For the last month I've been employing my 5 "saint days" and my 2 "sinner days" (friday and saturday). I've found it really helps with my binge eating. If I'm really hungry on Wednesday, I know on Friday I won't be counting calories or avoiding ice cream so I can keep strong and my binging under control. Every week my "sinner days" get less and less calorically unfavorable, because in time I've realized on those days that pizza and sugar isn't worth it overall.

I'm probably not losing weight as fast as I could if I didn't take two days off, but I've been sticking with it longer which in the end, means I'll lose more weight.

(Oh on Sun-Thur I eat 1200-1500 calories under 150 carbs, bike for an hr in the AM and PM, and run for a half hour, usually lose 3 lbs a week).

It sounds like a pretty good plan if over time you're taking in less on "sinner days". I personally think it's best to find a plan that suits you. It's not really about losing weight fast but losing weight in a manner that doesn't leave you feeling deprived (and more likely to binge).

Pretty cool idea too, I never would've thought of that

Nope !

I eat 1-2 free meals a week. They're usually planned for Sunday. I decide early on in the week what I'm going to eat on Sunday. Just one thing. And then I look forward to it all week and it helps me stay on track waiting for that treat. Then Sunday I either no longer want it and can't think of a replacement or I get it and enjoy the H-E double hockey sticks out of it! lol I think the free meal/free day really helped me stick to it this time! 9 months so far I can't believe it!

Jolly, When I lost over 100 lbs about 15 years ago. I had one "sinner" day on the weekend. The reason I gained it all back had nothing to do with incorporating the "saint"/"sinner" days. I am glad to read your thread because it makes me think of another strategy that I had forgotten. I know in a perfect eating plan this idea does not come into play but I think whatever works and is healthy is what one should do and like you said the intensity of the high caloric foods on the "sinner" days diminishes I believe.

I know that if I don't allow myself "cheats" that I will fall off the wagon entirely. My problem is that I have a HUGE struggle with discipline and structure.... I just cheat randomly, whenever I feel I deserve it. Sometimes I find I am cheating more than I am dieting! I also find that if I'm in the safety of my own home, I'm fine (I don't buy cookies, chips, etc.) but if I'm in any sort of situation like a restaurant or party where tempting foods are in front of me I have absolutely NO willpower. I feel like I have no control over myself at all. I hate the way I look and I wish I had the strength to do something about it! I do love healthy foods and cook well balanced meals all the time. But when my husband suggests going to the Chinese buffet on the weekend, I don't protest for one second. HELP! any advice??

Yes, I love the safety of my home Ewie! If I don't feel that I'm up to the challenge or don't feel like having a free meal that day, I just don't go to the place that I'm being invited to.

As far as protesting to your husband's invitations. Can you ask him not to invite you to those places so that you don't have to say no? Maybe if you ask in advance he won't offer? I know exactly what you mean. I couldn't say no before but if I ask my husband before he asks me to do something I know I won't be able to say no to, he doesn't offer. Like a shot of vodka, or a glass of wine. He just doesn't offer. I have to ask for it to get it. Maybe that could work?

Splurge days/meals are essential for my sanity. I have a pint of full fat ice cream in the freezer whenever needed and I always have just one serving (1/2 cup), not more than once a week. I haven't been at this for very long, but so far so good!

i think something like this is what i need. i am such a strict dieter, that i can usually hold out for a month but then i binge and it is bad. my last binge consisted of a trip to the grocery store for sugar free desserts- cookies and ice cream. i thought if i kept it sugar free the damage wouldnt be bad. but then it wasn't satisfying so i decided to go to a local restaurant/bakery and get a piece of cake and creamy soup. then since i figured i was already ruining my diet i would just go get the rest of the things i love and never allow myself to have. so i got ice cream, cheesecake and pasta. i felt disgusting after eating it and it took 4 days of super strict dieting to get it off. i think if i would allow myself more occassional free meals i wouldn't go into this mode of binging bc it could be another month before i get a taste of these things again. and...the real kicker is as i was eating the cheesecake and cake i didn't even enjoy how overly sweet it was. i was craving a fruit smoothie as i was eating it, how wierd is that, but my body is so used to whole foods now.

so my question for you girls who do splurge days/meals is how do you control yourself from going wild? do you limit yourself to a serving size? i thought about going to a restaurant to get dessert, but i know i can make something healthier at home. i suppose i could make half batches so i'm not stuck with tons of leftovers.

I got all the way down to my lowest weight ever on an identical system, though I was never really saintly on my "good" weekdays. It worked really nicely, but throw in a 2 week vacation to Germany in which I threw all caution to the wind (YOU try eating like a saint spending 24/7 with a skinny male friend who finds you extremely attractive and loves cooking for you/taking you out for fabulous meals) and I was never able to rein back in the control needed to "relose" the vacation gain.

I'm not sure if I would have done better on a different plan, since there were a lot of factors (mild prolonged depression, emotional binge eating etc) that contributed to my regain of quite a few pounds.

Not really. Sometimes when I'm out for dinner and am really craving something, I'll get it but I like to keep my caloric intake down and I never give myself an excuse to binge i.e. today is my off day so I can eat whatever I can.
Personally, I find it is pretty counterproductive for myself but if you have the will power to keep yourself from going overboard on "sinner days" and that you're still losing weight on it, I say go for it.

Yes, I plan to. First I want to stick to my plan strictly for 30 days, and after that I will sort of be in maintenance and I plan to incorporate higher calorie days. Unlike in the past, though, I don't think I can have full on cheat days where I allow myself to binge. I could easily eat 3000 calories in one sitting if I let myself. I'll allow myself a day once in a while where I can feel like I'm pigging out, but I will still have to limit the calories.

I don't have allotted days for break, but rather save splurge days for when I need them- if I'm eating out at a restaurant, going on a weekend trip, attending to a wine and cheese party, etc. I never spend them just to spend them because I always know there's going to be at least one time during the week when I will really feel better having a little big of wiggle room in my calories. In this way I don't end up sitting at home eating half a pizza by myself just because it's a splurge day, and then having to be rude at a party the next night by turning down the food that's offered to me, or having to be strict when I'm on vacation. I try to use higher calorie days for when I really want to enjoy them.

I never throw caution to the wind though and binge out of control. I eat sensibly and enjoy myself. Sometimes I count the calories, sometimes I don't end up logging them. I think "controlled break" is a good description of what I do

What ends up happening is you're satisfied with less than you used to be. I used to think that it was insane how one of my co-workers could eat only half a cookie! I mean WHO does that? Well...now I know. I've eaten half a cookie. What the heck? It really makes me feel like I'm in control. I love it.

I hope that happens to me someday! I could never eat half a cookie. i can't even eat half a slice a cake! i want a BIG slice!