I am on my last week of the 8 week cycle that I started. I am thinking of taking a week off. Since I did a practice week before I started the 8 week challenge and I have really been going for nine full weeks, is a week off a bad thing?

I would say generally that yes it is a bad thing because it can take you off course. In one week alone I realized that I had gotten so off track that I gained back a few pounds. To each their own I guess, so you might be fine.

Could you maybe have a slightly easier week rather than a week off? So tone the exercise down, have a couple of cheat days, but still keep a bit of momentum?

I don't know what plan you are following. I would think that taking a week off wouldn't be a good idea. Is this plan supposed to be followed for a straight eight weeks? If so, I would stick with it.

I am not too worried about cheat days as I might have only one of those a week, if that. What I am more concerned about is between work and the challenge that I will be finishing up (plus the practice week) I have been going for nine weeks straight. This includes a few weeks into it when I injured my right knee (better now) and battling two nasty colds. I think I kind of just need a week to catch back up.

It is 8 weeks of videos and calorie cutting, I would still keep the calories lower but take a break from just exercising as much as I have been. Six days a week is starting to get to me.