Eating your exercise calories & "cheat day"

[JennyRebecca]

Hi Everyone,

Two questions...

1.  Do you eat your exercise calories?

2.  Does anyone take a "cheat day" or more accurately, is there a day when you up your calorie increase a bit to keep your metabolism on its toes?

During the week I don't eat my exercise calories.  Well, I might dip into them by 20 or 30 a day or two.)  But on Saturday I dip into them by 200 or 300.  That's church day so we have a big meal.  I still eat mindfully and track but it definitely go over my 1500 calorie goal for the day. 

Thoughts?

[y2kcrash]

Answer to ( 1 )  No

Answer to ( 2 )

 Follow a similar weekend food plan as yours.

Try to maintain a Set Slightly Negative Calorie Target Monday to Friday Lunch.

( log and plan every meal in advance towards daily a balance diet )

Friday Dinner until Sunday Dinner  Eat to match my calories out  and as you mindful of healthy choices but not restrictive in anyway.other than portion control.  Go  with the flow when it comes to social interaction and whole family meals.

[A_Lurker]

1) Yes - when I was counting calories I would eat based on calories burned.  I kept a 1000 calorie deficit, but stopped eating at 2500 calories.  So, if I had a 3200 calorie burn day I ate 2200.  If I had a 4000 calorie burn day I stopped at 2500.  However, if I had a super active 4500 calorie day I might eat 2750.

2) Not really.  I would take a full diet break every 3-4 months and eat at my maintenance calories for a week, then go back to it.

At this point I don't log calories, but keep a general eye on them (by this point I can add them up in my head as I go).  I'm actually aiming for between half a pound and a pound a week, so I don't need to be that vigilant anymore to get to that point.

[JennyRebecca]

@A_Lurker and @y2kcrash Thanks!!

It's interesting to hear what others do.

[MagsOnTheBeach]

I don't count calories.

I don't have a scheduled cheat day.  I do schedule a cheat meal but it is usually centered around an event and maybe 1 or 2 times a month.  I don't think I would feel good with a whole day of cheats, I like how I feel when I am being careful.  When I have a meal that is off track, it takes a couple days for me to feel at my peak again.

[almost_where]

1) I generally speaking do not eat my burned calories. I weigh 248 lbs. I roughly eat between 2,000 calories and 2,500. I shoot for 4k burn. On a slow day where I don't move around a lot I will eat towards my lower calorie number.

2) I have been taking a regular cheat day on Sunday for the past year. I have done all kinds of things on Sunday. Sometimes I'll keep it tame and eat my regular calories 2,500 with a few cheat items (pizza, pancakes, burger) and then other rare times, like last weekend, Ill eat 8,000 calories. My average cheat day calories is between 3,000 and 3,500. Even though its one day a week I really enjoy looking forward to that one day. I try to keep super strict Monday through Saturday (no takeout, no sweets, low sugar items, no pizza/burgers/fries, etc.)

[WendyB]

I dont count calories as I'm a weight watcher.

But yes I eat my exercise points. I lose better when I do.

I hate the phrase  cheat day.  We do go out to lunch or dinner one day a week and I get what I want. I log it and sometimes I do use all my points and then some. But I still do not consider it cheating. Its life and will happen. I will enjoy when I do.

Getting back on track next meal is key.

You also need to realize everyone is different. Some people can not. But when I started I always did and still do. Many who do not and  try later and can not.

[Mickruss]

1) No. I stick to only putting in up to 1200c a day and burn as much as I can

2) Yes, This is Sunday where we prepare through the week for and pick the meal before our shopping day to buy the ingredients. I don't think it makes any difference to my metabolism but it sure breaks the monotony up. We usually have a few alcoholic beverages on the Sunday too. In saying this, we also keep portion control and healthiness in mind when picking our "cheat" meals.

[Esya]

@WendyB

You made me think it might actually be better to call them treat days. I never liked the name cheat days either. It sounds so negative and it actually is treating yourself. How can you enjoy treating yourself when you give it such negative connotation by calling it cheating? It will become cheating only when you do it mindlessly and by calling them treat days they actually sound like special days and not every day.

1. I try to set a calorie goal for the day, but I noticed I get more hungry and eat more since I have become more active. So I guess that counts for eating my exercise back. But I am not really trying to lose weight, it is maintenance for me.

2. I eat what I want, but count the calories. I don't count calories and really eat all I want when visiting my family (still I don't overeat). I guess those could be considered as my cheat days. They are not weekly and very irregular though.

[Dominique]

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@Esya wrote:

You made me think it might actually be better to call them treat days.

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Lyle McDonald (for instance, in his Guide to Flexible Dieting) calls them "free meals", "refeeds", or "structured refeeds", precisely because of the negative connotation of "cheat meals/days".

[WendyB]

@EsyaLove it! Treat day is perfect!

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@Dominique wrote:

Lyle McDonald (for instance, in his Guide to Flexible Dieting) calls them "free meals", "refeeds", or "structured refeeds", precisely because of the negative connotation of "cheat meals/days".

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@DominiqueI like this as well

[TrayCam]

For (1) Yes, I always eat back some of my exercise calories sometimes more.  

I personally feel FitBit over estimates my calorie expenditure so I usually eat back half of those calories, more if I am hungry.  But due to me being pretty overweight, I have a very high BMR and TDEE.  I eat about 1600-2000 calories a day.  Usually no more than 2100 if I do a very strenuous exercise routine, which I do every MWF.  

For (2) I "treat" myself once a month to some ice cream.  I mostly have just been cutting portion sizes so I eat what I want every day making sure to not go over my calorie allowance for the day.  I am a self proclaimed "ice cream snob" though and I primarily eat very high fat ice cream - Graeters.  So I will eat a pint of it once a month if I feel like it.  

On #1, I do a lot of weight training and know that it is important to eat enough calories and especially enough micronutrients.  Due to lifting weights I make sure to always eat at least 1600 calories and on days I weightlift I eat back most of my calories.  A body needs nutrients and I ensure I eat a good amount of healthy protein, fruits, and vegetables and due to that I don't see any reason not to eat back those calories.  If I stall in my weightloss goals, I'll increase my calorie expenditure rather than go beneath my calorie allowance.  

[ShaneGraves]

@JennyRebecca Awesome questions! On a reset day, I add 1000 Calories, I definitely want that metabolism spur. I strength train, so I bulked over the winter and now I'm cutting. To get to my goal weight quickly I'll intake 2200 kcals being strict with my macros and I'll do that 6 days a week for the next 4 weeks. When I hit my cut weight I'll need to eat 3600 to 3800 Calories Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Tuesday and Thursday I cross train, get my endurance and cardio on, and I'll need about 2800 to 3000 Calories.

[Anglepen]

calorie count at all, I know what i eat and exercise to maintain weight so its just a matter of decreasing one or upping the other.

I do allow myself a cheat day, not to any major extent but enough to shock my body out of its habit and to prevent hoarding due to reducing calories .

seems to work a treat as a steady 1.5lbs per week no matter what i do.

[JennyRebecca]

Thanks for the feedback everyone.  It's interesting to hear what others do.

I will say, I never feel like I'm "cheating" when I eat a bit more on a particular day.  I think that's because it's my choice and eating healthy and balanced it a way of life for me now.  🙂

[Bill_k]

I usually stay 1000 cals below output but yes i have a cheat day. It's usually on cheap tuesdays at WEM movie theatre and i eat large popcorn ,hot dog .

It's only cheating insofar as i top my day out at around 3000 cals which is still just about the same as my input so i only gain the dreaded  water weight from all the sodium.

[EmjayH]

My trainer has me on 2 maintenance days a week. Those days I eat carbs and all the calories I burn for that day. The other 4 days I'm on 1700 Cals. Honestly I struggle on my maintenance days. Gotta learn to be more flexible in what I eat again lol

[JenniferinFL]

I eat at a 1000 calorie deficit. So, if I've moved more, I eat more. 

I've dieted a bajillion different ways or 'changed my lifestyle' more times than I care to count. 

This is a lot easier than what I've done in the past. I love that the fitbit dashboard adjusts my calories throughout the day. In the past I've done stupid things like stuck to rigid 1200 calorie diets and then eventually failed at them when I just couldn't say no anymore. For me, a 1000 calorie deficit is about the easiest diet I've ever done. My weight loss pretty much exactly matches what the data says it should be. If I just sat around, then I don't get to eat as much. If I spent the day walking 12 miles in the theme parks, I get to actually eat to support that activity. 

[answerchaser]

Soo been using Fit bit since April.   When it says your BMR is 1868 and I am trying to set a 1000 cal deficit I am logging in food at 1350 a day. Are you eating over 2000 cals a day?? Am I supposed to be more then my BMR. I am totally not getting how to do this obviously- my log says I am in the zone AT 1350 ,but I am not losing.....

[Esya]

@answerchaser

I am eating over 2000 cals a day, but that might not be right for you! Also I am not looking to lose weight. Could you give us some more information? What is your current weight and what is your goal weight? How tall are you? How active? There are quite some people here who can give you some good advice based on some extra information. It is hard to go by just the numbers you provided in your post.