People's Thoughts on Cheating

I've dieted on and off for years, but last week started to diet once again and I'm so happy I found this website.  I just have one question and I'm hoping to get some feedback.  How does everyone feel about occasionally cheating here and there so that we don't get discouraged?  It can be so overwhelming to feel as if I'll never have a burger and fries again (or a little bag of M&M's), so I'm wondering if it's OK to allow myself one "cheat" a week.  Or, does going off my diet make me crave the bad stuff even more, thereby leading to even more cheating!!  I know there probably isn't any one right or wrong answer, I'm just wondering how other people deal with this issue.

You have to have cheat days/cheat meals.....I think there has to be some compromise to get the things you actually enjoy...otherwise it'll back fire and binge on bad stuff! Plus, it's good to keep your body guessing. I higher calorie day mixed in once a week or so is a good thing!

I've just been trying to trick myself into what I consider a cheat. A cheat on my diet used to a HUGE bowl of ice cream. Now my treat is a low sugar fudgescicle or something like that!

Don't call it cheating...   Cheating implies some kind of deception, slyness, something underhand and dishonest.  Famous cheats... Bill Clinton, Ben Johnson, Al Capone!   When what you're really talking about is a few sweets from time to time..  Not in the same league.

If 90% of what you eat is good quality wholesome, nourishing foods you can afford for the other 10% to be 'fun foods'... not necessarily all that nourishing but pleasurable..... and it would still qualify as a healthy diet.  The caveat is that if you have foods that 'once you pop, you can't stop'... probably best to leave those out all together until you're well in control.

January 2009 I decided after years of trying to diet and fasting to only gain it all back.  I finally said "enough is enough"

..and this year 09, I am doing it and doing it permanently. I am using a well balanced diet, but knowing when I was full, chewing my food slowly and knowing that the body does not need the food volume I was eating. 

I use no pills or kits only natural foods.  Cheating in my opinion does not work, it is like a drug or alcoholic addiction.  When your addicted to sugar, fat and salt..you have to cut them out.  If you can do it until you reach your ideal weight...then you are in control and small amounts of these bad foods would be acceptable.  I think.

It is truly a choice you have to make but I think you will find as I did that cheating or satisfying that craving does not work.

It will stop your progress because you will then start cheating at other things and soon you will  be back where you started.

Just my opinion...Good luck

In my opinion you should not be "going on a diet".  What you should be doing is learning how to eat and live a healthy lifestyle.  What this means to me is finding the right balance between the types of food you eat and the kind of activities you do. 

When you find this balance you are able to eat whatever food you like as long as the proportions are within your calorie guidelines so then the concept of "cheating" has no meaning.  I never cheat but I never deny myself the food or treats that I like, I just keep them in line with my calorie targets. 

So I eat burgers and fries and ice cream, not every day but often enough that I am not making any kind of sacrifice.  I look at calories in and out on a weekly, not daily, basis.  This helps me make better choices.

Hello Maria!

I started my diet ~10 days ago when I discovered this website, and I too am loving it!!  I have never counted calories before (hence why the pounds have been gradually creeping on over the years) and I totally shocked myself when I started to log what I ate just how many calories I was comsuming. 

I was really bad with cakes, buns, biscuits and crisps...when I started the diet I decided to cut these out completely and I have surprised myself- I no longer crave them- they no longer bother me.  For instance, last night I was sat watching TV and I got this urge to nibble something and I immediately reached out for a punit of strawberries- they looked and smelt delicious.  I laughed to myself- a fortnight ago I would have gone for a couple of creams buns or slices of cake, a huge bar of chocolate, or half a packet of biscuits.

I definitely feel that now I've adopted a more healthier diet that I no longer crave the "bad" stuff- you might find the same.

It was the boss's birthday on Friday so we had a pub lunch- I had a burger and fries- the first time in a couple of weeks- it tasted fantastic!!  and it had no effect on my weight.  Like the other members have said as long as it is only once in a while and you try to work it into your calorie limit by having a smaller meals/ no snacks that day you're fine.  Also the thought of looking forward to it was nice- it kept me focussed for the couple of days beforehand.  If I was to  think I would never have something ever again- it would only depress me and want to binge on it straight away!!

All the very best with your diet!!

Jenny XX

Hi:  I just saw on GMA or one of those shows a woman who has lost an amazing amount of weight over the last two years, and what keeps herself motivated and going is that she allows herself one day a week a day of anything she wants to eat, but just that one day.  I thought that was a brilliant idea, and it seems to have worked for her.  I started dieting 30 days ago, and I have had almost no cheats, and I just lost 15 lbs.!  Luckily, things like M & M's and sugary things are not things I like anyway, so that part of the battle wasn't a real battle.  My weaknesses are pasta, cheeses, and beer!  I've eliminated most drinking, and that wasn't hard too since I only consume beer on a weekend night.  The cheese is just the hardest thing for me to eliminate it.  I love cheese!  The cheat thing though, why don't you try what that woman I mentioned above does?  Hope this helps.  Alex

yeah, the concept of "cheating" implies rigid rules that can be broken.  i don't have rules.  i eat and drink what i want; if i over- (or under-) do it, i deal with the consequences. 

but, you know, i think the concepts of rules, cheating, and rewards are all part of the same picture; they're ways of externalizing the problem, and essentially they're attempts to use behaviour modification against the self.  i don't think it works.  intrinsic motivation will always take you further than extrinsic - unless you're a toddler or a puppy or otherwise incapable of the former.

I don't use the term "cheating" because that implies that I'm on a diet and I'm not on one. I've decided to change my life. I eat healthy, but enjoy treats in moderation daily.  I am not dropping 2 pounds a week, but I am losing weight at a steady pace and I can stick to this lifestlye forever.  What I eat now is what I'll eat when I'm finally thin again.  No strafices made here...just motivated to kick my butt and workout 5 days a week which took time to get used to, but now I couldn't imagine missing a weekday at the gym.

i dont believe in deprivation, because i feel like if i deprive myself of foods that i want, ill end up binging on everything i wanted during my diet. thats why calorie counting is so easy- because you can eat the foods you want but it helps you control your portions so that you dont go overboard. if you want to eat a peice of cake or a burger and fries, do it! just watch your portions, log it correctly, and cut down your calories during your other meals to make up for it.

This is weird, i was actualy about to post a new topic about this very notion. With me, its my weekly pancake night.... which is actually tonight! All week im busting it in the gym, ot work, eating foods that i prepare all week since i dont have the money to eat out as much as i used too.

However, monday nights i dont cook, get come friends together, go to my favorite place and have me some of the best banana pancakes in the world. (maybe not the world but i like them). And if something comes up during the week thats not on the "plan" its still cool, cause i know that im gonna go to the gym tomorrow morning so if something different happened food-wise for one day its nothing in the grand scheme of things.

This leads me to my next question..... what is you favorite "off the path" meal? Something special that doesnt happen everyday but is awesome when it does? For me? 'Nana pancakes with some poached eggs and coffee. MMMM.

Original Post by clay010:

This is weird, i was actualy about to post a new topic about this very notion. With me, its my weekly pancake night.... which is actually tonight! All week im busting it in the gym, ot work, eating foods that i prepare all week since i dont have the money to eat out as much as i used too.

However, monday nights i dont cook, get come friends together, go to my favorite place and have me some of the best banana pancakes in the world. (maybe not the world but i like them). And if something comes up during the week thats not on the "plan" its still cool, cause i know that im gonna go to the gym tomorrow morning so if something different happened food-wise for one day its nothing in the grand scheme of things.

This leads me to my next question..... what is you favorite "off the path" meal? Something special that doesnt happen everyday but is awesome when it does? For me? 'Nana pancakes with some poached eggs and coffee. MMMM.

 My favourite "off the path" meals are

a) fish and chips from a GOOD chippie, though I do split it with a mate and have lots of mushy peas these days

b) homemade cheese fondue, ohmygod

These are more monthly than weekly ones. I can probably think of more. I haven't let myself roast a duck since working out the calories in that bad boy, sob sob.

My sister in law and I were talking about this very thing a few days ago.  I spent 2 weeks of carefully eating foods that were good for me and cutting out the chocolate (my weakness).  The result for me was a week of binging on cookies (not ideal).  She told me she gives herself a "go to hell day" every Saturday.  That means she gets to eat whatever she wants on that day.  It gives her something to look forward to.  It sounds great to me.  I am going to try it too.  I weigh in on Saturday morning, so that makes my higher calorie day the farthest from my next weigh in.

Thanks so much -- all your responses were really helpful!! I think I'm going to try to have one meal each week where I can go off my diet -- that gives me something to look forward to each week.  And I won't call it cheating!!

I love how i was just going to post something similar:)

I really love food, for the longest time i just wanted to be a chef (too clumsy though ^-^). So it's hard for me to really cut out the foods that i love. I do an altered special k type thing.

I eat special k products, or something like it in nutrition, soetimes worse for you sometimes better, and then eat my regualr me as usual. People always crtisized that kind of diet for the lack of variety, but since i used to eat that type of thing as snacks before my diet/lifestyle change and have never tired of them, it's not as big of a deal. The problem is that whereas i used to snack on reeses and ice-cream, now i buy lowfat yorgurts and fresh fruit to munch on.. And my fiance still had all of the good junk on hand, since he is not dieting.

So i was recently suffering from my lack of sweets when i thought of a "cheat day". Now that i read the replies i think i'll start a saturday cheat day, and weigh in at the start of the day, so that my cheat day is the farthest day from my weigh-in.

let me know how things work out for all of you!

Original Post by cmiriah:

.....So i was recently suffering from my lack of sweets when i thought of a "cheat day". Now that i read the replies i think i'll start a saturday cheat day, and weigh in at the start of the day, so that my cheat day is the farthest day from my weigh-in.....

Thats what I do...I have a treat night on a Saturday night but my official weigh in point is the Saturday morning, the furthest point from my "treat"..that way I don't have to deal with the inevitable but temporary spike in my weight log

I've been on CC since August '08, I've lost roughly 70lbs and I "cheat" whenever I want to. I TRY to save my "cheating" for the weekends but if something comes up during the week, I'm game. I just know in my head I have to count a little closer to make up for it.

The majority of the time I hit 1500-1700 calories and gym roughly 5 times per week.

I read on here somewhere that you should look at being good vs cheating percentage wise. No one can hit 100% perfect eating and maintain it for long without slipping up, so why not aim for 90% or 80%. No need to set yourself up for failure...

i cheat everyday..

am not perfect, i will never be a food or nutrition nazi..and i know i probably won't ever get to the point where i have literally zero refined sugar or avoid carbs like the plague..

therefore, i cheat everyday...as long as i get my veggies and fruits in, i feel totally fine about having ice-cream everyday or wtv indulgence i want...as long as i stay within my calorie limit, going over it everyonce in a while.

deprivation killlsss me, i can't do it so i chose to compromise..

It ain't cheating if you count it

Seriously, while I make every effort to have most of the food I eat be of the "healthier" variety, I do not forbid myself from having some amount of "bad" foods that I enjoy.  Just last night, I had a Wendy's burger with everything.  Had a few of my son't fries as well.  Made sure I accounted for it in my food log and moved on.  There are also days when I just don't worry about counting at all if I am going to be a party of something with all sorts of hor d'oevres, drinks, etc.  No big deal since these only happen about once a month or so.

i eat pretty healthy throughout the week and try to on weekends. I do allow myself one "cheat" day but i don't overdue it. One that day I will go easy on myself and eat around the same amount of cals i burned (1620 with no workout) instead of creating a 500-600 deficit. I will try to eat most of my meals healthy, but if i want a drink or two or two pieces of cake, I will. I just don't let the whole day be a complete diet bust, but just 1 meal or a snack here and there. Hope this helps!

i cheat whenever i want to. just not to the extent that i used to. smaller portions of unhealthy/ treat items get offset with healthier choices and exercise. i get really discouraged if i deprive myself and end up binging on the foods i have restricted, so cheating once in a while works for me. i usually plan for a cheat meal/day (depending on my mood, location) and work it into my calorie count as best i can.

plus it's easier when your in a situation where healthier options aren't available. it pays to be flexible sometimes.