Is one week of not logging going to ruin my diet?

imamonster2000

I am currently on vacation at a friend's house this week. They dont have much healthy food (especially not for a vegetarian) plus we have been going out to eat a lot. It has been such a hassle to log everything I eat and it has also been tough to find food in their house and at the restaurants that would fit with my plan. Would it ruin my diet if I quit logging and ate whatever just for this week?

Mokey41

Portion control!

Duck_Puddle

Yeah-it'll probably ruin a "diet", but it won't make a d@mn bit of difference in the overall scheme of life. There are 52 weeks/year times however many more years you hope to be alive. One week really doesn't matter over the course of a lifetime of healthy habits. If you're "dieting" to lose weight (with the intent to go "back to normal" when you reach your goal), then yeah-a bad week will impact that. But then again, so will going "back to normal".

chandanista

It can indeed be detrimental to your overall goals. Will you be able to start up again when the week is over? Or will you be stuck in a pattern of not logging/eating whatever you want?

rassha01

I think it would be better to not think of it being a "diet" as apposed to a lifestyle change. Diets are fads that usually have an end to them. I think if you view this the same that you will probably end up where you started. As for the question, no, one week is not going to make a bit of a differance! It may undo a week or 2 of progress but you can always get that back.

lil_pulp

Weight loss and fitness really depend more on what you eat and how much you move, not what you write down.

wibutterflymagic

Yeah-it'll probably ruin a "diet", but it won't make a d@mn bit of difference in the overall scheme of life. There are 52 weeks/year times however many more years you hope to be alive. One week really doesn't matter over the course of a lifetime of healthy habits. If you're "dieting" to lose weight (with the intent to go "back to normal" when you reach your goal), then yeah-a bad week will impact that. But then again, so will going "back to normal".

^^ This. If you aren't practicing healthy normal eating and are starving yourself then yes a week of "normal" eating will affect you. You need to relax and just do the best you can and enjoy yourself. One week is not going to ruin your life. Don't put that kind of pressure and stress on yourself. Your life doesn't depend on 1 week's food consumption.

Nachise

I know what you mean. One week will only make a difference if it makes you different about how you approach your general eating habits. The choice is up to you. I know it is for me.

When I visit with my daughter's family, the first thing my husband and I do is go grocery shopping. I make sure I have plenty of fruits and vegetables on hand. I also pack my kitchen scale.The first time they saw it, they thought I was nuts, but the results of using it have been evident, so now I am crazy like a fox to them.

I pack my gym bag and my walking shoes and socks. If I can burn some calories, I can be more forgiving with what I eat.

Then there is eating out. I have MFP on my phone, and sticking with that helps me out immensely. It never hurts to ask for kid's portions.

If I come home without weight loss, I'm grateful I didn't gain. If I gain, then I know what I need to do to get back on track and just do it. Beating myself up over a pound or two or five is just sabotage. I am changing my lifestyle, and sometimes that transition is not always smooth or easy, or without bumps in the road. I make my long term goals by sticking to my immediate, short term goals.

Good luck!

cwolfman13

One week is nothing in the grand scheme of things...there are 52 of them in a year. You should be focusing on developing good eating habits though, whether you log them or not though.

55in13

I quit logging for 6 months while I lost the bulk of my weight. I logged for a while and figured out what seemed to be the right mix of calories per meal and some meals to fit those and figured I would go back to logging if I wasn't meeting goals, was too hungry or didn't have energy. I stayed on track. Now I am starting to log again because I need to figure out what works for me to eat at a different level to lose slower and head toward maintenance. I plan to quit logging again once I figure it out.

cebreisch

No, one week of logging won't ruin your diet IF you pay attention to what you're eating and still focus on lean healthy proteins and other good quality foods.

Camera_BagintheUK

You have to live. This is the real world. Why not look at it as a special assignment, to see how much of what you've learnt you can take with you on your visit, and apply it outside of your usual regime and without logging on? Somebody said portion control - there's one. Making choices, fruit instead of cake and biscuits. Choosing maybe grilled fish instead of pizza on the restaurant menu. Whatever happens, have a fun week and enjoy your friends. There will always be moments when the calories come crowding in whatever you think - Christmas for example! But now you know how to maintain your weight, and if you put on a pound or two, you know how to get rid of it

LorinaLynn

The only way it'll "ruin" anything is if you completely stop. Taking time off is no big deal. Quitting is. As long as you don't quit, the worst you might do is delay the date you get to your goal weight by a few days.

And as someone who's been at goal for 2 years, that date doesn't matter.

yaseyuku

Not if you pay attention to portions and are generally aware of how many calories you're consuming.

I took a week's vacation recently and, while I logged, I had to guess and estimate everything. While I made healthy meal choices, I drank more alcohol than I would normally and indulged in desserts more than usual as well.

Even though I went over some days, I generally was aware of what I was eating -- as much as one can be without knowing exact calorie counts. I ended up losing 3kg and was surprised because I expected a gain.

This is a lifestyle change and sometimes these situations occur. You can't always avoid them.

laserturkey

If you think of this not so much as a "diet" but more as the way that you are, then you ought to be able to get right back on track and pick up logging again when you are able. You may find you have gained weight in the meantime, you may not. But taking a week off logging doesn't prevent you from logging again later. For our anniversary each year, we go to a fancy B&B that has AMAZING breakfasts that are extremely high in calories and we eat dinner at some gourmet restaurants for a couple of nights. I do try to log what I eat then, just to be consistent, but I don't care what the calories add up to, and I eat what I want for those two or three days. It actually feels good to get back to eating less by the time that holiday is over, and the impact on my weight has been really minimal.

I'd encourage you to think of yourself as logging what you eat and taking charge of that aspect of your life, rather than as a person who is "on a diet." Diets are temporary and often set people up for feelings of failure.