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

That would be today. We had a potluck at work and I'm "feeling" overfull and wishing I hadn't done it, lol. Oh well. Salad for supper and moving on.

I've still got a pint of Ben & Jerry's Karamel Sutra in the freezer. Rather than eating the whole thing in 1-2 sittings, I'm planning on 4-6--a dozen or so delicious teaspoonfuls for a day when I'm craving chocolate or ice cream or caramel, then put the rest back. I've also got a couple of frozen Greek yogurt bars in there, and a bag of frozen blueberries.

This doesn't work for everyone. I can't keep ice cream in quantities larger than single serving in my house. I will immediately binge on it, and it has nothing to do with restricting myself for a "diet", I did this when I wan't logging my food. I have certain foods that I can't eat in moderation and probably will never be able to.

I really have two thoughts on this.

(and in full disclosure I tend to do a 1 cheat meal every other week, and that's on my weigh in day).

If you keep it 'sane' its not a problem.

HOWEVER,

I tend to abuse food like alcoholics abuse alcohol. At times that cheat meal has turned into a cheat day.

Suffice it to say, do alcoholics stay sober by having a cheat day?

(I'm not saying you're that bad, I'm talking in general)

I am in the same boat. Food just affects me to the point that I can't allow myself to have a cheat day, because I WILL go overboard and binge. I know and accept that about myself. Maybe once I fix my relationship with food, that will change, but for now, for me, a cheat day is dangerous. That's not to say I've never gone over on calories, because I certainly have, but rewarding my week of "hard work" with food is just perpetuating habits that got me fat in the first place.

All that being said, if a treat day is working for you, by all means continue to do it. i just know it doesn't work for ME.

I tried it in the beginning, but find instead of feeling good/having fun with it, I just felt bad. I have some days I go over and just try to balance it out with days I am under. The funny thing is my "cheat" days were really normal days for me before I started MFP, so I know I have made progress, even if my daily calories aren't as low as I'd like.

When she's talking about a "cheat day" or "treat day" or whatever you want to call it, it's not about gorging herself with soda, cake, processed cheese, cheetos etc. We grew up in a culinary family (and still are!) and perhaps we still want to enjoy rich delicious cheese, yummy red wine, dark chocolate panna cotta, prosciutto and figs, neapolitan pizza, local restaurants and wineries etc. Having a meal that would be a "treat" one day a week and going over our calorie goal, does NOT mean we're stuffing ourselves to the brim with cake and chemicals.

I so want to come to your house when you are having a cheat day. Sounds delicious!

Tora Chan - There are no "good" or "bad" foods. . . . .there is just food.

You wouldnt consider pork rinds "bad food"? There are good and bad foods; which is the whole point behind having a "cheat" day to allow yourself to eat those "bad foods".

Ask Dr. Oz whether he thinks there are no bad foods that humans shouldnt eat and see what he says.

A 1-ounce serving of pork rinds contains zero carbohydrates, 17 grams of protein, and 9 grams of fat. How is that bad?

And just "no" to Dr. Oz.

At no time should anyone seeking to improve his or her nutrition and overall sense of wellness listen to Dr. Oz. In two weeks of exposure to Dr. Oz, at my elderly grandmother's bidding, I saw him promote raspberry ketones, green coffee extract and the HCG diet. This is "war on food" mentality foolishness.

The OP is eating real food and losing body fat at a reasonable rate. She is doing something right. Dr. Oz does not fit into this conversation, as she did not request assistance in perfecting her snake oil sales techniques.

Weekly average is all that matters. Some days are better, some days are worse. As long as it all balances out it's OK.

Yes this is it in a nutshell.

Sometimes even monthly averages.

If most days are on or under calorie goal it wont hurt if one is over.

Even if most weeks are on or under, it wont matter if one week is over (by not too much, of course)

I don't do non log meals or days - I log everything, even if it is sometimes estimates if I am eating out somewhere - but I certainly have over goal days and treat foods - within moderation.

Moderation is the key, not deprivation.

and don't listen to anyone whose information source is Dr Oz :laugh:

Like an AA who is trying to sober up by getting drunk once a week. Seriously though, no cheat day, no cheat meals. Go over you daily goal once in a while (up to your maintenance) but make sure you make healthy choices when you do this and it is part of weekly balance. No binge!

EDIT: it is a healthy lifestyle we are all after like so this new way of eat is some sort of reprograming the same way an addict goes to rehab.

Like an AA who is trying to sober up by getting drunk once a week. Seriously though, no cheat day, no cheat meals. Go over you daily goal once in a while (up to your maintenance) but make sure you make healthy choices when you do this and it is part of weekly balance. No binge!

EDIT: it is a healthy lifestyle we are all after like so this new way of eat is some sort of reprograming the same way an addict goes to rehab.

I don't think comparing controlled cheat or treat meals/occasions is the same as recovering alcoholics or drug addicts at all.

I think that comparison Is as irrelevant as the poster comparing the human body to a car.

Moderation is the key - and this can include moderate amounts of treats ( much prefer that emphasis than cheats as it implies controlled extras)
Just like a person with a healthy relationship to alcohol can drink in moderation.

If you are a binge eater who can't do treats in moderation - sure, don't do them at all. Just like a recovering alcoholic may not be able to drink alcohol at all

But fir most people, incorporating treats in a moderate sensible way will help their lifestyle change to be sustainable long term. Treats do not have to be 'healthy choices' - that kind of defeats the treat purpose .
But they do have to be in moderation, in terms of frequency and amount.

Diets are flexible. Run a net caloric deficit over a long period of time and you will lose weight.

You don't ruin a diet by going out once a month and having some beers and a burger with friends after a particularly difficult midterm.

The only trick is just making sure the exception doesn't become the rule and you aren't out every single day stuffing donuts and burgers and milkshakes in your face because "lol cheat day, doesn't count!".

I dont beleive in "Cheat Day". Control your calories. If I eat more, I burn more. Sweat like a pig.

Like an AA who is trying to sober up by getting drunk once a week. Seriously though, no cheat day, no cheat meals. Go over you daily goal once in a while (up to your maintenance) but make sure you make healthy choices when you do this and it is part of weekly balance. No binge!

EDIT: it is a healthy lifestyle we are all after like so this new way of eat is some sort of reprograming the same way an addict goes to rehab.

I don't think comparing controlled cheat or treat meals/occasions is the same as recovering alcoholics or drug addicts at all.

I think that comparison Is as irrelevant as the poster comparing the human body to a car.

Moderation is the key - and this can include moderate amounts of treats ( much prefer that emphasis than cheats as it implies controlled extras)
Just like a person with a healthy relationship to alcohol can drink in moderation.

If you are a binge eater who can't do treats in moderation - sure, don't do them at all. Just like a recovering alcoholic may not be able to drink alcohol at all

But fir most people, incorporating treats in a moderate sensible way will help their lifestyle change to be sustainable long term. Treats do not have to be 'healthy choices' - that kind of defeats the treat purpose .
But they do have to be in moderation, in terms of frequency and amount.

Why would anyone who looks to push their fitness further and get healthier, choose to make unhealthy choices in moderation? What purpose does that defeat? You lost me, even more with your parallelism of healthy relationship to alcohol/ healthy junk food, refined sugary treats.

It is also disturbing that this type of food becomes a reward after a "hard" week of healthy eating. My bad for only thinking that treats were only for dogs.

BTW, I like the the analogy body/ car with food as fuel. Reminds me of what Marcus Aurelius said:" to do harm is to do yourself harm. To do an injustice is to do yourself an injustice – it degrades you".

Like an AA who is trying to sober up by getting drunk once a week. Seriously though, no cheat day, no cheat meals. Go over you daily goal once in a while (up to your maintenance) but make sure you make healthy choices when you do this and it is part of weekly balance. No binge!

EDIT: it is a healthy lifestyle we are all after like so this new way of eat is some sort of reprograming the same way an addict goes to rehab.

I don't think comparing controlled cheat or treat meals/occasions is the same as recovering alcoholics or drug addicts at all.

I think that comparison Is as irrelevant as the poster comparing the human body to a car.

Moderation is the key - and this can include moderate amounts of treats ( much prefer that emphasis than cheats as it implies controlled extras)
Just like a person with a healthy relationship to alcohol can drink in moderation.

If you are a binge eater who can't do treats in moderation - sure, don't do them at all. Just like a recovering alcoholic may not be able to drink alcohol at all

But fir most people, incorporating treats in a moderate sensible way will help their lifestyle change to be sustainable long term. Treats do not have to be 'healthy choices' - that kind of defeats the treat purpose .
But they do have to be in moderation, in terms of frequency and amount.

Why would anyone who looks to push their fitness further and get healthier, choose to make unhealthy choices in moderation? What purpose does that defeat? You lost me, even more with your parallelism of healthy relationship to alcohol/ healthy junk food, refined sugary treats.

It is also disturbing that this type of food becomes a reward after a "hard" week of healthy eating. My bad for only thinking that treats were only for dogs.

BTW, I like the the analogy body/ car with food as fuel. Reminds me of what Marcus Aurelius said:" to do harm is to do yourself harm. To do an injustice is to do yourself an injustice – it degrades you".

Because part of food is enjoyment and eating healthily or losing weight doesn't have to mean no treats at all. And because no treats at all is not a sustainable method long term for most people.
If it is for you, that's great - but sensible moderation works much better for most people in the long term.

A treat in moderation is not harming yourself or doing yourself an injustice - fir most people, trying to adhere to a too strict deprivation is probably more of an injustice as it is less likely to be sustainable long term and therefore more likely to fail.

I didn't say food is a reward after a hard week of working out ( although that mindset works well for some people as long as the reward is small and doesn't undo the good work done.)

The comparison to treats for dogs is just silly - treats, rewards, incentives, whatever you want to call them, work for people and dogs.
I can reward my dog with a treat, I can reward myself with a treat - either a food treat or a treat like a new dress or a new book or a bubble bath or whatever.
Or I can have a treat just because I feel like it.
Not a problem in moderation.

Not sure where I have lost you, this all seems straightforward to me.

It's a shame that some people on here feel the need to put others down for their food choices. I like beer. Is it necessarily good for my body to drink it all the time? No. But I do enjoy one or two every so often. Am I hoping that I will have 18% body fat or less? NO FRICKIN WAY. It's not my goal, as the only time I had that I also had an eating disorder and restricted my diet way too much. I believe in moderation and I'm living my life that way. I may be only slowly losing weight, but I've also been playing sport forever - I'm still able to play at a high level of field hockey (goalie) in England at 45. I may not be one person's ideal and my 'final body' may be some people's idea of not fit enough...but I'd rather have a body that will be reasonably healthy, keep me playing the sports I like and eating the food that I enjoy. If that means I don't 'deserve' to be fit, then so be it...but I think you are wrong. Why is there only 'one way to be' (and that's insanely thin and never eating/drinking anything that many people feel is enjoyable).

I've been trying not to go off the rails for an entire day, but maybe a meal or two a week. I try to eat well the rest of the day so I still stay within my limits or just go barely over. For me, it's a way to not get burned out...I like the foods and I like, and I'm still going to eat them...just not nearly as often or as much.

There are tons of skinny people out there who eat bad things and are still healthy. Just do it in moderation.