Ever taken the day off?

julziepal

Have you ever needed/wanted to take the day off from the planing, thinking, listing and logging and just eat what you want to for a day/half day/meal? I'm having one of those day's today for the first time scene I started over two weeks ago. Is it better to allow yourself this freedom on rear occasions or plow through? Also, If you're looking for a friend to share encouragement please add me.

Thank you,

malibu927

Other than around the holidays, no. Everything gets logged, otherwise I'll get off track and stop.

beemerphile1

I took 24 hours off at Christmas. It just wasn't worth it to try.

Liftng4Lis

Took a two week diet break a couple of months ago, it was fantastic!

prattiger65

I have, but not after two weeks.

ana3067

Yes. This was due to being unable to log (at parties), only logged waht I ate at home. Otherwise I have taken plenty of diet breaks while still logging.

Pretty much none of my logging involves planning or thinking. I search a food I want to eat, log it, eat it. In the evening I'll see how much protein I have left, maybe fat as well, and choose something to eat based on those needs. If I somehow met my protein needs by my 2nd meal or I am already over on protein enough from previous days that I decide to skip meeting that, then I log other foods. No planning involved.

loulamb7

I had a diet break one day a week for the majority of my weight loss. However I still logged what I ate. Initially my plan was to eat with no limits but overtime it actually worked out that I would eat to maintenance or a few 100 calories over.

higgins8283801

I always log..I do however take 2 days a week off from exercise.

But always log..even if I'm guesstimating due to other people's cooking or restaurants

SergeantSausage

If you feel the need for a day off, you're doin' it wrong.

Amanda4change

I've taken time off from worrying about what I was eating, but I still logged most of it (I spent just over a week doing this because of kidney stones, coupled with a massive infection in my kidney). Honestly I spent so much time throwing up from the meds I couldn't figure out how much of what actually stayed down. Other than that time I log everything even if I'm going over on my calories or macros.

lynn_glenmont

I haven't taken a day off from logging in nearly 18 months, but there are many occasions when I have had to estimate (eating at non-chain restaurants or eating at someone else's home). I don't do that much planning beyond what I did before I started using MFP (grocery lists, planning to eat things before they go bad, occasionally packing a lunch, deciding where I want to go for lunch if I don't pack one), except that I'm far more likely to look up a restaurant's menu and nutrition facts before I go, especially if I'm unfamiliar with it. And I was pretty flexible on daily calorie counts from the beginning, just trying to average my daily calorie deficit goal over the course of the week.

After losing about twice as much as I had hoped to lose when I first started, about twice as fast the one-pound-a-week goal I had set, and seeing a lot of health and quality-of-life benefits, I decided I just wasn't in that much of a hurry to lose the rest of it (partly concerned about losing too much lean body mass, partly worried that losing too fast would just result in rapid regain, and partly just feeling like I wanted a little more flexibility to be able to eat more food more often). It is a lot harder to see the downward trend at a slow loss, so I started averaging my weekly weigh-ins for each month, and then I could see the slow downward trend of just under a pound a month over the past year or so.

I don't know how much weight you have to lose, OP, but if you're tired of logging after just two weeks, it doesn't seem like a good sign for long-term success. Maybe you're being too restrictive in trying to hit your goal exactly or always come under it, and that's why it's taking so much time and energy for planning? If you're set for a pound (or more) loss each week, it's not the end of the world if you don't plan so carefully and end up 100 or even 200 calories over. You're still in a deficit, just a smaller deficit. You may find it gets easier as you go along and internalize what a lot of the foods you eat frequently will "cost" you in calories, and you get into a routine of a certain range of calories for breakfast and lunch (which for a lot of people don't change that much from day, or tend to be selected from a relatively limited set of options), and then adjust dinners and snacks to fit your goals.

But if you feel like you really need a day off, a single day won't make a difference to long-term success. It's what you do the next day and all the days after that...

Sued0nim

julziepal wrote: »

Have you ever needed/wanted to take the day off from the planing, thinking, listing and logging and just eat what you want to for a day/half day/meal? I'm having one of those day's today for the first time scene I started over two weeks ago. Is it better to allow yourself this freedom on rear occasions or plow through? Also, If you're looking for a friend to share encouragement please add me.

Thank you,

After two weeks ...no

Actually also after 258 days ...no. Logging is second nature and not a drag. I've just moved to maintenance ...still weighing and logging

You need to follow your own learning curve and work out how to eat everything you love within your calorie defecit

You won't get there by giving up at 2 weeks

Recommit

SandyBVTN

OP I say push through! I found the first month tough and I really had to dig deep to find my perseverance, motivation and patience. And it was totally worth it. Feel free to add me here

Snow3y

I've taken the past couple weeks off logging... Really just listening to my body, if I'm hungry I'll eat.. if I feel I haven't eaten enough in the day I'll eat what I feel my body needs..
Taken days off training, obviously too, when I feel it needs some rest

mfp2014mfp

On holidays yes, 1 day or 3 weeks, I dont log.
Every other time I log though, the good, bad and the ugly!

Unknown

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snarlingcoyote

When we go to WDW I don't track. But I'm happy to accept whatever the scale says when we get home. If you don't track for a day, that is totally your choice. But you should accept that the result maay be a weight gain.

Delilahhhhhh

rabbitjb wrote: »

julziepal wrote: »

Have you ever needed/wanted to take the day off from the planing, thinking, listing and logging and just eat what you want to for a day/half day/meal? I'm having one of those day's today for the first time scene I started over two weeks ago. Is it better to allow yourself this freedom on rear occasions or plow through? Also, If you're looking for a friend to share encouragement please add me.

Thank you,

After two weeks ...no

Actually also after 258 days ...no. Logging is second nature and not a drag. I've just moved to maintenance ...still weighing and logging

You need to follow your own learning curve and work out how to eat everything you love within your calorie defecit

You won't get there by giving up at 2 weeks

Recommit

SergeantSausage wrote: »

If you feel the need for a day off, you're doin' it wrong.

These posts sum it very nicely in deed.

Lounmoun

julziepal wrote: »

Have you ever needed/wanted to take the day off from the planing, thinking, listing and logging and just eat what you want to for a day/half day/meal? I'm having one of those day's today for the first time scene I started over two weeks ago. Is it better to allow yourself this freedom on rear occasions or plow through? Also, If you're looking for a friend to share encouragement please add me.

Thank you,

Not really. I'm on day 110 of logging everything. I don't find it stifling or hard. I do eat what I want every day. I just plan for it and log it.
Maybe you are being too restrictive.

julziepal

Thank you to everyone for responding! It seems there's an agreement that most haven't taking a day off. I realize that my stress level was Very high yesterday and healthy food supply was low. Got home late, hungry and frustrated when I posted my question. I did go over my daily calories on some pizza. However, I logged it and wrote a note for tracking tigers. I strongly believe it's not the fall that defines us but how we recover to stand even stronger! So, there's several lessons in this, but a big one for me is knowing a tiger.

Thanks again,

BWBTrish

Taken the day off..of eating? Nope, i eat every day.

lolzz

LessthanKris

If you have only been doing this for two weeks, I think I would not go too crazy. I honestly take off whenever I go on vacation. In December, I was basically off for two weeks. I knew I would need January to get back to where I was before the holidays. I enjoyed things when I ate out and tried to make good choices during other meals. I know I will start again then. I take a week off here and there during the year but I am always ready to go back to working out and eating right when I am home.

I am having a stressed day today as well I will be over my calories, but I also saved a bunch this week. You could also save some calories during the week to just enjoy extra calories on one day.

SandyBVTN

julziepal wrote: »

Thank you to everyone for responding! It seems there's an agreement that most haven't taking a day off. I realize that my stress level was Very high yesterday and healthy food supply was low. Got home late, hungry and frustrated when I posted my question. I did go over my daily calories on some pizza. However, I logged it and wrote a note for tracking tigers. I strongly believe it's not the fall that defines us but how we recover to stand even stronger! So, there's several lessons in this, but a big one for me is knowing a tiger.

Thanks again,

Good for you!! You pushed through and logged what you ate and made a note. That's awesome!

I just want to clarify, I have absolutely taken time off from logging (or just estimated or quick added calories) for several meals or days, and even took an eight week weight loss hiatus and maintained recently. I believe that there is room for that and that it's fine, as long as you are still meeting your goals. You will know on weigh in day if your strategy is working and if it's not, readjust!

gafuk

These people are much stronger than me too. I let things go now and then and know I will go over. If you go over one day, try harder the next and make sure you don't slip out of the good habits. The great thing about MFP is you are the only person who polices you. Suppose it depends how bad you want to lose weight, so it is up to you. I think its good advice not to have a day off logging though. You can see what your weak day has cost you in cals and hopefully spur you on to pull some back by trying harder. Over the last 12 months after joining I have lost quite a bit of weight ( 50 lbs) despite my "occasional" lack of strength. Good luck

Lasmartchika

SergeantSausage wrote: »

If you feel the need for a day off, you're doin' it wrong.

I took a whole month off... During that time, I realized I WAS doing it all wrong before. LOL!! :laugh:

obscuremusicreference

I took 10 days over Christmas, realized I hadn't been eating enough calories when I suddenly had energy, came back better. This was after 4 months. I think if I ever feel the way I felt prior to that week, I will take another break and reassess.