Is it time for a break from weight loss?
Options
Replies
-
Chewypraline wrote: »I think that diet should be a lifestyle not a thing you do once and awhile to loose weight, you need to eat healthy and in the right amounts everyday forever, that's how you loose weight or maintain weight the only difference is you take away calories and increase exercise to loose weight or you stay on the same calories and exercise moderately to maintain weight. The foods you eat should always be healthy and size appropriate. So as for a " diet break" no don't go off your diet unless its not one you like in which case I suggest you research meals you like that you can eat to stay in your calorie and health range and switch to that forever. I expect to be eating the way I am now until the day I die . I don't even know what a diet break would mean? Eating oreos and McDonalds or just eating as much food as you want and not thinking about the nutrition of it ? Either way that's a bad mentality to have. Always be aware of your meals ,making sure they're whole meals,healthy,clean and don't overeat. Simple
@Chewypraline
It means having a break from being in a calorie deficit - it doesn't mean changing the foods you eat now or intend eating for life. Just a period of weeks eating at maintenance, just a pause and not an excuse to splurge. It could be seen as a very good practice for maintenance when you get to goal weight too.
It helps reset and reinvigorate yourself both physically and mentally.
OP - it seems a perfect way to address these issues...
Much better to take a positive and controlled response rather than risk falling off the wagon.In the last two months, my very consistent weight loss has slowed. My motivation is starting to drift
Yes, entirely different to just going off track and eating whatever for awhile. That's a disastrous idea! As I said above, I'm on a diet break myself atm, all I've done is add a few extra things in to up my calorie intake to maintenance level. My baseline meals are essentially unchanged, and I've still logged everything. And I have very much thought about the nutrition of it.4 -
WE NEVER EVER QUIT!, its a ongoing, FOR LIFE THING! GIDDY UP!5
-
Nony_Mouse wrote: »Chewypraline wrote: »I think that diet should be a lifestyle not a thing you do once and awhile to loose weight, you need to eat healthy and in the right amounts everyday forever, that's how you loose weight or maintain weight the only difference is you take away calories and increase exercise to loose weight or you stay on the same calories and exercise moderately to maintain weight. The foods you eat should always be healthy and size appropriate. So as for a " diet break" no don't go off your diet unless its not one you like in which case I suggest you research meals you like that you can eat to stay in your calorie and health range and switch to that forever. I expect to be eating the way I am now until the day I die . I don't even know what a diet break would mean? Eating oreos and McDonalds or just eating as much food as you want and not thinking about the nutrition of it ? Either way that's a bad mentality to have. Always be aware of your meals ,making sure they're whole meals,healthy,clean and don't overeat. Simple
@Chewypraline
It means having a break from being in a calorie deficit - it doesn't mean changing the foods you eat now or intend eating for life. Just a period of weeks eating at maintenance, just a pause and not an excuse to splurge. It could be seen as a very good practice for maintenance when you get to goal weight too.
It helps reset and reinvigorate yourself both physically and mentally.
OP - it seems a perfect way to address these issues...
Much better to take a positive and controlled response rather than risk falling off the wagon.In the last two months, my very consistent weight loss has slowed. My motivation is starting to drift
Yes, entirely different to just going off track and eating whatever for awhile. That's a disastrous idea! As I said above, I'm on a diet break myself atm, all I've done is add a few extra things in to up my calorie intake to maintenance level. My baseline meals are essentially unchanged, and I've still logged everything. And I have very much thought about the nutrition of it.
i often think its as much mental as physical as I straight away feel better with 200 extra cals!
i don't go all the way up to maintenance, i go from net 1600 to net 1800 and maintenance is net 1900. saving that for Christmas week :laugh:3 -
Because no progress is better than slow progress? I'm not seeing the logic here. Keep going until you're happy with where you're at.6
-
Because no progress is better than slow progress? I'm not seeing the logic here. Keep going until you're happy with where you're at.
Did you bother to read the link I provided up thread @wolfer ? If you can't understand the logic, then I'm guessing not. Again, there are very solid physiological reasons why periodic breaks from eating at a deficit are a damn good idea.6 -
TavistockToad wrote: »Nony_Mouse wrote: »Chewypraline wrote: »I think that diet should be a lifestyle not a thing you do once and awhile to loose weight, you need to eat healthy and in the right amounts everyday forever, that's how you loose weight or maintain weight the only difference is you take away calories and increase exercise to loose weight or you stay on the same calories and exercise moderately to maintain weight. The foods you eat should always be healthy and size appropriate. So as for a " diet break" no don't go off your diet unless its not one you like in which case I suggest you research meals you like that you can eat to stay in your calorie and health range and switch to that forever. I expect to be eating the way I am now until the day I die . I don't even know what a diet break would mean? Eating oreos and McDonalds or just eating as much food as you want and not thinking about the nutrition of it ? Either way that's a bad mentality to have. Always be aware of your meals ,making sure they're whole meals,healthy,clean and don't overeat. Simple
@Chewypraline
It means having a break from being in a calorie deficit - it doesn't mean changing the foods you eat now or intend eating for life. Just a period of weeks eating at maintenance, just a pause and not an excuse to splurge. It could be seen as a very good practice for maintenance when you get to goal weight too.
It helps reset and reinvigorate yourself both physically and mentally.
OP - it seems a perfect way to address these issues...
Much better to take a positive and controlled response rather than risk falling off the wagon.In the last two months, my very consistent weight loss has slowed. My motivation is starting to drift
Yes, entirely different to just going off track and eating whatever for awhile. That's a disastrous idea! As I said above, I'm on a diet break myself atm, all I've done is add a few extra things in to up my calorie intake to maintenance level. My baseline meals are essentially unchanged, and I've still logged everything. And I have very much thought about the nutrition of it.
i often think its as much mental as physical as I straight away feel better with 200 extra cals!
i don't go all the way up to maintenance, i go from net 1600 to net 1800 and maintenance is net 1900. saving that for Christmas week :laugh:
I'm just enjoying my double sized chocolate peanut butter protein shakes!! And I should be back at maintenance for reals in the not too distant future (unless I do something crazy like decide to drop a bit more before recomping, but I'm thinking not...).
It's funny, cos it's not like I haven't maintained before, but this is the first proper, logged, intentional by the book 'diet break' that I've actually done. It's been interesting!3 -
Nony_Mouse wrote: »Yep, I'd recommend a full diet break. Have a read of this for the how to
https://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html/
Cheers, going to try this myself, have family history of thyroid issues so could be linked to my slow down.3 -
I restricted my calories for six month and was totally fed up, hangry and frustrated at the end of six months so I chose a very cautious change. I figured the maintenance level of calories for my goal weight. This was a very small deficit at my current weight - but still a deficit. Since I want to remain at my goal weight when I get there, and will be eating that amount to do so, I chose that as my ‘diet break’ target. Everything else (exercise, nutrition, sleep) fitness wise remained the same.
It was a good month long break, ( and I did lose about a pound that month) and as of the beginning of October I’m back to calorie restriction. (And feeling much better about taking off the next 25 pounds)
Just an example of a diet break that worked.13 -
I Just finished a diet break, eating at maintenance. Honestly, it's probably one of the smartest things I've tried! I feel so good and motivated! I'm one of those people on my fourth weight loss journey. I always hit a point where eating at a deficit becomes exhausting and I become anxious and food obsessed. I don't want to go through again, so, as soon as I started struggling, I decided to eat at maintenance for 2 weeks. I recognized that it would slow my progress but that's much better than being miserable and falling off the wagon. Like someone else said, I didn't really change what I eat, I just got to eat more for a while. I actually ended the break early because I felt so GOOD and raring to go!
The scale did go up 3 pounds during the break but today, after one day back at a deficit, the 3 pounds are gone. I don't think people are understanding that it's maintenance, not overeating.
Also, for those saying you shouldn't feel deprived at a deficit, I envy you!! I'm quite big and therefore logically can handle a bit larger of a deficit, but even a 500 calorie a day deficit is hard for me. I'm not gong to judge myself for finding it difficult to eat at a deficit long - term. I'm going to keep trying to figure out a way and a diet break helped tremendously! I feel so much better physically and mentally and plan on taking as many breaks as I need to keep going and not regain.15 -
Nony_Mouse wrote: »Because no progress is better than slow progress? I'm not seeing the logic here. Keep going until you're happy with where you're at.
Did you bother to read the link I provided up thread @wolfer ? If you can't understand the logic, then I'm guessing not. Again, there are very solid physiological reasons why periodic breaks from eating at a deficit are a damn good idea.
I can't imagine that this poster or the others that are saying not to take a break read the link. There are valid hormonal and physiological reasons to normalize your diet to maintenance periodically. But the key point is, it makes weight loss get back on track and on schedule!! Cause physiology. Now if you want to keep banging your head against the adaptations that cause the slowdown, go right ahead. Me, I'm just coming off a 2 week break where I ate at maintenance. Back in deficit and losing weight. Back on schedule.
From the article in the linkWhen folks diet and lose weight/fat, the body adjusts metabolic rate downwards. While a majority of this is simply due to weighing less (smaller bodies burn fewer calories), there is also an adaptive component, a greater decrease in metabolic rate than would be predicted due to changes in things like leptin, insulin, thyroid hormones, etc.
By moving to roughly maintenance for a couple of weeks, many of those hormones are given time to recover. Thyroid hormones come back up, as does leptin. This is a big part of the reason for the recommendation to raise carbs to 100-150 grams per day as a minimum.3 -
meganpettigrew86 wrote: »Nony_Mouse wrote: »Yep, I'd recommend a full diet break. Have a read of this for the how to
https://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html/
Cheers, going to try this myself, have family history of thyroid issues so could be linked to my slow down.
As the Lyle McDonald article addresses,TavistockToad wrote: »Nony_Mouse wrote: »Chewypraline wrote: »I think that diet should be a lifestyle not a thing you do once and awhile to loose weight, you need to eat healthy and in the right amounts everyday forever, that's how you loose weight or maintain weight the only difference is you take away calories and increase exercise to loose weight or you stay on the same calories and exercise moderately to maintain weight. The foods you eat should always be healthy and size appropriate. So as for a " diet break" no don't go off your diet unless its not one you like in which case I suggest you research meals you like that you can eat to stay in your calorie and health range and switch to that forever. I expect to be eating the way I am now until the day I die . I don't even know what a diet break would mean? Eating oreos and McDonalds or just eating as much food as you want and not thinking about the nutrition of it ? Either way that's a bad mentality to have. Always be aware of your meals ,making sure they're whole meals,healthy,clean and don't overeat. Simple
@Chewypraline
It means having a break from being in a calorie deficit - it doesn't mean changing the foods you eat now or intend eating for life. Just a period of weeks eating at maintenance, just a pause and not an excuse to splurge. It could be seen as a very good practice for maintenance when you get to goal weight too.
It helps reset and reinvigorate yourself both physically and mentally.
OP - it seems a perfect way to address these issues...
Much better to take a positive and controlled response rather than risk falling off the wagon.In the last two months, my very consistent weight loss has slowed. My motivation is starting to drift
Yes, entirely different to just going off track and eating whatever for awhile. That's a disastrous idea! As I said above, I'm on a diet break myself atm, all I've done is add a few extra things in to up my calorie intake to maintenance level. My baseline meals are essentially unchanged, and I've still logged everything. And I have very much thought about the nutrition of it.
i often think its as much mental as physical as I straight away feel better with 200 extra cals!
i don't go all the way up to maintenance, i go from net 1600 to net 1800 and maintenance is net 1900. saving that for Christmas week :laugh:
It's both. But the positive physiological adaptations don't happen as effectively without going to maintenance. Not aimed at you personally, but I just don't get all the issues with people being afraid to eat at maintenance for 10 days to 2 weeks. What is going to happen? And to answer the question of the poster who asked is it better to make no progress than slow progress, I'd say that mentality is not seeing the forest for the trees. You make no progress for 10 to 14 days to make more progress afterwards at a faster pace. Read the article people!!6 -
meganpettigrew86 wrote: »Nony_Mouse wrote: »Yep, I'd recommend a full diet break. Have a read of this for the how to
https://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html/
Cheers, going to try this myself, have family history of thyroid issues so could be linked to my slow down.
As the Lyle McDonald article addresses,TavistockToad wrote: »Nony_Mouse wrote: »Chewypraline wrote: »I think that diet should be a lifestyle not a thing you do once and awhile to loose weight, you need to eat healthy and in the right amounts everyday forever, that's how you loose weight or maintain weight the only difference is you take away calories and increase exercise to loose weight or you stay on the same calories and exercise moderately to maintain weight. The foods you eat should always be healthy and size appropriate. So as for a " diet break" no don't go off your diet unless its not one you like in which case I suggest you research meals you like that you can eat to stay in your calorie and health range and switch to that forever. I expect to be eating the way I am now until the day I die . I don't even know what a diet break would mean? Eating oreos and McDonalds or just eating as much food as you want and not thinking about the nutrition of it ? Either way that's a bad mentality to have. Always be aware of your meals ,making sure they're whole meals,healthy,clean and don't overeat. Simple
@Chewypraline
It means having a break from being in a calorie deficit - it doesn't mean changing the foods you eat now or intend eating for life. Just a period of weeks eating at maintenance, just a pause and not an excuse to splurge. It could be seen as a very good practice for maintenance when you get to goal weight too.
It helps reset and reinvigorate yourself both physically and mentally.
OP - it seems a perfect way to address these issues...
Much better to take a positive and controlled response rather than risk falling off the wagon.In the last two months, my very consistent weight loss has slowed. My motivation is starting to drift
Yes, entirely different to just going off track and eating whatever for awhile. That's a disastrous idea! As I said above, I'm on a diet break myself atm, all I've done is add a few extra things in to up my calorie intake to maintenance level. My baseline meals are essentially unchanged, and I've still logged everything. And I have very much thought about the nutrition of it.
i often think its as much mental as physical as I straight away feel better with 200 extra cals!
i don't go all the way up to maintenance, i go from net 1600 to net 1800 and maintenance is net 1900. saving that for Christmas week :laugh:
It's both. But the positive physiological adaptations don't happen as effectively without going to maintenance. Not aimed at you personally, but I just don't get all the issues with people being afraid to eat at maintenance for 10 days to 2 weeks. What is going to happen? And to answer the question of the poster who asked is it better to make no progress than slow progress, I'd say that mentality is not seeing the forest for the trees. You make no progress for 10 to 14 days to make more progress afterwards at a faster pace. Read the article people!!
I think this fear of going up to maintenance might be a sign that one's current eating patterns are too restrictive, or at least that one doesn't fully trust CICO. If you think that adding 250 calories a day (or 500 or whatever) is going to cause you to go hog-wild on candy and beer, then maybe you need to work some candy and beer into your deficit.7 -
MegaMooseEsq wrote: »meganpettigrew86 wrote: »Nony_Mouse wrote: »Yep, I'd recommend a full diet break. Have a read of this for the how to
https://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html/
Cheers, going to try this myself, have family history of thyroid issues so could be linked to my slow down.
As the Lyle McDonald article addresses,TavistockToad wrote: »Nony_Mouse wrote: »Chewypraline wrote: »I think that diet should be a lifestyle not a thing you do once and awhile to loose weight, you need to eat healthy and in the right amounts everyday forever, that's how you loose weight or maintain weight the only difference is you take away calories and increase exercise to loose weight or you stay on the same calories and exercise moderately to maintain weight. The foods you eat should always be healthy and size appropriate. So as for a " diet break" no don't go off your diet unless its not one you like in which case I suggest you research meals you like that you can eat to stay in your calorie and health range and switch to that forever. I expect to be eating the way I am now until the day I die . I don't even know what a diet break would mean? Eating oreos and McDonalds or just eating as much food as you want and not thinking about the nutrition of it ? Either way that's a bad mentality to have. Always be aware of your meals ,making sure they're whole meals,healthy,clean and don't overeat. Simple
@Chewypraline
It means having a break from being in a calorie deficit - it doesn't mean changing the foods you eat now or intend eating for life. Just a period of weeks eating at maintenance, just a pause and not an excuse to splurge. It could be seen as a very good practice for maintenance when you get to goal weight too.
It helps reset and reinvigorate yourself both physically and mentally.
OP - it seems a perfect way to address these issues...
Much better to take a positive and controlled response rather than risk falling off the wagon.In the last two months, my very consistent weight loss has slowed. My motivation is starting to drift
Yes, entirely different to just going off track and eating whatever for awhile. That's a disastrous idea! As I said above, I'm on a diet break myself atm, all I've done is add a few extra things in to up my calorie intake to maintenance level. My baseline meals are essentially unchanged, and I've still logged everything. And I have very much thought about the nutrition of it.
i often think its as much mental as physical as I straight away feel better with 200 extra cals!
i don't go all the way up to maintenance, i go from net 1600 to net 1800 and maintenance is net 1900. saving that for Christmas week :laugh:
It's both. But the positive physiological adaptations don't happen as effectively without going to maintenance. Not aimed at you personally, but I just don't get all the issues with people being afraid to eat at maintenance for 10 days to 2 weeks. What is going to happen? And to answer the question of the poster who asked is it better to make no progress than slow progress, I'd say that mentality is not seeing the forest for the trees. You make no progress for 10 to 14 days to make more progress afterwards at a faster pace. Read the article people!!
I think this fear of going up to maintenance might be a sign that one's current eating patterns are too restrictive, or at least that one doesn't fully trust CICO. If you think that adding 250 calories a day (or 500 or whatever) is going to cause you to go hog-wild on candy and beer, then maybe you need to work some candy and beer into your deficit.
Sorry but I can't work in candy and beer because I'd have to lose my ice cream and wine to do that.
15 -
MegaMooseEsq wrote: »meganpettigrew86 wrote: »Nony_Mouse wrote: »Yep, I'd recommend a full diet break. Have a read of this for the how to
https://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html/
Cheers, going to try this myself, have family history of thyroid issues so could be linked to my slow down.
As the Lyle McDonald article addresses,TavistockToad wrote: »Nony_Mouse wrote: »Chewypraline wrote: »I think that diet should be a lifestyle not a thing you do once and awhile to loose weight, you need to eat healthy and in the right amounts everyday forever, that's how you loose weight or maintain weight the only difference is you take away calories and increase exercise to loose weight or you stay on the same calories and exercise moderately to maintain weight. The foods you eat should always be healthy and size appropriate. So as for a " diet break" no don't go off your diet unless its not one you like in which case I suggest you research meals you like that you can eat to stay in your calorie and health range and switch to that forever. I expect to be eating the way I am now until the day I die . I don't even know what a diet break would mean? Eating oreos and McDonalds or just eating as much food as you want and not thinking about the nutrition of it ? Either way that's a bad mentality to have. Always be aware of your meals ,making sure they're whole meals,healthy,clean and don't overeat. Simple
@Chewypraline
It means having a break from being in a calorie deficit - it doesn't mean changing the foods you eat now or intend eating for life. Just a period of weeks eating at maintenance, just a pause and not an excuse to splurge. It could be seen as a very good practice for maintenance when you get to goal weight too.
It helps reset and reinvigorate yourself both physically and mentally.
OP - it seems a perfect way to address these issues...
Much better to take a positive and controlled response rather than risk falling off the wagon.In the last two months, my very consistent weight loss has slowed. My motivation is starting to drift
Yes, entirely different to just going off track and eating whatever for awhile. That's a disastrous idea! As I said above, I'm on a diet break myself atm, all I've done is add a few extra things in to up my calorie intake to maintenance level. My baseline meals are essentially unchanged, and I've still logged everything. And I have very much thought about the nutrition of it.
i often think its as much mental as physical as I straight away feel better with 200 extra cals!
i don't go all the way up to maintenance, i go from net 1600 to net 1800 and maintenance is net 1900. saving that for Christmas week :laugh:
It's both. But the positive physiological adaptations don't happen as effectively without going to maintenance. Not aimed at you personally, but I just don't get all the issues with people being afraid to eat at maintenance for 10 days to 2 weeks. What is going to happen? And to answer the question of the poster who asked is it better to make no progress than slow progress, I'd say that mentality is not seeing the forest for the trees. You make no progress for 10 to 14 days to make more progress afterwards at a faster pace. Read the article people!!
I think this fear of going up to maintenance might be a sign that one's current eating patterns are too restrictive, or at least that one doesn't fully trust CICO. If you think that adding 250 calories a day (or 500 or whatever) is going to cause you to go hog-wild on candy and beer, then maybe you need to work some candy and beer into your deficit.
Sorry but I can't work in candy and beer because I'd have to lose my ice cream and wine to do that.
I'm a popcorn and cider girl, myself.5 -
Just anecdotal, but most of the friends on my list have been at this a long time and have lost large amounts of weight, and the only one that hasn't lost focus at some point, has been able to keep things moving consistently, and is now within a few lbs of goal, is the one incorporating *purposeful* diet breaks. I highlight *purposeful* because a true diet break is not an unintentional period of sloppy eating/logging, but diligent tracking of your maintenance calories with a purpose. 13
-
I am not dieting anymore. Been there, took breaks, cheat days, and so forth. All of which never helped me keep any progress I had made to that point. I have changed what I eat how much of it I eat and am more aware of what I put in my body. This approach is taking far longer than my dieting days "which I could never maintain" but when I lose now I am more confident it will stay off. This is only my opinion. Many people have success with other approachs this is the one that has worked for me.2
-
jasummers76 wrote: »I am not dieting anymore. Been there, took breaks, cheat days, and so forth. All of which never helped me keep any progress I had made to that point. I have changed what I eat how much of it I eat and am more aware of what I put in my body. This approach is taking far longer than my dieting days "which I could never maintain" but when I lose now I am more confident it will stay off. This is only my opinion. Many people have success with other approachs this is the one that has worked for me.
I don't think you appreciate the term "diet break" in the sense it is being used. A person should eat for weight loss the same way they want to eat for the rest of their lives, just in smaller quantities, and a person wouldn't necessarily need a "break" from that. But a person's body systems can definitely use a break from prolonged calorie deficits.1 -
I started at 241 and am on my way to 165 or thereabouts (maybe 160, we will see). I am plannnig on taking a month or so off deficit and into maintenance once I hit 200. That puts me out of obese and into overweight category, should occur right about when the holidays start, and maybe will get my thyroid happier again (My hypo gets worse with weight loss and we are hoping it will stabilize once I'm eating at maintenance instead. I have been going in every 2-3 weeks for blood checks so my doctor can adjust my medication accordingly).0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.4K Getting Started
- 259.6K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 387 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.2K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 911 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions