How often should I cheat?

[lemyn]

I've been eating really well lately (trying to lose weight) but I have strong cravings so I was thinking of having a cheat day to stop me from binging or giving up.

How often should I have cheat days? Once a month? I do desperately need to lose weight so I don't want to ruin it.

Also any tips and advice appreciated.

What about a cheat meal once a week rather than a day? I did WW and it allows for that and when I was tempted during the week I’d just think about what I was going to have on Saturday night. Sometimes when it actually came to the meal I didn’t even eat that much of it but knowing I could gave me motivation.

Depends what your specific goals are and what you're trying to achieve. I used to have a very strict diet and go to the gym 6 x a week but we'd have a cheat day every Saturday where we would literally eat anything we wanted, then on Sunday we'd be back on it! Mind you, i had lost the weight i needed and was gaining muscle and becoming stronger so it may have been different to what you want. But the only advice i can give is do not starve yourself and do not cut everything 'bad' out as you will end up relapsing and your diet won't work.

See what is best for you, a cheat meal per week? A cheat day per fortnight?

Don't call it a cheat meal either, has connotations that you're doing something bad whereas in fact you're making the overall healthy eating more sustainable.

I tend to call it my sanity saving day! And I have one once a week.

@devildeepbluesea I'll call it that from now on thank you

I'm also on the WW blue right now, and cheat meals are actually encouraged because they prevent your body from going into starvation mode. So look at them as something positive.

Don’t have a set cheat day. If there is a day you fancy something have it, just get back on track the next day.