1 day off from counting calories a week?

13»

Replies

  • Dove0804
    Dove0804 Posts: 213 Member
    I really don't think it's a good idea to be honest. You can (and probably will) easily wipe out any deficit you've created throughout the week. As you lose weight it gets harder and harder to create a deficit, and having a "day off" is going to make it almost impossible to continue to lose. I also don't think giving yourself "days off" prepares anyone well for maintenance. I feel like it kind of creates the mentality that this is a diet and one day it will be over. It's more important I think to find what's sustainable for you on a daily basis, that you don't feel like you have to take breaks from.

    I think the "controlled" cheat day mentioned by johunt is a better way to go if you want to have a day where you can eat more. Eat less for a couple days and then allow yourself more calories on a particular day- as long as your weekly count comes out to be the same. Or, if you find that your current daily calorie intake is too restrictive, ease it up a bit and slow down your rate of loss (i.e. to 1 lb per week instead of 2 lbs per week).
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,745 Member
    Dove0804 wrote: »
    I also don't think giving yourself "days off" prepares anyone well for maintenance. I feel like it kind of creates the mentality that this is a diet and one day it will be over.

    This is actually a really good point. Everyone has treat days now and then when they eat more than usual, but have you ever heard of someone who is not losing weight but has a "day off" from normal eating once a week? The concept does suggest your day to day eating is hard to live with and you need a rest from it - not a great attitude for maintenance.
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    edited July 2016
    For me, I couldn't do it. It's pretty easy to wipe out my deficit at this point because I'm set to .5 lbs a week, with only 15 lbs left to lose. 1750 extra calories would be very easy for me to eat without realizing it. YMMV, though. Luckily it's not an irreversible decision, thoigh, so do what works for you. If you still lose, then it's a winner. If not, then you can readjust as necessary.
  • minniemoo1972
    minniemoo1972 Posts: 295 Member
    jennifer_417 wrote: »
    For myself, I wouldn't. I could easily demolish a week's calorie deficit in one day.

    Me too....
  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
    minniemoo1972 wrote: »
    jennifer_417 wrote: »
    For myself, I wouldn't. I could easily demolish a week's calorie deficit in one day.

    Me too....

    I could erase the 5 day deficit over a weekend, but I don't like undoing all the work from the weekdays. I'm so close to goal that my deficit is tiny-- maybe 250 calories a day at this point. So I try not to go overboard on any given day or meal.
  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
    dragon_girl26 wrote: »
    For me, I couldn't do it. It's pretty easy to wipe out my deficit at this point because I'm set to .5 lbs a week, with only 15 lbs left to lose. 1750 extra calories would be very easy for me to eat without realizing it. YMMV, though. Luckily it's not an irreversible decision, thoigh, so do what works for you. If you still lose, then it's a winner. If not, then you can readjust as necessary.

    Same here!
  • heartofplastic
    heartofplastic Posts: 68 Member
    I do this once a week, but only for one meal - not the whole day. If I cheated/binged the whole day, I'd overeat too much and be way behind with my goal. Sunday is my family day so I'll eat the same diet for breakfast and lunch but for dinner I'll "binge" without logging anything. I've heard that cheats days are bad but cheat meals are ok. Maybe you can try that?
  • Dove0804
    Dove0804 Posts: 213 Member
    edited July 2016
    heartofplastic wrote: »
    I've heard that cheats days are bad but cheat meals are ok. Maybe you can try that?

    I would be careful about that-a meal vs. a day is probably better, but I know that I (and most people I know) can easily go to a buffet or party, or go out to eat and consume more than a day's worth of calories in one sitting. I don't think anything is "good" or "bad", but I still think it creates the mentality that what one is doing is unsustainable in the long-run. I personally find it easier to cut back calories some other day of the week in order to accommodate- that's what people typically have to do for maintenance. (Those extra calorie-days add up over the course of a year during maintenance unless you compensate elsewhere). I also find logging even my binges helps keep me accountable for what I'm really eating- after all, you can't fool your body.

    But I agree that whatever works, works.
    OP, if you want to try it go right ahead but if you reach a point where you are not losing, I would rethink the idea of not logging.

  • VividVegan
    VividVegan Posts: 200 Member
    edited July 2016
    Yes. I take weekends off and switch to intuitive eating. All I do is listen to my body and is hasn't done any damage. Sometimes I'll be craving veggies, sometimes extra protein, sometimes even desserts (although I limit myself). Some of my "off" days I'll be extra hungry while others a lot less hungry (depending on my exercise for that day). Sometimes I would write everything I ate on paper throughout the day and "test" my body's intuition by logging everything onto MFP by the end of the day, and surprisingly I'm still within my calorie range and the nutrients/macros are pretty close. I go with the flow and my body composition has improved (still losing inches), and I've been feeling more energized. The body is an intelligent thing if you truly listen to it. So to answer your question, yes its definitely a good idea to take a day or two off from counting.

Categories