It ok to have 1' free' day a week?

KeriA

I manage feelings of deprivation as much as I do calories. I grew up with no sweets allowed except for waffles or pancakes on the weekend. I never learned to regulate sweets bcause of that. That is what I am learning now. That is my issue. So yes for some it is a free day a week for others it is managing their calories and exercise to determine when they can afford a tret when they feel they really want it. It maynot always be one day a week that it makes sense to do this. For me I work it out that I can eat more for our family parties when we have them. Ot be able to go out and celebrate a bit when occaisions call for it. It is what works for you best. Yes it should be OK to have take out you enjoy once in a while if it works in your weekly calorie goals. It is more the weekly calorie deficit not the daily one to be aware of as some here have said and actually those higher calories days can have some benefits for weight loss in relation to a weekly calorie deficit. Some treats make it hard to stop and others are easier to have just one. I think you will do better if you find the best way to have things that you want in moderation while maintaining a sane weekly defict that is needed to lose weight. Best wishes on your goals.

silkysly

I don’t diet.., it’s a lifestyle choice for me. (I do eat ice cream, but is the low calorie kind.) It’s your choice in the end.

kyle4jem

I think you need to have a look at calorie balance over a whole week, not day by day. If you're broadly in the green, calorifically, then there's no reason not to have a treat, as long as it's not extreme. However, to be honest, I'd still calorie count it.

The other problem I guess I have with the notion of a treat day is that it sets up in your head a psychological sense that the rest of the week is the anti-treat. I'm not sure that's a good mind set to have for your healthy eating?

I'm with Meerkat on this one

I sometimes think using the word DIET synonymously as a weight-loss plan should be banned.

It gets you into the mindset of deprivation... that you have to give up things you like because they are bad. It's as important to understand how much you are eating as it is what you are eating.

I am a chocoholic... my belly is 100% sugar from biscuits, choc bars, ice creams and puddings.

But while I've given up chocolate for a while, because I made a pledge to a friend that I would do so, I know I will have to reintroduce it into my diet at some stage. We still have sweets in the sweetie basket and there's chocolate in the fridge, magnums in the freezer and biscuits in the cupboard. I think I would crave them more if they weren't there!

Amazingly, I don't crave them AT ALL :happy:

And while I tend to be good during the week, I know at the weekend I'll be down the pub with my friends and I still enjoy a few drinks :drinker: But I understand better that these are calories I don't want to live without, so I just acknowledge them and track them as I do everything else I eat and drink.

lmelangley

Personally, it wouldn't work for me. I prefer to have cheat occasions - times when I acknowledge I'm going to eat too many calories like at family/friend gatherings. But, I'm not denying myself treats during the week. I just try to plan my meals and calories around being able to have something if I want it. I've been doing MFP for 6 months and I've found that the more I track my meals, the less of the treat type food I want.

But, this is what's working for me, and I acknowledge that it might be totally wrong for someone else. Good luck!