Splurge Days?

hbrow002

I put myself on a strict diet that doesn't include any of the "bad for you" foods I love. It's working I'm 10lbs down but I dream of the foods I miss (french fries, milkshakes, white bread etc.). I know I know everything in moderation but when it comes to french fries, for me, there is no such thing as moderation, it's either cut them or splurge. So my question is what do you think of a designated day for splurging?

CuteAndCurvy83

I allow myself one day, I don't go crazy, but thats the day I'll allow a piece of cake, or the fries from mcdonalds, or something like that. It helps me because I don't feel like I'm doing without. However the farther I get into my journey I realize even when I give myself the chance to splurge, I still choose healthier foods.

momofssc

I can tell you I worked as a personal trainer for a fitness facility and we had to study nutrition along with the muscle anatomy. They told us that it's important to eat something (such as a cheeseburger) to keep your metabolism going. When you eat only healthy foods with low carbs, cals and fat for several weeks your body gets use to it. Your metabolism will begin to slow down and thus you will not lose weight like you have been. Studies show that when you eat higher fat/cal/carb foods for one day, your metabolism will shoot up again and you will begin to lose more weight. Hope this helps.

pretty_bird

my dad and I do this a lot, but instead of splurge days, he calls them reward days. and instead of just going crazy for the day, you have one meal/ snack that day. He does them, its every Sunday/Saturday (day of "rest") for me(im on the stricter plan) its more like every two weeks. I can work, but you have to remember to jump back on your diet the next day, or you'll be sol. good luck

watermelonstarfish

i have splurge days, but not on purpose :blushing: after a weigh in way before the next one.

heatypablo

I can tell you I worked as a personal trainer for a fitness facility and we had to study nutrition along with the muscle anatomy. They told us that it's important to eat something (such as a cheeseburger) to keep your metabolism going. When you eat only healthy foods with low carbs, cals and fat for several weeks your body gets use to it. Your metabolism will begin to slow down and thus you will not lose weight like you have been. Studies show that when you eat higher fat/cal/carb foods for one day, your metabolism will shoot up again and you will begin to lose more weight. Hope this helps.

I have heard this several times now and it does work. Every few weeks or so, I end up eating more than I should on the weekend or make unhealthy choices and I always think it's going to show a gain on the scale and instead, I lose! Sometimes there will be a small gain, which is typically water weight (due to sodium) but I drink tons of water and by the following day I'm down in weight.

heather0mc

when i first began waaaaay back in 2009, i would allow a splurge 'day'. i found that over time the day turned into two, then three, and before you know it a whole month would go by...i felt like crap so i just kept eating bad because 'i screwed up'..

when i REALLY got serious last september, i went a whole month with no splurging. i felt great and like i was making serious progress. i had a splurge meal - cheeseburger, tots, dr. pepper, probably a sunday or a shake ... MAN did i feel AWFUL! seriously it was as if my body was going into some kind of calorie over load shock...and you know what? it didn't even taste that great. totally not worth it to me.

so, knowing that, i allow myself things i want in moderation. i make healthy choices and if for some reason i am craving something bad, i look up the nutritional info and make a decision. for example - pizza. i would prefer to have 3 slices with a coke. one slice of cheese has so much sodium it is insane so i just dont even go there. but if i do, i log it and move on. i am ok with it because i know the rest of the day i made good choices.

no matter what you do, keep yourself accountable and log everything. dont get me wrong, i am far from eating like a pro - just check out my breakfast this morning, eesh! - but this is a complete change to my life, not just so i can slim down over a few months. the changes i have made so far (since september) have been working and i have discovered a moderate splurge meal is much much more satisfying...(again, like my b-fast today...)

just my two cents - good luck on your journey! :flowerforyou:

tiffsNEWlife

I can tell you I worked as a personal trainer for a fitness facility and we had to study nutrition along with the muscle anatomy. They told us that it's important to eat something (such as a cheeseburger) to keep your metabolism going. When you eat only healthy foods with low carbs, cals and fat for several weeks your body gets use to it. Your metabolism will begin to slow down and thus you will not lose weight like you have been. Studies show that when you eat higher fat/cal/carb foods for one day, your metabolism will shoot up again and you will begin to lose more weight. Hope this helps.

I agree with this too. I work out about 7 days a week (sometimes only 6) stay at my 1200 calories a day, I do not eat my calories back from exercise and every other 3rd or 4th day I eat about 1400 calories to boost my metabolism, and to keep my body from the dreaded "starvation mode" This has worked great for me.

Liatush

While I agree with cut or splurge thing, I think its dangerous to have a "splurge day" - you can undo all of your efforts in that day. What I would suggest is maybe have a splurge meal once a week or a dessert you really want once a week...