Free Days or Free Meals?

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az1cowgirl
az1cowgirl Posts: 82
in Food and Nutrition
How many people allow themselves a free day once a week or a free meal once a week?
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  • WomanofWorth
    WomanofWorth Posts: 395 Member
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    How many people allow themselves a free day once a week or a free meal once a week?

    I do a free meal once a week. I find a free day is too much and usually makes me gain but a planned meal, combined with exercise keeps me from binging.
  • soccermom004
    soccermom004 Posts: 444 Member
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    I never plan to go over, even though I do occassionally. I do plan to indulge once in a while and I will try to exercise more and plan my meals out to allow it. Feel free to look at my food diary to see what I mean.
  • HelenTheKitchen
    HelenTheKitchen Posts: 383
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    I allow myself free days or even weekends now and then (my birthday, christmas, thanksgiving, vacations etc.), but not every week. Probably about 6-12 times a year, maybe? I don't think there is anything wrong with weekly free days or free meals, I just think they will be more of maintenance thing for me. I also think they test your will power, big time. I'd rather just work the occasional treat into my healthy diet.
  • kjtrimmer
    kjtrimmer Posts: 14
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    I have a "Free Meal" day, but I still exercise that day and I plan it sensibly. Luckily, my "vices" are things that can lean towards sensible.
  • kjtrimmer
    kjtrimmer Posts: 14
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    I have a "Free Meal" day, but I still exercise that day and I plan it sensibly. Luckily, my "vices" are things that can lean towards sensible. If I say away from wine, that is.
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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    I do a free meal every now and then. It's usually within my calories or a little over... but it's usually something not as healthy for me and will keep me from getting the protein I need, but it keeps me in my calories and tastes delicious so that I don't jump off the wagon & end up eating it everyday! A couple days ago it was a personal size cheese pizza from Pizza Hut.
  • fuhrmeister
    fuhrmeister Posts: 1,796 Member
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    I don't do free meals/day weekly. Just for special ocasions. Like Hubby's birthday today. But I try to log everythign to keep myself accountable. I Think it's very important to log reguardless. I do tend to go over on weekends thouhg about 100 -200 cal but i stay under my bodys at rest burn if at all possible.
  • Lizzy_Sunflower
    Lizzy_Sunflower Posts: 1,510 Member
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    I find I go over board if I give my self a free "day". So I lean more towards a cheat meal. That way I can balance it with lighter meals and some exercise
  • steffilily
    steffilily Posts: 149
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    If I know that I will be eating out at places like an italian or mexican restaurant, I will budget my calories and do extra workouts so that whatever I chose to eat is still within my calorie budget. That way I feel like I deserved that meal and it feels better that way :-)
  • nancymmorris
    nancymmorris Posts: 310
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    I have a free day every week. I find that each week I splurg less because after you have been eating so good for so long when you eat crap you feel like crap. But some foods are just worth it for 1 day.
  • MaysMom
    MaysMom Posts: 103 Member
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    Definitely free meals for me, not a day. I would never be able to come back over the edge from a day of over doing, even if it's just a litlle. I just know my pattern. That whole self-defeating thing. As for free meals... I really don't allow those either. Well, sort of. Those are just the days I couldn't control a craving, messed up a little, then got back in the saddle. Exercised more, drank more water to help "reverse" some of the damage I've done. So rather than some folks who are able to give themselves one meal a week to eat whatever, I have to just hold on as long as I can until "mess up." I don't have that kind of control, yet.
  • MelissaG36
    MelissaG36 Posts: 38
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    I dont have a "Free day" weekly but for holidays I do not count calories, how can you? With all the hustle & bustle its kinda hard to. But considering we just had St Pattys Day, attended a playdate, & had company over I made it my free day but really didnt go to overboard. My next one will be March 26th, my daughters "Suprise Birthday Slumber Party". Zoe gets to pick out dinner & as much as Ill pay for a cake by gosh Im going to have a piece, LOL! No one is perfect, exspecially me so I will allow myself a Freebie at times :O) Besides my journey is not a sprint, its a marathon.
  • bbygrl5
    bbygrl5 Posts: 964 Member
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    I give myself a free day as a complete break, physically and mentally, but I don't always do it every week. I try to wait until I actually really need the break.

    This week I will have had two cheat days, but I'm certainly not expecting the scale to reflect a loss come Monday morning.
  • karilynn27
    karilynn27 Posts: 190 Member
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    I feel that when I give myself a free day I binge and it can take up to a week to get over that binge. So it is completely counter-productive for me.
    If I work out really hard one day, I will allow myself a piece of candy or have a cheat meal like pizza, ect. But I try and stay away from having a day where I just eat anything I want.
  • tross0924
    tross0924 Posts: 909 Member
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    There's no such thing as a free day or meal. You pay for it, either by not losing for the week, gaining for the week, or with good planning, by saving a little each day to pay for it.

    Personally I recommend the last one; I have days under and days over my goal every week. As long as they all balance out for a weekly average, I'm good with it, and so is my weight loss.
  • AngelsKisses75
    AngelsKisses75 Posts: 595 Member
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    How many people allow themselves a free day once a week or a free meal once a week?

    I do not plan to go over, but I have gone over trust you me. When this happens I do try to get in enough exercise to make up for it. If I don't balance out I remind myself it is not the end of the world, and push on to the next day. I am not perfect and realize I will fall down. The trick is to get back up and keep moving forward. :flowerforyou:
  • robertboyd
    robertboyd Posts: 11
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    I am only on my second week of dieting and fitness. I have two days off the gym and one day off the diet.

    My day off was last Thursday and I treated myself to full sugar Irn Bru, a pizza and some pakora. I'd been looking forward to it all week and it helped me keep focus however when I weighed myself on the Friday my weight was the same as the week before.

    I'm worried that my day off undid my good work so now I'm not sure if I can affored to have a day off AND I'm not sure I can stick to the diet without the promise of one.
  • callipygianchronicle
    callipygianchronicle Posts: 811 Member
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    I recognize that I will never have a body type that allows me to eat whatever I want without exercising. So, in my world, eating more means moving more, and I make this pretty non-negotiable.

    My life is highly sedentary. I must have the metabolism boost from exercise in order to maintain my weight. To lose, I need even more. There are some days that I know I will eat high calorie (because of a birthday party or some other event), but I usually front load that day with exercise.

    I also willingly go over calories on some days, if I have had other days during the week where I have been too far under my calorie goal. But as a practice, I try to stay within my calories every day; but I do not judge myself if I am imperfect in that practice.
  • SheilaSisco
    SheilaSisco Posts: 722 Member
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    Definitely not a free day... and no free meals for me once a week... I will on occasion 'cheat' a little on a meal, but I don't really consider it cheating since I eat light for my other meals and make sure I work out so that I still come in under calories. And I don't eat 'badly' (pizza, fast food, etc) very often, although it does happen on occasion. My take on it is basically if you have to give up EVERYTHING you love forever, you're less likely to stick with it. If you give yourself leeway to indulge once in a while (for special occasions or as a reward or something) then it'll be easier to stick with it for a lifetime. That has been my mistake in 'dieting' in the past... it was never realistic in the long term... and I think it's a mistake a LOT of people make... lol
  • wanda1956
    wanda1956 Posts: 110
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    Yep...a free meal helps me stay on track.

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