Cheat Days

Here is one area in which I've never heard much disagreement between diet plans: cheat days are fine! Today is Valentine's Day and I am about to have a nice dinner with my family. I plan to eat bread and potatos for the first time in weeks. There are pink frosted cookies in my kitchen and a few chocolates too. I've had a few other occasions in the past few weeks for which I've allowed myself to deviate from the new eating plan. Here are the thoughts around a cheat day.
1) this is not a diet, it's a lifelong change for the way I eat so giving up certain foods forever is simply not practical, nor is it necessary
2) cheat days should be strategically placed, planned -- few and far between, one very important rule is to not let one cheat day spill over to the next day; it's a slippery slope so if you allow a cheat meal or even a cheat day be sure to get right back on track the next day or you'll backslide right back to your old bad habits
3) finally, your cheat day doesn't have to be a 180-degree change from healthy eating; keep in mind that if you've been eating lots of fruits, veggies and low-fat foods, an overdose of grease may make you quite sick to your stomach