How do you feel about a once a week "cheat day" ?

Tora, we all get your point. I think where people objected is when you kind of appointed yourself as the arbiter of what people deserve. I would just be a little more careful with your wording...unless you like working people up. In that case carry on.

If I have a cheat day and then go back and track everything at the end of the day out of curiosity, I'll usually have taken in 5,000+, which is all my acquired weekly deficit eradicated and then some. So I don't do them. But I generally subscribe to IIFYM anyway, so if I want a 'cheat' meal I just eat it and balance it out somewhere else.

I dont believe in cheat days. If you need a cheat day to feel "sane", then you dont deserve to be in shape.

Even the name of it ("cheat" day) implies that its wrong to do. You know the foods you usually eat on your cheat day are bad for you and your body, yet you still choose to eat it.

Like I said, with that mindset, you dont deserve to be in shape.

Seriously? If you're going to be NASTY at least have the nuts to have a photo of YOUR perfect body. MPF is for motivation not for people to take their frustrations out on perfect strangers.

On that note; I often do a cheat day, but I plan it in advance so that I can look forward too it. I also dont go bananas with it and intake 5000 calories for breakfast alone. You'll find that when you get accustomed to eating healty even on a 'cheat' day you wont crave the garbage that you think you will. I also know of a lot of people who use their cheat days for boys/girls night out where the load up on the beer/coctail carbs.

If you're ok with a cheat day and what comes along with it....GO FOR IT AND HAVE FUN!

Tora, we all get your point. I think where people objected is when you kind of appointed yourself as the arbiter of what people deserve. I would just be a little more careful with your wording...unless you like working people up. In that case carry on.

I understand, but I honestly feel that way.

When I look in the mirror at my body, I dont like what I see. Thats why I've made changes to improve that image. When I see foods such as fries, burgers, ice cream, and others, I stay away from them because those same foods are what got me in this position of not liking what I see and not being as healthy as possible.

Now that I have stopped eating those and started eating the right things, why should I go back to what I used to eat which hurt my body in the first place?

A recovering drug addict or someone who stops smoking dont have "cheat days" where they go back to what they used to do, and I view junk food in the same way.

Here is one thing I would say about "cheat" days or "treat" days as I call them - if they are going to make you more miserable on the other days, don't do them. I think that will lead to failure.

I dont normally plan my cheat days, they just kind of happen, but they tend to be about one every 2-3 weeks. And when I do have one I usually just workout hella hard in the morning to make up for it.

Last saturday my friend invited me to olive garden, so I went to the gym early on and got my workout in. Then later on I looked up the menu and planned out what i was going to have before I got there, so I wouldnt go too crazy. Turned out to be 1180 cals for salad, a breadstick, pasta and dessert. It was so worth it. And I still technically finished my day "under" my goal

They weren't cheats because they were part of my plan. I took 2-3 days off a month from logging while losing weight. Now I don't log most Saturdays, sometimes both weekend days. It worked beautifully for me, but YMMV. I was DILIGENT during the week, still worked out on my "off days" often, lifting weights regularly, and didn't freak out if I saw the scale jump afterward.

There is a reason I've logged onto MFP 1008 days in a row, lost as much as weight as I did as quickly as I did (15 months), and have kept it off for a year and a half and counting: I wasn't miserable.

For me, taking days off from logging was key to preserving my mental health and therefore meant I have kept at this for ages. and as I've said over and over again, the main thing that separates successful people from unsuccessful is perseverance. I wouldn't be surprised if these high/spike days kept my metabolism strong, too; I never once plateaued.

Just my two cents. What worked (works) for me may not work for everyone.

Look I have seen bodybuilder and bikini competitors eat a fricking burger and fries every now and again. We are all human and unfortunately we've been brought up in a society involving bad foods, which taste amazing. I follow the 80% 20% rule. I'm good 80% of the time but the other 20% i indulge in what I'd like to eat IF IM CRAVING IT. You make your lifestyle how you want it. if you have a piece of chocolate cake one day don't bully yourself over it. Fitness and a healthy lifestyle is a lifelong journey it won't ever stop so dont deprive yourself. If you do eat something unhealthy and you feel a little guilty why not take a 30 minute walk or something. even if you don't STILL DONT BULLY YOURSELF OVER IT!!!....I've done my fair share of research including talking to a licensed nutritionist and even he said you can have the piece of cake I just don't want you to eat the whole thing! Maybe do some research on your own. Figure out what works for your body. What works for me or someone else might not work for you. If having a indulgence once a week works for you then do it. To lose weight and get whatever body your aspiring to get its 80% your diet and 20% exercise....you can do it girl! keep your head up! and don't bully yourself for having a treat every once in awhile.

I strongly advocate it. It keeps me sane.