Is it ok to "relax" one day a week?

Peanut1026

I just want to know, if taking one day of "relaxing" as I like to call it is going to make a big impact on my diet? 5 days a week I exersice as much as possible, normally about 1-2hrs of vigouros walking via videos. Weekends are rough, Saturday nights I tend to not really follow my diet as well as I do during the week. So is a saturday night relax day going to hurt me, or not so much?

sbwood888

As long as you are comfortable with the rate at which you are losing.

Nelski

Yes, give your body a day of rest, especially if your exercise is pretty vigorous every day.

twilks11

I think it actually works better for me. If you don't you might start cheating because of all the good food you are eating and craving all the bad..I take one day a week since my weigh in is on fridays. I take one day on the weekend to eat what I want day within reasons of course. I also take that day off from walking to let my body rest. As long as your comfortable taking one day off it shouldn't hurt you

bluehooked

I usually have a mad friday night but get myself sorted out before weigh in on a monday morning. As well as being on the diet, we have to enjoy the exercise and diet foods but need to enjoy ourselves as well. Kenny

JennDoesKeto

i don't do any cheat days. i just eat what i want. if there is a day that i want a special something i check to see if i have enough calories...if i don't i schedule it for the next day and make it a treat for myself. im doing it diffrent this time around. i found that if i gave myself cheat days i was doing them more and more. heck it got to the point i would get to wed nights and crave pizza. i dont anymore but if i do want it i have it. i just am accountable now.

ClarkMer

You should try to keep it to one cheat meal. Don't throw the whole day away, but don't deprive yourself either, if you are miserable you will have a harder time sticking to the diet that you have set for yourself

lynzyn

the body needs at least 24hr rest in between workouts example if u do you upper body one day rest the next and o your lower body and continue like that...My brother is a personal trainer your body needs the rest to recuperate. And hard core body builders cheat at least once a week so don't be to hard on yourself...Good luck

melsinct

I don't do a cheat day but I will eat more calories on a weekend. I ate at maintenance level on Saturday as opposed to the number of calories I need to consume to lose. For arguments sake, let's say I eat 1200 calories a day normally. On Saturday I allow myself 1800 so I can eat a couple bites of the fried calamari appetizer my table was sharing, enjoy 2 glasses of wine, etc.

I need to live this way or I will fall off the wagon. I am losing at a pace I am happy with...I may reconsider if that changes! Also, I am accountable for EVERYTHING I eat and drink. I even looked up what 1/4 cup of calamari was! I never take a break from logging my food. If I did I fear I would never get back on track!

meggonkgonk

If you are talking about from exercise, then yes, a rest day is absolutely recommended.

If you are talking about from food and logging, then I would personally say no...ish.

Not logging (as tempting as it feels from time to time) I think is bad for your mentality- it reinforces the feeling that eating is something to be ashamed of and hidden, unless you are "doing it right". I just think this is a poor mentality to cultivate in yourself. So even when I go over I log. I'll even make a list on paper of how much I thought I ate if I do a buffet or go to a party, so that way I can't convince myself that I ate less because of all the calories in logging.

As for weekends, I try to set them up differently than weekdays- you are going out, being social and just dont have the structure you have during the week. For weekends, I let myself sleep in a bit and hold breakfast off until about 10 or 11, eat a filling breakfast, eat small snacks and then do a big "treat" dinner with the BF (sometimes we go out, sometimes we stay in- but he always over does the meat and cheese so I need to save my cals) . But I log it all- I think it's important to see these behaviors and choices as well as the ones when I'm stuck at work.

The point is, you can stay within your cals and still relax the rules a bit on the weekend. You can even afford yourself some extra calories on that night (or two) a week. Ie- if your calorie goal is 1300, you can have 1400 or 1500 calories without going over your "maintenence calories" (ie you arent making a deficit, you are just breaking even)

Cathy92

I've been doing that 'cheat' once a week and I don't think it's a good idea for me. I need to feel more in control and when I take a day off, I lose control. , I always regret it. No More! Now, I'm taking a different approach. If I want pizza (my fav), I plan on having it! NO more cheating..I make it part of my lifestyle. I want to lose a lot of weight and see results more quickly than slowly. If you don't have a lot to lose , maybe you can tak a little longer losing it and be happy with that.

meggonkgonk

i don't do any cheat days. i just eat what i want. if there is a day that i want a special something i check to see if i have enough calories...if i don't i schedule it for the next day and make it a treat for myself. im doing it diffrent this time around. i found that if i gave myself cheat days i was doing them more and more. heck it got to the point i would get to wed nights and crave pizza. i dont anymore but if i do want it i have it. i just am accountable now.

I do this also. I think the "cheat" mentality is just not healthy

annacataldo

Personally, if Im going out with friends for drinking, or going out to dinner with my boyfriend, etc, I make sure I stay within my calories. Like having a lower calorie breakfast and lunch and staying with lower calorie snacks, to have 1000calories to blow on whatever i want that night, and counting as I go so i make sure i dont have one beer too many or one drink too many, etc.

For me if I gave myself days off where i could eat whatever i wanted i think id eventually just make it a routine.

If I excercised Id def take a day off, but I dont excercise. I eat my calories and thats it: very little excercise at all. (like burning 100calories off a day is a high number for me)

susanswan

I never cheat on my diet. All I need is one of my bad habits to get a real toe hold in and there goes the routine!