Is it really ok to have a cheat day or is an entire day of cheating too much? Maybe a cheat meal instead? 
sunday, the entire day, is my cheat day. I have stayed the same weight (165 lbs) for the past 9 years by doing so. It works for me, but im also religous about my strength and conditioning/training.
For me it works better to have 2 cheat meals a week instead of a full cheat day. I usually enjoy a cheat meal for dinner Wednesday night and for dinner Sunday night and am strict the rest of the time.
I have tried having a full cheat day once a week in the past but I tended to go WAY overboard and ate everything in sight.
I lean more toward the couple of unhealthy meals a week. A whole day can crush a week's results easily if you're doing calorie dense/simple carbs/fat type stuff.
Breakfast: Bag of Milano orange cookies-2080 cals
Snack: Protein shake-440 cals
Lunch: Buitoni tortelini w/sauce-900 cals
Snack: 2 bag of peanut M&Ms and milk-600 cals
Dinner: Big plate of pad thai-900 cals
Close to 5000 cals and the above isn't even going big, and its gonna affect you the next day as well.
If i want something to eat that can be classed as a 'cheat meal' then i'll have it.
But i usually do a killer back workout on a saturday afternoon, eat clean from saturday morning to saturday night and then just have a pizza and a small pack of big cookies (4 in a pack)and that's me sorted til the following weekend.
If you DO decide to cave in before your cheat day, just do a deduction in your calorie intake or train like a mad man the following session.
Thanks guys, I like the idea of having a couple of cheat meals per week instead of cheating an entire day.
Had my first cheat day after like a month of no sweets, carbs. Boy did I fuck up. It turned into a 3 day binge which was exactly what I was worried about. That's the part you have to be worried about, falling into old habits. I have fasted since Saturday night(only water) to make up for it. The hunger pains haven't really come yet so I might go another day.
^^ Exactly what I was getting at. Occasional "bad" food meals, no day/days.
big_slacker - I lean more toward the couple of unhealthy meals a week. A whole day can crush a week's results easily if you're doing calorie dense/simple carbs/fat type stuff.
Breakfast: Bag of Milano orange cookies-2080 cals
Snack: Protein shake-440 cals
Lunch: Buitoni tortelini w/sauce-900 cals
Snack: 2 bag of peanut M&Ms and milk-600 cals
Dinner: Big plate of pad thai-900 cals
Close to 5000 cals and the above isn't even going big, and its gonna affect you the next day as well.
Jesus bro, you are doing it all wrong man!
First off, have a healthy breakfast.
2 bags of m&m's as a snack?
There's 2600 cals saved already.
Unless you're GSP or a high level athlete, a cheat day shouldn't mean DAY.
Have a healthy breakfast, smash the gym, have a healthy pwo meal and THEN have your cheat meal on the night.
Who has cookies for breakfast other than a 6 year old?
^^
Key words people: TRAINING FULL TIME.
Don't do this at home kids! ;-)
i just make sunday my cheat day, but i don't really go overboard
it's more of a cheat meal or two
usually a pizza and some wings, or like past sunday i got a big meatball sub and wings
typically my sunday (cheat day) consists of a half gallon of ice cream, a few slices of pizza, two or three sandwichs, some sort of other carbs (slice of cake, bowl of macoroni and cheese) and thats about it.
It doesnt effect my weight because Im religous with my training. I go right back to training/normal diet on monday.
A cheat day is only HELPFUL if you are extremely dedicated in your workouts and your diet on a consistant basis. Its best used when you have such a low bodyfat percentage that you hit a plateau with losing weight. Other than that, your just slowing down your progress. There's nothing funnier than seeing a fat guy justifying his shitty diet by claiming its a cheat day.
Gorilla Grip - A cheat day is only HELPFUL if you are extremely dedicated in your workouts and your diet on a consistant basis. Its best used when you have such a low bodyfat percentage that you hit a plateau with losing weight. Other than that, your just slowing down your progress. There's nothing funnier than seeing a fat guy justifying his shitty diet by claiming its a cheat day.
Agreed.
That was kind of my point in posting it and why a "cheat day" isn't the best way to go. What you're talking about with a healthy breakfast, snack, PWO and cheat meal at night is exactly what I propose as a better way to go. A couple of cheat meals a week (usually after squat/deads workouts) in an otherwise healthy livable eating style.
FWIW I will occasionally tear up a whole bag of orange milanos for breakfast, then do a 3 hour MTB ride, and I'm much closer to 40 than 6. ;)
As the last post above states, most people into the concept of an entire cheat day are just fat guys justifying bad diets. If you're doing it for a specific purpose then great.
Andy the man -big_slacker - I lean more toward the couple of unhealthy meals a week. A whole day can crush a week's results easily if you're doing calorie dense/simple carbs/fat type stuff.
Breakfast: Bag of Milano orange cookies-2080 cals
Snack: Protein shake-440 cals
Lunch: Buitoni tortelini w/sauce-900 cals
Snack: 2 bag of peanut M&Ms and milk-600 cals
Dinner: Big plate of pad thai-900 cals
Close to 5000 cals and the above isn't even going big, and its gonna affect you the next day as well.
Jesus bro, you are doing it all wrong man!
First off, have a healthy breakfast.
2 bags of m&m's as a snack?
There's 2600 cals saved already.
Unless you're GSP or a high level athlete, a cheat day shouldn't mean DAY.
Have a healthy breakfast, smash the gym, have a healthy pwo meal and THEN have your cheat meal on the night.
Who has cookies for breakfast other than a 6 year old?
Im doing it for a specific purpose. As I stated, I have been able to maintain the same weight, mid 160's at 5'10 for over the past 9 years. I usually start my cheat day with pizza for breakfast. I used to do sprint triathlons on sundays and then would hammer down two family size fudgie the whale cakes.
Holy fuck on some of your peoples cheat days!
I am at around 155 and pretty lean. Have lost quite a bit of weight and have stopped losing. Was thinking of doing cheat meals to trick my body but every time I do, I put on what I spent all week losing!
Just spend the weeks putting on and losing the same weight!
Have a cheat meal(s) day. Just try to stay close to your daily allotment of macros, or for that one day go over by 500-1000 calories. No big deal. If you usually consume around 3000 calories every day, no big problem bumping it up an extra 500 - 1000 calories.
Follow your normal "healthy" eating routine for the day and just add in 1 or 2 cheat meals.
Sounds like a plan, that is what I do.