Thoughts of cheat days?

I lost weight while having no log Saturdays. It never hindered my weight loss.

I don't view a cheat day or cheat meal as the opportunity to eat something of which I've been depriving myself. I use it as a metabolism boost. After a few weeks on a consistently low calorie diet, if I start to struggle completing a couple consecutive workouts, I'll have a "Cheat Meal". To me that will not mean unlimited pizza or ice cream, but a few additional calories, 500 or so and mostly carbs with my last meal of the day.

I have a cheat day once a week but I ensure that it fits into my weekly deficit.When beginning my weight loss journey I made the mistake of looking at my calorie deficit on a strictly daily level and I found that I never allowed to indulge once in a while because I was so terrified of being over my calories for the 'day'. However, now I've started looking at it from a weekly perspective, I lower my calorie intake on days I don't feel particularly hungry (Mostly Mondays) and a little bit the rest of the week so I have room on the weekend to eat more, but within limits.

I think a cheat day can have alleviate the psychological impact that a diet can create, it can make you feel less restricted and more inclined to carry on the diet for a longer time. However, the impact of a cheat day, in my opinion, depends entirely on the basis on the weekly deficit you have incurred. For example, you could eat 2500 calories on a cheat day but cut out calories during the week and still maintain the week's deficit, or have 5000 calories and maintain an average calorie intake that causes you to maintain.

Occasionally, I'll allowed myself little treats during the week like a small chocolate bar but I find that this isn't the best method for me because they tend to trigger me to eat more.

Yes, I find that for a few days afterwards my weight is up a bit but it has always dropped back to normal after a couple of days. Remember, this is a lifestyle change and having some flexibility is what is going to make it easy to stick to

Allow yourself a "cheat day", but spread it out over a week - enjoy 3 cheat meals on 3 different days. It will give you something to look forward to on 3 days, you probably won't gain very much weight, and you won't be as likely to veer out of control into a period of binging.

I don't do cheat days I don't really like to limit what I can or can't eat. Instead I focus on making sure to eat lots of veggies and whole foods, the more that I do that the more the cravings for those other processed crappy foods has diminished. I find that when I eat them I tend to be disappointed. I do like to treat myself but it's more just part of the way of eating, I believe in an 80/20 kinda thing. As long as 80 percent of what I'm eating the other 20 percent can be whatever. Mostly I try and keep them homemade healthier treats but sometimes I do go for that leftover pizza in the lunchroom or the store bought cake and I don't feel guilty about it. I guess it helps that I've gotten better over time and limiting my portions, where a slice of cake used to be almost a quarter of it, now it's just a tiny wedge because I know I'll feel sick and gross if I eat more and I like the way I feel when I eat healthy.

I thought I could manage cheat days. Here I am 7 months later 10 lbs heavier than when I started in March. Cheat days might be ok for some people, but for me it just added to my struggle. I was always doing calculations and figuring out when my next cheat day was and that mindset made me not even stick to the cheat days I figured out. I was going to have a cheat meal every Friday. Then Thursday came around and I was already making excuses like "well it's only tomorrow. Why don't I just have it now? I've been doing so well!" So I have a junk food meal and then on Friday for whatever dumb reason, I was like "well it's Friday. My cheat day. What should I have". And I got stuck on this dependency on the need for cheat days so much I would always diet really well for a few days then undo the weeks worth of work with a 2 day binge.

I just did it again these past couple days and I woke up this morning just wanting to cry feeling like I have no control over anything anymore. I feel like a drug addict that can't stop, being totally consumed with my need for my next fix. For the foreseeable future, I'm not doing cheat days. If I want something, I'm gonna figure it into my daily calories and work it off. I need to always feel like I'm in "positive eating mode". When I cheat, I'm off that mode and feel like I'm simply back to my old habits. My self image goes back to that lazy bum that ate whatever he wanted. I NEED TO FEEL LIKE I AM IN EATNG RIGHT MODE. If I let go, my self image of this hardworking man doing whatever he can to eat right and lose weight fades and I become what I was before. And that's why I binge. I'm done

I dont have cheat days, i try to have 1 cheat meal everyday but make it fit in my macros... so if i have a muffin and a poptart i decide which to eat today, enjoy it and eat the other one on friday or tomorrow
But i make sure ive eaten pretty healthy during the rest of the day

Gather information from anyone and everyone on everything you're uncertain about, but only do what works for you.

If it stops working, look until you find something new that does work. Whether it be cheat meals, exercise, ratios, or pink flamingos on your lawn, unless you're violating the laws of physics, just keep on while it works.

And if something you're doing works and does seem to violate the laws physics, let us all know, perhaps we'll figure out how to make a perpetual motion machine out of it.

I usually don't plan cheat days or meals but rather they just happen when I'm out at social functions. I like em

I can't agree more... my cheat day started June 26th and is still going.... I was so proud too - I lost 51 pounds from October to June and now have gained 11 back. Seems that one little cheat just opened the floodgates. The first day did no harm so I kept nibbling and got in all the old habits again. Very depressed and needing lots of encouragement and a kick in the butt!

i personally dont have set days per week that i call "cheat days". this is a lifestyle change for me and my days where i have a birthday party, or date night with my husband, or a family/friend function, holidays, and vacations and the healthiest of options wont be available is not called a cheat but LIFE. and so i do have those days once in a while and i am okay with having them. If i prevented myself from ever having days/nights like that i would be miserable and wouldn't be "living". what i do remind myself is the important thing to move on after that day/vacation and hop right back to healthy living.