Taking a break from "dieting"?

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annabeladcock
annabeladcock Posts: 99
in Health and Weight Loss
So exams are coming up, and I'm super duper stressed to the point where last weekend I made myself very very ill. I think that I'm trying to juggle too much at once, and maybe while I'm doing my exams (and the lead up to them) I shouldn't worry about my food intake, as it is stressing me out. I will continue to go to the gym as normal as it's a great destresser! My only concern is that 8 days after my last exam I'm going on holiday and want to look good! Am I making a good decision here? Any advice?
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Replies

  • piratesluver
    piratesluver Posts: 105 Member
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    Why not instead of giving up completely, just start going on maintenance. Then you may not lose weight, but at least you won't gain it either!
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    If you get rid of the diet mentality then you won't ever have to worry about taking a break. Think of what you are doing as a lifestyle change. It's okay to go from a calorie deficit to maintenance, but most of us who have been fat before will need to watch our calorie consumption.

    Remember, eat what you want but practice moderation on a daily basis no matter where you are or what you are doing.
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
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    if the method of losing weight you are employing would benefit from a "break", you might not be engaged in something sustainable.
  • awtume9
    awtume9 Posts: 423 Member
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    If you get rid of the diet mentality then you won't ever have to worry about taking a break. Think of what you are doing as a lifestyle change. It's okay to go from a calorie deficit to maintenance, but most of us who have been fat before will need to watch our calorie consumption.

    Remember, eat what you want but practice moderation on a daily basis no matter where you are or what you are doing.

    :drinker:

    ETA: good luck on your exams!
  • suziepoo1984
    suziepoo1984 Posts: 915 Member
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    I have taken a break from dieting because of all the stress going on in my life- but will get back to it soon! Life happens
  • lemonsnowdrop
    lemonsnowdrop Posts: 1,298 Member
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    If you get rid of the diet mentality then you won't ever have to worry about taking a break. Think of what you are doing as a lifestyle change. It's okay to go from a calorie deficit to maintenance, but most of us who have been fat before will need to watch our calorie consumption.

    Remember, eat what you want but practice moderation on a daily basis no matter where you are or what you are doing.

    Very great advice!
  • HerbertNenenger
    HerbertNenenger Posts: 453 Member
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    If you get rid of the diet mentality then you won't ever have to worry about taking a break. Think of what you are doing as a lifestyle change. It's okay to go from a calorie deficit to maintenance, but most of us who have been fat before will need to watch our calorie consumption.

    Remember, eat what you want but practice moderation on a daily basis no matter where you are or what you are doing.

    Couldn't agree more !!! Once you realize that to maintain, you have to be conscious and conscientious of your food intake and fitness for the REST OF YOUR LIFE, you will realize that this guilt/shame/taking a break thing doesn't fly. That way lies madness.
  • phatguerilla
    phatguerilla Posts: 188 Member
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    Surely the exams are the greater stressor and you should work on reducing their impact on your life, rather than removing the thing that should be having a positive impact on your life?
  • annabeladcock
    annabeladcock Posts: 99
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    If you get rid of the diet mentality then you won't ever have to worry about taking a break. Think of what you are doing as a lifestyle change. It's okay to go from a calorie deficit to maintenance, but most of us who have been fat before will need to watch our calorie consumption.

    Remember, eat what you want but practice moderation on a daily basis no matter where you are or what you are doing.

    Haha yes, this is why I put "diet" in little quotation marks - was purely for lack of a better word at the time! I have noticed that since starting, healthy choices have become so much easier and are now a part of my every day liife. For lunch, I now CHOOSE to have a wholegrain pita bread and an apple, and for dinner, I CHOOSE to have chicken breast and rice. It is just the constant obsession about counting every little calorie and being scared of going over my goal because I treated myself to a small chocolate bar was just added stress that I don't need right now! I've updated MFP to maintenance calories (it suggests 1680 per day) :) I will continue to eat as I did before, but now I just won't kick myself about that extra bar of chocolate, or going to get pizza on my birthday :)
  • annabeladcock
    annabeladcock Posts: 99
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    Surely the exams are the greater stressor and you should work on reducing their impact on your life, rather than removing the thing that should be having a positive impact on your life?

    Haha - if only that could be done! These exams are just SO SO SO important, and (not to be dramatic) could affect the course of my life... If I get the grades I need I will be fulfilling my dream of going to MEDICAL SCHOOL :D so right now I think they take priority... Just 3 months then they will be over :)
  • RunMyOregonBunsOff
    RunMyOregonBunsOff Posts: 862 Member
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    If you get rid of the diet mentality then you won't ever have to worry about taking a break. Think of what you are doing as a lifestyle change. It's okay to go from a calorie deficit to maintenance, but most of us who have been fat before will need to watch our calorie consumption.

    Remember, eat what you want but practice moderation on a daily basis no matter where you are or what you are doing.

    This!!!
  • DannehBoyy
    DannehBoyy Posts: 546 Member
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    Stick with it long enough and you won't even see it as dieting anymore, just the new way that you eat.
  • 3P0X
    3P0X Posts: 302
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    Focus on what is important at hand which is your studies.
  • 33Freya
    33Freya Posts: 468 Member
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    If keeping track of your food is stressing you out so much go ahead and take a break. It's alright :) Just continue to eat carefully...
  • ChrisM8971
    ChrisM8971 Posts: 1,067 Member
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    Do what you need to do to get through your exams and what you think will give you the best chance of success in them.

    At the end of the day whether you call what you are doing a "diet" a "lifestyle change" or a "pink elephant" its something you have years to perfect if needed.

    You don't get many chances at the exams so go with what lessens the stress
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    I understand your problem, but it should be a lifestyle change... if you need to take a break from it, well, you're looking at it wrong and you're never going to succeed.

    What's so stressful about it? Logging? Then don't log, but make an effort to eat smaller portions and plenty of veggies... that's totally fine and a lot of people lose weight without logging their food. Do you feel deprived? Eat at maintenance for a week. No problem.

    Just don't associate 'taking a break' with 'going back to your old eating habits'.
  • mazmol
    mazmol Posts: 41 Member
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    If you get rid of the diet mentality then you won't ever have to worry about taking a break. Think of what you are doing as a lifestyle change. It's okay to go from a calorie deficit to maintenance, but most of us who have been fat before will need to watch our calorie consumption.

    Remember, eat what you want but practice moderation on a daily basis no matter where you are or what you are doing.

    well said - its a life style choice for me not a diet - healthy eating.
  • annabeladcock
    annabeladcock Posts: 99
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    I understand your problem, but it should be a lifestyle change... if you need to take a break from it, well, you're looking at it wrong and you're never going to succeed.

    What's so stressful about it? Logging? Then don't log, but make an effort to eat smaller portions and plenty of veggies... that's totally fine and a lot of people lose weight without logging their food. Do you feel deprived? Eat at maintenance for a week. No problem.

    Just don't associate 'taking a break' with 'going back to your old eating habits'.

    I think the stress comes about when I'm hungry but at risk of going over my calorie goal and thinking about what to have for dinner would cut into my revision time which would make me even more stressed and AAHH... So it was badly phrased, I don't really mean "take a break" as in go back to eating junk, but I mean maybe eating at maintenance calories and not kicking myself if I slip and just eating good, healthy food and not obsessing so much...
  • kelleybean1
    kelleybean1 Posts: 312 Member
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    Take a break from logging if you need to, but be careful to make good choices and not stress eat!
  • ChrisM8971
    ChrisM8971 Posts: 1,067 Member
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    I see the "if you need a break you will fail" and "its not a diet, its a lifestyle change" so often and perhaps that is the best way to look at it

    However telling someone they will fail because they take a break is not always accurate

    Maybe a slightly different reason for breaking from dieting (creating a calorie deficit) but the following suggests that taking regular breaks may actually be beneficial

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html

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