Do you allow yourself to have one cheat meal a week?

I struggle with not having a cheat meal everyday so I don't plan them unless a special occasion comes (like my sister comes to visit from another state, etc) but I do allow that kind of thinking keep me from slipping (ie, it's okay to have an occasional cheat meal, so I will not dispair that this time I wanted one). I do ask myself every time if it is worth it. Sometimes it is.

I'm with DeafinlySmart - I am OK with it if situations arise where my eating can't be as controlled or where there is something special going on (my dad's birthday was a great example - We were away for the weekend, my mother was cooking, and it was a celebration). However, I still watched my portions and still ate as well as possible.

I went out to dinner the other night with my SO for a romantic, celebratory kind of meal...but I still got a 6 oz portion of filet mingon, a baked potato, and some steamed asparagus, then ate about half of that...a glass of wine and my "cheat" meal really wasn't that much of a cheat. I did, however, allow myself to split a decadent ice cream sundae for dessert.

In my opinion, its all about balance. Sometimes its important to go off-plan for a variety of reasons, sometimes you could go without. If I can go without, I do, if I can't, I make the best decisions I can while still treating myself a bit.

Yep, I have two cheat meals a week. I have one lunch, which I save for the day I'm in the office so can go out with my friends. And I have Saturday night dinner. I don't always eat something bad, I just give myself permission to so that I don't feel overwhelming guilt.
Most of the time I end up eating only a few extra WW points during those meals, anyway. Since I've changed my eating habits so much, alot of cheat foods are losing their appeal.

Yes, now that I'm maintaining, I typically have 1 treat meal a week. It can be any day, I usually plan around an event (dad coming into town, girl's night out, friend's birthday barbeque). I still follow my "nevers" (no fast food, no fried food, no packaged baked goods). I use it as an opportunity to eat my "sometimes" (red wine, chocolately dessert, full fat cheese).

A good example is girl's night out - I usually go to a nice wine bar with friends. We always order the goat cheese/honey/dried cherry appetizer with crackers. I try to stay OUT of the bread basket (sometimes I'm unsuccessful, heh). I have 1 glass of red wine. I always get the blackened salmon salad (dressing on side) and then we 3-way split a dessert. It's definitely a treat, but it's not a full tilt out of control binge.

When I was actively losing weight, I had 2 treat meals the entire time - my birthday dinner and Christmas day.

I do agree that balance is key. Life is, well, life, and there will always be times when we choose to indulge a little. What I don't personally agree with (and this is just me ) are the PLANNED "cheats" - I figure we all have enough situations that arise unexpectedly (and sometimes expectedly, too!) where we can't/won't always eat our "ideal" way, without purposely planning them in as well. I also can't help but think that planning cheat days encourages them to become habit, routine - something you just DO, just because you've always done it, rather than something reserved for a particularly tough week or trying time.

And, I have to admit, the first thing that goes through my head whenever I see the words "cheat meal" or "cheat day" is - who/what's being cheated?

Bottom line is, we're all different, and what works for you won't necessarily work for me. For me planning to cheat, treat, whatever for a meal or day each week just doesn't work - it places too much emphasis on the food for me, I guess. I'd rather just have a little of what I want at any given time, and work my daily calories around it....it just works better for me that way.

I don't plan them but stuff happens. A wedding, a social thing, forgetting my lunch bag ... There are enough occassions when my calories are accidently too high. I don't have to plan one in.

I count calories and plan one cheat meal each sunday. I keep it in the calorie range though. And for me, I NEED to focus on the food. If I stop focusing, that's where things go bad for me. So, I do call it a cheat meal, because I need to label it. Just the way it works for me.

I guess what I'm trying to get at with the idea of a "cheat" meal, is that cheat is such a negative word. It implies you're doing something wrong, something subversive, something "bad". If splurging for a meal, a day, or however long is what works for you, that's great.....I suppose I just worry about the mindset of "cheat", vs. the positive vibe of "treat", which to me would imply something special, something earned, something worthy.

I don't know - I spend a lot of time trying to reframe negative thoughts to positive ones, which is why this strikes a chord, I guess. I just can't help but feel that labeling a meal a "cheat" leads to some (even if only small and fleeting) measure of guilt or shame, and that bothers me.

The beauty in all of this, of course, is that we're all finding what works - and what doesn't - for US. It's interesting to share perspectives, though

I don't... because I wanted to relearn my thinking... and not to consider unhealthful food something to be desired or positive. Instead I have learned to really ENJOY the foods that are good for me. Personally I don't want to think of "junk food" as a "big ole treat" waiting for me but as something which is NOT good for me and which I strive to avoid putting into my body.

I do give myself treats and rewards -- but something other than food.

I generally only have a cheat meal for a special event: going out to dinner with friends, a business event where I can't control the food, my birthday. I don't plan cheat meals just to have a cheat meal, there has to be something else that spurs it. And I don't have one every week.

I know sugarlove said it partly in jest, but I can relate to her comment:
Early on, every time I ate out, it was a cheat meal. It was tough to stick to the diet and I needed the break. But as time has gone on, sticking to the diet has gotten easier and I've gotten far more driven about meeting my goals. I know that every cheat meal is going to set me back; the person being cheated is me. It's a trade-off; do I want this treat or do I want to get to my goal a little faster. And sometimes, not always, it's not a trade-off I'm willing to make.

Last week I went out with friends for our monthly movie night and, rather than chalking it up to a treat meal like I would have in the past, I suggested a restaurant where I could get nutritional info in advance and I knew I could get something that would fit within my calorie plan. At the last business conference I went to, I was careful to make food selections that I thought would fit in my calorie plan. But tomorrow night my SO and I are going out for sushi with our neighbors and I'm not going to worry about the calories. I haven't had a cheat meal in about a month, I'm pretty close to my goal (close enough that I feel like I'm not sure I need to get the whole way there), and sushi isn't over the top in terms of calories anyway (particularly at the restaurant we are going to, which doesn't do a lot of fried or saucy items). So tomorrow I'm willing to make the trade-off (well, we'll see, sometimes I go into these things planning for a treat and end up staying in my calorie range anyway).

- Barbara

I don't just have a cheat meal, I have a cheat day once a week (or twice a month) where I don't count my cals at all.

I guess I prefer the word "treat" to "cheat". Cheat does sound subversive, and treat sounds special.

I do let myself have some treats. I hope to do this for life, and I don't see life without the occasional fat filled and calorie laden ice cream cone like I had the other day. However, it was the only "real" ice cream I've eaten so far this summer, and may be the only one.

Also, so far I write everything down, as I need it for accountability right now. That way, I choose to eat the ice cream, but I own the choice I made to eat it and include it in my calories for the day.

I can't have a "cheat day" or "cheat meal." I think if I gave myself that much I'd end up with two cheat days a week. I struggle enough eating good every Friday and Saturday so I'm sure if I let myself go just one of those days it would be even worse than me trying to control it and stay within my range. I may reconsider a zig-zag option when I reach maintenance but for now that seems far off enough I won't make any plans and just hope I learn more on the way.

I have a cheat meal and a cheat snack once a week. It used to be a week or more of cheat days, but I've learned my lesson.