I used to do cheat days but only to give myself a small treat I had been craving throughout the week. In theory it is supposed to help you not go off track and eat a whole bunch. Personally this only worked for me for only so long and I had to try and intregate my favorite foods with healthy ones in moderation rather than cheat days and that keeps me the happiest and while I haven't lost a ton of weight I have been maintaining and not gaining. Regardless you have to find what works for you and you will know what that is when you find it!! Good Luck to you in your journey :)

I also believe in having goodies everyday, not just once a week. But, portion control is the key. I so love my sweets and will never give them up, they just taste too good. I agree we must find what works for us and be consistent, as this is a lifestyle change and not a diet.

I allow myself special occasion days. I rarely go out to eat, so when I do go out (maybe 10 times per year) I eat what I want, and on holidays or birthdays, I eat what I want. I also allow a couple hundred extra calories during my period because my body is using (and needs) more calories.

I'm thinking your coach didn't mean for you to take it so literal, or to make an entire day of it. For me I might have a Frappiccino, another week I might have a piece of cake or something the like. I don't get those kind of cravings often but I still try to keep it real.

Cheat days are much more hindering than I once thought. As an Episcopal, even during lent, Sundays were considered feast days. Because it was passed the original Easter, and ascendence, it was incorrect to observe lent penitence on Sunday. However, recent scientific research demonstrates that as early as a few minutes after consuming an abundance of sugar, trace elements have been detected being deposited in the fat stores of the body. The old adage that eating something can go straight to you waist is actually accurate. This is why one "cheat day" in six results in weight gain. The process to remove this extra mass is as we all know, not quite as instant. So say no to cheat days. Besides, this is only an admonition that when you hit your target weight, you intend to return to eating as you always have, this is a sure fire way to gain it all back. If you feel you must cheat, your diet will never stay the course, and you must amend it to a more permanent attitude toward food.
Keep up th good fight!

Yes and no. I don't have a pre-planned day of the week where I allow indulgences. In a bizarre way, that almost seems too restrictive to me.

I do try to allow myself occasional indulgences for times when I have an outing planned or sometimes just because! Generally I know in advance of a dinner out so I can adjust my daily input accordingly. Sometimes though I just NEED a treat so I do it.

One thing I did notice about the "cheats" you mentioned - both things you mentioned are probably very high in sodium. Could be that the immediate gain is probably more fluid retention than anything.

Also, I'm totally not scolding you here - but personally I'm trying to avoid the thought of 'cheating'. I've spent far too many years beating myself up about being bad about food. Cheating to me implies being wrong and bad. I've had to change my mindset that I've simply changed the way I eat. Cheating doesn't happen. My way of eating is to hopefully provide myself with nourishment, satisfaction and the occasional indulgence ;-)

I make my cheat day on my weigh in day. I weigh in as soon as I wake up. Then I cheat. Then, I don't weigh myself for the rest of the week. Weigh in is on Friday. I have faithfully lost 2 pounds every week doing it like that. My cheat days are disgusting, too. It's chocolate and chips and Denny's all day.