Wow Cheat days do work!

So.. i've been trying to lose my >10 lbs. (I'm really close, like 5-6 lbs away) so I've been trying to cut off my food intake, exercise alot, etc. I wasn't that successful in the cutting off my food intake however, because I kept on eating around 1400 everyday (I failed at calorie zig zagging this week)

I exercised and I gained 1-2 lbs during some days so I was like... obviously this isn't working.

Then I decided i needed a day to eat whatever I wanted so it would surprise my body. I lost 1-2 lbs today from yesterday (I always weigh in at the same time btw). I guess occasional cheat days DO work :D!

I am completely with you on this one! My daughters bday was this past week, and although I normally eat 1200-1300, I ate all kinds of stuff I normally don't, and figure that I ate roughly 1000 calories in my supper meal alone!

I went back to the 1200-1300 for the rest of the week and lost 2.2 pds for the week!

yay for cheat days!

Omg you're so lucky! Because whenever I let myself have a cheat day, it turns into a cheat week...cheat month.... and then I'm totally screwed. :'(

I'm the same Strawberry...I use to give myself a cheat day, then I would give myself two because I felt one wasn't enough...I still lost weight, but it was like 2 pounds or 1 a month...I'm very prone to binging..so it's best I don't dwell into it. I mean if I want a sweet now, I'll have it, but I will work it into my days calories. That way I won't be tempted to go off the wagon, but still have my cake and eat it too.

Ive been cheating for the last two weeks now!  And because each night I REALLY do tell myself it is the last night, I binge like a nutball! ...I just finished two puddings...and as I was eating the last bite....i told myself tonight is the last night...anyways...I managed to gain 5 lbs in two weeks....

I wish i could have a cheat DAY!

cheat days don't exist for me, they just don't work. if i cheat, i binge. i think i had a cheat day that worked once.

Me too! Ever since I started having about my maintenance level of calories on weekends, my weight has dropped significally! O.O

The first time I cheated I almost fell into the cycle...The next day I was craving pancakes all day, but I kept telling myself I have to return to my normal calories now. Nowadays I have no problem with it. I just have my treat and thats it. Actually I find it HARD to eat 1600 cals, and that's after good meals and a small bag of candy. AND I also seem to exercise more on my cheat days, even when I dont give much thought about it.

It might be scary - but you all should try it! After all there's no way you'd gain weight if you eat 2300 cals on one day when you are on a deficit on the others.

They work for me too. For cheat days to work you really have to know yourself and your strengths and keep telling yourself it's ONE day and that tomorrow you go back to eating right.

I need one soon, its been 2 1/2 months since one for me. But I am almost at my goal of 55 pounds lost less than half pound away weighed in a 174.4 was 229 on July 18th. I am def. going to have a nice outing out to celebrate my loss for sure.

I just keep on upping my calories when I see a plateau in my losses and that kicks start it up again. Also I have been doing cardio every other day instead of every day with weights on the opposite days and that seems to be working great as well.

I cheat all the time. However i still stay below my calorie count is the key for me. I personally shoot for 2000 usully i have around 1800 but 2-3 times a week ill have a sweet and i will be just under 2000 and im okay with that just gotta adjust other meals accordingly if you want to be a little bit naugty.

I think what your talking about is called carb loading. If you have been limiting your carb intake and then use 1-3 days of eating carbs before you exercise it can increase endurance and calorie burning. Many athletes and bodybuilders do this to lose more fat overall. Here are some links to research about it.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/carb-loading /HQ00385

http://www.bodyandfitness.com/Information/Fit ness/carb1.htm

http://www.active.com/story.cfm?STORY_ID=1299 8&CHECKSSO=0

Original Post by naruelle:

So.. i've been trying to lose my >10 lbs. (I'm really close, like 5-6 lbs away) so I've been trying to cut off my food intake, exercise alot, etc. I wasn't that successful in the cutting off my food intake however, because I kept on eating around 1400 everyday (I failed at calorie zig zagging this week)

I exercised and I gained 1-2 lbs during some days so I was like... obviously this isn't working.

Then I decided i needed a day to eat whatever I wanted so it would surprise my body. I lost 1-2 lbs today from yesterday (I always weigh in at the same time btw). I guess occasional cheat days DO work :D!

I'm not trying to ruin the mood, really, but remember that you don't lose 1-2 lbs of fat in a day. Your weight will naturally fluctate in a 4-ish lb range from day to day based on things like water weight, etc. There's no real point in weighing yourself every day because of this.

You're right Ibez, a person won't lose 1-2 pds of fat in one day, but the very act of eating more than usual one day and then to see a loss the following can help keep you motivated to eat well and exercise. Which will lead to losing actual weight.

I weigh myself everyday, because although my daily weight isn't necessarily a true reflection of what I weigh that day, it gives me an indication of what my body is doing and can help me spot a trend early on. Weighing yourself once weekly can be misleading because you might be fluctuating on the high side (+4pds) or the low (-4pds). Based on that, you might think that you're doing awful or great, when that might not be the case at all.

well i wish this worked for me! I usually follow a healthy diet during the week. On the weekends i eat a bit more but still healthy. Anytime i have a piece of cake at a special occasion, or occasionally indulge in a slice of pizza,---BAM i gain weight right away. I also FEEL it on my stomach, hips, like it hurts because its stretched out or something... i don't know its so weird! The thing that sucks is even when i return to my normal diet the weight still stays on. It stinks, i went from about a size 4 to a size 8 in a matter of 5-6 months

The thing is, when I exercise the weight pretty stays the same the entire week (or even goes up)

It's hard for me to calorie zig zag actually because I tend to stay the same calorie every day (1300-1400 a day). I'm super busy so I need snacks to keep me going.So I don't really go into a deficiet but just go up every now and then.

It's just weird to see the number lower after a great day of eating a piece of cake and drinking some coffee at 12 AM at a cafe.

ohhh that sounds so good! i deliberately haven't done this method because i worry that if i have a designated day to have what i like, i will look forward to that day and then obsess about food! i am glad it works for you!