You still have to enjoy your life now and then so don't feel like you are cheating just be extra good afterwards. Eat something with tons of veggies and low carb and go for a walk or something.

Remember juices even from veggies have calories so don't go overboard on them. I think it was what slowed my weight loss down because I had too much.

Homemade juice has way more vitamins plus you know exactly what is in it so if you have a juicer use it.

You are really the only person who can answer the question of whether it is okay to cheat once in a while. I say that because you are the only person who knows what your goal is and how quickly or slowly you are willing to meet your goal.

Re juice, my opinion it is better to avoid juice and just eat some fruit. So if you want orange juice, just eat an orange instead. That way you keep the sugar in check and get the benefit of the pulp and pith that is in an orange but not necessarily in processed juice. I recently read a food writer who has studied nutrition extensively. Here is what he said about so called "juice cleanses": "Fruit juice is sugar with no fiber to mediate its consumption. When people tell me theyre going on a juice cleanse, they might as well tell me theyre going on a root beer cleanse. I agree with him. Here is the link to that story, so you can read it for yourself:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/09/dining/the-author-peter-kaminsky-on-how-to-eat-wisely.html?_r=1

I have found that most of my cheats involve salt rich foods, and it takes my body a few days to purge that salt and the water that goes with it. So just keep that in mind if you weigh yourself daily.

I'd say that we all need a freedom from diet treat now and again. Unless our diet is part of a necessary part in the treatment of life threatening conditions, we need to splurge now and again.

Beesley: good idea! I'm off to have a root beer cleanse! (Just kidding, but the idea, sadly, sounds really tasty to me!)

With Weight Watchers we can fit in treats easily now and then but of course you have to follow your doctors advice as priority if that is an issue.

Totally agree about juicing, whole fruits and veggies are what your should have 99% of the time. A juice once a day or now and then is fine though but if you're watching calories you have to count it in.

The best success I ever had was a diet I did years ago. On sunday, I was allowed to eat one meal of my choice without worrying about the diet. This made me look forward to Sundays and if I cheated during the week, I was grounded from that meal on Sunday. It was pretty easy to say to myself, "don't eat that today and feel guilty, wait til sunday when its OK to eat it."

I think its ok as long as it doesn't lead to a binge eating session or days of bad eating. I try and get the smallest thing possible though...I would have gotten one egg mcmuffin and 1 hashbrown..I dont drink juice...mostly water and coffee in the morning.

You've received some excellent advice! Beesley was right when she said fruit juice is not good; eat the whole fruit with its fiber. More satisfying, too. A lot of calories slide down the old gullet very fast if you're drinking orange juice! But it takes TIME to peel and eat an orange.

Recently went to a specialist on obesity, diabetes, and metabolism. He gave me a diet that is very high in protein and low in carbs. So I don't even get that much fruit. and NO FRUIT JUICE. Lots of veggies instead. Fruits and veggies have similar health benefits (vitamins, enzymes, etc.), but with veggies there is a lot less sugar.

Firstly you can always cheat, but you have to then be honest about it. Write it down and count the calories you went over by, so that when you week is at its end, you know why you didn't lose. It is the sum of the week that counts. If you eat 1000 calories each day and then twice during the week eat 4500 calories in a day, your SUM for the week is not going to give you a loss. I am currently doing 1400 a day, with 2 days a week at 2100, which gives me a 1 lb loss a week with exercise. Yes it is slow, but i am not hungry all the time and on Saturdays i eat bacon, and on Sundays maybe a glass of wine, and i feel ZERO guilt.
Your MDs cost you about 1000 calories, a glass of any juice is about 150 calories, no matter where it comes from. Sodas and juices are calorie bombs, so beware. Yes fresh juice contains more vitamins, but the calories as still just as present, regardless of if it is from concentrate or straight from the fruitbowl. Rather eat the fruit with the fiber and feel full for a while and still get all the benefits.

i really dont know how to count calories, i just eat healthy food and that is that. thinking every single moment of the day how many calories i am consuming makes me insane and i cant take it. besides i am just starving myself half the time because i eat and i am still hungry, why?

It is probably WHAT you are eating. When I am on a binge of eating poorly, I am hungrier by far than when I eat what I know I should eat...protein, lean meats, whole wheat, foods full of fiber. When I eat the right way, I am not as hungry. I am a boredom or stress eater quite often, though, and so I don't always eat just because I am hungry. However, when I am having a really good day with my healthy eating, I am more mindful of the boredom eating.

everything i eat is homemade with alot of veggies and chicken, that is about it. sometimes i buy turkey and just eat the slices by themselves, i am staying away from bread. i buy tons of fruit and i snack on them when i am hungry. i eat oatmeal in the mornings cause i dont know what else to have that isnt loaded with calories. i look for recipes for breakfast foods, lunch, dinner and use what i enjoy the most. so i am eating well i just dont seperate my foods with a cup of this and a 1/2 cup of that or a 1/3 cup of this. i just put food in a bowl/plate and eat until i feel full.

I hear you on the calorie counting thing. It isn't for everyone, and if it makes you crazy, it probably won't work for you.

Here are a couple of thoughts. First, look at how much fat you are consuming. Are you eating things like cheese, salad dressing, whole dairy products, avocados, and nuts? If so, these are the kinds of foods where you need to really watch your portions. It's okay to eat a little of them, but if you are eating more than a little, it is probably hurting your efforts to lose weight. By "a little," I mean like one slice of cheese per day; one tablespoon of salad dressing per day; one serving of whole dairy per day; one half of an avocado per day, and one very small handful of nuts per day. Are you using a lot of butter, margarine, or oil? Second, snack on vegetables instead of fruit. A few servings of fruit per day is fine, but vegetables are better snack food because they contain less sugar. Any vegetable is okay except the starchy ones - potatoes, corn, green beans. Third, when you look at the plate of food you make for yourself, half of it should be vegetables. Fourth, if you eat any kind of a grain, make sure it is a whole grain - that means you should be eating whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, and brown rice, not the white stuff. Whole wheat products will help you feel fuller longer. Cut out the white stuff and eat the brown stuff and you will not feel so hungry. Fifth, are you eating any beans and legumes? They will also make you feel fuller longer.

Good going on the oatmeal. I consider oatmeal to be a super-diet food because it is really good for you and it sticks to you so you feel fuller longer. I hope you are making oatmeal from scratch and not eating the pre-made instant packaged stuff, which can be full of all kinds of chemicals and sweeteners. But even that is better than a lot of junky cereals that are out there.