cheat meals???

As it seems others pointed out, being lean and in a deficit is going to leave it hard to maintain control period, and one of the common methods of having control in such a hard time is using rigid rather than flexible restraint. The unfortunate downside of a rigid restraint is just what you're experience - when the dam breaks, the flood comes in, rather than just opening up a small slush gate at a time.

I think learning how to operate under a deficit in a flexible restraint pattern is something that is experiential and comes with a bit of change in psychology. As others have hinted at, the idea of calling it a cheat meal itself - while easy enough to understand and use to convey a concept - has with it a kind of mentality that probably isn't great. The idea of cheating makes it seem like a deficit is about a game you're trying to get away with. Instead, it helps to develop a mindset that the deficit is a method you have towards a desired outcome. In that kind of mental framework, you don't get the added mental rush of feeling you're getting away with something once you start "cheating" on your "diet", but rather you have to confront the feeling somewhat irrational at saying you're trying to lose weight while taking actions that lead to weight gain.

Just how much is your planned deficit right now anyway? Are you dieting towards a particularly short term goal? You look around the body fat where too strong a dietary energy flux (basically a high TDEE even if it a deficit is low or even maintenance) can cause amenorrhea.

sardelsa wrote: »

_liaa wrote: »

Yes it is a recent pic, struggling to maintain a large deficit too. About 4 weeks or so since I’ve had my last diet break per say

Also would love to eat later than I usually do, but I always always end up feeling ill if I wait too late to eat

What are your stats? Why is your deficit so large? If you are close to goal (which it looks like you are) I would recommend slowing down loss. This will help with adherence, maintenance of your loss as well as muscle retention and exercise performance.

If you want to fit in treats you can try that. Eating a treat does not cancel out the rest of your day, so try to change your mentality on that. You can also try saving up calories for treats. I calorie cycle/bank so I have more wiggle room on weekends but despite a higher calorie allowance those days there is still control.

Exactly what @sardelsa said up there.

Reduce the deficit when you are close to goal. It's too hard to maintain it and sanity at the same time.

I just upped my calories now that i'm only 2 vanity kilos off my "goal" - it was getting way too hard to maintain the higher dificit. And i'm still losing, and still calorie cycling with the 2 days at higher budget per week.