Two things help me -- 1) I hate the first few days of MF, getting into ketosis. For me, it sucks, I'm hungry and tired and irritable. If you cheat and get your carbs too high for a day, you get to go through that again. Who wants to do that? 2) I really want to lose this weight and keep it off this time, and to that end, I keep trying to remind myself that the best decision for me right now is to stick to the plan. Sticking to the plan gets me closer to my goal weight and closer to optimal health, even when I'm not seeing the results as fast as I'd like.

I'd also point out that you're calling it a "cheat day." Who do you think you're cheating? Not any of the rest of us -- we have our own lives to worry about, and our own decisions to make. On your "cheat day," the only person you're cheating is yourself. Would you let someone else cheat you out of something you deserve? I doubt it, not if there were any way you could stop it. Don't you deserve optimal health, a healthy weight, less risk of cancer/heart disease/diabetes? Yes, you do. So why would you cheat yourself out of those things? (I'm actually glad you asked this question, and that I took the time to answer it, because I just realized that I needed to hear those things again, about deserving this. I tend to forget. )

Anyway, I can tell you that I did MF before, a few years ago, did really well, but then just stopped. My reasoning, in part, was, well, it's the holidays, and I'll just indulge a little -- at first just at this one party, and then it became just over the next few weeks until after Christmas -- and then I'll get right back on program. It was more than two years before I got back on program, and I'd gained back every pound I'd lost. That's how what was supposed to be a little bit of a cheat ended up for me.

Once I was on program long enough to see some amazing results I really had no desire to "cheat". "cheating" comes from a diet mentality that most of us have coming into the program. If you start from a place where you are really focusing on "why" you are doing this there is an intrinsic motivation that comes into effect and that is stronger than the desire to "cheat" Its all about what you want for your health. Aslo, remember that you can eat anything you want. ANYTHING! And as much of it as you want. Nobody took that power away from you when you decided to change your health and your life. Its important to remember that. So, now that you can eat whatever you want...what do you want????