What do you guys think about an "open day"

I met a sleever who's in maintenance and she says that she lets herself have an "open day" every week in which she eats whatever she wants. She says it keeps her focused and on track knowing that she can indulge in one day.
I liked that idea but obviously I'm mo where near maintenance and not that knowledgeable about my sleeve but what do you all think about it? And do any of you do it?

I am afraid that my weeks would get shorter and shorter.  I do a two day rotation.  I do low carb for two days, then I do a very healthy vegetarian which satisfies my carb cravings.  They are all extremely healthy carbs though, no sugar, junk food or refined carbs. It tends to be lower in calories and much higher in fiber than the low carb with about 100 grams of carbs.  It keeps me from getting bored and seems to be good for controlling my weight.

I do have an occasional indulgence, but I don't really schedule it. Once in a while, I have a drink. Another time, I will go ahead and have a Reese's Mini cup. Most of the time, though, I end up putting things back and trying to keep myself on track. To give you an idea, I beat myself up tonight because I didn't track the guacamole that I had with my dinner tonight. lol

I just make sure that any indulgence I have is followed up by a good work out, and lots of water. You just have to know what your triggers are. I can have a piece of chocolate and walk away. I can have a drink and not need to eat. Now, if you throw CHIPS at me, the bets are off! I stay away from them now, because I know that if I have them, I will want more and more, and that leads me down a bad path.

If you are a disciplined person a cheat day as it is commonly referred to helps you stay on a "diet" longer because you have periodic relief. I prefer to think of what we need her is a lifestyle change. I think a diet in our vernacular is something that is temporary. Once you are in maintenance nothing should really change except that you adjust your calories so that you maintain rather than lose. Now that is not to say that we can't have a "cheat" day, but just that a cheat day might be not as drastic as eating whatever we want, but maybe you have oatmeal for breakfast or you eat something a little higher in carbs than you normally would. Going crazy opens up the door for weight gain to creep back in.

It's just my opinion, but I think it's a terrible idea.

I slippery-sloped weight gain so much with that mentality.  

I like the idea of punctuated events - a birthday, an anniversary, a promotion, whatever.  But not an arbitrary day of the week.  We "cheat" enough as it is trying to stay on course, to commit to a bad day one out of seven... (which in reality with birthdays and promotions and other life events and holidays turns into one out six days... and then if you slip it's one out of four..... and then you've put back 30 pounds on)

Not saying certain people couldn't make it work, just don't think it's wise for a majority of WLS patients to do.

I do not do it - I will allow myself a special dinner for the above events, but not the entire day, and not randomly.  

I don't like it because it reinforces the "I'm on a diet forever" mentality. For me, this is still a food obsession and just as concerning as any other eating disorder. I choose not to live my life being a slave to food and that includes counting carbs, fats etc. That is just not what I want normal to be.

My only absolutes are portion size, total calories and protein first. Everything else depends on what I choose to eat in a day. Am I eating sweets, desserts, bread etc? Nope, because I don't even like the taste of them anymore. But I do eat nuts, full fat cheese, grain toast and peanut butter, I just eat less of them to fit my calorie plan. That's my choice, over plastic tasting low fat versions.

I know this approach is not the common wisdom round here, but it has totally worked for me. I don't feel deprived. I don't crave anything or feel like I need a specific day to indulge and I don't "cheat". Because Im not on a diet, so nothing is off limits as long as it fits into my days calories.

But, different strokes for different folks. If that works for her, fine. Who are any of us to judge someone elses approach if its working for them.

I do the same with my cheeses. Fat free DOES taste like plastic! haha I thought I was the only one who couldn't get past that. I just can't handle breads or tortillas. They swell way too much, and it gets too uncomfortable for me. Like you said, different strokes.

It's revolting!...lol. I would much rather only have 30grams of good cheese than 100grams of yellow plastic!

What Reggie & Suzy said.  An open day, or cheat day I suppose you could call it, just wouldn't work for me.  If I went down that path, it feels like I'm saying to myself that I haven't fully committed to my healthier food plan.  That said, I do have occasional treats - a meal here or there, never a whole day, or the occasional bite of dessert - but pretty much stay on track.  I eat full fat of most everything (except cottage cheese for some reason, which I eat for lunch nearly every day), and I do eat nuts and peanut butter, and don't eat much packaged food (which is where the low-fat stuff lives), with the exception of SF puddings.  No grains to speak of, an occasional bite of potato if someone else ordered it.  (It's not in the house.) 

However, each of us needs to arrive at a plan of action that fits our lifestyle, food style, etc.  So I wouldn't tell you or anyone else not to do it.  You'll find your path as you continue to lose.  Watch what works for you, what helps keeps you away from temptation, etc.  You'll figure it out!  :-)

Good luck!

Thank you all so much for your input!