Is it wrong...

I think it's good to have a day off now and again. If you do it well (don't go too crazy) it can keep you from feeling deprived without making much difference in your weight loss. And even an occasional blow-out day can help remind you how bad you feel when you eat junk, and too much of it. The key is that those days should be exceptions, not regular parts of your week.

I say NO NO NO to cheat days! If youi quit smoking, and you have that one cigarette, you know what happens. The same goes for food and "cheat days". Why ruin all your hard work???

I suggest planning treats into your daily calories. What do you crave? Sweets? Try to squeeze in a lunchtime walk or an extra 10 minutes of exercise and then you can have that ice cream or whatever (as long as you maintain the proper portions). Denying yourself makes craving worse. I personally am an evening snacker so I always make sure I have 200 calories left in case in want a snack. I am down 13lbs since Feb. and I do not feel like I am on a diet. Good luck! It takes time to figure out what works for you. Everyone is different, but the key is to find a balance.

Remember, it's not a DIET. It's a lifestyle change. As long as your keep thinking of it a "diet" and "cheating" you will never accomplish the long term goal of having a healthy lifestyle and long term weight loss.

I agree with what people have said..incorporate a treat into your day occasionally and count the calories but in my experience eating sugar etc going crazy for the day just sets up the cravings all over again. Staying off the crap seems to get easier cos you do stop craving it, but when you give in its like you have to start all over again as the brain is going "yes, sugar, fat, salt..give it to me that is what I want..GIVE IT TO ME NOW" and like dealing with a willful child you have to get heavy and say NO. Which lets face it, takes mre energy and effort..is it worth it?

I agree with having a "cheat meal", not a whole cheat day. It satisfies some cravings without going overboard all day long.

I think a whole cheat day is a bad idea but every Saturday my husband brings Chipotle home for lunch after work. I don't want to skimp on my Chipotle day, I eat a burrito bowl (although I don't finish it) chips and guacamole (again, never finish the guac). I look forward to it and enjoy it every week. I always try to get a workout in and I try to eat less the rest of the day but I'm NOT giving up my Chipotle treat. So, rather than a whole cheat day I fit an indulgence into my week that won't sabotage all my hard work and I never feel guilty about it.

I shouldn't read these forums on an empty stomach. My wife and I LOVE Chipotle. The nearest one to us is an hour away with a few dollars in tolls, and we've gone out just for a burrito many times. It's 1050 calories for a burrito the way I like it, but damn, it's worth the exercise.

I agree with what's been said: just track it. I've found that failing to track food is much worse for your long-term progress than a "bad" choice of food every now and then. It's easy to get out of the tracking habit and hard to get back into it. It's good to see the red negative "calories remaining" number to keep yourself accountable too.

We're doing a weight loss competition at work, so during these eight weeks, I've been denying myself even these little things. The only food I'm craving more than a burrito right now is barbecue pulled pork.... with that sleepy big-meal feeling afterwards. (I know, I know... I'll be very careful to not overindulge after the competition.)

I totally plan to have cheat days!! I call it 'zig zag' dieting and pat myself on the back when I 'only' hit about 2000 calories as that is the basal metabolic rate for someone my age and gender. What this means in practice is that I can 'afford' an apple cider, or a piece of cake from time to time.
I still enter it in MFP, and sometimes I get the report that graphs the nett calorie intake - helps you keep it all in perspective. If you are trending less than your metabolic needs, then you are going to lose weight.

I still wouldn't call it a "cheat". Nobody ever said that you can never have cake, or chocolate, or ice cream ever again. You are not learning anything by "cheating". Me, I love ice cream, and eat some almost everyday. It's all about the choices that you make. Plan for a "little" indulgence every day, if thats what you need to make it through the day. It will give you something to look forward to. Planning to have it later in the day helps to keep you on track through out the earlier part of the day. A reward for making good healthy choices the rest of the day. I really like the analogy to the cigarettes. If you really want this, you can do it. But you can't do it if all you think about is cheating. I am pretty much a gym rat right now. I got that way because my reward for going to the gym is that I get to eat more. Bottom line-you need to find out how to keep yourself motivated and on track, and reward yourself accordingly.

Remember, it's not a DIET. It's a lifestyle change. As long as your keep thinking of it a "diet" and "cheating" you will never accomplish the long term goal of having a healthy lifestyle and long term weight loss.

AMEN!!

I'll second that Amen.

It's already been said above, but I will confirm that a single cheat meal, once a week or every other week is the way to go, at least for me.

I stay strict all through the week, eating clean and logging my food, and I find that if I know at the end of the week I get to have a little something special on Saturday, then I am able to stay focused and not let every little craving get to me.

I allow myself a "special" lunch on Saturday's. I try to keep is reasonable 1-2 slices of pizza, not the whole pizza. 2 pieces of fried chicken, not the whole bucket. For me, I just go with the main course, I don't pile on sides, chips or sodas with my cheat meal. If I feel I need to have a dessert with my cheat meal, I try to have sherbet or gelato. By doing this, I feel like I am not totally depriving myself because I get to have a piece of pizza or a piece of Popeye's, once a week, without going off the deep end.

That;s my 2 cents.

I have a cheat meal every once in a while. I don't really have a set day and plan for it or anything though as I can often go several weeks without wanting one. I try to atleast mostly keep it within my calorie range and it hasn't seemed to stall my weight loss.