One free day a week?

Body For Life is like that and I had some success but ended up overdoing it. An idea is maybe two cheat meals a week. Or two cheat one hour periods. Better than bombing the whole day.

This doesn't work for me...I'm an all or nothing kind of girl so if I give myself an inch I'll go a mile (in the wrong direction)!!! Kudos to anyone who has tried this and has the self control to keep themselves in check
:drinker:

To keep myself on track, I take one day out of the WK of my choosing to treat myself to something that I would usually avoid such as Chinese food. However, instead of eating like that for a whole day, I take one meal out of that day to eat some good eats. I still track what I have eaten and I also workout the same day. That keeps me from that dreaded guilt feeling.

I prefer to treat myself moderately when i am at a special occassion like a birthday party.... Or if im having a major craving i try to satisfy it in moderation. Its really hard to pick 1 day to be "off" cuz i would end up binging until i was in pain .... As a lady recovering from ed, moderate treats r challenging for me, but the alternative is awful. Remember deprivation is mentally unhealthy and can lead to serious disorders! So, just 1 pig out day would never work for me. We have to be kind to our bodies and accept ourselves as human beings who deserve to eat normally and not be on "diets".

The whole 'cheat day' experience never really worked for me. I decided to make healthy eating and exercise a life style change. So for example I'll come back from the gym and I'll be craving chocolate so I'll have a chocolate digestive or something and a glass of water. Usually this stops me binging or going crazy.

If I want a treat(and it's reasonable/I think I've deserved it) then I'll have it. However everyone is different!

It depends on how crazy you go. If you spend 1500 cal/day, eat 1200 6 days per week in order to lose weight, your deficit in 6 days is 1800 calories. So if you eat 3300 calories on your cheat day, your effort for that week is lost.

Everyday should be a eat all you want day, because you should want to eat the right amount to accomplish whatever you want to accomplish...lose fat, get in better shape, be fitter, maintain.

I think this is dependent on personality type. I'm in the camp that says No, because my cravings can be triggered fairly easily; I do better without certain foods in my life. For the most part, I restrict complex carbs (no breads or sugary desserts), but manage to fit chocolate in every day, i.e., unsweetened cocoa powder added to sugar-free non-fat yogurt. In the past, when I've allowed "cheat" days, pretty soon I'm cutting more corners in my plan and sabotaging all my hard-won good habits. To each his own, right?

Same here! I will squeeze stuff into my daily calorie intake but if I have a free day, I feel like I undo everything.

I think cheat meals/days are fine once in a while. Most importantly when you've earned it with exercise to help offset the extra calories. If I've pushed myself especially hard, I'm a little more lenient about allowing myself a small treat from it. There are nights that I cook for my family or for my kids at work when they are having something fairly unhealthy (i.e. pizza, burgers) with a lot of calories and fat or when I might be going out to eat somewhere, and I have to make that decision - eat something different myself or indulge. I usually cut the portion down, and as long as I don't go more than 200-300 calories over what I expected for that meal, I don't sweat it. It also helps to compensate on those days during your other meals. Eat a healthier breakfast and lunch to scale back your calories so that you don't go over your goal for the day. Yes, some people are committed to a complete diet and lifestyle change, but especially if you are just starting to adjust your habits, you're more willing to stick with it if you don't sacrifice everything. Then, too, you won't binge and cheat just to satisfy a craving. I usually reserve my "cheats" for when I've burned a LOT of calories for the day. Push an extra hour or an extra mile and don't be afraid to reward yourself. That being said, I think it's best to stay away from the big no-nos - fast food, processed food, heavy sweets. Keep your portions small, and if there is a substitute option that may be healthier, go for it (i.e. grilled vs. fried). I think it's okay to allow yourself those favorite foods as long as you don't overindulge. Like eating a correct serving of potato chips or a few blocks of chocolate versus the whole bag/bar, a scoop of ice cream instead of a pint. Allowing yourself those small indulgences keeps you motivated, I think, as long as you fit it into your diet. Remember, too, that there are always substitutions. Look for a different brand of your favorite snack that might be healthier. Something sugar free, for instance. And if it's something like pizza or fried foods that you favor, think of ways that you can recreate the same in a much healthier recipe and cook at home. Then, you're not sacrificing a meal you love, just adjusting it to meet your new diet. I can give some tips in that area, if you need. Just about everything you may enjoy can be recreated in a healthier option with fewer calories. Then, you don't feel like you need to cheat at all.

I have a free day every Sunday since sometimes church people get together and eat and you never can tell how many calories are in homemade foods.
So allowing myself to enjoy one day without logging calories, I have successfully lost weight almost every week. It seems surprising to me because I think I blew it, but when I get on the scale sometime the next week, I find I am down another pound.

I believe depriving yourself completely sets you up for failure. Anyway it seems most days I am way under my calorie limit and have to search for things to eat to get 1200 calories in.

PS- I believe I heard Dr Oz mention something about having the doughnut once in a while can actually boost your metabolism.

I have 2 cheat days a week. One were I have one unhealthy snack (it doesn't make any difference whatsoever). And then days when I fast, when the fast is finished I eat some unhealthy stuff. But I try to eat clean monday-friday. And when I eat unhealthy after I fast I try to keep the calories under 1200. And my random cheat day, just my normal calorie goal and exercise.