How often do you cheat on your diet?

When I need to.

If I go out with friends and want a glass of wine, I have one. One.
I was at a banquet a few weeks ago and the pre-plated dessert was this chocolate lava cake type thing. I had a bite. One.
I was volunteering at a charity event last week and someone offered me some buttered popcorn. I took a small handful. One.

The key is moderation.

I just keep thinking that once I lose the weight I'll be able to have two classes of wine or half the cake and it will still fit into my lifestyle now and then.

I'm going to have a "cheat" meal today, so that averages out to about one every six weeks. My standard meals tend to taste good, so I don't feel compelled to cheat. Today, I'm going "out" for the day/evening/night so I figure "why not?"

I have one day every other week. I don't get crazy about it but I don't feel guilty about it either. It's a day (usually Friday or Saturday) where I can go to a party and eat what the hosts have to offer or go out to eat and enjoy a nice steak, a few drinks and maybe a dessert. I follow my calorie goal and workout routine pretty closely so it is nice to have a day where I don't think about going over. And I do log all the stuff that I splurged on in my diary because I don't like blank entries. Really, it's up to you and your conscience about how many days you want to have a cheat day...dealers choice.

I don't call it cheating, because I'm not on a diet. I'm trying to maintain a healthy way of living/eating. I'm losing weight as a byproduct because I was overweight. I work out fairly strenuously 4 days a week. My calorie intake goal is 1500-1800. I stay within that probably more than 90% of the time. Sometimes a few high, sometimes a few low. I do it eating what I want, when I want it. I always do 2 things. I count what I eat, and I count it honestly. As long as I stay within my caloric goal range, I naturally tend towards healthier choices more often than not, because I prefer small meals and snacks to large meals. If I eat a larger, higher calorie meal I either plan it in the day ahead of time, or adjust my intake after. I also think through whether a craving will pass or if I need to feed it.

I don't ever cheat, because I'm not on a diet.

As I'm not married to my diet, I don't have to "cheat" on it....Oh, wait, I'm not on a diet.....:bigsmile:
It's a lifestyle - I have enough calories that I can have a nice meal without counting and a few glasses of red wine once a week, and I have something yummy everyday......
If something comes up (wedding, birthday or whatever) I eat sensible and enjoy it.....

Couldn't have said it better myself!

I don't cheat, I just eat! :bigsmile: Last week was my birthday, and I celebrated all week long!

Am I the only person that goes over on my calories and honestly just doesn't give a hoot about it?

I have at least one cheat day a week, at absolute most three. It really depends on my week. I don't even try to burn it off.

Losing weight is hard enough without intentionally setting aside a day to make it harder.

I'm not on a diet, I am on a lifestyle change. I don't cheat, I treat!

If you splurge one day a week then that still is a huge change. Most of us use to splurge every day of the week so if you try to eat healthy and track for 5-6 days of the week then and that is what it takes for you to NOT feel deprived and keep on going, then so be it.

This is a good point. I have cheat meals about twice a month, but I track everything. I want to be aware and make healthier decisions, but, I didn't get fat by not enjoying food. So I try to still enjoy it. In moderation.

Cheating implies breaking a rule, or doing something wrong.

I don't cheat. There are no foods that are off-limits to me. Are there foods I don't normally have? Sure, but I choose not to because I don't want to and for my health, not because I *cant have them.

The things that I still do enjoy that aren't the best for me I enjoy in moderation. I'm not one to substitute foods either, for I go for the real thing, except in smaller portions.

But I guess by myfitnesspal standards, I cheat every day with my daily chocolate fix. 85% dark organic though!

I never cheat, I swear. I have flirted around a bit though.

On the phone app, you can have it look at your week's calorie intake. If I have something big coming up, or a night out, I try to run a deficit so that I can "afford" it, and I look at the rest of the week to see what I'll need available. It's like a budget really. My goal is to stay under that red line shown on the app for the week. If I don't do that, I'm not going to lose the pounds I have it set up for. I really don't want to work hard for six days and ruin all that effort on the seventh.

I don't believe in "cheating". My lifestyle is "everything in moderation". If I want something extra, I burn extra calories for it. If I feel deprived with my lifestyle change, I will not continue it. I will quit. This way, I never feel deprived. Just my two cents.

This ^^ ~ well said.