Super unhealthy but still in calorie count?

[Daisychain96]

So today has been a bad day. I ate out at lunch AND dinner, meaning that my fat intake today is (shock horror-don't judge me) 85g. However, because I increased cardio (mainly to combat my guilt!) i have stayed to my 500 calorie deficit.
What's your opinion on doing this every now and then? Will the extra fat make a difference in my weight loss journey? Does it count as a 'cheat day' if it's still within the allotted calories?

[Dominique]

Your diet won’t be sustainable in the long run if it only includes items you don’t particularly like and if it excludes all the items you like. This is why it’s a good idea to include some of the items you like (even if they are "unhealthy"), but in moderation. As long as you maintain some kind of deficit, you will be OK.  

PS: I noticed you’ve been in the community for more than three months and:

I would suggest you get Fitbit friends. Great for motivation, taking part in challenges etc.

[Marcy]

In the UK, there is debate going regarding eating fat. Some experts are saying that eating fat, including saturated fats, is not only ok but can be good for your metabolism and waistline. 

[OCDOC]

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@Marcy wrote:

In the UK, there is debate going regarding eating fat. Some experts are saying that eating fat, including saturated fats, is not only ok but can be good for your metabolism and waistline. 

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 Agreed...I will bet if you 'mess up' like this for a few weeks in a row you may be pleasantly surprised 🙂

[FitBeforeFifty]

There is nothing inherently unhealthy about 85 grams of fat and certainly no direct (only indirect with respect to total calories) correlation between body fat and grams of fat consumed. In fact, I'm very healthy, have excellent blood work and low body fat and rarely eat as "little" fat as 85 grams. I'm usually over 100 grams per day, sometimes 130 grams depending on how many calories I need to eat based on my activity level.

[A_Lurker]

I wouldn't worry about it.  As long as you hit your deficit that's a good day.  Years ago I lost my first amount of weight doing a low fat vegetarian diet.  Basically no meat, no fat, no sugar.  Although I did lose a lot of weight very fast (without counting calories at all) it wasn't sustainable for me. Also, I didn't catch it until a couple of months in, but boy was my hair thinning.

The only thing I'd caution you is about eating out for both lunch and dinner.  You may be estimating calories, which could put you off on your count. I also think some restaurants are doing their best with calorie counts, but they may not be valid.  I'm thinking of a night on the way home from a business trip, when a co-worker and I stopped at a Boston Pizza.  I had baked wings and a half greek salad.  I wasn't worried about the calories as we basically had breakfast at the hotel and nothing else except pretzels and peanuts (those mini size the airlines give out).  When I got home I logged the calories and just didn't believe the greek salad calories.  Why?  Way too much dressing (my fault I should have asked for on the side), so I ended up logging it as a full salad, but may have still been off.

Having said that, today at a coworker's retirement lunch I had chicken parm, caesar salad.  I paired it with water, and skipped the cake.  After guessing at the calories in lunch at just over a thousand calories I just made the rest of my choices good for the rest of the day.  I also came home and had a swim, yanked some weeds out of the backyard, and I'm still showing as having about 800 calories left to eat.  Today I won't likely bother, with having dinner so late.  I've also got 95.4g fat logged, and it's possible that it's higher than I guessed because of the catered lunch.

Oh, and also, sometimes when I've got the oven on for dinner I bake up a couple of cookies at the same time (I keep homemade frozen dough balls in the freezer).  I know I don't have enough control to bake up a couple of dozen and not pick at them.  However, as already said, you can't only eat items you don't like. To be fair, it's salty things that are my weakness. 

[emili]

The only reason I would not make it a habit is because its harder for your body to process unhealthy fats. And after awhile it takes a toll on your arteries, your blood pressure and ultimately your heart. Eating healthy fats however within calorie allotment is a different story- go for it! nuts, certain cheese, avocado, olive oil, olives, the list is long. pizza, cheeseburgers, super saucy restaurant food- its just not good for you, weight issues aside. have a taste of it all just so you know what you're not missing, but fuel your engine properly.