How far do you go on cheat days?

I "cheat" on Saturdays by eating whatever I want and as much as I want. Yesterday I had some pizza, ice cream, and popcorn. I'm still losing weight by doing this because I'm in such a massive calorie deficit all 6 other days of the week. I'm down 24 lbs total (10 of which I lost from switching from regular coke to diet coke; the other 14 I've lost in about a month from cutting calories) I still need to lose 40 more lbs until I'm happy.

I view this whole logging thing as a lifestyle change. I log so I have the data I need to make decisions and hold myself accountable. "Cheating" gives too much power to food. Last night was the last weekend night my in-laws are in town, we went to the casino (didn't win) and had dinner at the buffet. I had no way to properly log this. I ate what I wanted, surprisingly my portions were on the small side and my choices were healthy except the slice of chocolate cake. I came home, logged it as a food, listed what I ate and put about 1000 calories. It may have been over that (most likely not...salmon, veggies, rice), why worry but I am also not going to do that often because I do not like wiping out any of my weeks works if I can help it. I think "cheat meals/days" are excuses to binge, if this is a sustainable change than eat what you want within your calories and if you go over life happens. When I was thin I just ate, sometimes a lot but other times barely anything and I never thought of weight, its how the week/month look not just a day.

I don't do cheat days or cheat meals. I usually eat out on Saturday and Sunday, but I don't think of it as "cheating" because then it would mean I'm dieting, which I'm not. I'm changing my lifestyle, so for me that means I can eat out when I choose, and then fit the food into my allotment for the day. If I allow myself to "diet" and "cheat", I set myself up for failure. That doesn't mean I don't occasionally go over, but I try not to.

Yes! This is very well put and exactly how I have been approaching this process. In the past, I had "red light" foods and cheat meals/days...and it never worked out very well. One piece of wisdom I like to remember is "everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial". Just knowing that I *can* eat whatever I like actually reduces the desire to overeat, at least for me.

I have to agree with this. I call it my treat day. I still workout b/c I don't want to break that habit... but I go over my calorie limit. If it's only for a day.... I don't see the problem with it. Just make sure you hope back on track the next day

Old thread. And the reason to not do it is because you can blow your entire week in one day.

I can easily pound down 3500 calories over maintenance on a "cheat day" thus rendering all my hard work for the week completely useless.

Have a cheat meal, not a day.

I have never understood, the "Cheat" meal/day. For me I am logging to be mindful of my consumption, I have a daily, weekly calorie deficient that I prefer to maintain but if I go over, then I go over. It all evens out and even if I go over I have never went over maintenance a for the day or over my goal deficient for the week. I need to change things that started the last 3 years that caused my weight gain, being mindful of my actions helps keep be accountable. "Cheating" would imply an emotion and mean my diet (not "diet" but diet like intake) has a power over me. If I want a sustainable lifestyle change, I have to accept that there are days I eat more and days I eat less....logging gives me the tools to make informed decisions, like realizing having a milkshake with a meal I could not comprehend being over 1000 calories already would have been insane and not worth it, but that doesn't mean on a different day I don't have the milkshake on its own.

No judgment to those that have cheat days, it seems it is an emotional break for some. Just for me cheating would be guilt and I refuse to have guilt for what I eat.

I usually do a cheat day on my weigh-in day (Monday) so that I have the whole next week to burn off any bad food that I had that day before my next weigh-in. Unfortunately for this week, my fridge broke and we haven't been able to keep ANY food in the house so we've been eating out all week waiting for the repairman to come :[ Needless to say...it has not been pleasant.

I think it is a great idea to weigh yourself only once a week, then you have less pressure and stress. My binge day is usually Sunday but I try my best not to over do it. I am trying to get to the point where I don't eat very many sweets so on Sundays than I have a slice of homemade carrot cake or soda or something. I still try to avoid going over 1500-2000 calories on binge days and 1000-1200 on normal days. I try my best to always count my calories no matter what day it is.

My "cheat moments" are just grabbing a bite of something tasty my hubby or son is eating. ONE slice of pizza. A very small portion of something I wouldn't normally eat. To me, "Cheating" is eating a salad with dressing on it lol. I have issues with anxiety and eating outside of plan triggers that. So I do better this way. I don't think there is a right or wrong way to cheat....just personal preference and whatever is sustainable long term for you personally.

I do not have cheat days. Such an idea (for me) seems to imply a free for all where you just eat whatever possibly negating your weekly deficit. If you don't log such a day, it seems that it would invite more trouble. No checks on what you're eating. Just go all out? Now, this may work for you, or it may be that you are practicing this in a different manner than what I described. That's fine.
Personally, if I want a special treat on a particular day, I prefer to simply fit it into my calories. That way i know I am always at a deficit and/or havnt negated a weekly deficit. And yes, I log it.

I honestly think I take my cheat days to another level. Seriously I don't understand how I can fit so much food in me. I have posted on her a lot before, I am a 16 year old, female, 5 ft 2, and 94 lbs, ANyways, on my sisters birthday(August 16th) this is what I ate.
-plain bagel with cream cheese
-2 big slices of cheesy egg casserole thing
-lots of ketchup
-a chocolate cookie from shop rite
-3 slices of challah french toast
-tons of maple syrup and I mean tons. My french toast was drowning
-fruit
-a big triangle slice of a large circle great american cookie cake
-another big triangle slice of great american cookie cake
-a crab cake
-a medium butter pecan iced coffee from dunkin
-another large slice of cookie cake
-1 pork dumpling
-piece of tuna pizza
-fried tuna appetizer
-rock shrimp tempura appetizer
-15 pieces of sushi
-a 12 oz frozen yogurt with yummy toppings
-2 more large slices of cookie cake
-a cinnamon raisin bagel with penut butter and jelly

i normally have breakfast and then something i wouldn't normally allow myself like a cookie or a brownie and then i don't eat dinner nor lunch and do a good few workouts