Question for those who have lost a lot of weight......

I have had 3 or 4 mini vacations so far this summer and I put on anywhere from 3-7 lbs each time. Takes about a week or two but the weight always comes off when I get back on the eating proper horse.

In the beginning I did not have cheat days at all because I have always been a binge eater and I easily could have gone overboard. Over about 6 months I did gradually add in treats and then I came to a point where I would have a "cheat" meal on Sunday afternoons because my family always goes out for Mexican food. Now that I am maintaining I do go over at times and then under others and work it out over the week to hit my calorie goals with both food and I exercise ALOT. Best of luck to you!

I have lost 50 pounds since new years and still have my fun weekends! This passed weekend I didn't log everything and I gained 3 pounds. If you plan around it and come to expect it you can desensitize yourself from the little gains that result from enjoying yourself from time to time. Just have to come back after and continue to hit it!

Very good point vingogly!...I never thought I was assigning moral qualities to my eating....obviously one major change I need to make is in my thinking. Thanks for posting that!

Honey I said SCREW THIS and did what I wanted for the entire month of May...thankfully the lifestyle changes since January were already in place and I felt stuffed after eating a fraction of what I used to, and I craved water and veggies/protien. I detested my scales, and I kicked them under my bed. Went from hating them, to feeling afraid of the scale, to yes I know I must weigh myself. When I did I had gained 3 pounds, I could've gained over 10 but I didn't. Know that the mental, emotional and physical mechanisms you've put in place to jumpstart your lifestyle transformation will hold you and support you when you are at your weakest! Thankfully I made up for those gained pounds by kicking fat's BEHIND!

I agree with others about not really liking that term cheat day. When I had tried to lose weight in the past, Iallowed myself cheat days and that was my undoing. One round attempting to lose weight, I think I actually gained more than I lost before giving up once again for a while.

July of last year was when I finally started making lasting changes, and that is when my weight loss really started going. I think the biggest thing is to be honest with yourself, no matter what. Be aware of what you are putting into your body. I have changed my eating habits quite a bit, but that doesn't mean I don't eat not so healthy foods still sometimes. I am just aware of how many calories are going in and I control the amounts. I still eat pizza sometimes, but I only have one piece if the rest of my day is going good. Or maybe only halfa piece with some salad. Is really all about balance. I haven't denied myself anything, but as you change your habits, what you desire to eat does change. It is so strange, but it is true. If I have more than a small amount of junk food now, it actually makes me feel really sick. That didn't used to happen.

But I will tell you that I am definitely not perfect. I mess up once in a while. But I really believe that allowing cheat days set you up for sabotage. A whole day of eating whatever you want definitely can undo an entire week of being good. It is a better approach to let yourself have a small treat everyday that is built into your calories rather than to throw the diet out the window for a whole day.

That being said, today is a new day. Don't be too hard on yourself. You can't undo the mess ups, but you can do better in the future. Just take things one day at a time. and also, exercise is key. There is no way I ever would have gotten where I am without exercise.

I call them "FREE" days, and I'm a firm believer in them. It gives me a break from logging (I just log "free day" and click "Complete" in the morning.) and allows me to indulge in those things I've been craving that I don't typically allow myself (like candy and ice cream). They also motivate me because I usually feel like CRAP after having them (after eating healthy the rest of the week). They remind me that food is NOT the answer!

I factor my free days into my math. I counted the calories on my free days for a few weeks until I knew what my number was (about 1,800 calories over my TDEE!). If I have a free day once a week, that means I have to cut 300 calories the other 6 days to compensate for my free day. If I have a free day every two weeks, I have to cut about 140 calories from the other 13 days.

It all comes back to the simple math of weight-loss. You can eat anything you want as long as you take responsibility for it and realize that the numbers are what the numbers are - and you have to deal with them!