I think the key is waiting for a designated meal you have established as the time that you're going to eat something to cheat.
That way you feel more like you are still in control, and don't feel like you did anything wrong. Plus remember, every once in awhile upping the calories will get your metabolism roaring again (assuming you're cutting?)
But yep, we all feel guilty when we cheat and it's not cheat day. That's what makes us different from other people. They eat shit at every meal and don't even think twice. So guilt can work in your favor too.
It happens to me when I go out and eat with friends. once i went to a chinese/japanese restaurant. we order sushi and a bunch of other foods, someone order a chinese dish with tons of grease on it. it looked so good I grabbed and grabbed. i'm bulking so I said wtf, it's not like I do it everyday. But then when I got home I felt guilty. then my stomach got upset because it's no longer used to so much grease. I threw in some ginger and that fixed it. but the guilt is always there!
I used to feel guilty when I ate something that I'm not supposed to....but then I thought if a good friend was on a "diet" or cutting, etc what would I tell them if they cheated? They suck, you're an ass, etc? Nope, then why tell myself that?
I log the food onto my fitday account, cringe at the cals, etc, think about how I can do better & move on. It's just one meal or day in the thousands per year, so I don't beat myself up or sweat it.
Yeah, I get mad at myself too when I eat crap on a non-cheat day. I do the same as jenscats...log it into my fitday account, get pissed as I look at the calories, and then move on and think about all the days that I eat exactly what I had planned...
holy shit, i just realized ive eatin almost 150 carbs from these dam pretzels from work. Ten servings in this bag. Wow, i never eat like this. HA. im going to puke this shit up. LAter..