how to handle a cheat day

How do you benefit by a cheat day? You're better off knowing what you put in your body and owning that decision. There's nothing wrong with going way over your calorie goal in a day, but recognize that you're doing it. It will have an effect on your goal based on what your goal was to begin with. If your goal is to lose 1 lb/week and you've faithfully stuck right to that every day but then in one day you eat/drink 3500 extra calories (though that's REALLY hard to do in one evening or whatever) you will definitely undo all the good you did in a full week.

You are allowed to do whatever you want, but you're less likely to achieve your goals that way. If you're okay with that, enjoy! If you're not, just eat and drink what you want, track it, own it, and see how it affects your efforts.

Felt the same way yesterday a went well over the top and went 800 calories over :-( felt so guilty this morning so I've cleaned the house floors etc... Went to the gym and took my 3 kids out on there bikes, the scales say I've put 2lb on weigh in day is on Monday so my fingers are crossed the scales change, they do say your body needs a cheat day to keep your metabolism working fully, go for it and see what happens

I would never plan a cheat day.. they happen, but I don't feel they should be planned. It is called cheating for a reason :P

Instead of have a whole day, just have a free dinner and that's it specially if this is your 1st free day.
I can eat lots of calorie if I can have a whole day to eat.
Dinner is the last meal of the day. If I want eat more junk food after dinner, well too bad,,.. the day is over.. time to go to sleep.
I don't call it "Cheat" dinner.. because I'm NOT cheating my diet. Free dinners are on my schedule- 2 free dinners per week.
I also notice the 1st few free dinners, I did it lots of empty calorie but not any more.
It also helps me stick to my diet... because I know I can eat that cookie on my free dinner and I can go all the social events without feeling guilty.

I have not taken one, I started losing back in June. I think you are only cheating your gains that you have worked hard for. What I've heard before is this advice: have a cheat meal, at a restaurant, eat one thing off the menu, and take nothing home.

Whether or not you should cheat is a different question, but assuming you're going to cheat tomorrow I'd say the plan should be go have fun, don't worry about food intake while at the same time not having an all-out binge, and get back to your diet the next day without worry.

You ultimately need to balance social activity with "excuse to eat". One can turn into the other if you aren't careful but at the same time I think it's important to take days off occasionally.

Kev: Yah, me too! Or I should say me neither.

I might plan a cheat MOUTHFUL, but NEVER a cheat day. Get real, ain't gonna happen!!! I am committed, focused and sick of being over weight. That kind of thinking (cheat day) is not conducive to my fresh new ME.

Best

today was my cheat day...blew all my macros, blew my calories and i actually couldn't remember everything i ate so i couldn't even log everything in. but i knew it, i knew what i was getting myself into and i'm ok with it.

6 days good, 1 day bad...this is not going to destroy all my efforts. and i'm not in any race to lose weight. if i take two steps forward, 1 step back, that's ok. i'll get to my goal one day however long that may be. and along this journey, i'm learning from my mistakes, making better decisions and feeling good altogether.

you are only human. enjoy your day. your body will thank you for it. just don't face the scale for a few days, drink TONS of water and it'll work itself out.

for me there is no such thing as a cheat day when I was dieting I cheated didnt cheat whatever changed from every fad there was until I realized my LIFESTYLE had to change and that means living a certain way but it also means that on those days you have events occasions or just what the h*ll lets go out time you dont do it with guilt I have been at this for over 51 months and probably have a 100 days that were not my norms but when it is over I return to what I know is good for me so no labels no cheats etc go out and enjoy then go back to the right stuff

Ive just had a cheat week. Sisters wedding was recently and have gone a bit mad eating silly stuff since. Hopefully will be back on the straight and narrow next week. Need some clean living. The great thing is you adjust to healthy eating and miss it if your naughty.

Agree with the person who said have a cheat dinner. I often have one big meal a week, three courses, like. Make up for it the same or next day (or both) with extra exercise. You can still lose weight if you get the balance right.

(Have just noticed a recent post, which seems to be saying something similar to me. Occasional indulgence is no harm really.)

I handle it a few ways:
1) I look upon them as treat days not cheat days. Last Saturday it was a BBQ and summer drinking with friends from Journo school.
This weekend it was Chinese food as a treat for working like a damn Trojan and for the first time since my exams being ahead of my editorial schedule.
2) I know that tomorrow it's fresh groceries day so for about the next week and a half, I will be more motivated to cook fresh food rather than relying on chomping through whatever is left in the freezer!
3) I am a fuly grown adult, responsible for my own actions and if for one day I decide I just want to eat what I like and chill, then I will. I don't do it every day, and somehow I appreciate it more now than when it was the norm rather than a treat.

You know what feels right for you - log it accurately as it is interesting to look back at your habits ... logging maybe 2 weeks before I started here more seriously at the start of August was a real eye opener for me.

Enjoy your day of indulgence, if you choose to have it. If you choose not to, then also celebrate your choice. Don't let it be a devil on your back whichever way you choose.

I think that its everything in moderation. I keep to my calories on a day to day basis and plan to do so. However if I was invited to a special one off event like a wedding or something I would try and do a bit more exercise in the week leading up to the event or even just have a day off. Life is flexible,so I wouldnt beat my self up over having the day off but it would become a worry for me if the 'days off' became too regular ...