| Author | Post |
|---|
CodeMonkey
New Member
| Joined: | 6 Aug 2007 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 350 |
|
Posted: 12 Mar 2008 01:29 pm |
|
I had watched The Biggest Loser and every once in a while I do get some helpful tips from the show. Last night Dan (I think his name is Dan, he's the male trainer) mentioned that all players of the game gets a cheat day immediately after the weigh-in. He said something about shocking the metabolism and giving the person something to look forward for.
Does having a cheat day really help? Or is Dan blowing smoke?
|
trimB
Distinguished Member
|
Posted: 12 Mar 2008 04:50 pm |
|
I think there are people on both sides of the issue...
Some believe that a cheat day (high calories) keeps the body from adjusting the metabolism downwards after many days of low calories. So the metabolism keeps going strong.
On the other hand, some people find it hard to go back to dieting after a cheat day. So a cheat day turns into a cheat week... undo-ing too much hard work.
I personally am of the former opinion - as long as it works (ie if scenario number two happens to you, then maybe cheat days aren't such a good idea).
|
kalypso
Member
| Joined: | 3 Mar 2008 |
| Location: | Eh?, Canada |
| Posts: | 186 |
|
Posted: 15 Mar 2008 11:30 am |
|
I wouldn't do a cheat day (as in the whole day) but I would have a cheat meal every now and then... but like trimB said, if it's too much temptation to make you keep cheating then it's probably not worth it.
|
CodeMonkey
New Member
| Joined: | 6 Aug 2007 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 350 |
|
Posted: 15 Mar 2008 09:11 pm |
|
I watched it again with the wife since she didn't watch it with me the first time. He did say cheat DAY but later he said one meal. I guess the cheat "day" is the day where you can cheat at one meal.
Yeah, a whole day would be bad. 
|
NevD
New Member
| Joined: | 26 Oct 2005 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 1536 |
|
Posted: 16 Mar 2008 06:58 am |
|
I always advocate the idea of a cheat day being 'maintenance' calories (not 'high' calories). And yes, one cheat meal usually means it's a cheat day (unless you starve the rest of the 24 hours, which hardly qualifies as something to look forward to).
In my own case, I used 2 cheat days per week, but I had decided by then to lose weight the long, slow, effective way.
If you want to kiss the pounds goodbye a little sooner, then one cheat day is probably advisable.
But the notion that you can gorge on calories doesn't play. If you go 1000 calories over manintenance on a cheat day, then you've just blown two 500-calorie-deficit days out of the water. It'd be nice if that worked, but it's unlikely...
|
mollymoo24
Distinguished Member
| Joined: | 30 Dec 2007 |
| Location: | Chicago, USA |
| Posts: | 9953 |
|
Posted: 16 Mar 2008 08:16 pm |
|
nevd wrote: I always advocate the idea of a cheat day being 'maintenance' calories (not 'high' calories). And yes, one cheat meal usually means it's a cheat day (unless you starve the rest of the 24 hours, which hardly qualifies as something to look forward to).
This is what I do. I target a maintenance level. There is no sense in backtracking all your hard work, but it is nice to have a day once in a while where you can enjoy +400/500 cals and not feel bad about it. Maybe a favorite dish you wouldn't normally have...
|
Peter
Founder of this forum
| Joined: | 24 May 2005 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 4180 |
|
Posted: 16 Mar 2008 10:30 pm |
|
nevd wrote: But the notion that you can gorge on calories doesn't play. If you go 1000 calories over manintenance on a cheat day, then you've just blown two 500-calorie-deficit days out of the water. It'd be nice if that worked, but it's unlikely...
As nevd says...
Some believe in a cheat day where you can eat anything and everything, but the math doesn't add up. You'd have to make up for it on the other six days. Calories always count.
I can't do it myself, or I'd just totally lose control and not get it back. But we're all different.
Peter
|
DaniMae1
Distinguished Member
|
Posted: 17 Mar 2008 08:14 am |
|
| I lost my first 40 pounds by still "cheating" at least once a week. I guess if you are reasonable about it, it should be okay...I still allowed myself to go out to buffets and such. But that's just me. It might not work for everyone.
|
Peter
Founder of this forum
| Joined: | 24 May 2005 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 4180 |
|
Posted: 17 Mar 2008 12:08 pm |
|
I have always wondered about something.
Let's say you eat 2000 calories a day, and you increase that by 500. You will add 3500 calories or a pound of fat a week.
But what if on a cheat day (binge day, to be honest), you at all 3500 extra calories!
I've always wondered if your body would actually process them in the same way, and you'd really add a pound of fat. Or if your body would "push" the mass of food through your system faster, perhaps not fully digesting it -- or at least not process it in the normal way -- and you'd put on less than a pound of fat.
There's no real point to knowing the answer to this unhealthy practice. It's just been a curiosity for over 25 years -- since I used to eat till I was so stuffed at night that I could barely get to sleep.
Peter
|
DaNcEaHoLiC
New Member
| Joined: | 3 May 2008 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 156 |
|
Posted: 9 May 2008 07:18 pm |
|
Cheat days don't work for me.
I tried to eat very healthy over the week and to have a cheat day on Sunday. Well, I endet up craving these forbidden foods all week (more than I normally would) and on Sundays I ate lots of them because I thought "you won't be able to eat them all week...so you better eat enough today!" Yeah, great.
|
cportwine
Distinguished Member
|
Posted: 13 May 2008 11:59 am |
|
I don't really have a cheat day. I just reward myself. If I set a goal and meet it, then I get to have a treat.
I would think if I had a whole day, that would be to much for me. I would eat all day, be miserable and gain weight.
I know the reward thing, does not work for everyone either. So, it depends on you. Try it and see if it works. If not then try something else.
I do think that if you deprive yourself of everything you like to eat, sooner or later you break down. At least thats how it works for me.
I can now have just one cookie, instead of a whole bag. I couldn't do that when I first started dieting, it took awhile to teach myself that.
|
Current time is 03:30 pm | |
|
