Has anyone done this?

If I understand correctly, you are asking if anyone has gone out with friends and eaten foods or amounts of food that they don't eat on a day to day basis. Is that correct?

If so, then yes, of course. I can't imagine a life where I didn't do this occasionally. Occasionally is the key. As long as I stay on track most days, the occasional high calorie day (and I'm not talking a binge of 10,000 calories) doesn't slow my progress.

Indulgence can be a fine part of any diet plan, so long as you are honest with yourself as to how far, and how often you will go. Sometimes rewarding yourself can be motivation to keep going, but it is dangerous to make a habit of. Going out for a meal or two certainly isn't the end of the world, it's just the making a habit of it part that will ultimately sabotage your goals.

Of course. Just get back on track after your weekend. No long-term harm done. We all need a break from being super careful with our diets now and then.

At least once a week...

I believe what you may be refering to is a Full Diet Break. And I fully intend to take one once I reach my next goal, just for 2 weeks though. I will eat my maintenance calories for 2 weeks and stop considering my macros as closely. I pretty much eat what I want now but i often forego treats when the calories aren't there, so during my break I will have an extra 500-750 cals to splurge with.

Breaks are good. Stopping the "diet" for a period is only going to be bad if you let it be a free for all binge fest. 70lbs is an amazing accomplishment- I am all for celebrating it (within reason).

If that's how you feel, do it!!! A little break from your routine will do you good and get you back in the mindset to continue on in your journey. I've found that having one day a month where I can eat whatever I want in whatever quantities I want really helps me not lose my mind. I usually pick the one day a month where it would be especially hard to stick to my Paleo/Primal lifestyle, for example: my birthday, Christmas Day, Superbowl, Valentine's Day, etc. but it could be anything. Some people say once a week is the key, but I find that to be much too often, especially because you have 2-4 days afterwards of waiting for the "post-cheat bloat" to go away. You will definitely see an upswing in the scale after your lax day, even as much as 5 pounds, but it will go away after a few days, it's really just water retention from sodium, etc, don't panic.

It's important to remember that, while you are committed to changing your lifestyle for the better, there are just going to be days every once in a while where you need to forget that you aren't where you want to be yet and just enjoy food. No guilt. If you want to eat a whole pint of Ben and Jerry's in one sitting, do it. (As long as it really is only every once in a long while, and doesn't become an every other night necessity.) Don't look back, because what's done is done, and feeling guilty over food isn't supposed to be part of a healthy lifestyle. Just make sure you get back to your regular routine the next morning. You don't even have to do extra cardio to make up for it.

I agree, I over indulge every now and then. I don't think of myself as being on a diet either, I hate the word diet, I am doing a life style change.

I remember someone posting around the holidays something about how your diet is determined by what you do all year long, not just one month. I thought that was good advice. Go enjoy your meals and time with your friends, and just get back on track on Monday. None of us got fat over the course of a weekend.

I did it for twelve straight days over Christmas and new years, It was no big deal, just some water and waste weight that was gone a few days later. You'll be fine.

Rigger

I agree, I over indulge every now and then. I don't think of myself as being on a diet either, I hate the word diet, I am doing a life style change.

I don't even think of this as a diet! I try to avoid the word also. This really is a lifestyle change to me - that's why I was wondering what others did.

Everyone, whether they are trying to become healthier or they eat like complete garbage, is on a diet of some sort. Diet is just your eating habits. It has nothing to do with trying to lose weight or eat better. Shouldn't be viewed as a bad word. However, the phrase "I'm on a diet" for trying to eat better is a bit ridiculous.