There are quite a few of us on this board who do Weight Watchers. One of the things that has helped me to be successful of WW is the idea of daily points, determined by height and weight, and WEEKLY 49 point allowance on top of that daily total. These weekly 49 points are what I use to keep myself sane.
It is an over generalization to say that 1 WW points plus is about 50 points, but for the purpose of having this discussion, maybe we could use that figure. So say 50x49=2450. Maybe you could budget in an extra ~2450 calories each week to use as you see fit or not use at all.
This week the 49 have gone towards lasagna for a staff appreciation dinner Wednesday night, wine Friday night when we had friends over, and eating and drinking with reckless abandon last night at my 5k after-party.
Having this built-in cushion helps me stick to my lifestyle while enjoying the occasional indulgence, but it all remains within some constraints. I PROMISE you: there is NOTHING I can't indulge in and stay within my weekly points, if I set my mind to - not an out of town wedding or Thanksgiving or a vacation.
I'm not a calorie counter, soif you'd want to try something like this, you'll need to consult with the resident calorie counters on the board to help you determine how many "weeklies" to set aside.