"Cheat" days

Usually my cheat day will be on a rest day which is 1 day out of the 7. I eat sweets or pizza or something like that, my other 6 days include being strict with diet and exercise

Oh definitely. I just don't like calling it a cheat day. It's got a negative connotation to it. I treat myself every two weeks or so. A month ago I had a cheeseburger and fries, but was modest the rest of the day and was only 300ish over. I lost a pound the next day, so all was okay. And about two weeks ago I had a slice of pumpkin cheesecake -- once again, sticking to my healthy eating for the rest of the day and was only 100ish over. My next 'cheat day' as you put it is going to be Halloween. I don't plan on being only a measly 100-300 calories over either. I've got a whole bag of chocolate with my name on it.

Well I try to limit my "cheat day" to Sundays. It's the day where I allow myself to eat something a little higher in calories that I restrain from eating during the week. Don't get me wrong I still eat some things during the week that some people might not consider a very good idea, but I try to limit the portions and stay within my calorie goal. But dang it, on Sunday I will allow myself to eat that darn piece of cake!

I am a person who loves good food. I did not get to almost 300 lbs because I didn't like food. I want the food I eat to be good. So for me I work hard everyday and will stick to healthy foods. I don't do cheat days anymore because I found it too hard to bounce back after it because it would usually be a day of not exercising and eating fatty salty foods. Once I have cleanse my system of these foods I find that I do not crave them until I eat something that is loaded with fat and salt. I will usually have what I would call my "normal" meals, meaning something that I use to eat, for dinner once or twice a week but in smaller portions and I make sure I exercise that day double time.

I don't go out of my way to make "healthy" options of these meals because honestly they never taste as good as the real thing. If I made healthy desserts and things like that then I would eat them all the time, instead of just once in a while as a treat. Everyone is different. I think that because this is a lifestyle change that is for more than just a few months, I have to learn to live with the foods that I love and learn to eat them in moderation and workout everyday. I look at every calorie before I put it in my mouth and this has completely changed how I look at food and it has changed my life for the better. I still enjoy the foods I once loved, but I am no longer living to eat...I eat to live.

No I don't do a cheat day....I wanted to get the weight off, and a cheat day just slows it down. Now that I have hit my goal every once in a while I have a little something. I really like making my own food at home. I used to eat out all the time....doesn't take so good anymore.

Good luck

I have planned ahead and for what I will order, although its not good for me food, it would not be over my calorie count for the day!

technically your not cheating cause your staying in your net calories.. your only cheating your macros(fat,carbs,etc).in a sense i guess.

i would have to say everyone has a cheat in some way, shape or form. they just might not call it that... and what one might constitute as a cheat meal, another may not.. was my trip to the hibachi buffet along with my kit kat mini bar a cheat day?
I stayed in my calories..was it *clean*.. no I think the word is overly used and many have different perceptions .. enjoy!

I have a cheat day once a week on my rest day. When I first started on mfp I would go totally crazy on my cheat day and eat fast food or wings and a ton of beer with cheese fries. Now I can't even think about eating fast food without wanting to puke! I do still love my beer and wings though, but no more cheese fries and not as much beer. So my cheat days are much healthier than they used to be. For example, yesterday I went about 300 cals over by having a beer with dinner and fro-yo for dessert.

Mine is Friday but sometimes depending on my stress level I may have more than one. I'm going to try to stick to Fridays from now on though. I just have to get a little more pro-active about it.

I don't have a designated cheat day per se, but when i first started I did allow myself 1 day a week to take it easy and not workout and eat whatever. But as time started progressing I didn't feel the need to "cheat" so often anymore. I have a weakness for sweets and pizza and sometimes I will take a piece of a brownie or a spoonful or some awesome cheesy lasagna my mom made. I always try to keep it at a nibble and not eat a full serving and if i do want a treat or something special every now and then, I don't beat myself up over it. I just try to let it satisfy me for a while, eat a little less the next day, and move on guilt-free.

I've just started a few days ago. Have been enjoying using the food tracking software. I have actually been under my calories each day. Guess I'm just afraid that I'll miss some calories that I eat so I give myself a little leeway. MFP informs me that I need to up my calorie count. I will try to let myself eat all of my allotted foods.
So, I do enjoy a dessert after dinner and have either a low fat brownie or some lower fat ice cream. Would that be considered a cheat if it's within your days calories? I know that it isn't the best choice nutritionally...just keeps me happy:)
Would love to hear people's thoughts .

Me and husband both have our cheat days on the weekends. But just here recently I have started feeling bad about my weekend food choices. My eating schedule is small portions every three hour throughout the week except for the weekends. For awhile I was not even recording my weekend calories but I finally realized in order to be accountable and to stay on top of things .....be honest with myself.

I had a major cheat day yesterday but by the end I felt so unhappy with myself that I decided that I'm never going to go that over again. I was sitting there thinking "no I need to hurry up and burn these off!" rather than "that was delicious". Though those donuts and apple crisp were very delicious at the time I think I'll stick with just one dessert next time. :'D

I don't really have cheat days. If I want to eat treats I fit them with my daily calories. If I know I'll be eating more than my calorie goal I try to save up some calories in other days.