Do you ever allow yourselves "cheat" days?

once a week i have a naughty day, makes the week easier to cope with and i still lose each week

That's why I love My Fitness Pal because you can incorporate "cheating" Like yesterday, I knew I wanted to go out to dinner, so I planned for lower calorie other meals and cut back on the snacks, so I would have enought calories for dinner. Also, if I eat a big lunch, then it helps me select a healthier dinner. It's about eating less of the "cheat" foods and then moderating what else you eat. You can also just exercise more to burn off more of the calories.

I don't have "cheat days" but if there is something like pretzels that I really want, then I allow myself to have some (in moderation) and I budget my calories accordingly. so for example, pretzels are carbs, so perhaps for dinner I would eliminate having carbs and just have protein and veggies instead to allow for some pretzels in the evening.

But I've found for myself, I'm most successful when I allow myself to have treats so long as I acknowledge and log everything and budget accordingly.

Besides, I think its unrealistic to think I could ever go through life without having my favourite foods. I think I just need to not have them every single day -and to savour them instead of wolfing it down.

My Dr recommends the cheat but NOT FOR THE WHOLE DAY!! I have my "cheat" food on Saturdays My hubby is home and we usally go out so I eat heathy all day and Have a YUMMY dinner with him! So go right ahead with those pretzels! I also dropped 57lbs since last new year doing this! Goodluck!!!

The idea is not to look at certain foods as cheats, and others as virtuous. By assigning values to them, you give them power over your emotions.

Instead be diligent about your food log, look at it as a numbers game. You can have all the pretzels you want, but you will have to make sacrifices in other areas to keep your numbers where they should be.

If you go over your numbers one day, no sweat. One day in the scheme of things is nothing. I have high calorie days a couple times a month (restaurant splurges, drunken nachos, you know the deal...) and I have lost weight steadily and kept it off.

Be the tortoise, not the hare:-)

I dont have cheat days or things I consider cheating....personally I think we all feel bad enough about the weight we have gained or the bad choices we have made in past I dont want to link the word "cheat" to my food when Im eating in moderation anyhow....I guess you kinda have to determine what a "cheat" day mean to you..I know some view it as a day they can eat whatever they want and not count calories..for me that would be back tracking and a disaster...and for some it means staying within calories but eating whatever they want...i personally dont consider that cheating I just consider it indulging in something you enjoy in moderation....

My favorite snacks are a pretty salty variety of pretzles....and I've been denying myself my favorite snack because of the salt...and high calories.

But, today....I decided "everything in moderation" and had a bowl....and I feel TERRIBLE. I've only been on my diet for 8 days and I'm already cheating!

Yes, I do allow my self snacks, but not by cheating.
1) Budget for them in your calories.
2) Log em & count the calories.
3) Budget for them in your calories.

My "cheat" snack yesterday for example was ONE Serving of habanero Doritos, Counted out the chips, and put the Bag AWAY[b/]

Don't cut out everything you love, just eat less of it and not so often. If you deny yourself everything you are going to have a lot harder time succeeding at this. After all, say you make it to your goal weight, denying yourself all along the way of everything you love. What will happen then when you go into maintaining that weight? Are you never going to eat any of those things ever again? Doubtful. If you do this properly all along the way the possibilities of you rebounding and gaining it all back will decrease. At Christmas we always make fudge; I love fudge. I would hava A PIECE every few days instead of 6 or 7 every day. Just remember if you eat salty snacks, which I also love, make sure you're drinking lots of water to combat the sodium...that can hurt as much as the calories :noway: . Darn salt! Hang in there, you'll get this all figured out!

I agree with Marnie. This is a lifestyle change and if you deny yourself a food item that you enjoy - then that is where binges come into play and then guilty feelings. You can have anything you want IF you plan for it.

Now, I'm not saying that one day a week, month, etc., you can declare it a no counting calories day and just eat what you want. I just say plan for that day and in so doing, I think you'll see you'll need fewer of the "off" days.

Someone posted that there isn't an end date to this journey. We're here for the long haul, for the rest of our lives, we just have to be realistic with portion sizes and what we choose to eat and when we eat them as well as incorporate "movement/exercise" into our daily routine. We learn by trial and error - don't beat yourself up for "slip ups" just dust yourself off, and get back up and start planning your next snack/meal/exercise.

Good luck - you can do this!

Cheat days No. I think a day is excessive. If I feel I "need" a piece of chocolate I have individual wrapped rollos in the back of my kitchen cabinet. Each one is 26 calories. I only allow myself one if I "need" one. I haven't needed one yet and I bought them 3 weeks ago. I wanted one about a week ago, but that was a late night want and since it wasn't a "need" I just went to bed.

I'm trying to change my way of thinking. I'm trying to learn how to view food as a source of fuel only. Cheats are desires, not needs so I'm trying to take that need of cheating out my thoughts. Being that this is a lifestyle change for me I have to recreate the way I view food and the choice of words I use to refer to some items.

So when I start to view sugary snacks and white carbs as allowances I can control, I think I will indulge once and a while until then I think I will leave all that alone and keep focus on my goal.

*fingers crossed*