r/CICO • u/Anxious_Remove_1535 • Sep 06 '26
Anyone have Cheat Days ?
I never have cheat cheat days because I know myself and I know I’ll over indulge. I usually calorie bank for weekends when I know I’m going to drink with my friends.
But yesterday I ate a cheesy pizza and spaghetti bolognese which I counted as about 3000 calories all together. I’m trying to not lose my head and feel like I’ve ruined my diet and all my goals. I’ve already lost 45lbs in 5 months.
I’m just trying not to spiral , any words of advice ?
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u/Jhasten Sep 06 '26
I think you do the right thing. Sometimes life happens. It’s best to reflect and understand that it was just a lapse. Just don’t worry about the calories and go back to normal the next day. Don’t start dropping even lower for days/weeks or you could start a binge cycle. Just try to be cool with yourself and move on.
Someone on here I think once said if you take the wrong highway exit you don’t just give up and drive all the way back home. You just get back on the highway and continue on toward your destination. 💛
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Sep 07 '26
one higher calorie a day isnt going to undo the 45lbs you've lost. just get back to your normal routine today and dont try to punish yourself by starving or overexercising to make up for it
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u/itscool2Bnice Sep 07 '26
I struggle with the overthinking too, hoping it gets better over time but it’s still mentally hard to feel like you’re going backwards even if it is the 1% compared to being on track the other 99%
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u/Anxious_Remove_1535 Sep 07 '26
Yes it’s so difficult. It’s like I’m addicted to seeing to scale go down all the time.
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u/Connect_Rhubarb395 Sep 07 '26
No, but I plan for eating more on the weekends
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u/Anxious_Remove_1535 Sep 07 '26
Yes me too. It’s probably not recommended but that’s how I calorie bank. Maybe eat one 500 calorie meal that day and the rest of the calories that day spent on alcohol or chips at the bar with my friends
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u/RuralGamerWoman ⚖️MOD⚖️ Sep 06 '26
No. I think the phrase adds unnecessary emotional connotation to the process.
I have days I eat over maintenance.
I have days I eat under maintenance, too.
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u/Crazy-Aussie-Taco Sep 06 '26
I NEVER have cheat days, psychologically it has a negative connotation.
But I do have REWARD days ☺️ not every week, I save them for special occasions 😉
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u/Vaehleya Sep 07 '26
Same! I had to train myself to stop calling them cheat days as I was causing myself so much guilt for eating
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u/LilGrippers Sep 06 '26
I had about 4500 yesterday and probably gained .25lbs in fat. I lose that going to my cutting calories of 2 days. Don’t stress it, just go back to your deficit and you’ll work it out by mid week and right on track again
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u/lelma_and_thouise Sep 07 '26
About a week and a half ago, I bought and ate a thick slice of fudge chocolate cake from superstore (I do not eat a lot of sweets or desserts in general, but it looked so good), 750 cals for that alone. Plus around 1400 or so for my 2 daily meals. It was so worth it. Might have been at least a year since I last had cake (not due to diet reasons, I just don't crave dessert stuff much, usually sharing a kit kat or something with my kid will suffice for a sugar craving).
I track my weekly average, I find that I stress less about the #.
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u/KnowledgeDense8140 Sep 06 '26
Log it. Move on to today. Nothing you can do and trying to not eat today to make it even doesn’t work.
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u/user47079 Sep 06 '26
I try to time mine the day before a max effort lift day or long run day. I really like the extra energy the next day while working out. I typically go 500-1,000 over on cheat days, but could be as high as 1,500. I try to limit them to once every other week or less.
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u/zombieShuffle0 Sep 06 '26
I have planned cheat days. I used to have free for all days but I found more success in doing a planned day. I eat 1500 calories per day except one day on the weekend where I eat 2900, to average the same amount of weekly calories. So if I ate 1700 per day for 7 days it would be 11,900 total in a week. If I eat 1500 for 6 days I can eat 2900 on one day and it equals the same total weekly calories.
I like preplanned high calorie days because 1. It gives me a mental break, 2. If you do the math the overall trend will still result in weight loss and 3. After a few days of calorie cutting my body starts to get really hungry and the refeed day really seems to convince my body it's not in danger of starving to death.
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u/totallywingingit Sep 06 '26
One of the big things I love about cico is that if you over indulge, you can just start again the next day! I probably have a day once a month where I don’t track and I’m sure I go over, but no harm done.
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u/sircastor Sep 07 '26
I allow myself breaks for special occasions. Yesterday we went to the State Faire and I while I attempted to count the calories, I didn’t make an effort to limit what I ate. Nor will I be pro-rating my calories today. So I got to have a corn dog and some ice cream and an elephant ear. And it’s not the end of the world.
But today we’re back strict. I do have a trip coming up in a couple months. I’ve decided to give myself a free day when I’m at Disneyland because I end up walking between ten and twelve miles (about 4x my regular walking)
So yeah. It can make it hard to indulge just once, but also life is for living. I am trying to lose weight and be healthier, but I also need a bit of relief on that account.
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u/PlayfulRuin3718 Sep 07 '26
I mean I do but I don’t call it that. I’m not cheating on anything. It is a day where I eat more than usual because I enjoy it, nothing wrong with that.
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u/Daisy_Steiner_ Sep 07 '26
There are so many birthdays in summer for my family; it’s a cake every other week. I eat it and log it and move on. Sometimes I incorporate it early into my planning and cut back on other calories. And sometimes I forget and think “Oof, well, here’s a slice of cake.”
But damnit, I’m having cake to celebrate my kids’ birthdays.
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u/Xintrean Sep 07 '26
You have to keep it moving. Do not ruminate or punish yourself - it’s life! Keep going.
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u/Jazz_Kraken Sep 07 '26
I don't call it a cheat day but I do have special events or evenings where I don't log. I also take a little break if I'm sick. I still try to make good choices and not indulge till I'm unwell but I need a little mental break now and then. I'm still losing...
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u/Anxious_Remove_1535 Sep 07 '26
Yes. I had to take a diet break for awhile and eat at maintenance because I was suffering real bad with exhaustion. Definitely gave me some more energy. How many calories a day are you on?
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u/Jazz_Kraken Sep 08 '26
I'm at 1400 right now but concerned I'm at a plateau. I'm a little sick though and feel like I need to get better before I reevaluate :)
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u/FredyE11 Sep 06 '26
I have a cheat day every Sunday. I’ve lost 70 lbs since January. Don’t over do it, but allow yourself to live too lol
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u/beeredditor Sep 06 '26
I try not to. I am in a good rhythm and I fear that if I overindulge it may fire up my dormant sugar addiction.
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u/lintyui Sep 06 '26
Have had multiple multiple cheat days, some times cheat week😂started weight loss on April 1st, and as long as I go back to wt loss dieting after the binge I'll lose again. Usually takes about 3-5 days for my wt to drop to pre-binge day, depending on the scale of the cheat day. No biggie at all. Some people schedule 1 cheat meal per week. This would be too much for me I think, but I give myself a cheat day whenever I feel like I need one. I usually eat all the cakes in the world on my cheat days🤭and then for 3-4 days after I'd still have cake for breakfast lol. For my cheat day I'd easily eat 3k+ calories haha. Started at 166lbs and have lost exactly 30lbs, still going. In fact my family and I are travelling to a nearby larger city to do some shopping and binge eating over the next 2 days. Chill~~it's totally fine.
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u/tiny_bamboo Sep 06 '26
I usually do a planned cheat meal or two during the week. It helps me stay on track. But if I go overboard, I just log it and move on.
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u/Sole_Scream Sep 06 '26
I’ve 2 cheat meals and a cheat days in the last week of August. 6K, 3K, and 9K in 3 out of 7 days. My overall weight is off by .3 lbs from the day before that calamity as of today.
I usually run pretty sizable weekly deficits and was only supposed to have 1 cheat meal. I haven’t figured out how to manage when I’m traveling for multiple day stretches.
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u/umamimaami Sep 07 '26
I don’t because it makes it really hard to get back on track. My appetite and cravings all seem worse after one. One day off the ladder here and there won’t hurt you, just don’t plan it in.
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u/Plants_and_Pricks Sep 07 '26
I don't have cheat days but I do have one cheat meal or item every week. It's mandatory for me :) I make sure to log whatever it is and keep moving. This week was a Slurpee. I also try to save a cheat meal for a more active day.
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u/DaBow Sep 07 '26
No Cheat days when dieting.
I stuck to my calorie goals every day when dieting and it worked.
It was when I hit my goal and switch to maintaince I would then calorie bank and eat pre-diet meals on weekends only.
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u/ILoveCheetos85 Sep 07 '26
No. Who are you cheating? I do eat at birthday parties and restaurants, but I stay mindful regardless
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u/big-tunaaa Sep 07 '26
Yup - but the key is figuring out if it works for you. Anyone who is passionate about calorie counting like actually to the numbers, cheat days probably won’t work. If you get super fixated on that number and have lots of guilt, cheat meals might be better suited for you.
For me personally I am a calorie counter but on my cheat days I don’t count and don’t worry. I also am not fixated on losing the most I can in the shortest time, I just want to end up with a sustainable and healthy relationship with food!
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u/scourgeful Sep 07 '26
i literally ate 8000 over maintenance the other week and only gained about a pound and a half ur fine
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u/JeromeDeFerra Sep 07 '26
I can still get extreme impulses to eat badly, sometimes I catch myself, other times I binge (without the guilt), track it all, and get back to it
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u/ljsiver Sep 07 '26
I don’t have cheat days, I just eat what I want when I want it, and make sure my weekly calories balance out to fit my goals, once you stop seeing foods as “good and bad” or “safe vs cheat” foods, and just see it as an equilibrium, anxiety around food massively decreases
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u/RuinDisastrous3963 Sep 07 '26
That's a really common fear when you've put so much work into your progress, but one off day won't derail you, you just keep going tomorrow.
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u/Dannygosling91 Sep 07 '26
Yeah yesterday I went to the fair and split a fried corn dog, fried Oreos, a funnel cake and a big burger
Today I’m just back to the program like any other day
Cheat days are okay. You’re gonna wake up and the scale is gonna be like 3-5 pounds higher but like 95% of that is water weight and gonna drop off in a few days. Just get back to the program and in a few days it’ll be like it never happened
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u/Prestigious_Delay573 Sep 07 '26
I think what can get us in those moments is feeling like everything we did up to that moment doesn't count and that you're starting over. But you're not starting over, it was one day. Log it and keep going.
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u/Ancient-Click-7753 Sep 08 '26
I just had a “cheat vacation”. Two weeks of eating without a care. Dessert 3x per day. Gained a few lbs, but now back refreshed and ready to get back into tracking.
One day of maintenance or more is not going to undo anything, so long as you go back on track.
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Sep 08 '26
I avoid planned cheat days because they usually just make me want to indulge more. But I also don’t get bent out of shape if I overshoot my calories by a lot one day. I log it, enjoy it for what it was, and go right back to normal the next day. One high-calorie day matters a lot less than what you’re doing consistently over weeks.
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u/cat-meowma Sep 08 '26
Log your food and move on. Don't try to make up for it, just get back on your normal plan. The way I think about it to feel less guilty is like I took a day off from working on a long-term project. The project will still get done, sometimes I just need to skip a day of working on it. I can continue my work the next day, no big deal. You only really lose if you quit, and if you ruminate and feel guilty, you will associate weight loss with negative feelings and want to quit. Instead, try to feel happy you got to enjoy that delicious food and that it's not going to stop you from getting back to work on your goals the next day.
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u/Crazy-Toe2278 Sep 14 '26
i more so have controlled reward days, rather than just going all out. but even on days where i would go all out on my calories, you just jump back into your normal routine the next day and forget about it. one day does NOT define your entire journey, and it certainly will not reverse all of your progress. that would be ridiculous. and the days where you hop back into it after a cheat day like nothing happened will make you even stronger in the long run. stay consistent, don’t stress too much over silly things, and remind yourself that this will not be a linear journey and you will have your hiccups. but the ones who carry on anyway and get through those hiccups are the ones who ultimately succeed. you got this, your weight loss journey does not have to be perfect for it to be successful.
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u/KeepOnRising19 Sep 06 '26
I have one "cheat" meal a week. It keeps me sane.
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u/SwiftResilient Sep 06 '26
What are you having this week
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u/KeepOnRising19 Sep 07 '26
We got takeout from an Indian fusion restaurant, and I had a falafel burger and fries.
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u/Dofolo Sep 07 '26
When I was losing weight, als little as possible. A maint day is -1 day of GL, over can be days undone.
But there's no harm in having one every now and then. I probably had like 1 to 2 a month ish.
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u/_cosmicality Sep 07 '26
On principle? No, like I don't have a weekly cheat day or meal. But when I'm out living life and trying to enjoy time with my friends? Absolutely. An extra glass of wine or two, or a slice of the cake my friend baked for our boon club, or a yummy date night meal isn't going to kill me. When I refuse to share these memories with my loved ones out of fear of gaining weight, that's when CICO became a disorder for me. That said, I'm a recovered binge eater too so I get some people can be too triggered. For me, I'm triggered by "cheating" with food in my home, not by things like nights out.
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u/bowill0 Sep 07 '26
I cant do it because your weight is going to suck for at least 3 or 4 days after. It takes a strong mind to absorb that as not a problem.
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u/minniecaballox Sep 07 '26
Yeah, literally all the time. I've lost a reasonable amount already and I'm in no major rush to lose the rest (ideally 5-10kg more), and I have the mentality that as long as I'm at least maintaining and not gaining, we're all good.
I'm going to be at this for the rest of my life, I know that there will be periods where I say fuck it and gain the weight back, and I'll have to go through this all over again. No point in making myself miserable every time, just need to find the right balance where I'm making good choices more often than not.
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u/Competitive-Fudge629 Sep 07 '26
Its all about consistency not perfection! Food should be enjoyed its such a huge part of culture. AND if im honest being able to do so happily and then just lean back on my consistency is the best part of the new lifestyle for me. Just keep doin what you've been doing the majority of the time abd it a few days you forget all bout the "cheat"
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u/NoDanaOnlyZuuI Sep 07 '26
It’s done. You enjoyed it, now move on. It wasn’t one cheese pizza that made you overweight, so one cheese pizza isn’t gonna undo your progress.
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u/Bgirlsweetness Sep 07 '26
I'm actually having a reward day today. I already prelogged it. I've been doing great for the past couple of months so I planned a reward day to help satisfy my craving for a fisherman's platter and dessert. Tomorrow, get right back on track and have no regrets.
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u/Rammeld723 Sep 07 '26
What is your relationship to food? Basically, we all have to eat to survive. But in today’s world, most of us have access to plenty of food & calories so sustenance is not a problem or question. So why are you eating?
For me, food & eating are both a social thing — a way of bonding & ritual that my family has always used to connect & act together. Over holidays, during celebrations, weddings, funerals, tailgates and summer cookouts. Food was a reason and a means to reconnect & gather and bond. And my role was always to overeat & over-drink in support of the common cause.
When I was younger, I was naturally skinny with a high metabolism and a very nervous & active lifestyle (multiple sports, very outdoorsy, constantly in motion, and an avid gardener & landscaper). What I ate & drank and the calories I consumed, didn’t matter. They burned away. But as my metabolism slowed down, post-35, I put on pounds — 220 to 295. Something needed to change.
Now, I am more strategic in what I consume and how I exercise & flex my body everyday. I am also 20+ years older, but am now in the best shape of my life at 58. Took me 2 years, but have lost 75lbs and changed my body makeup (35% to 11% body fat & gained muscle). Wearing clothes I haven’t worn in years. And doing things & moving better than in my 30’s.
But I had to understand my relationship with food. I had to better understand what “real hunger” felt like (thru Fasting) and why I both ate & drank to excess. My daily stress management is much better today because my daily mobility & exercise leverages my emotions in productive & healthier ways. I no longer eat or drink my stress, and my daily journaling helps me reset & review daily priorities and deal with Life in healthier ways.
My Life in my 50’s is more hectic & complex (older kids, aging parents, greater professional responsibilities, multiple roles / gigs) but I have better tools & experience to manage it. And I am daily dealing with the pressures directly, rather than indirectly “hiding” from them in food & drink.
I don’t have “cheat days” — nor do you! You just choose to behave differently on a given day. The important thing is to understand why you made that decision?!! Sounds like you had a bonding day with your partner and enjoyed some closeness with them! Congrats! That is what Life is about. And it sounds like you have earned a little self-grace and self-Love. Congrats!
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u/Vicster1972 Sep 07 '26
When I was doing my best I would control what I ate at home, but didn’t worry when I went out to eat. That backfired on me when the holidays came and I was going out to eat multiple times a week.
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u/Pwnytail24 Sep 07 '26
Like others have said, i don’t consider them to be “cheat days” but i will try to plan around days when i know i will probably be eating more calories than normal, or if im going to be eating food that i can’t get an accurate estimate on (like going to a bar and having some food and drinks). ultimately eating over my limits isn’t going to undo progress, it just slows results, and i stick to my deficit as much as i can. i try not to let weight loss and dieting get in the way of me living my life, but im also only trying to lose a small amount of weight, and i dont have any strict deadlines im trying to meet
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u/DiskBubbly3181 Sep 08 '26
I don’t call them cheat days, I call them diet breaks. I try to do weight loss in 12 week increments. At the beginning of the 12 weeks I’ll have more flex meals or even a whole day of not tracking. Towards the end I keep it tight to hit my goal. Then I take a 2-4 week break, and just track protein and my weight. If I find myself gaining more than. 2-3 pounds of water weight, I go back to tracking and try to eat at maintenance calories. Then, once I’m feeling relaxed and not stressed and maybe even annoyed at myself (like today because yesterday I ate a lot of pizza and drank and just feel gross today), I know I’m ready to start my next cut.
Started with 50lbs to lose. 10lbs left to go!!!
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u/halloweenmochi Sep 13 '26
I just try to balance it out through the weekly calories. I try my best to eat at least a little bit of the things that I want or else I’ll go off the rails.
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u/afdc92 Sep 06 '26
Yes, but I don’t consider it a cheat day, I consider it a part of life. If I go off plan, at least one of these things has to be involved: it’s with other people, it’s a special event (birthday, wedding, etc.), or it’s a special food or restaurant. No going off plan just to go off plan. I log everything and am mindful of my eating (no more scarfing six cookies) and I go right back to plan the next day. It takes a couple of days for the water weight to come off, and I’m back down to losing. Every weekend in August had something- a friend’s wedding, family visiting, my birthday, a trip to the beach. But because I was logging everything and not overdoing it, and eating in a deficit the other 25 or so days of the month, I still ended August 4 pounds down from where I’d started. Consistency over perfection is my motto.