1 day off from counting calories a week?

emily23dw
emily23dw Posts: 14 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Wondering if anyone thinks this is an okay idea or if it has worked for you. Counting calories 6 days a week and then having one day without thinking about the numbers. This wouldn't be a "cheat day" or binge because I allow myself unhealthy foods in moderation throughout the week. It would be more of a mental break from the numbers and measuring. I eat in a 500 cal deficit 6 days a week and I only have 15-20 pounds to lose so my deficit shouldn't be that big anyways so I figured one day off wouldn't hurt? But I could be wrong, need advice.
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Replies

  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,745 Member
    People vary. It would be too frequent for me - I can easily top 3000cal if I take a day off logging - I reckon I could get to nearly 4000 if I got carried away. So I could only really afford to do this maybe once a month, not once a week.

    But you may be more restrained than me.
  • Anabug81
    Anabug81 Posts: 161 Member
    I do this on my rest day which is Sundays. I don't log any food or exercise, I just comment on people's posts and feeds for the day. It does give you a mental break. It has been great for me I am 3 months in and have lost 12 pounds.
  • pebble4321
    pebble4321 Posts: 1,132 Member
    Give it a try. It would be a good way to get used to estimating moderate portions - which is a skill that will be very useful in the long term.
    You will soon see how it works for you - if you aren't losing any weight (or are going up) over a month or so, then you need to think of another strategy.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,207 Member
    I have been the same weight for the last 4 months doing this, not deliberately but our of laziness, busy life and bad mindset. Luckily I've maintained but i wipe out my deficit every time.
  • daniip_la
    daniip_la Posts: 678 Member
    I would eat too much, without a doubt. If you're sure you won't wipe out your weekly deficit, then you could try it. But I'd be careful.

    When I have a "cheat" day, usually Sunday, I still end up with a deficit because I can't stand the thought of eating loads when I log. If I didn't log, I would eat so much more.
  • edixon127
    edixon127 Posts: 103 Member
    There's no way I could do this. Even if I decide to have a day where I allow myself to eat more than normal, I have to log everything. It keeps me from going way overboard which I could very easily do.
    But that's just me and if you have more restraint then it might work for you.
  • Bob314159
    Bob314159 Posts: 1,178 Member
    One day a week - I eat food made by other people- I'm not going to force them to weigh all the ingredients - I make reasonable guesses and enter them. For standard food - I guess the weight. Entering an estimate for the day will stop me going totally out of control.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    Why not eat in a 750-1000 calorie deficit on 6 days of the week and then allow yourself a higher calorie day but still maintain your weekly deficit.
  • k_nelson_24
    k_nelson_24 Posts: 251 Member
    I don't log on Saturday evening! Normally that's my cheat meal night.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    The problem is that if you don't count on that day off from logging you could wipe out your total weeks deficit on that one day....
    A lot of us bank calories for the weekend but we still know how much we are consuming on our splurge day.
  • rakowskidp
    rakowskidp Posts: 231 Member
    85Cardinals wrote: »
    I could never deprive myself of the fun of weighing/logging, not even for 1 day! It's like a game.

    Cool, I'm not the only one who thinks like this!

    I don't find it burdensome at all. There are times I have to estimate - eating in non-chain restaurants, for example - and those can induce a bit of stress. But I have a lot of fun with logging otherwise!
  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
    gothchiq wrote: »
    This would never work for me. I'd never lose an ounce.

    Me neither. It works for me in maintenance but doesn't work for me in active weight loss. I simply stall out if I do this.
  • glitzy196
    glitzy196 Posts: 190 Member
    I could easily undo 2 weeks of progress in one day because I am an over achiever like that. My logging is rarely as precise as a lot of people on here, but it is goid enough, and I am losing. Like if i steal a gold fish from my kids..i don't log it, but they often take bites of my stuff..i figure it evens out.
  • akf2000
    akf2000 Posts: 278 Member
    you eat gold fish in america?
  • KetoTeacher
    KetoTeacher Posts: 163 Member
    I tries it but cannot do it. I do take one or two days to have special treats and log them. Sometimes I go over a few hundred and sometimes they fit in
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    3dogsrunning wrote: »
    Try it and see. I tend to go way overboard on non-logged days. I was erasing my weekly deficit with less strict weekends.
    But that was me. You may do just fine.


    This is pretty much exactly what I was going to say.

    Try it. If things go well, great! If you find things are going south, then don't do it any more.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I don't see the point... My diary is a tool. How am I supposed to adjust my numbers if the data is inaccurate?
  • natboosh69
    natboosh69 Posts: 277 Member
    Nah I could easily blow out a whole week's deficit in one day.
  • CalorieCountChocula
    CalorieCountChocula Posts: 239 Member
    edited June 2016
    Francl27 wrote: »
    I don't see the point... My diary is a tool. How am I supposed to adjust my numbers if the data is inaccurate?

    Assuming of course the data is accurate to begin with. Even the fruit and veggies you eat have different calorie values that vary depending on the season among other things. Packaged foods are flat out allowed to be off by something like 20% (or so people say). Then there's the restaurants. Assuming a place even lists their calorie info the portion size is probably never right. Plus all you hear when people ask about eating someplace that doesn't have nutritional info is "just estimate but still log." So in other words, guess.

    At best all that hard data everyone is feverishly collecting down to the calorie is at best a reasonable predictor of which direction your weight will go and when it doesn't go the way it should the best advice people can offer usually amounts to, "weight loss isn't linear, you're not a robot, blah blah hormones." I'm not a robot? That's what you got? Then why the hell am I collecting all this data like one? LOL

    EDIT: Worth confessing I do of course count calories and find it work relatively well. The idea that it needs to be done with military precision is completely ridiculous though. The vast majority of people who have success are usually doing other things to make up for the inherent failures built into calorie counting.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    I don't see the point... My diary is a tool. How am I supposed to adjust my numbers if the data is inaccurate?

    This is kind of how I think. My diary is a tool to help me understand if I'm on track, and if not, why I'm not. If one day every week I'm not collecting data, I'm missing a big piece of the puzzle! And for me logging over time became an unconscious habit, I seriously hardly even have to think about it anymore. I'm not sure that would've happened if I didn't do it every single day.

    Maybe one day eyeballing portions and not worrying about exactly what you're eating would give you the break you're looking for, but I would still log it. And if you're new, I would advise against it. If you find logging a pain in the butt, it does take time to make it a normal part of your routine. And if you find it stressful, it's important to work at taking the emotion out of eating. It shouldn't be stressful :drinker:
  • Xo_healthylc
    Xo_healthylc Posts: 77 Member
    Why not set your standard for losing two pounds a week 6 days a week and maintain on the 7th day. It helps me stay sane
  • acbraswell
    acbraswell Posts: 238 Member
    akf2000 wrote: »
    you eat gold fish in america?

    Haha :) Goldfish crackers, the most perfect processed snack cracker ever! They're little cheesy crackers in the shape of a smiling fish. So tasty! At least now they have a whole grain version, while still processed, at least it has a little fiber.
  • Beautiful_Warrior94
    Beautiful_Warrior94 Posts: 197 Member
    Xo_healthylc wrote: »
    Why not set your standard for losing two pounds a week 6 days a week and maintain on the 7th day. It helps me stay sane

    This is my method

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