What do you guys think about an "open day"

Weigh****chers has something similar and people lose weight doing it. I think it just depends on the person and what works for them. If that is how you function mentally and you can maintain that way then why not? Your Mileage May Vary. 

Here's the thing... what has worked for me changes. What works one month may not the next and four months later, I may have to change the rules too. I look at my calendar each week and decide.

For instance, I knew tonight was going to be the first time I took my family to a live ball game (in a suite no less!) so I knew I'd want a burger and chips and some twizzlers so I made sure that I knew that was a meal I was going to splurge. Did I need the twizzlers? No, but I love those damned things and haven't had them in 2 years and I was going to have them one way or the other. I know myself well enough, so I budgeted for them.

Having said that, I'm 2 years out, losing slowly and floating down to goal. I'm actually supposed to be in a maintenance phase right now while I deal with some health issues, but apparently my body has decided to lose. LOL. Figures.

My point is... don't say "I'm going to do this forever".. be willing to reevaluate. I can't have too many cheats. Too many carbs and I turn into a lunatic.

I don't get it myself. I'm not on a diet. This is my life. I eat "what I want' all the time. What i want is to eat healthy food that will keep me at  a good weight most of the time with an occasional treat when I feel like it won't set me too far on a path I don't want to be on.

When you think about food that way - that it's fuel and it's all yummy and you go for quality over quantity, then having an "open" day makes no sense because there are no "closed" days. It's when you think of food as something other than food, when you put it into boxes -- Good Food that you *have* to it but don't want to and Bad Food that you want to eat but "can't" that something like an "open" day would even make sense.

But food isn't good or bad. It's just food.

Everything that MacMadame said and Ruggie too.  I would not do it.  It would trigger me, it would make me feel like this is temporary diet and not a lifestyle.  In maintenance, I work treats into my food in a way that is sustainable, it this is sustainable for the person that is doing it, I have no problem with them doing it, it would never work for me.

It would be like an alcoholic saying I will drink only one day a week.  It won't work.

I admit I have tested myself to see if I am still addicted to certain foods and the answer is always yes. I cannot bring them into the house - end of story.

What does that person do with the extra food on the next day?

I agree with the no diet approach. I only diet when I have veered out of my maintenance range.