Well one thing is for sure everyone has strong opinions about their "version" of doing MF.
My personal feeling is this. Life happens to you once you don't get a second chance to do it over. The trick is to get as much joy out of it as you can. You can't do MF locked in a closet. If NEVER going off plan causes you discomfort then you have to learn to manage "off plan" eating. If you "off plan" eat then you have to deal with any consequences that may arrive. That is called managing your weight loss. Yes of course off plan eating can be an extremely slippery slope but here's the thing: When you reach goal you've got to learn to manage real food again anyways. If staying 100% compliant is what works for you than that is exactly what you should do. You'll learn your "real" food management when you get to maintenance.
Who loses faster? Compliants or rule benders? I have no opinion.
I'm fearful when I here guilt associated with cheating because it reminds me of this fat thinker's phillosophy. "Well I took a bite of that cookie, I'm so fat, I'll start tomorrow. Now I'm going to eat the entire bag of cookies."
That's why I started the MediSins Confessional Thread.
Well guess what? The "thin" people out there in the world eat cookies. They are just very adept at managing their eating. Of course it's easier for some than others (lucky bast*^%ds) but life's not fair and you work with the tools you got.
I'm not advocating cheating just sanity. In my personal MF journey I am really very compliant except for the pickles
and an extra cup of coffee once in a while. In order to stay on this program for what I believe will be about 10-12 months, manage my hospital, and run my crazy schedule I need my pickles and my coffee. I'd be unhappy without them so I chose to eat them. Yes I know pickles and coffee are pretty benign but you could apply the same survival technique to many foods. Okay well maybe not oreo cookie ice cream but you get my drift.
If your program works for you
AND the scale is moving
AND you feel good
AND you're able to keep your sanity then you're winning the battle!