Do cheat/treat days keep you sane, or derail you?

Keep me sane. I would not be able to sustain this lifestyle were I not allowed to have a 1300 Reese's sundae every once in a while.

They keep me on track by giving me something to look forward to. My shrinking body keeps me from wanting to revert to my old ways.

Something seems amuck with the concept of "cheat day". If there's some sort of mental breakdown going on with the target calories, perhaps they're just set a bit too low to start with.

I never have cheat or treat days. Every day is the same. Some days I come in under my calorie goal, some days over. I eat what I want but keep an eye on the calories. I'm focussing on changing my habits for life, not dieting. So the concept of cheat/treat days isn't helpful for me. (and it's working, I've found I'm quite good now at mentally estimating my calories, and I'm certain I've never gone over 2000 a day since November when I started.)

I have treats whenever I can "afford" them in my calorie limit - so if I have a light breakfast, I can "afford" a biscuit mid morning, with a coffee. If my breakfast and lunch are lower in calories, I can "afford" to treat myself to some pudding, or a glass of wine, or something. If I spend the day in the garden, I burn enough calories to "treat" myself to something I don't normally have, like pizza or (small) fish & chips or something. If I go out to a party or for a meal, I can choose to indulge and pay (either by not losing weight, or by doing some exercise) or I can choose moderation.

If you're too rigid and "deny" yourself then you are more likely to feel like you've earned a day off, and fall back on old habits. I try not to deny myself, but instead I look at my calories a bit like cash - if I've only got a tenner, I know I have to make the choice between buying a book, or going to see a film, or putting it in a savings account. I look at what I can "afford" rather than at what I can't or mustn't have. So for now, I'm on a budget of 1200 calories a day, and when I get rid of one more stone, I'll be a bit wealthier with 2000 calories a day.

For me, cheating means bending or breaking the rules in order to gain some advantage or beat someone else. So eating too many calories doesn't gain me any advantage, and it doesn't make any difference to anyone else, so cheat isn't really the right word.

You can treat yourself within your calorie limit, and I try to do that.

Hope this is helpful

They keep me sane. I find treat days give me something to look forward to since I love eating out, and also, the higher calorie days make me feel better the rest of the week when I'm eating less calories.

I don't have cheat days because I am trying to change my bad habits and have a healthier lifestyle. If I allow myself to "cheat" then I feel like I am dieting, not changing my behavior. With that said, I also do not deprive myself of things. If I want a cookie, I will have a cookie. The difference is that now I will have 1 cookie, not 5 or more!

Cheat days keep me sane.

Emotional binge eating derails me.

I completely agree and couldn't have said it better.

I never have cheat or treat days. Every day is the same. Some days I come in under my calorie goal, some days over. I eat what I want but keep an eye on the calories. I'm focussing on changing my habits for life, not dieting. So the concept of cheat/treat days isn't helpful for me. (and it's working, I've found I'm quite good now at mentally estimating my calories, and I'm certain I've never gone over 2000 a day since November when I started.)

I have treats whenever I can "afford" them in my calorie limit - so if I have a light breakfast, I can "afford" a biscuit mid morning, with a coffee. If my breakfast and lunch are lower in calories, I can "afford" to treat myself to some pudding, or a glass of wine, or something. If I spend the day in the garden, I burn enough calories to "treat" myself to something I don't normally have, like pizza or (small) fish & chips or something. If I go out to a party or for a meal, I can choose to indulge and pay (either by not losing weight, or by doing some exercise) or I can choose moderation.

If you're too rigid and "deny" yourself then you are more likely to feel like you've earned a day off, and fall back on old habits. I try not to deny myself, but instead I look at my calories a bit like cash - if I've only got a tenner, I know I have to make the choice between buying a book, or going to see a film, or putting it in a savings account. I look at what I can "afford" rather than at what I can't or mustn't have. So for now, I'm on a budget of 1200 calories a day, and when I get rid of one more stone, I'll be a bit wealthier with 2000 calories a day.

For me, cheating means bending or breaking the rules in order to gain some advantage or beat someone else. So eating too many calories doesn't gain me any advantage, and it doesn't make any difference to anyone else, so cheat isn't really the right word.

You can treat yourself within your calorie limit, and I try to do that.

Hope this is helpful

I have one once a week, and I know for a fact I could not have come this far and lost this much weight without them. They keep me sane.

I was doing cheat days once a week and its kept me at the same weight for 2 months. Ive decided Im changing it to every 2 weeks. If I want a treat or fast food or something, then I have to fit it into my calories for the day or I don't get it. Period.

Definitely keep me sane. I can stay on track during the week because I know if I'm craving something I can have it as a treat on the weekend.

Edited to add: Eating unhealthy things satisfies me psychologically, but tends to make me feel physically unwell, so I'm always ready to get back on the healthy side every Monday.

It definitely keeps me sane! Life is too short not to enjoy the things you like.