How Often Do You Cheat?

I would never spend a whole day cheating/binging but I have had a cheat meal every now and then. If I go and eat a cheeseburger and fries for lunch then I'll eat a very light meal at dinner (salad or grilled chicken) and vice versa.

If is fits in your day for calories its not cheating.

If you are trying to build muscle on a day you must eat then its not cheating.

We have completely different means of cheating. I would saying cheating would be drinking alcohol which I have done twice in the past three months

I don't cheat because to cheat implies I'm doing wrong. If I want some pizza I'll have some normally within my calorie goals if though on occasion I do go over it doesn't worry me. I don't restrict types of foods I eat because food isn't bad nor evil it's just food. I eat balanced diet which contains these foods. if you class foods as naughty or special in a lot of cases it will make you want them more. it will also make you feel bad for eating them. I refuse to punish myself for eating something that is tasty

I try to eat less during the week, eating 200-500 calories less then my goal, then on Friday and Saturday dinner I eat and drink what I want. I do exercise a lot, burning between 600-1000 calories a day from exercise, so I typically eat around 1800 calories a day. This worked for me to loose over 30 lbs. I hit my goal weight last July and have gained some weight since (hubby and I started eating out too much) so am working myself back into that structure.

For those who are trying to lose weight ??? I'm guessing you wrote this first sentence because you posted this at lots of different locations because although I may be wrong but to my knowledge everyone comes to mfp to lose weight !
Other than that I think the answer was covered very well by all posters before me !! Me, I eat whatever I want, no restrictions so I can lose and not lose my sanity. I hope you can figure out how to Eat Everything that you want and do so in a way that will help you continue to lose weight and create that healthy lifestyle that we all desire !!

I don't plan cheat days. IF I happen to go over one day I try to exercise it off. If I don't have that option I just move on and forward. I know myself and if I plan a day I will go overload lol.

I try not to have cheat days. If I know we are going to be having something that will put me over my calories I try to work out to make up for the calories.

I don't have cheat days, but I always have a little bit of foods that some would consider "cheat" foods. If you have a little bit and cut back on something else later, I don't see the harm. A whole weekend off, though, that might throw off your whole week if you eat too much.

For those who are trying to lose weight,
So, I am wondering how often everyone lets themselves cheat and just pig out, indulge in the fattiest foods possible just to keep your sanity? I am thinking that once every weekend for me and I should be fine, but I am also finding myself craving a big juicy burger and a mountain of ice cream quite often.

On a side note... I live in South Korea and foreign food is expensive and kind of hard to come by at times (hence the serious cravings). However, ther liquor is cheap, the food is fantastic, and rice is served at every meal... other temptations.

How often do YOU cheat?

First of all, extremely jealous that you live in South Korea because I want to go very badly as it has become an obsession of mine over the past couple of years (love the food, culture, movies, tv shows, music, etc). I allow myself a cheat day every other week but I try not to go too crazy and stick near my caloric goal.

My cheat days are more like cheat meals, and I don't really plan for them. I continue to eat healthy and exercise during the day, but if there's something I want, then about once every 2 weeks I'll allow myself to have it. Over the weekend it was ordering pizza when I visited with family.

I normally cheat on weekends. During a week I consume 1200 calories a day however Fridays and Saturdays are really bad days for me. I'm surrounded by my friends on weekends therefore if I don't drink or share take away with them - they call me boring slimming weirdo. Last Friday I consumed around 3000 calories and on Saturday around 5000 calories- mostly calories come from alcohol and snacking. I always feel really bad and guilty after weekends but i can't help it :-( should I leave all my friends and never go out again?! :-(

I have them every now and then. Just depends on what is going on. If I know we are going out to dinner at night, which I don't shy away from, I try to eat lighter during the day and just not order the triple bacon cheese mayo burger or whatever is super high cal, KWIM? I don't always order grilled chicken and veggies though.

I am on a 1 lb weight loss/wk goal which means theoretically I have 500 extra calories a day to maintain, if that makes sense. I really like to not go over my goal by more than 500 calories. But very rarely I do. And it's always okay. 1 meal is not going to derail you. A week of eating bad meals may, but not 1 meal - at least it never has for me. I may gain a little for like a day (esp if it's a high sodium meal = water retention) but over time I still lose consistently whether I have cheat meals or not.

I know there are people who never go over cals or for whom it is a slippery slope - once they start, they can't stop. I get that. You have to do what works for you and your body.

Oh, and I regularly make burgers and have ice cream at home. Very easy to fit that into my calories. A 1/4 lb burger with lean ground beef, leave off the cheese if I am short on calories, and low calorie/slow churned or no sugar added ice cream which is usually around 100 calories for 1/2 cup. If you always deny yourself what you are really wanting, you'll end up bitter and maybe start bingeing. I would anyway! There is a lower calorie and healthier alternative to so much of the traditionally "unhealthy" foods we all love.

For those who are trying to lose weight,
So, I am wondering how often everyone lets themselves cheat and just pig out, indulge in the fattiest foods possible just to keep your sanity?

Probably too often, but I don't worry too much about it. I am in for better health over my lifetime and don't see it as a short term destination, so I enjoy life while making good choices most of the time.