Has anyone lost weight with 'cheat days'?

At 1200 calories a day, you're creating a massive deficit. Having a cheat day will not hinder anything.

You may fluctuate a little with water retention but you won't gain fat, especially with eating so little to begin with.

No cheat days here. If I want to eat something crazy, like my favourite calorie-crazy pasta dish at our favourite restaurant, I work my butt off to ensure it won't throw me off. On an average day, as we go to the gym near-daily, If I WANT fries, or cake, or what ever, I can choose to fit it in.

I think cheat days set up a cycle of feeling like you're dieting/depriving, with food as a REWARD. I don't want food to serve as a reward in my life, or my fitness journey to seem like the enemy that I finally get to ignore on cheat day.

I believe its all about establishing a healthy relationship with food. Food is not the enemy. You have to make good, mindful choices everyday but you also have to allow yourself to live life. If you go over, move on. One bad day isn't going to ruin all your progress. I personally try to incorporate something I really like, but account for it elsewhere. *See advice above about working out to earn extra or only "going over" once a week or once a meal* We have to break out of the mentality that food is the enemy, overcome our unhealthy relationships with food, and build good and lasting healthy habits. It's life, and no one is perfect.

I 'cheat' about once a week, but the day moves around. Last week it was on Friday because I knew I'd be going out to Ed's Diner with my housemate.

However I also knew my meal would come in at like 1,600cals which is more than my daily cal intake (especially when you factor in breakfast!) so I had a double workout day and still ended up under my MFP 'goal'

The week before that we ordered in pizza. I didn't double workout and just let it slide - although I did go under my cals a bit for the rest of the week to rein it in.

Still losing about 1.25lb - 1.5lb a week.

Do more exercise on days you know you will be eating more so that you will not go over your calorie count. that is what i do. also as others have said, i am still sensible about what i eat, but i eat the foods i have been craving. just in the right portion amounts. like i might put mayonnaise on something or have some pizza or a burger or a good Italian dinner, maybe order Chinese. of course not all on the same day. i usually only do it for dinner one night a week. usually Friday night.

Cheat days are idiotic.

If you let yourself go and eat WHATEVER, WHENEVER you can easily surpass 3,500 calories from high calorie foods and gain fat, fast.

Incorporate IIFYM lifestyle and eat what you want as long as it fits your macros to avoid "cheat" days which technically are binge days that set you way back.

They aren't "idiotic" as you say and can easily be incorporated into anyones routine as long as there is a caloric deficit sustained.

You can also practice both IIFYM and have cheat days.

They aren't necessarily binges. They might be as simple as going out for a night on the town and having some good eats and drinks. Big **** you are over calories one day.

Let's be frank about this. Cheat days keep you thinking like a fat person. It's the same "I love food so much and it's so important to me that I need to have as much of it as possible to make me feel good." Just my two cents. As a couple people have said, just work the foods enjoy in to your regular diet. Also, try to address why you feel like you need a whole day to pig out.

Just no.

You're idea of a cheat day (I need as much food as possible & I need a whole day to pig out) is not everyone else's. You might be projecting your own issues with food, but other people use a "cheat" day so they can go out and act like a normal person who doesn't count every calorie, or is able to let loose and GASP even go over their calories.

I HATE these cheat day discussions..

1. Cheat day is stupid term
2. People project their own ideas of what a cheat day is (different to everyone)

Most people losing weight here SHOUD have a good grasp of the basics (calorie deficit, macros, micros, etc) but the real trick is figuring out how to best sustain that.

If someone chooses to go out and party (or stay in and go over cals for that matter) once in awhile - that isn't "idiotic" and it isn't "pigging out". It is an effective tool to help them sustain a long term caloric deficit.

Now, if someone is "cheating" so much they can't sustain a caloric deficit - then that is an issue. I'd argue though, that isn't a "cheat day" as much as the person isn't really dieting anyways.

I do it... I have one day a week (Sunday) that I eat anything I want.
If I feel I am missing out/ deprived, I find that is a problem for me.
I was surprised to discover that I am not that far away from my daily calories.

I also ride my stationary bike to help burn calories. I loose 1 to 1.5 lbs a week.

I still managed to lose weight with a cheat day here and there. Even on my cheat days, even though I don't log in my food, I didn't go overboard.

I don't like "cheat days" because I have seen others trying to diet go overboard on cheat days, and wonder why they gained weight or plateau. I say do one two splurges per week, like a dessert on Saturdays or have an occasional cocktail hour.

72 lbs. I have allowed myself Cheat Days,Cheat Meals, and rest days both Although I admit I try to ensure my "Cheats and my "Rest Days" don't fall on the same day. Somedays I would workout really hard and found I could go have wings and beer without going over!

That said what you DON'T want to do is eat a steady amount day in and day out. Say you eat 1200 calories everyday, your body will get used to that and start to adjust so it only uses 1200 calories a day which will cause your loss to stall. I try to mix it up throughout the week. Between intake and outtake I keep my calories graph looking like rolling hills.