Am I the only one this happens too??

yeah, i totally know what you are saying. my idea of a "cheat" in this moment in time is low calorie ice cream. i feel like if i stop doing what i am doing now that i will never get back on the right track.

OMG! This happens to me too! I don't even give myself a whole "day", usually just one meal, and I work out hard beforehand too, and still gain, like 3 or 4 lbs from it. I realize that it is probably water retention from high sodium, etc., but the problem is, it takes me all week (and sometimes more) to lose it again! Ugh! So simple solution is, stop having a free day/meal, but I just crave stuff like pizza or hamburgers and fries too much to give them up forever! lol

I do allow myself a "relaxed day" but really I don't even use it much. I still log everything but I'll eat whatever quantity of whatever foods I want. Thing is, since getting off the crap, I really don't want it that much and even if I think I do and I eat it, I'll usually feel sick afterward or just not enjoy it like i used to think I did.

If a whole day sets you back, make it a meal. If you've given up a big country breakfast, then allow yourself to have that and get back on track with your next meal but don't skimp on the calories to make up for it. Eat what you want for breakfast, or lunch or dinner or snack, but stick to your plan the rest of the day. That might help you get a little freedom and still keep control. If you're weight is affected by changing one meal one time, you're going to have problems come time for maintenance because you will have to eat more calories than you are to get to your goal.

Figure out what your maintenance calories are and try eating up to that limit if the above and a whole day seem to throw you off. Maybe your free day is just amounting to more than you really need for maintenance.

OMG! This happens to me too! I don't even give myself a whole "day", usually just one meal, and I work out hard beforehand too, and still gain, like 3 or 4 lbs from it. I realize that it is probably water retention from high sodium, etc., but the problem is, it takes me all week (and sometimes more) to lose it again! Ugh! So simple solution is, stop having a free day/meal, but I just crave stuff like pizza or hamburgers and fries too much to give them up forever! lol

then make them work with the numbers you have. You can fit anything into your diet. I don't deny myself anything if I really want it. That's when you set yourself up for cravings. You always want what you can't have more than if you knew you could have it. If you workout midday and want pizza for dinner, go for it, you've burned enough to allow some extra calories for dinner. Just maintain control and don't eat the entire pie, assuming you get a pizzeria size pie and not a single serving personal pan size. Or maybe that's your solution - get the personal size and when it's gone it's gone there is no more to tempt you.