"Free" day - what your thoughts on one?

I would love to give myself a 'free day' but I don't think I could trust myself to stop there, it's taken me so long long to get out of the 'oh I'll start the diet tomorrow' frame of mind, and I'm actually losing weight and feeling good about it. Having said that, I wouldn't count calories on special occasions, birthdays etc, I find that easier to stick, with it being a few times a year rather than every week, but if you guys can have a free day a week and still lose weight, go for it and enjoy it....... )

I've had a "free" day every week since I started my journey in Feb 2010 and have lost steadily for a total of 45 lbs so far. Only 15 more to go to reach my goal!

Now, when I say "free", what I mean is that I will eat more calories than the 1200 I'm allotted and the exercise calories I earn, and will usually eat whatever I want that day. BUT I still log everything on MFP regardless of what it is so that I am still accountable, even if I've eaten 3000 calories that day. I have found that still logging what I eat on those days keeps me from going really crazy.

I also often eat what some would consider "junk" on other days, just not much of it, and usually a healthier version of it. It might not work for some people, but it works for me and is more realistic to the lifestyle I want to have for the rest of my life. There's no way I am never going to eat a chocolate bar again, so to be so strict as to not allow myself to have one when I want one doesn't work for me. I just don't have one every day of the week!

I don't *plan* a free day, but I've had a couple of meals where I've gone over, and I don't sweat it too much. I think it depends on the kind of person you are, and how easy it is for you to just do it once. For me, I can splurge every now and then on whatever and it's not a problem, but if I so much as take a lick of chocolate frosting, I'm shoving chocolate in my face for the rest of the day. So I try to avoid it when I can. If you're the kind of person that can have a big "cheat" meal or a whole cheat day and then get back on track the next day, go for it! I've heard from numerous sources that it can help keep your metabolism guessing and help with weight loss. But if you're the kind of person that gets a taste of something and then can't stop craving it for days, then it's probably not a good idea. It just depends.