What do u people think of "cheat days"?

I have "cheat" times. I have to have them or I will fail miserably!!! There is nothing wrong with it. I still lose. I'm sure I would lose more if I was strict with my diet, but right now, it's workin for me and I'm going to keep doing it!

my cheat was last night... I went to chili's but still got chicken fajitas with no tortillas or the side items. I simply asked the waiter to not bring them so i wouldn't be tempted. It felt like a real cheat... but I stayed within my calorie budget.

For some it maybe fine. You could probably work it off. However, for somebody like me, cheat days are a big fat NO.... I tell people like this ONE cheat day for me is like a crackhead stopping at one rock...lol

I have some cheat snacks. But to be honest, I know if I cheat too much I will probably get completely off track, so I stay pretty strict in general. But of course it doesn't hurt, just in my case I will probably fail if I do.

I don't care for the idea of a regular "cheat day". Life presents plenty of opportunities for us to make choices on a minute by minute basis. I guess I don't even believe in the idea of "cheating". To me it's about choosing whether to stay within planned limits or not. If I choose *not* there's no cheating about it. It's simply a decision I made, and it's up to me to correct it later if it's going to have an impact.

I don't have set days where I "cheat," like every Friday or anything like that. But when events pop up that revolve around food (and there are a lot of them), I try to be reasonable, enjoy the treats, and then get back to making healthy choices the next time it's mealtime / gym time.

I'd say it evens out to once a week or once every other week. Most days I still stay within my calories.

I don't stress about "cheating" or even make it feel like a bad thing. Like others have said, if it's your life-style change, then you can happily eat something a little more indulgent once in a while, and just ENJOY it, without feeling like there's now a penance to pay.

Especially when it comes to having a few beers out with my boyfriend. Yea that's a TON of calories, but I really enjoy good, craft beer, so I'm not going to feel bad about sharing that with him.

I splurged on a Five Guys burger the other day, but I've been eating so well lately that it was hard to even finish the thing. I think that's a pleasant side effect of living/eating better - your body is better equipped to take care of itself, so you won't WANT to over do it.

Good luck and happy living!

If I was to give myself a cheat day it would turn into a CHEAT WEEK! lol. So instead, I treat myself to an extra snack at the end of day and use some of my calories left over. That seems to work best for me. That way I make sure I don't go overboard!

I eat out every Wednesday but I make sure to plan ahead and make sure I don't go over. My real "cheat day" is on Sunday. If I'm really craving something I'll save it for that day but I also try not to go to crazy. Its just the day I put the measuring cups away and try to eyeball it. I think cheat days are good cause we need to learn how to eat just that right amount. I know after a month of doing MFP if I eat to much I feel sleepy and sick. My friend made fun of me the other day cause we had pizza, I ate two slices then complained that I was sick. He thought it was funny cause we use to be able to split a large and leave nothing left,lol. Cheat days also help us keep on track cause we don't feel like we're missing anything. All for cheats day in modernation

I dont set up days of "cheating" at all. Who would I be cheating besides myself? If I am going to eat something that is going to be high in calories, or sodium (salts a biggie with me) I adjust everything else to accomidate that during the day. A lighter lunch, oatmeal for breakfast etc. I fit it in. Life happens, we cant be perfect everyday. So if I go over a bit im ok with it, to go over all day in a cheat day?? No way.

I have a free day once a week. Usually Friday but if we're doing something on a particular day like going to a party on Saturday that will be the day. I have a healthy breakfast, do a hard workout, and then don't worry about it for the rest of day. I don't call it cheating because implies something bad. I'm making a choice to relax, not worry about calories, and just have the things that I may have been thinking about.

Works well for me... lost 249lbs and met my goal today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't do "Cheat Days" or even use the word cheat when it comes to my eating - it implies to me that I've done something wrong and have failed a bit. I have meals occasionally where I allow myself a bit of a splurge...but I always make sure I have something healthy alongside whatever that splurge is (A Philly Cheesesteak sandwich, for instance is always paired with a big salad first so that I have my veggies and don't feel like eating a whole sandwich ).
Cheat days have fouled me up EVERY time I have tried to lose weight. I would work my tail off all week or for two weeks or however long, and then essentially binge eat a bunch of junk. And all that it caused was me to get set off on eating that stuff again - and I think part of it was the whole "forbidden" mindset of it - I was so strict with not eating it, that when I got it I felt like I had to eat enough to sustain that craving for it for months or whatever. It was stupid and it didn't work. Plus, cheat days usually started to turn into cheat weekends and then cheat weeks and then Huh? What's a salad and exercise? And where did this 15 lbs come from?

My mindset now is simply - moderation and nothing is totally off limits. It makes it much easier for me personally to say no to foods II used to love to eat, if I know I CAN have them if I want. Because in the end the work it takes to work off three slices of pizza and some breadsticks, is not worth the 20 minutes of "pleasure" my tastebuds get from them and then the inevitable tummy ache later because my body isn't used to eating that anymore. And because of that, it's also easier for me to eat less of that yummy-but bad for you stuff. I think of the consequences and I remember that overindulging, is what got me where I am now.

I think you should allow yourself little bits of what you enjoy because I personally don't think being healthy is about never enjoying food again or never having that splurge food you love...I think it's about not letting food be the biggest part of your life and what you enjoy and go to the most......

JMO though...but this change of mind is what's finally helped me to go from losing 20-30 lbs and backsliding...to finally sticking with what I'm doing and now approaching 100 lbs lost. This is the only time I haven't thought about giving up and I've kept my momentum. And I believe a lot of that is change in attitude towards food.

If having something that is unhealthy for you or not on the fat police(you know who you are) list of approved foods then I cheat everyday. I have some form of chocolate everyday. Usually my favorite Snickers!

I have a kind of cheat day on sundays. Where I may end up a couple hundred calories over my current goal amount.

But normally instead of a cheat day, I'll rework my diet so I can fit whatever food i want into my daily macros.
If I want a bowl of ice cream, it won't affect my fat loss, as long as I still hit my macros. (carbs/protein/fat)

This is my life I am not cheating if I go out to eat and order my favorite thing, I am not cheating if I decide that I want cookies or a piece of cake, I am not cheating if I go out drinking. It just isn't realistic to think that I will never do any of those things again. Yes, I do them less often than I used to and I do it in moderation. I try and figure it into my calorie goals, but if I go over I am ok with that too. If I know that I am going to be going out I try to get in some extra work out time so I don't go over or not by as much. Depriving yourself of things doesn't really work out very well.

This is my philosophy too. I'm sure there are folks who would look at my diet and be absolutely horrified at some of my choices but for the first time ever, I have lost weight, I'm keeping it off, I feel great and I'm happy. I told a friend of mine that this was both the hardest and easiest time I have ever had losing weight. It's hard because it can be a big pain in the rear to log every little bite (especially in the beginning when you are getting your food diary full of what you normally eat). But it's the easiest because I'm not deprived. I'm not spending every moment thinking "I want a bagel. I want a cookie. I want a ...(fill in the blank)" If I want something, I make certain it fits in my calorie goal for the day (and do occasionally go over) and I enjoy it. But-here's the key- I enjoy it in moderation. You have to find what works for you though. Some people can not eat certain things without going off the deepend and if that's you, then don't eat that thing!