Will 1 cheat meal hurt my diet?

It doesn't hurt to live it up every once in a while...

One cheat meal won't kill you-but do it smartly. Instead of a fast food sandwich + fries + a soft drink, JUST get the sandwich. Or if you really want something unhealthy, work out a little more to help burn it off. If you eat a piece of pizza, go for a walk when you are done to jump start your metabolism. If you deprive yourself of everything that you feel is tasty, it will be even harder to stick with it.

My inspiration for not wanting junk food is working out. After I burn 400 calories for an hours worth of sweating, I don't want to blow it on just a side of fries- I'd rather be able to eat a baked chicken breast, a salad, lots of veggies, AND a glass of V8. It puts calories into perspective so that you don't want to do all of the work just to make it worthless.

Good luck!

no but be aware (because i wasn't) that you may weigh the next day and be up more than 1lb but it's all sodium and will leave in a day or 2. I weighed a day after a birthday and was up (i think 1lb) and I weighed the next day and it was gone. I had a FREAK OUT when I weighed the day after but was reassured it would come off because it was all sodium. make sure you drink lots of water!

most of the people around here get comfortable enough to allow themselves 1 free meal a week. i, personally, have "screw it" days. but don't risk that. i'm a little goofy about stuff like that, and they usually spawn from depression anyway.

ONE free meal won't undo the entire 20 lbs you've lost, unless it causes you to lose control and go on a helpless downward spiral. however, you've said you feel like you're in a place where you can limit yourself - and that's a good thing.

but if it makes you feel better, figure out how to work it in under your calories, or decide "i'm gonna let myself go 200 calories over my target today". remember, if you have your goals set at lose 1 lb a week, you can go over your MFP-dictated target by as much as 500 calories and still not technically gain - even if you do see some salt and water weight for a few days.

lots of luck on the rest of your journey. i'm sure you can make it!

Definitely indulge yourself every once in a while, otherwise, it's a diet. Denying yourself everything that might be considered "bad" isn't a long term solution. In the beginning, it's easier for almost everyone to cut those things out cold turkey, because they trigger our body's pleasure response. Once you've broken the addiction that response (and the time of that is different for everyone), then re-introducing those things, slowly and in moderation is a GOOD thing. You won't feel as though you're being deprived of anything.

Case in point - my husband LOVES his once weekly fast food/pizza. I've learned to make better choices for myself at those places so that I'm not denying either of us that weekly indulgence. Usually, I can plan my meals in such a way that I can have foods I like at those places without exceeding any of my calorie or fat goals.

When you're talking about a life change, there has to be moderation. Life happens. Your family is going to want to eat out, you're going to have a bad day and crave those foods. It's about learning to moderate your intake without denying yourself those little luxuries.

Opening a hole in the floodgate can lead to major water damage if you aren't prepared for the onslaught that my occur. You have spent weeks and or months making good choices for yourself, you won't undo all of that in one meal, calorie wise, but you can set yourself up for cravings and backsliding. It's not a reason to not do it, just steel yourself, the subconscious cannot be mocked.

Also, when you come to the day in question, eat throughout the day. Don't try to save up all your calories for the binge. Better to keep feeding your metabolism and have one meal that sends your calorie count out of bounds than to starve yourself all day and then slam a bunch of not so good for you food into your belly. Keep in mind, too, that your ability to cope with high fat, high salt, and high sugar foods may well have diminished. Bring some TUMS.

Plan a great workout for the next day and get right back on the wagon.

I will go over today. Party time and maybe once on the weekend but come Monday i regroup and still lose lbs 1-2 lbs a week. Moderation means you can have your cake and eat it too.

You need to indulge every once and a while...as long as it is not your pattern you...I find the more I deprive myself of something the more I want it and thats when I have the tendancy to overdo it. I also find that my "cheat" meal is not near as bad as some of the regular meals I used to have normally. You are doing great! A small reward won't hurt

I'm a "good boy" all week, but on Friday's, my fiancee and I have our "date night". I allow myself some flexibility on my diet on Friday evenings. I might allow myself a long island ice tea, and maybe a small cut steak, etc. I try not to go over my maximum calories by too much.

If I really enjoy myself, I'll just make sure I work it off, the next day

I have made some choices along the way that were not fantastic, but I've been on here since January 27th and I have done all I can to avoid having a full on cheat meal and while I do think it's ok to do, I would carefully consider what it is. If it's something that you can not make yourself eat in moderation once you get that taste again, I would not do it. One of my friends told me it takes 40 days to break a bad habit and 21 to make a new one....so you are right there, at the 3 weeks or 21 days point...you've already made a good new habit, but haven't made it the 40 days to break the old one. So...when I eat something that I wouldn't consider a typically "safe" choice I don't do it "full force," like when I do eat at Wendy's I get the chicken sandwich as a combo but get the side salad instead of the fries and have iced tea instead of a soda. You can still make reasonable choices during a cheat meal You have done so well over the last 3 weeks and I hope that you'll keep it up!

I lost 100 pounds simply eating healthy, no calorie counting. I'm now at a point where I need to monitor my calories a little. But while losing the 100 pounds I had a "cheat day," if that is what you want to call it, EVERY SUNDAY. And by "cheat" I mean I ate anything I chose at all, in any quantity. So, by all means, a "cheat meal" won't hurt. It will probably help, in fact, by preventing your body from interpreting your lowered caloric intake as starvation, and by helping you feel less deprived.

That said, you'll probably have better luck overall if you give up the Weight Watchers' meals and Subway sandwiches and eat real food rather than the highly processed foods you are eating. The Weight Watcher's name doesn't mean they're healthy, and Jarad may have lost weight on a diet of Subway, but health is more important than weight loss, and the "Subway Diet" is NOT healthy. Losing weight is less important than establishing healthy eating habits. How about some fresh fruits and vegetables? Did you know you could have 3 CUPS of fresh strawberries for the calories in one Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich? THREE CUPS! (And frozen WHOLE UNSWEETENED strawberries are just as healthy and low cal, and WalMart has frozen unsweetened strawberries in a four pound bag for under $8). Put them in the blender with a little skim milk and a little natural stevia and you have a DELICIOUS shake! I took me three hours to eat three cups of strawberries while I watched TV last night. Veggies have a similar ability to fill you up for just a few calories, IF they're fresh. Eggs are a good high-protein food with few calories. Even meat is surprisingly low cal and high in protein. The key to healthy is that food be natural, whole, and processed as little as possible. And health is far more important than weight.

Think healthy lifestyle, not diet.

definitely not! it's important to treat yourself. i have a cheat meal at least once a week. also, build it in - balance that slice of pizza with some salad.