Is it bad to have a strict diet on weekdays and eat unhealthy on weekends?

[Anonymous]

I eat healthy on weekdays and resist all the unhealthy foods, but on weekends I like to go out to eat. I typically don’t eat nothing but I get from going out on weekends (because I don’t want to go over my calorie limit) sometimes I go over it a little but not much.. (on weekends I eat 1300cals-1800cals on weekdays I try to eat 800cals-1300cals) I’m in a calorie deficit on weekdays only.

Is this bad? Is it just throwing away my progress that I did on the weekdays?

[Sonorous]

I don't think it's bad to have strict days & non-strict days. Anything that helps you stick to a healthy caloric intake for long-term is the best in my opinion. For instance, I'm doing a mini-cut right now & some days I have refeed days where I eat more calories so that my recovery & sleep can be more optimal. It also can act as a mental reset in a way. Prepping the mind to go back on track. The way I calculate any differences in calories is through a spreadsheet I've created:

This is why I never panic if I eat more one day. I can simply eat less on other days & still know I'm on track because the math.

And whether or not it throws off your progress depends on your goals. My goals aren't very strict. I just want to get slimmer by the end of the year. This gives me a lot of leeway. But if I was trying to be slimmer by a couple to a few weeks then that would be different. I'd need to really make sure that my surpluses don't throw me out of bounds & cause me to have to go into more dangerously low deficits. I ideally prefer shallow deficits since I like to train hard.

[Ironic_Method]

This is more or less what I do and I'm in great shape. I eat lean meat and veggies 4-5 times a week and whatever I want 2-3 days a week, exercise 3x a week and I'm more fit than the vast majority of people my age.

[BradleyScheff]

Just add extra cardio on weekends. Problem solved.