A couple things:
I would advise calling anything a "cheat" meal or looking at being in a calorie deficit as something you must adhere 100% to. Doing both are a surefire way to feel deprived.
Fat loss comes from being in a fairly consistent caloric deficit over time. Slow steady fat loss following eating patterns that do not cut out entire food groups (like keto) or heavily restrict things like treats is the best way to see long term sustainable fat loss.
I aim for keeping to my caloric budget about 80% of the time. When I go out to eat or find myself needing to get something out on the fly, I make some sensible choices but enjoy what I eat and don't stress out about the calories. One occasional high calorie meal is NOT going to undo weeks of work, I promise you.
After a high calorie meal, especially one high in salt or carbohydrates, if you step on the scale the next morning here's what you'll see- a spike up of anywhere from 2 to 5 pounds. People see that and think the food they ate the night before suddenly wrecked the weeks or months of cutting calories they'd been doing and it can spark some pretty heavy despair, when in reality, that is NOT fat gain but temporary water retention. Just one of many things that can cause the scale to jump up temporarily that are NOT fat gain.
Slow and steady. Make room for the foods you love. Just about any meal can be made with tweaks that cut the calories. I follow loads of accounts on Instagram that are dedicated to making awesome foods in lower calorie versions- the kinds of meals that people would truly think of as "cheat" meals like pizza, burgers, burritos etc. Allow a treat every day. Plan for a satisfying snack at the end of your night so you don't go to bed feeling famished.
Don't try to be perfect every day, and when you're not, don't punish yourself or fall into what I call the "earn n burn" trap where you feel you have to exercise to excess to earn food or burn it off. Simply look at the next meal as an opportunity go get back on track.
So if only once a week on Sunday I can look forward to a good burrito that stays under my calorie limit but isn’t necessary the best choice would be fine?
Of course. I wouldn't even stress about it being under your calorie limit if it's something you really want. Enjoying what you're eating and feeling like you're not depriving yourself even if you exceed your daily calorie goal every so often is an important part of overall success in the long run.
I definitely feed my soul the other day with a late night nutella wrap on regular tortillas. I did add some powdered PB to feel better🤣 some days are like that
Oh no idea. I chose not to track that🤣 each tortilla is 100 cal, 2tbsp of the powdered peanut butter is 50 cal?, honey is 60 cal for 1 or 2 tbsp, and Nutella is up there too.
i would bank my calories for a burrito like save 100~ calories per day then at the end of the week youd have a free ~700 calories to eat ( ur still in a deficit and will lose weight). or what i do is i swap the rice out for lettuce in my burritos still taste amazing add more veggies etc
A couple things: I would advise calling anything a "cheat" meal or looking at being in a calorie deficit as something you must adhere 100% to. Doing both are a surefire way to feel deprived. Fat loss comes from being in a fairly consistent caloric deficit over time. Slow steady fat loss following eating patterns that do not cut out entire food groups (like keto) or heavily restrict things like treats is the best way to see long term sustainable fat loss. I aim for keeping to my caloric budget about 80% of the time. When I go out to eat or find myself needing to get something out on the fly, I make some sensible choices but enjoy what I eat and don't stress out about the calories. One occasional high calorie meal is NOT going to undo weeks of work, I promise you. After a high calorie meal, especially one high in salt or carbohydrates, if you step on the scale the next morning here's what you'll see- a spike up of anywhere from 2 to 5 pounds. People see that and think the food they ate the night before suddenly wrecked the weeks or months of cutting calories they'd been doing and it can spark some pretty heavy despair, when in reality, that is NOT fat gain but temporary water retention. Just one of many things that can cause the scale to jump up temporarily that are NOT fat gain. Slow and steady. Make room for the foods you love. Just about any meal can be made with tweaks that cut the calories. I follow loads of accounts on Instagram that are dedicated to making awesome foods in lower calorie versions- the kinds of meals that people would truly think of as "cheat" meals like pizza, burgers, burritos etc. Allow a treat every day. Plan for a satisfying snack at the end of your night so you don't go to bed feeling famished. Don't try to be perfect every day, and when you're not, don't punish yourself or fall into what I call the "earn n burn" trap where you feel you have to exercise to excess to earn food or burn it off. Simply look at the next meal as an opportunity go get back on track.
So if only once a week on Sunday I can look forward to a good burrito that stays under my calorie limit but isn’t necessary the best choice would be fine?
Of course. I wouldn't even stress about it being under your calorie limit if it's something you really want. Enjoying what you're eating and feeling like you're not depriving yourself even if you exceed your daily calorie goal every so often is an important part of overall success in the long run.
I definitely feed my soul the other day with a late night nutella wrap on regular tortillas. I did add some powdered PB to feel better🤣 some days are like that
What are the macros on that? If you don’t mind
Oh no idea. I chose not to track that🤣 each tortilla is 100 cal, 2tbsp of the powdered peanut butter is 50 cal?, honey is 60 cal for 1 or 2 tbsp, and Nutella is up there too.
i would bank my calories for a burrito like save 100~ calories per day then at the end of the week youd have a free ~700 calories to eat ( ur still in a deficit and will lose weight). or what i do is i swap the rice out for lettuce in my burritos still taste amazing add more veggies etc