The idea of Cheat Days doesn't make sense...

cheat day (for me) is typically a day where at the end of the day I get a treat for myself that i normally wouldn't get. I think people get the wrong idea because they here cheat DAY and thing the whole day your at McD's stuffing your face when its really a day thats still in your calories limits but your might get something that on an otherwise normal day you wouldnt get because it would mess up your macros

A cheat meal or refeeds make more sense.

OK, we're not just here to lose weight, we want to keep it off, right? This is a lifestyle change, right?

Then how does the idea of a "Cheat Day" fit in?

Don't all my days eventually show up on or off my thighs?

So are you saying you're going to eat perfectly for the rest of your life? Pretty much everyone has special occasions that come up where we would like to eat more calories than usual. It's good to learn how to handle those occasions without going crazy. And no, one day off will not show up on your thighs. It's what you do the majority of the time that matters.

Some good comments on this one. A cheat meal is much more desirable to a entire cheat day, and life happens.

For me, I'll have a cheat meal, typically an event, and plan ahead with some extra exercise and/or greater deficit. Then I enjoy, largely guilt free. That said achieving and then maintaining your goal is a lifestyle change, which trips up a lot of folks.

i hear ya OP!
if i dont restrict anything, then cheat days are totally unnecessary.

#IIFYM4LYFE

Think of it as the valve on a pressure cooker- if you don't let some of the steam out, the thing will blow sky high.
Human beings do not deal well with the idea of giving up something they enjoy "forever." If they allow themselves a day to have fried chicken and waffles, and it keeps them from a three month binge, more power to 'em.

i hear ya OP!
if i dont restrict anything, then cheat days are totally unnecessary.

#IIFYM4LYFE

+1

I don't really cheat. There usually just HAPPENS to be a day or two in the week where I can't weigh my entire meal (because it's made by someone else) and I have to estimate, but I always do my best to fit it into my calories. For me at best a "cheat" day is me eating at maintenance instead of a deficit, so I am 300-500 calories over my plan for the day which is a lot for me.
Like you said I am trying to learn a lifestyle change so I try not to go crazy and I really never feel the urge to go crazy. I just fit the treats that I want into my diet and by diet I mean "way of eating" not "weight loss plan". Once I hit my protein macro for the day I pretty much use my remaining calories on whatever I feel like having. Last week our friends brought over donuts and that really hit the spot, and I still didn't go over (and as a short person my calories are really restricted)

I love data and it helps me to stick to it. I think if I had deliberate cheat days that I would begin to sabotage myself. There will surely be times where I decide it's ok to EAT ALL THE THINGS but I have yet to come across a time yet that feels worth it, know what I mean? I'm really surprised at how much self control I have when I ask myself "would I rather be healthy, or eat that cake?"

Cheat meals every once in a while for me are helpful in sustaining this lifestyle. I lost 30 lbs last year all while having a cheat days here and there. If I didn't let myself have a slice of cake every so often I would go nuts.

Meh. I don't call them cheat days. I usually call them birthdays, football night, guys night out, etc.

While I am determined to lose the weight, I also have a social life. This life is often planned around food and drink with folks I enjoy being around. I'm not going to worry about my calories in those times. And you're right if you guessed I might have a few drinks, and maybe two too many. We'll prolly hit the 24hr diner for some late night bar's closed food. And honestly, I'm not going to worry too much about it.

But it is also important to remember that that's me. I have enough self control and willpower that these days don't become habits. I got fat over the course of 15 years, not because I didn't have self control, but because I just didn't care.

If having a "cheat" day would completely throw you off the wagon, then don't cheat.

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it doesn't make sense to me, either.

i try to eat foods i love every day, including sees chocolate and potato chips. that way i never feel deprived. that being said, yesterday i had a "treat" meal. afterward i skipped a meal, which was easy since i didn't get hungry for much longer than usual due to the extra calories, ate light one more meal and voila! stayed within my daily calorie goal even though i had the muffin and 1/2 cup of sugar free chocolate mousse.

OK, we're not just here to lose weight, we want to keep it off, right? This is a lifestyle change, right?

Then how does the idea of a "Cheat Day" fit in?

Don't all my days eventually show up on or off my thighs?

Some people find it easier to make healthy choices day to day if they know they aren't depriving themselves of junk food forever. I can see how it'd help people mentally. Most people here are on a deficit. If they eat just 100 calories under maintenance every day, then one day a month they could eat a whopping 3000 calories OVER maintenance and still not gain any weight overall that month. The next day they'd probably feel terrible, but it wouldn't do any harm in the long run.

Personally, I've yet to have any days near that since logging. I've had a few bad days, but I think of them as cheat days and allow myself about one a month without feeling to guilty. Also, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and my birthday I've decided to eat whatever the hell I want. I'll still keep track and log it later though.

TL;DR It's a mental thing that some people find helpful, or rationalization of rare bad eating behavior.

I think the idea of a cheat day is just there so you don't feel as bad if you fall off the wagon one day. I always tell myself, "one day of crappy eating will hurt me as much as one day of healthy eating will help me."

I try to focus on my overall caloric intake and end every week with a deficit. When I was first starting out (January of this year) I needed that cheat day to keep going, but as I am losing and feeling better every day I don't think about it as much. I also realize how bad I feel the day after a cheat day and it makes me not need it as much.

Weight loss is such a mind game!

Amen. It took me 37 yrs to realize what you just said.

I am not the most clean eater, but I make certain that if I am going to eat that cookie or other that it fits into my MFP calorie goal, and I have been successful with that. Some days I go over a little on my goal but most days I stay under. As far as cheat days, I don't need them, because I typically cheat every day.

I just do portion control, and don't eliminate foods I am accustomed to eating and ones I like.

Calories in versus calories out.