Occassional free day?

As others have said there is no "free lunch". If you want to lose weight you should track everything you eat to meet your goals. If you are on a 500 calorie per day deficit which adds up to 3500 per week you should (eventually) lose 1 pound. If you eat 1000 calories more than your plan on the seventh day, then your deficit will still allow you to lose 1/2 pound per week, so as long as your "cheat day" does not put you over your "budget" for the long term, you should continue to lose weight, albeit at a slower pace.

But that may be better for you than trying to be at a high deficit for a long time (better for the mind, body and soul).

The other thought is to try to work the foods you love into your daily budget - at a manageable amount. If you love pizza, try to find a pizza that will give you 300-500 calories (or whatever amount fits in your plan) in a slice and try to stick to one slice (easier to say than it is to do!!). That way you still get to enjoy the foods you love but perhaps a slightly less amount (not sure if this is an issue for you or not).

I like an earlier suggestion to take a "break" every 6-8 weeks and eat at "maintenance calories" for your current weight (not your target weight). If you think about it, if you eat at maintenance calories you should not "gain" any weight (and of course you will not lose any weight either). So while you will not lose any that week, you will get a bit of a break from the reduced amount you have been eating and you shouldn't put on any weight either. A little holiday on our long road towards our overall weight and healthy lifestyloe goals.

The other thing that has helped me is to find a relatively healthy food I can eat when I feel hungry. Sometimes you just need a little something to get over a hunger pain and celery just isn't going to do it. For me, it is yogurt with some granola on top. Perhaps not the healthiest in some categories (e.g. sugar), but it gets me through a day between meals. I need to measure to make sure I don't take too much yougurt or granola, but I certainly enjoy it when I need it.

Just try to keep everything in perspective. A slight jump in the scale is not the end of the world as long as you stay committed to a plan, and one meal, one day or one week is not going to change the world if you truly believe you are headed in the right direction.

Best,
Steve

I've been fine until recently (not hungry...which is why I've been able to lose 18 lbs since Jan. 2)....but this week I've been really hungry for some reason. I've been doing 1,200 calories/day since I started. Only thing I can figure is that I need to be eating my exercise points on those days b/c maybe that's what's causing me to be hungry this week (that, or female stuff that I won't get into....lol). Honestly, I haven't waivered a day since I started.....it's been pretty easy.....Again, the hungry is just very recent.

Why are you starving? I have found that weight loss does not need to be painful...you don't have to go hungry. I never have hunger pangs. I would suggest maybe re-evaluating your caloric intake. Do you eat exercise calories back? You should (that's the way this tool is designed). Honestly, you shouldn't need to be hungry all of the time to lose weight.

In RE to a free day...I actually take a diet break every 6-8 weeks and eat to maintenance for a week or so to spike my metabolism. I also calorie cycle a lot...so I have a big day one day and more restrictive day the next, etc.

Yes. I net 1200 calories. I eat my exercise calories (so I eat 1500-2300 give or take). As I said back a few posts, I eat all day every day. I am not hungry. I don't deprive myself of things and I don't find that I feel the need to have "cheat" meals or days because I eat at very sustainable levels and find room for "treats". Try eating your exercise calories-that's why when you log exercise, mfp adds to your calories remaining. A "diet" is useless if you can't adhere to it forever.