I have read a lot of different views about cheating on your diet. Some people have a cheat day and then they try to compensate the next day by starving . That does not sound like a good plan to me.
I also noticed that the definition of cheating varies widely.
After losing over 40 pounds and keeping it off for one year, I can tell what works for me.
I make it a rule to eat whatever I want once a week, usually on Saturdays when visiting family.
This allows me to avoid comments such as “What happened to you?”, “Are you sick?” or “You are not eating enough!”.
Having a cheat day gives your metabolism a boost. Your body knows it usually has enough and it will process the excess food without storing fat. You see a spike in your weight and then it goes away in one or two days. If your diet is too strict or if you eat too little for too long, your metabolism slows down or worst, it falls into survival mode. This is counterproductive to the benefits of your diet as you will begin to store fat again.
The above is true whether you are currently losing weight or you are into the maintenance phase.
An added benefit I found is that if you crave something during the week and you manage to hold on and resist, once you let loose and eat a lot of it you conclude it is not so good after all.
The most important part is to make planned, conscious choices. Not to lose control, overeat and declare it a cheat day after the fact.
One Fit Geek 