is it okay to take a break!?

aethompson5507

so im curious on your opinions...ive lost 42lbs so far, i have another 100lbs to go! ...i was feeling a little burned out. is it okay to take a break for a little while? ive seemed to loose all motivation

koosdel

Yes. A constant calorie deficit is NOT healthy. Switch to maintenance and stay active for a week or so.

Gigi_licious

It's your "journey". Do what YOU want to do. If you feel like you need a break, take one!

flausa

I find I need a break every couple of months and taking that break has helped me come back re-motivated and rested.

luv2ash

Why not just make some changes. Try some diff recipes maybe. I don't like to take a break as I am making a lifestyle change.

Jconner30

I just took a week off from running. I ran this morning and I felt refreshed - other than the huffing and puffing

jlewis2896

Yes. A constant calorie deficit is NOT healthy. Switch to maintenance and stay active for a week or so.

I like this. A break is good as long as you don't go and un-do everything you've worked so hard for!!! Switch to maintenance and you can just take it easy for a bit.

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

absolutely. this is a lifetime change...you don't burn yourself out to the point that you want to be done with it altogether. just take it easy, eat more for a while and try to maintain.

Amo_Angelus

If by take a break, you mean up your calories a bit, maybe even go onto maintenance...then yes, do that anytime you need to. It's not healthy to alway be on a defecit. You're still changing your lifestyle because you're not over eating.

If you mean go back to how you were before dieting then no!

corrieville

Yes!!! I lost 45lbs then took a few months off and managed to maintain my weight. I am now back at it and have lost 22lbs (9 on this site) The only advice I have is that it is hard to start back in the beginning because you allow yourself to eat a lot worse when you take a break. That is why this time I am making a lifestyle change and not a diet. I do not deprive myself anything as long as I come under my calories Good Luck.

memphismum

Of course you can take a break. But be conscious of it. Don't go into a comma. If you let yourself, you can wake up one day and regain all the weight you have lost. Try to just eat to maintain for a couple weeks and sign in every day to keep yourself some what accountable. At least quick guess your calories and log. I regret my own bouts of amnesia. Good luck.

Tree72

Depends on what you mean by a break. I think it's definitely a good idea to go up to maintenance calories once in a while. Try it for a week. If that's not long enough, try it for a month. This is a lifestyle change, not a race. :happy:

I've had plenty of times over the last two years where I needed to focus more energy on other parts of my life and not worry about every little detail of my food and exercise. Even with a month long break last December, I only fluctuated by two pounds and then went right back to losing when I brought my calories back down.

Don't lose hope. Give yourself the time you need to get your mental mojo back.

aethompson5507

yes i just mean up my calories a bit more. ...maybe if im craving that frappe or icecream then not feel too guilty about having it. im still very active ( i have a 2 and 3 year old) just might not hit the gym everyday. ...we ordered pizza the other night. i felt really guilty about it, but i also really enjoyed it. ...i made cupcakes with the kids and didnt feel guilty for eating a few. i dont plan to go a-wall and gain what i had just lost, i'd like to obviously maintain and take my little break then start right back where i left off. but right now, im just enjoying not completely watching what i do. and no, i also call it a lifestyle change, not a diet. i dont drink milk anymore, just soy or almond, no beef or pork, only chicken, turkey, or seafood. no pop. whole grain only. great changes like that

MrsWibbly

When I was in my 20's I used to have November as my 'healthy' month (no alcohol, no junk food etc) in the run up to the Christmas season to ensure I looked good at all the Christmas parties, now just into my 40's I kind of do it the other way round... 11 months of the healthy stuff and only one month of allowing myself to indulge a little more, which is usually a couple of weeks around Christmas and a week or two if I take a holiday in the summer. The key is to insure that you plan to come back, and that during the 'break' you don't go to excess.

allie864

When I was in my 20's I used to have November as my 'healthy' month (no alcohol, no junk food etc) in the run up to the Christmas season to ensure I looked good at all the Christmas parties, now just into my 40's I kind of do it the other way round... 11 months of the healthy stuff and only one month of allowing myself to indulge a little more, which is usually a couple of weeks around Christmas and a week or two if I take a holiday in the summer. The key is to insure that you plan to come back, and that during the 'break' you don't go to excess.

I've done this before as well and plan to again this year.

OP, I have nothing new to add to what every one else has said because I agree with them, so I'm just putting in another "yes"

Leola2011

Yes. A constant calorie deficit is NOT healthy. Switch to maintenance and stay active for a week or so.

I didn't know that! Please explain why this is. You learn something new everyday....