Originally Posted by mel67:
This is the sole reason I not only count calories, but I also give myself one "cheat" day a week IF! the scales are down. As long as I keep it to just ONE day, it does not hinder my weight loss at all. As you've read, some can do this, some can't. I have something to look forward to, and my chances of going off program and cheating for days in a row, are FAR less. The only thing that I say "absolute no" to is fried food, and full fat mayo. anything else, I can work in, in moderation. Good luck!

I started off giving myself a day off too, then I started bringing it down to a meal and a snack. I also don't qualify it with what the scale says, basically because I don't want cravings to turn into out of control eating, or continuously overeating on the days I'm sticking to plan.

I also try to make sure the food choices are pretty much made ahead of time. I don't have a lot of cheat food or tempting stuff on hand.

I have noticed that some very successful people like glory and lilybelle don't cheat much at all, so it may be I will be reevaluating my strategy; it slows down the weight loss, but it's helping me to handle it right now. It's been getting easier to cut back on what I eat on cheat days (not to go over 2300 to 2500; and I'm not to eat anything so that I feel stuffed -- I've been eating small meals so long now it doesn't really take all that much to make me feel stuffed).

I have to say when I'm plugging foods into fitday, to see those cheat foods make those numbers go up, and go up fast, is a good deterrent too. It makes me more conscious of what I'm doing, like putting on the smaller clothes! ha.

I'm still working on all of this.

I tried to allot myself a cheat day when I know i have no choice or people are going to like "point fingers" and say she dieting. But I realize when I do that it ends up being cheat week. So yeah I AM DEFINITELY not allowing that anymore because those are usually really bad weeks and extremely hard to get off for me. It like sets me like month behind in my progess, sometimes its almost like starting all over for me. In the end, it really i guess its the will power to say I will not eat that, or allowing your self just alittle. But i have habit of hating to waste food so i must finish every drop on the plate. Another weird thing is that i have like 6th sense for junk food, its like i crave it when i know its in the house even though i may not know where it is. (uh yeah i feel extremely weird now). When I find it thats when i cheat, almost like buried treasure so i over indulge. Does that happen to anyone or am i just spooky:?:

Originally Posted by Misti in Seattle:
I avoid sugar free items almost completely (the exception being the coffee syrup I use in my lattes) but not for the reason you gave, although I do think you have a good point. I avoid it because I am totally convinced artificial sweeteners are bad for you, addictive, and actually cause weight gain.

Sign my name to this one too! ('cept I like plain coffee... just black thanks;) )

Originally Posted by love1384:
But i have habit of hating to waste food so i must finish every drop on the plate. Another weird thing is that i have like 6th sense for junk food, its like i crave it when i know its in the house even though i may not know where it is. (uh yeah i feel extremely weird now). When I find it thats when i cheat, almost like buried treasure so i over indulge. Does that happen to anyone or am i just spooky:?:

me too, on both counts. my inner potato chip detector reaches science fiction levels!

Originally Posted by dragonwoman64:
me too, on both counts. my inner potato chip detector reaches science fiction levels!

lolllllllllllllllllllllllllllll:rofl: :rofl: ....

well, is it okay to cheat and then combat it with eating less that day or working out extra few minutes. Because secretly I just had cranberry bagel (my father bought fresh bagels, and he knows i absolutely adore them, im pretty sure he did it on purpose. I had to get my lil bro to hide the rest) but I hardly ate anything today except 1/2 cup of tuna and 2 dannon lite n fit yogurts , but i told myself i would keep my carbs down. sooo i guess thats cheating ... uhhh so i guess extra 30 minutes on my good ol bestfriend treadmill :tread: will even things up sigghhhh :^:

Originally Posted by love1384:
Because secretly I just had cranberry bagel ...but I hardly ate anything today except 1/2 cup of tuna and 2 dannon lite n fit yogurts , but i told myself i would keep my carbs down.

You need to eat more than 1/2 can of tuna and 2 diet yogurts a day. Even WITH the cranberry bagel, that's probably less than 800 calories. Please eat more - you aren't setting yourself up for long term success.

Originally Posted by dragonwoman64:
me too, on both counts. my inner potato chip detector reaches science fiction levels!

:dizzy: ROFL!