Cheat days

I think it all depends on how your mind work and what kind of eater you are. For me, it's easier to eat "healthily" 6 days a week, and then have one day a week where I go ham and cheese bagel on whatever I want. This works for me because if I fit in one serving of a "treat" on any random day, I get out of control and next thing you know a 900 calorie can of Pringles has magically disappeared. So for me one day a week (or every other week, or every month) that I don't have to worry about it is easiest.

I'm not a fan personally, since one cheat day for me turns into multiple cheat days and worry and cancels out my hard work for the week, so I try to go steady as long as I can and save up "cheat days" for really special occasions or unexpected events. I'm not a fan of the "on Fridays I cheat" atitude since if an unplanned buffet party comes up Saturday id be screwed. But that's just me. But try it out! See what works for you!

I wouldn't ever call it cheating. I'd perhaps chose to eat at maintenence for a day if there was a special occasion or if I were feeling deprived. But only for a day and not over my maintenance (which based on MFP is around 2200).

They aren't beneficial at all, but we're all human. Make a responsible choice, ask yourself if its really worth it, and still log and complete your entry.

I don't do cheat days or meals per se, but I do tend to eat more on the weekends, when I tend to eat out. So, I make sure to bank calories during the week to make up for the increased calories I know I'll have on the weekend. It works wells for me.

I'd very much caution against anyone doing full cheat days instead of a cheat meal. Depending on your weight loss goal and how much of a deficit you created during the rest of the week, even one cheat meal can undo the entire deficit. There are a million threads on here about people maintaining a deficit during the week and gaining weight because they were going overboard on "cheating."

Either way, make sure you are logging everything, even if you go way over your calories so you have the info you need to make sure you aren't going so overboard that you are erasing your deficit for weight loss. Just because it's a cheat day or meal doesn't mean you need to go crazy.

Cheat days are beneficial if you've been busting your butt, lifting heavy, and in a deficit for a long time.

I just call them refeed days. But for someone who probably isn't a competitor, I recommend a cheat meal. So you don't go wild eating all day and minimize damage.

I have cheat days every single week. Basically, I eat at my normal deficit 6 days a week and then allow myself to eat at maintenance or a little above every Saturday. I usually fit in a nice calorie filled supper and dessert. I'm down 61 pounds using this method.

I tried eliminating my cheat day two weeks in a row to see if it would speed up my weight loss and I actually found that I did not lose as much the next week as I normally did. I'm pro cheat/re-feed/fatty/whateveryouwanttocallit meal/day. Just make sure you don't overdo it on that day- keep logging like usual, but just eat more than usual.

http://www.doctoroz.com/article/cheat-your-diet-and-still-lose-weight

I take a break from logging on holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving, and just eat a sensible amount the best I can manage.

Also a fan of cheat MEALS vs whole days. And if I get a burger, I stay away from fries and get a salad with it.