When is a good time to "treat yourself"???

In my opinion they aren't so much treats. I make room for everything in my diet. If I have the extra calories, then I'll eat something sweet. Simple as that. Moderation is the key.

First, you shouldn't think of it as a "diet". Make healthy lifestyle changes you can live with long term.

Second, I always have one or two days off from counting calories and worrying about eating only healthy foods. It hasn't stopped me from losing weight. it helped me to not feel like I was depriving myself. And, over time I've found that I want the unhealthy foods less and less.

That depends.

For some, a "treat" opens the floodgates and sends them into a spiral of unhealthy choices.

Some people can do it weekly, or even daily, and control their portions and stay within macros.

Just be honest with yourself, and remember that you don't have to use food as a reward. Even Pavlov would agree.

i have a small "treat" each day about 200 cals or under i've lost 31 lbs, it keeps me on track, and i never feel deprived. every couple weeks, i go out for a meal, get frozen yogurt, etc. it's a lifestyle change, not a diet!

I don't have cheat meals, I have treat meals I try to be good all week as much as I can, and if I can make room for a treat in my day then I will do so. If I know something is incoming, like a birthday dinner or a holiday meal? I will work more at the gym and not eat as much during the week so I can indulge a little and not feel too badly.

I don't fret over my goal....I have read and heard that since so much of the cals are estimated, I should not fuss at 100 cals +/- my goal. so if I go over a little it isn't the end of the world. And if I go over more than that then I workout a little harder the next few days.

I am not going to sit back and be that person that says "No Im on a diet I can't touch anything but rice cakes and tofu and salads." If I see something I can have a bite or a serving...this is a lifestyle change! I'm going to live my life and be happy! If I want that piece of cake then so be it...I wil just work it into my cals that day OR do longer workouts at the gym tomorrow. Either way... I don't deny myself.

My saying no to myself leads to binging, and binging leads to weight gain, and weight gain leads to unhappy sad Shai, which leads to more saying no that leads to binging.....etc etc etc.

I try to make sure I have something good to look forward to daily that fits within my calorie goals... it makes it easier to say "no" to temptations along the way! I also don't count on Sundays (and make sure to keep tabs in my head that I'm still being moderate and not just pigging out), and I let myself go over without too much worry every once in a while too.

The key is to try to plan for everything! Eventually I want to wean myself off the counter, once I've met my goal and have been able to maintain for a while. For me this is a lifestyle change... I want to be able to love the food I eat and I want to splurge every once in a while. I want to be active daily and I want to do something intense, like a long hike) every once in a while. So everything stays balanced.

First, you shouldn't think of it as a "diet". Make healthy lifestyle changes you can live with long term.

Second, I always have one or two days off from counting calories and worrying about eating only healthy foods. It hasn't stopped me from losing weight. it helped me to not feel like I was depriving myself. And, over time I've found that I want the unhealthy foods less and less.

^YES TOTALLY AGREE. and yes dont deprive yourself or youll binge more.

You should be able to treat yourself every day if you budget your calories accordingly.

I find it easier to treat myself best on gym days (MWF) when I burn and earn around 900 calories of extra food. I have been getting a Tim Horton's Ice Cappuccino which is about 310 calories.

Someone else noted that this isn't a diet... it's a lifestyle. I lost about 20lbs using this site last fall. I found I was able to steadily keep meeting my goals without losing out on social events or eating out or having treats. You can too. Good luck!

Don't "treat" yourself, you're not a dog... Just make sure a little something fits into your calorie allowance for the day... even if its everyday

welcome to your new lifestyle !

For me I try to eat as healthy as I can during the week, but Sundays are my 'cheat days'. Every Sunday I try to eat one or more things that I've been wanting to eat for a long time, for example: ice cream, chips, a full bowl of cereal. And in those days I normally go over quite a bit on my calories but I still exercise and I lose weight. Maybe not as fast but I'm fine with that.

Upon saying this, every person is different, so just find what suits you best!

I treat myself whenever I have the calories to do it. This is not a diet, it's a lifestyle change, and I'm not going to only treat myself on some sort of schedule for the rest of my life.

I have done Weight Watchers on and off and my favorite leader has always said that your "rewards" for your weight loss should never be connected to food (ie: her "reward" for hitting goal was going out to dinner and she ended up gaining all her weight back before losing it for good and becoming a leader).

If it fits into your calories, have what you want.
I agree with what others have said, don't think of food in terms of "treats" or "diet food", if possible. It all has different nutritional values and it all comes down to the numbers at the end of the day.
I eat two squares of dark chocolate with ginger stem every day and it stops me from craving chocolate and then consuming a whole family size bar.

I have stopped using food as a treat or reward, thats how I ended up in this state in the first place. I now use trips to hairdresser or other forms of pampering as a reward now.
If you have the spare calories why not have a frozen yoghurt, its a lifestyle change not a diet. If you Diet that leads to failure, Lifestyle is forever.

This!

I gave myself a bracelet and new running shoes for sticking to plan for six weeks. In the past everything was celebrated with dinner out and that's a bad habit.

My whole life, it's always been hard for me to keep control when it came to sweets/chocolate. Now after I've arrived at my goal weight, I put the section 'Guilty Pleasures' in my Food Diary. I allow myself one treat a day, and I find that I don't even need one every single day! Just make sure you're able to control yourself. Frozen yogurt isn't that bad, if you keep an eye on the toppings. But honestly, if you know beforehand that you will overeat as soon as you get yourself a treat, don't do it.
For some people (like me), going cold turkey until they've reached their goal is all that helps.

I do it when I know I'm going to burn a lot of calories. Today I knew I was going to work hard so I made some chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast and had Subway for lunch.