Do you ever feel forced to have a cheat day?

I don't know about a "cheat day", but definitely allow yourself a treat or two.

This Saturday for example, my wife and I are driving a few hours away to go shopping for the whole day. There's a few pastry shops in this area that make cookies I can not get at home, nor can my wife or I make, lol. So, I plan on buying a good amount of these cookies and eating them on the ride home. However, the rest of the day I plan on staying with my typical food intake.

If you want to have a cheat day, go for it, but you might set yourself back a good amount. A treat or two won't hurt anything. Just remember dude.... a salad won't make you skinny, nor will one McDonald's burger make you fat.

You could always make a deal with yourself--eat, but don't gorge. Practice eating proper portions of everything. Don't eat anything just because it's there (my mom makes a few things that are just so-so) and just eat your favorites. Eat lighter meals when it doesn't count as much.

This is the sort of real-life situation that we ALL need to learn to navigate if we are going to be successful long-term.

Also, when my extended family gets together we try to do active things--bowling, roller skating, walks to the park, etc.

Like others said, it's not 'til June, and your feelings may change before then or you may be needing a brief break, so I wouldn't worry about it now. What's important to keep in mind is that it's not all or nothing. You can accept that you won't have the control over the precise foods and calorie counts that you do while at home (that's what I'm getting from not wanting to deviate at all) without that meaning you just go nuts.

I would try to work on the fact that you feel like you have to eat more to show your family you are having fun. Most of what you mentioned really doesn't require pigging out, unless you want it to. For example, trying every new restaurant--if this is something you and your family likes (mine does, and so do I), do it, but that doesn't mean you can't try to pick healthier options or must eat until you are stuffed or have a giant dessert or the like. I'm also not saying you can't if you genuinely want to, but there are ways to enjoy these kinds of activities without feeling like you have to go off the rails. Similarly, pizza is fine, some kinds are lower cal than others (thin crust, for example), there's a difference between eating a couple of pieces and just eating until it stops tasting good. Breakfast, really, that's up to you. If you prefer to be more moderate in your choices and not go for the highest cal options, that really shouldn't affect anyone else's enjoyment. It's not like your mom is cooking for you!

I'm not saying you are doing this necessarily, but I know sometimes I start thinking that I have to do something for social reasons (my friend wants to order dessert, so I really have to go along too, or she wants to split fries, so I have to agree) that I really don't have to, but it's kind of a way of justifying to myself something I probably just want to do. What I don't like about this is that I tend to be less satisfied after this kind of eating than when I just say to myself "I really want fries tonight, one order can fit in my plan and I will log it." So try to realize that you really don't have to pig out if you don't want, but it's okay to have a break for a couple of days and not worry about food over a vacation trip.

My boyfriend and I went to Kansas City for our anniversary this year (didn't have enough time off for a real vacation). The first day, we ate McDonald's on the way down, and had a massive bbq dinner. Then we had lunch at the T-Rex cafe (huge portions, I couldn't even finish my food), and dinner at a Thai place. Then on the way back, Burger King for lunch, and Easter dinner with his family. I sure didn't lose weight, but all the "weight" I thought I'd gained was gone by the Tuesday right after.

Don't worry about one bad weekend, or even one bad week. You can always get back on the horse :]

I'm going to go against the grain here.

I don't really think there are "cheat" days. Who are you cheating? This is for you, right? Or your family/kids through you? So, you're cheating yourself or them? How does that work?

I have days when I don't log everything because it would take me too long to figure out what I've consumed, but even then, I don't gorge myself. That's one of the habits that I've worked so hard to leave behind (and boy, was it hard and took a lot of tea), and I don't want to go back to that place. I do eat what I want. I go out for meals, I eat breakfast out, I drink sidecars at my favorite restaurant, but I don't do it with complete abandon, because I can't or I'll pile on the pounds again, and I don't want the emotional weight of dealing with guilt either.

Also, I would say that you are going to shrink as you lose weight, and, trust me, your family will notice and comment. So, they're going to find out anyway, so why "hide" what you're doing to lose it? You'll get comments - some positive, some negative maybe. Learning to deal with that now might make it easier next time.

I completely understand the whole "food as celebration" thing, but just because your family has always done it, doesn't mean it always has to be that way. Why not use this trip as a way of changing how you celebrate as a family? Maybe, take one photo with everyone in it doing something goofy, and do that for every celebration. That could be cool to look back on as the kids grow up.

You've got a while to plan your strategy, which is great. Good luck!

Not forced but I do feel kinda guilty about it when lots of special occasions happen at once. Maybe do a fast day 5;2 style to try and balance it out a wee bit? x

I eat what I want, just fit it into my day.

There's only so much damage you can do in two days. You'll probably gain some water weight too if you go heavy on the carbs and salt, but that'll come back off quickly.

Problem for me is that a cheat day or weekend too often turns into a bingy tailspin - I always pull out of it but it often takes the better part of a week. If you can keep it to two days off the wagon and then tighten back up, good on ya. Again, you can't really hurt yourself too much in two days, and a gluttonous weekend may actually refresh your resolve anew when you go back to your regimen.