Generally just wondering how folks handle cheating. I’ve been consistently 17/7 over the past two weeks but I’m planning to cheat this weekend with some family coming in. Maybe brunch and other meals outside of my normal 12p.m.-7p.m.
Personally, I just live my life and don’t think about it as ‘cheating’. Sometimes that means having what I want in moderation, other times breaking my routine, or just shifting things around. Calling it a cheat day gives it too much purpose and emphasis on unrestricted eating, at least for me.
I try to prioritize minimal instances of cheating if I do. If there is carbs/sugar I also reduce portions. I’m trying to reframe cheat days as more protein/nutrient rich food over sugar and carbs. When it comes to social eating I’ll maintain my schedule and calories if it’s within my eating window otherwise I just hang out. The worse thing I’ve experienced is someone trying to push me to eat during my fasting periods. I’ll make exceptions of holidays or something if I feel like it but I’ll typically avoid it. It’s hard when people around you see your eating habits as taboo.
I would just shift my window to meet the change. I have popcorn on friday evenings and then shift my window the next day to accommodate the change. For xmas and such i find a window from early afternoon to 7ish fits most days. I do not snack and stick to normal sized meals. Cheating just hurts your groove—most people do worse if they let go of their plan even though we think otherwise. Future you will appreciate your diligence today :)
I don’t think of it as “cheat days.” They’re just occasional days with a shorter fasting window than usual, due to special-occasion meals. I still fast as long as I can on those days. That might be 16 hours; it might be 14, or 12 hours.
I record my fasting times every day using an app (I use Zero). I set my goal fast length, but it still counts as a fasting day even if I record a fast shorter than my goal. That helps me think of it as still “doing IF” on those days — just varying the fast length. It’s not all or nothing. A shorter fast is still a fast.
Psychologically, I don’t lose momentum. And it helps me think of IF as a normal, natural way to eat, not some crazy artificially-enforced regimen that I need to “cheat on”.
Anytime i have to go for a cheat meal, i make sure to eat within my macro limits. This helps me eat whatever i want whenever i want but with portion control. And on regular fasting days, i strictly follow 18-6.
Just do a longer eating window like 14:10 or even 12:12. I think it is really key just not to eat around the clock and give your body that rest time, even if the rest time is slightly shorter for this special occasion. You can get right back to your 17:7 when the special time is over. Agree with other posters don’t think of it as cheating. You’re just living your life. That’s what makes this all sustainable.
Stick with a calorie limit if you can but make it higher than you normally would. There is a lot of talk that giving yourself moderate cheat days actually helps boost your metabolism and helps avoid plateaus in weight loss. So go for it! You might even feel better if you make sure to get a bit of exercise in that day too.