i need Cheat Day advice and ideas

I allow myself a cheat meal on weigh-in day. It is usually a dinner out. I don't really worry about how many calories I consume during that meal, but I usually only let it be my entree (though I can't pass up chips and salsa if it's Mexican). I don't usually let myself have a drink, dessert or an appetizer unless I've purposely chosen a low calorie meal.

I think cheat meals once a week are great. They always seem to boost my metabolism and help me maintain my sanity. Sometimes I will be craving a certain food so bad that I just tell myself I can have it on Saturday if I'm good for the rest of the week. And I know that a ton of people will say, "Eat what you want, just in moderation," but there is no way I'm going to cut a burger in half and feel satisfied. I'm going to wait until cheat meal and enjoy the whole thing with no regrets!

Oh! And make sure you drink even more water on cheat days. Lots and lots of water!

I've started with just kind of having a cheat meal. And even then, I try to keep it as healthy as possible. For instance, last night I had steak for the first time in nearly 6 weeks! But, we had top sirloin that was trimmed down and the proper portion (I would have loved to have had more though!). With it, we fixed oven roasted sweet potatoes tossed in a little olive oil and cajun seasoning and steamed broccoli with garlic and lemon juice.

And a "healthy pour" of Petite Syrah.

So that was my cheat meal.

The night before that, we had a Papa Murphy's deLITE take and bake pizza and I had one 64 calorie beer. So, I feel like I'm kind of relaxed with what I'm eating but am taking careful steps to make sure I'm not going crazy.

I always have these "cheat" days on the days I have max cardio, because for whatever reason...that makes me feel better.

I am planning a cheat day once a week. I am looking for advice and ideas I don't want to go over board and wonder if the cheat day is even worth it?

thanks for any help advices and recipes

Why the need to cheat, Do it or dont.

Not all of us are doing the same thing, not everyone works the same way. I am on a temporary but strict diet for an upcoming fitness competition. There are a number of benefits to a "cheat day" or a re-feed, but mostly for me, it is the mental thing. I can easily forego temptations during the week when I know I have a day when I can have it. I have also totally changed how I feel about food being on a strict diet with the freedom to have what I want only at a certain time. Some foods I used to crave simply do nothign for me any more, like McDonalds. I enjoy other foods that I took for granted before. I feel that when I am back to eating what i want, I still won't be making those types of choices, which is a good thing.
I work extremely hard for the entire week, I eat extremely carefully. Right now I am working out twice a day. Having a cheat meal or cheat day (depending on how close to competition I am) isn't "not doing it".
While cheat days may not work for everyone, it doesn't mean they don't have their value for some. I will continue to have my cheat meals even when I am finished the competition. I may not do whole days or may pay closer attention to the amount of calories I consume (I don't really go overboard anyway) but it is something I will include. Then again, I am in the "everything in moderation" camp, except when in contest prep.

i think if its not gonna throw your goals off then go for it however i know for me it would be too much for willpower as it would be very hard going back to the grind. for me its best to get into a routine and not alter it. but everyone is different and if it works for you then go for it , you wanna get healthy but you also wanna be happy too!

Cheat days for me are if i know im going out to dinner or something like that, i eat really healthy and low cal the whole day, make sure i workout and then eat what i want for that meal. I feel that a whole cheat day, doesnt work for me. I started to try and do that the other day, but i just couldnt do it. I ate like **** the 1st part of the day and finished by eating really healthy. If i do have a cheat day, its more like a cheat meal. I also dont log what i ate for that meal and just relax about the whole thing. I do try and give myself cheat workout days (or days off) but recently im not that great at it... ive been working out for about 2 week strait

I will not PIG OUT on cheat days (sundays), but if i want to have a couple of slices of pizza or a extra helping of something I will do that. Maybe I will even have a few scoops of ice cream. I do not count my calories on these days because i need one day a week to free my mind from all the other 6 days of calorie counting. Good luck.

Not a cheat day, a spike day. 2 x bmr one day a week. Eat high carb, low fat. No guilt and right back on track the next day! It will help to boost fat burning hormones and keep you sane while losing fat.

"Re-Feed Calorie Spike"
I am getting more scientific by the minute....

bump for later