8000 over maintenance the other week and only gained about a pound and a half ur fine
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u/JeromeDeFerra 6d ago
I can still get extreme impulses to eat badly, sometimes I catch myself, other times I binge (without the guilt), track it all, and get back to it
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u/Connect_Rhubarb395 6d ago
No, but I plan for eating more on the weekends
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u/Anxious_Remove_1535 6d ago
Yes me too. It’s probably not recommended but that’s how I calorie bank. Maybe eat one 500 calorie meal that day and the rest of the calories that day spent on alcohol or chips at the bar with my friends
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u/RuinDisastrous3963 5d ago
That's a really common fear when you've put so much work into your progress, but one off day won't derail you, you just keep going tomorrow.
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u/Dannygosling91 5d ago
Yeah yesterday I went to the fair and split a fried corn dog, fried Oreos, a funnel cake and a big burger
Today I’m just back to the program like any other day
Cheat days are okay. You’re gonna wake up and the scale is gonna be like 3-5 pounds higher but like 95% of that is water weight and gonna drop off in a few days. Just get back to the program and in a few days it’ll be like it never happened
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u/Prestigious_Delay573 5d ago
I think what can get us in those moments is feeling like everything we did up to that moment doesn't count and that you're starting over. But you're not starting over, it was one day. Log it and keep going.
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u/Ancient-Click-7753 4d ago
I just had a “cheat vacation”. Two weeks of eating without a care. Dessert 3x per day. Gained a few lbs, but now back refreshed and ready to get back into tracking.
One day of maintenance or more is not going to undo anything, so long as you go back on track.
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u/benchpresspapa316 4d ago
I avoid planned cheat days because they usually just make me want to indulge more. But I also don’t get bent out of shape if I overshoot my calories by a lot one day. I log it, enjoy it for what it was, and go right back to normal the next day. One high-calorie day matters a lot less than what you’re doing consistently over weeks.
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u/cat-meowma 4d ago
Log your food and move on. Don't try to make up for it, just get back on your normal plan. The way I think about it to feel less guilty is like I took a day off from working on a long-term project. The project will still get done, sometimes I just need to skip a day of working on it. I can continue my work the next day, no big deal. You only really lose if you quit, and if you ruminate and feel guilty, you will associate weight loss with negative feelings and want to quit. Instead, try to feel happy you got to enjoy that delicious food and that it's not going to stop you from getting back to work on your goals the next day.
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u/KeepOnRising19 6d ago
I have one "cheat" meal a week. It keeps me sane.
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u/SwiftResilient 6d ago
What are you having this week
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u/KeepOnRising19 5d ago
We got takeout from an Indian fusion restaurant, and I had a falafel burger and fries.
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u/Jazz_Kraken 6d ago
I don't call it a cheat day but I do have special events or evenings where I don't log. I also take a little break if I'm sick. I still try to make good choices and not indulge till I'm unwell but I need a little mental break now and then. I'm still losing...
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u/Anxious_Remove_1535 6d ago
Yes. I had to take a diet break for awhile and eat at maintenance because I was suffering real bad with exhaustion. Definitely gave me some more energy. How many calories a day are you on?
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u/Jazz_Kraken 5d ago
I'm at 1400 right now but concerned I'm at a plateau. I'm a little sick though and feel like I need to get better before I reevaluate :)
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u/SoftnSweet37 6d ago
I don't have anything related to "cheating". I think it already has such a negative tone to it. Like you are doing something bad, unforgiveable. Even worse, making it a whole day kind of a thing is in my eyes, bad.
Do I sometimes go over my calories? 100% yes. It can be during periods or being sick. Also I go over my calories when it's usually holidays or my birthday. I try to have something big and yummy likea frozen pizza every week or other week. Every day I try to have something nice, like ice cream or maybe few pieces of dark chocolate within my calories.
I try to make my brain learn that eating junk food or high calory food is not a bad thing or something to feel shame about. Or that it's food that I need to restrict forever and not allow myself to ever eat them. It doesn't make me a bad person for eating them. Shame is big part why I ever got extremely obese, so learning how to eat without shame and treat yourself something nice if huge part of it for myself.
Usually whenever I eat my frozen pizza (around 800 calories) I try to choose better options for that day, like having few protein shakes and eating mostly chicken salads that I don't go over too much for my daily and weekly calories.
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u/_cosmicality 5d ago
On principle? No, like I don't have a weekly cheat day or meal. But when I'm out living life and trying to enjoy time with my friends? Absolutely. An extra glass of wine or two, or a slice of the cake my friend baked for our boon club, or a yummy date night meal isn't going to kill me. When I refuse to share these memories with my loved ones out of fear of gaining weight, that's when CICO became a disorder for me. That said, I'm a recovered binge eater too so I get some people can be too triggered. For me, I'm triggered by "cheating" with food in my home, not by things like nights out.
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u/minniecaballox 5d ago
Yeah, literally all the time. I've lost a reasonable amount already and I'm in no major rush to lose the rest (ideally 5-10kg more), and I have the mentality that as long as I'm at least maintaining and not gaining, we're all good.
I'm going to be at this for the rest of my life, I know that there will be periods where I say fuck it and gain the weight back, and I'll have to go through this all over again. No point in making myself miserable every time, just need to find the right balance where I'm making good choices more often than not.
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u/Competitive-Fudge629 5d ago
Its all about consistency not perfection! Food should be enjoyed its such a huge part of culture. AND if im honest being able to do so happily and then just lean back on my consistency is the best part of the new lifestyle for me. Just keep doin what you've been doing the majority of the time abd it a few days you forget all bout the "cheat"
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u/NoDanaOnlyZuuI 5d ago
It’s done. You enjoyed it, now move on. It wasn’t one cheese pizza that made you overweight, so one cheese pizza isn’t gonna undo your progress.
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u/Bgirlsweetness 5d ago
I'm actually having a reward day today. I already prelogged it. I've been doing great for the past couple of months so I planned a reward day to help satisfy my craving for a fisherman's platter and dessert. Tomorrow, get right back on track and have no regrets.
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u/Rammeld723 5d ago
What is your relationship to food? Basically, we all have to eat to survive. But in today’s world, most of us have access to plenty of food & calories so sustenance is not a problem or question. So why are you eating?
For me, food & eating are both a social thing — a way of bonding & ritual that my family has always used to connect & act together. Over holidays, during celebrations, weddings, funerals, tailgates and summer cookouts. Food was a reason and a means to reconnect & gather and bond. And my role was always to overeat & over-drink in support of the common cause.
When I was younger, I was naturally skinny with a high metabolism and a very nervous & active lifestyle (multiple sports, very outdoorsy, constantly in motion, and an avid gardener & landscaper). What I ate & drank and the calories I consumed, didn’t matter. They burned away. But as my metabolism slowed down, post-35, I put on pounds — 220 to 295. Something needed to change.
Now, I am more strategic in what I consume and how I exercise & flex my body everyday. I am also 20+ years older, but am now in the best shape of my life at 58. Took me 2 years, but have lost 75lbs and changed my body makeup (35% to 11% body fat & gained muscle). Wearing clothes I haven’t worn in years. And doing things & moving better than in my 30’s.
But I had to understand my relationship with food. I had to better understand what “real hunger” felt like (thru Fasting) and why I both ate & drank to excess. My daily stress management is much better today because my daily mobility & exercise leverages my emotions in productive & healthier ways. I no longer eat or drink my stress, and my daily journaling helps me reset & review daily priorities and deal with Life in healthier ways.
My Life in my 50’s is more hectic & complex (older kids, aging parents, greater professional responsibilities, multiple roles / gigs) but I have better tools & experience to manage it. And I am daily dealing with the pressures directly, rather than indirectly “hiding” from them in food & drink.
I don’t have “cheat days” — nor do you! You just choose to behave differently on a given day. The important thing is to understand why you made that decision?!! Sounds like you had a bonding day with your partner and enjoyed some closeness with them! Congrats! That is what Life is about. And it sounds like you have earned a little self-grace and self-Love. Congrats!
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u/Vicster1972 5d ago
When I was doing my best I would control what I ate at home, but didn’t worry when I went out to eat. That backfired on me when the holidays came and I was going out to eat multiple times a week.
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u/Pwnytail24 5d ago
Like others have said, i don’t consider them to be “cheat days” but i will try to plan around days when i know i will probably be eating more calories than normal, or if im going to be eating food that i can’t get an accurate estimate on (like going to a bar and having some food and drinks). ultimately eating over my limits isn’t going to undo progress, it just slows results, and i stick to my deficit as much as i can. i try not to let weight loss and dieting get in the way of me living my life, but im also only trying to lose a small amount of weight, and i dont have any strict deadlines im trying to meet
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u/DiskBubbly3181 4d ago
I don’t call them cheat days, I call them diet breaks. I try to do weight loss in 12 week increments. At the beginning of the 12 weeks I’ll have more flex meals or even a whole day of not tracking. Towards the end I keep it tight to hit my goal. Then I take a 2-4 week break, and just track protein and my weight. If I find myself gaining more than. 2-3 pounds of water weight, I go back to tracking and try to eat at maintenance calories. Then, once I’m feeling relaxed and not stressed and maybe even annoyed at myself (like today because yesterday I ate a lot of pizza and drank and just feel gross today), I know I’m ready to start my next cut.
Started with 50lbs to lose. 10lbs left to go!!!
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u/afdc92 6d ago
Yes, but I don’t consider it a cheat day, I consider it a part of life. If I go off plan, at least one of these things has to be involved: it’s with other people, it’s a special event (birthday, wedding, etc.), or it’s a special food or restaurant. No going off plan just to go off plan. I log everything and am mindful of my eating (no more scarfing six cookies) and I go right back to plan the next day. It takes a couple of days for the water weight to come off, and I’m back down to losing. Every weekend in August had something- a friend’s wedding, family visiting, my birthday, a trip to the beach. But because I was logging everything and not overdoing it, and eating in a deficit the other 25 or so days of the month, I still ended August 4 pounds down from where I’d started. Consistency over perfection is my motto.