Craicgirl
07-06-2006, 04:24 AM
This question is for anyone who is or has been dieting, in training or just eating healthy.
I posted in another thread that within the past year I have lost 165 pounds by dieting and exercising (and not cheating AT ALL for a full year). I am 5'11 and 43 years old and was well over 315 pounds when I began this journey. I am now 155ish pounds. My friends and family keep telling me I could stand to gain some weight, but I feel good in my body now and am working to tighten up some of the residual "flab" resulting from such a large weight loss. But anyway...here is my situation.
During the week I eat very clean. I am a vegetarian (but I do dairy) and I eat a lot of fresh veggies and drink a lot of water. I work out every day in some form. I do 30-40 minutes on the treadmill every morning, followed by the new love of my life, CYCLING, every afternoon or evening (depending on my schedule) and then strength training 3 times a week. Once a week I have a day that I just go nuts food wise. Now most people would think of a cheat as eating pizza or something equally fattening, but my cheats are generally just a lot more of the foods I normally eat. Like I will totally pig out on fat free cottage cheese, natural peanut butter and fat free yogurt. And I mean pig out. I will eat a whole tub of cottage cheese, and just devastate a half a jar of Natty PB. I also have this thing about Fat Free Cool Whip, so I will eat a whole tub of that (I did however have one cheat day where I actually ate Cold Stone Creamery ice cream....HEAVEN!). Well you get the picture...
So I call this my "cheat day". My friends laugh at me and say "this isn't a cheat...eat some fast food or something, THATS a cheat". But I don't crave fast food. Funny thing is when I start craving stuff, I crave oatmeal, cottage cheese, cool whip, peanut butter. And thats what I pig on. I will eat till I am bloated and stuffed and feeling blah! Then next day I get back on track (except on a few ocassions when it became a two..or once even a three day cheat).
Generally if I get on the scale I see an increase in weight after these "cheats" of anywhere from 3 to 10 pounds (which is why I have stopped getting on the scale afterwards). I realize the majority of this is water weight because I can lose it all within a week if I get back on plan strictly.
So does anyone else do this? And is there any benefit to this mentally or physically or am I just shooting myself in the foot? I have read different theories stating that cheat days help keep you motivated or help jump start your metabolism or whatever, but I don't know. I know the day after I feel bloated and disgusted with myself and feel totally "Fat", but when I am eating it I am in heaven (like I have been freed from diet jail and I can eat whatever I want!).
Any thoughts on the benefits or negative effects of cheat days? All input would be appreciated.
Kerry
I posted in another thread that within the past year I have lost 165 pounds by dieting and exercising (and not cheating AT ALL for a full year). I am 5'11 and 43 years old and was well over 315 pounds when I began this journey. I am now 155ish pounds. My friends and family keep telling me I could stand to gain some weight, but I feel good in my body now and am working to tighten up some of the residual "flab" resulting from such a large weight loss. But anyway...here is my situation.
During the week I eat very clean. I am a vegetarian (but I do dairy) and I eat a lot of fresh veggies and drink a lot of water. I work out every day in some form. I do 30-40 minutes on the treadmill every morning, followed by the new love of my life, CYCLING, every afternoon or evening (depending on my schedule) and then strength training 3 times a week. Once a week I have a day that I just go nuts food wise. Now most people would think of a cheat as eating pizza or something equally fattening, but my cheats are generally just a lot more of the foods I normally eat. Like I will totally pig out on fat free cottage cheese, natural peanut butter and fat free yogurt. And I mean pig out. I will eat a whole tub of cottage cheese, and just devastate a half a jar of Natty PB. I also have this thing about Fat Free Cool Whip, so I will eat a whole tub of that (I did however have one cheat day where I actually ate Cold Stone Creamery ice cream....HEAVEN!). Well you get the picture...
So I call this my "cheat day". My friends laugh at me and say "this isn't a cheat...eat some fast food or something, THATS a cheat". But I don't crave fast food. Funny thing is when I start craving stuff, I crave oatmeal, cottage cheese, cool whip, peanut butter. And thats what I pig on. I will eat till I am bloated and stuffed and feeling blah! Then next day I get back on track (except on a few ocassions when it became a two..or once even a three day cheat).
Generally if I get on the scale I see an increase in weight after these "cheats" of anywhere from 3 to 10 pounds (which is why I have stopped getting on the scale afterwards). I realize the majority of this is water weight because I can lose it all within a week if I get back on plan strictly.
So does anyone else do this? And is there any benefit to this mentally or physically or am I just shooting myself in the foot? I have read different theories stating that cheat days help keep you motivated or help jump start your metabolism or whatever, but I don't know. I know the day after I feel bloated and disgusted with myself and feel totally "Fat", but when I am eating it I am in heaven (like I have been freed from diet jail and I can eat whatever I want!).
Any thoughts on the benefits or negative effects of cheat days? All input would be appreciated.
Kerry