Cheat or "Free" Days/ Rewards

I don't really allow myself a whole day because I find I will go way over when I do. Unless it's a super special occasion (i.e. weddings. Christmas etc), I make sure I track everything. It keeps me accountable.

Instead, I will allow myself a cheat meal once a week if I feel like I need it. I still watch portions and extras but not as strictly. A cheat meal, as opposed to the whole day, usually keeps me within my calorie goal and allows me to feel like I can still have the foods I love without the guilt.

I do not reward myself with food, I prefer patting myself on the back, buying a nice bodycream, going for a haircut, buying a smaller size skirt, getting a facial. All this in order to reinforce what I have accomplished.

As far as having food that are not part of what I eat on a daily basis, I do not stress about that, if ice cream is offered I might take some but in a smaller quantity and work it into my daily goal or I might go for a longer walk.

Definitly I do not view food as a reward, it does not wirk for me.

I don't do cheat days because I can do some major damage in 24 hours

Same here!! 24 hours can be dangerous!

How many of you allow yourselves an occasional cheat (not sure if that's a good word for it but I'm going with that) day?

It's a common practice that seems to work for some people. I don't do it because it's contrary to my approach which was and continues to be to stop thinking of food as reward or entertainment. However, there is no food that is completely banned from my allowable foods. Anything is permissible in small amounts that keep me within my caloric and nutritional goals.

I had a cheat meal yesterday, regret it as now I feel like I have undone the progress I made in the week.

Won't be going overboard again next week.

I try to never think of food or drink as a reward.

Nor do I think of splurges as "cheating" or "free" (cheating on a lifestyle doesn't make sense to me).

I do splurge from time to time when I really want to. But make sure not to over board.
Splurges, for me, aren't built into the calendar, aren't based on achieving a certain goal. Rather they are naturally occurring indulgences with my family. Pizza night and the like.

I also take pajama days where I do nothing outside the home, and no exercise. I stay in, read, nap, watch netflix.

I don't do cheat days/meals. If I want something, and it fits in my daily goal, I eat it. If it doesn't fit, I either don't eat it or walk/run it off later. I've gone over my calories for the day on here once in 67ish days.

I treat myself with stuff I want that's NOT food. When I hit 25 pounds lost I bought Dolce, by Dolce and Gabana - it's a perfume that I was lusting after. Next up is a running tank from Nike that I really want.

I don't think having a treat day/meal (I like treat instead of cheat) is a bad thing, it's just not for me.

There are special occasions like weddings/vacations that I'll slack off a little bit, but its few and far between.

this :-)

no cheat days for me. my biggest reward is getting fitter and healthier. i wouldn't want to sabotage that with extra calories one day a week that i then need to make up for. or if i have something extra, i keep it within 150 calories of normal and make it up with a brisk walk.

i eat foods i love every day, and that way every meal is a treat and i feel satisfied. i have a half square of sees milk chocolate most days - it's 28 calories, and i let it slowly melt on my tongue. i also have a bowl of cereal, milk or soy milk and 2 tsp xylitol before bed, which for me is a treat and i budget my daily calories so it fits in. some days i have a serving of potato chips as part of a meal. and i've created a guacamole recipe that's absolutely yummy - i look forward to it a lot. i have it with 3/4 of a serving of blue corn chips.

what i'm trying to say - life is too short to eat foods that aren't delicious. make sure that everything you eat is one of your favorite foods and you won't feel deprived or need to "cheat"

I used to have two every weekend where I would just eat whatever and never log o_O however now I allow myself one per week but make sure I log (and sometimes I don't even have a cheat day in a week) or on on occasions I will have a cheat day where I don't count at all, however this is like if it is a special occasion like if I go out drinking (I do this like once every two months or something). I have found that it has spurred on my weight loss not having one every weekend but if you do have one then make sure you just pick yourself up because there is always tomorrow

I have found that the longer i watch my calories, the less hungry i get for junk. Or overall, i guess. If i do eat junk, i find I'm usually hungry soon after. But i don't really watch what i eat in terms of not allowing certain foods or whatever. I eat what i want, and i log everything beforehand so i can check where it fits into my calories; if a whole serving doesn't fit, i scale back. On most days, I'm under calories anyway, so on a weekly basis, i could have a couple splurge days and still be under my calories for the week. Some weeks i have splurges, most weeks i don't, because the progress i see is worth much more than going over calories for something i want to binge on.

Edited because autocorrect is hard.

I don't plan my "cheat" days, I just have them as I want them or as occasions arise. I personally don't believe maintaining a rigid diet, because I intend for the changes I'm making to be permanent. I have no intention to abstain from "unhealthy" or calorie-dense food for my whole life, so I'm not going to do it now either. If I go to a birthday party, I'm going to have the cake. If I go to a fair, I'm going to get some cheese curds. Some days I go over my limits, some days I eat sugary or fatty foods. I just do my best to make sure that the majority of the time I'm eating healthy.

Tonight, for example, is the Minnesota Food Truck Fair. There's a bunch of really, really great food trucks that operate around the Twin Cities, and today they're all gathering in one location and having special prices on some of their food. Some of these trucks have some of the most unique and tasty food I've ever seen (for a reasonable price), and there are so many trucks I want to try. I plan on going around dinner time, and I know that I'm going to blow well past my calorie limit. But for me, that's ok, because I know I'm not doing this every day. This is a fun event for me, and I don't want to miss out because I'm trying to count calories.

That's my philosophy on "cheat" days. I don't ever really plan them, nor do I use food as a reward for fitness related goals. I used to, but then the more I thought about it the more I felt like that reinforced the idea that eating healthy was a struggle and that if I struggled through long enough I could reward myself with "real" food. So instead I've started rewarding myself with other things. New running shoes, some flowers, a house plant, etc. That way, I'm not placing so much value in "bad" foods. Food can just be food, while the lasting objects can be lasting rewards.

I normally don't have cheat days, but I usually have a not so healthy meal on sunday, complete with dessert. Today I went completely overboard and I so regret it now. Too much chocolate. Too many calories.....

If I'm seeing a friend I haven't seen in a long time, or going to a special event like a wedding, I eat the food available and don't get hung up on it. However, I make sure I stop when I feel full, and I make an effort to do more exercise that week than I normally would.

I wouldn't have a 'cheat day' for the hell of it, there has to be a good reason.

"Cheat" meals are any pre-made foods I treat myself to at bakeries, the store, or at a restaurant. Today, I had a "cheat" meal of spring rolls with peanut sauce and steamed custard buns; cheat meals include family meals too because I usually don't have time to eat with family so the days that I do get to eat with them, I'm not so anal with food.