Free Day?

stephabef

It can be extremely healthy for some people. However, I took a free day a few weeks ago, and I had a LOT of trouble getting back on track. This was after 2 months of perfect logging and exercising every single day. Just a thought from someone on the other side.

DakotaKeogh

Whats weird for me is I use to always give myself one day a week. Usually right after I weigh in typically. I dont think theres anything wrong with haveing one day. The thing is after awhile I dont feel like having cheat days anymore. Odd. Even tomorrow Im having a mother son day so I plan on taking him out for breakfast and lunch probably. But at the same time I plan on watching my portions and what I eat. There are times when I crave things. These I usually wait till after weigh in as well. But its good to get it out of your system without going crazy! Thats the important part. While eating healthy. Your body DOES NOT LIKE YUCK FOOD! trust me! Ive tried, and I just end up vomiting SO yeah youll notice a differance in your free eating habits over time as well.

This is so true. I just did a road trip today to hang with my oldest daughter at college today. We went to lunch and we have such a food history. But I just couldn't go there. Ordered off the salad section and left it at that.

snookumss

I personally do have days I go over, but very few that I go drastic over (thats only in the mid 2k's if that). Personally I found I was getting too good at staying under and I have to pay attention to eating those calories I missed because over a week I was an extra 1k calories lower than the 3,500 calorie deficit already scheduled. When I was stuck on my plateau whenever I'd see a real loss was actually after the days where I did go over (ding ding! Clue here!). It took me 80 days of paying attention and looking at all these factors to see what the issue was. Now I have to pay close attention and try to even the net calories out when I go too low. So far its worked for me

LeenaJean

Yeah, I completely agree. I almost had breakfast sausage this morning but gave them to my boyfriend instead, I thought I would be craving them once I gave them away but I didn't, they just looked too... heavy.

DakotaKeogh

Yeah, I completely agree. I almost had breakfast sausage this morning but gave them to my boyfriend instead, I thought I would be craving them once I gave them away but I didn't, they just looked too... heavy.

Sounds like you got this nailed. Do what works for you.

TriggerStorm1309

i have heard of alot of people doing a free day once a week, though i dont, if i have a "free day" i tend to just exercise more to make up for what i ate, like on birthdays or holidays.

Nicolee_2014

I'm going to start having my 'free' day again on Fridays, the day that I weigh in so if I blow out then I have a week to work it off. I feel I'm at my wits end with my weight staying the same for a few months that if I don't allow a binge day I probably will just throw in the towel. I hope having my binge day back again will help me.

Jacole18

I have one cheat MEAL a week...not a whole day. I couldn't succeed without it...it keeps me sane and gives me something to look forward to!

rlysrh

I give myself a free day once a week. Normally I still try not to go over my maintenence calories if I can though, so its not like I binge and eat 3000 extra calories on my free day. I normally use it for it I know I'm going out to the pub with friends or out for a meal and I use that as my free day. It just makes it so I can go out without stressing about the calories in everything once a week without being wracked with guilt afterwards since I know that I planned to have it as a free day.

If I didn't plan to have one free day once a week and I went over my calories once a week anyway then I'd just feel guilty all the time. Since I planned it in, I feel like I'm in control instead.

MelanieAG05

i have heard of alot of people doing a free day once a week, though i dont, if i have a "free day" i tend to just exercise more to make up for what i ate, like on birthdays or holidays.

That's what I do - I have gone over a few times.....but hey, we've got to live a bit!!

BobbyClerici

I do a free day - it helps me psychologically and physiologically.
It's a fact that I crave - the heart wants what the heart wants, so I know I am never more than 6 days away from having it. That keeps me on track during the week. And human evolution is way behind social and technological evolution, so our bodies are still stuck in the same place humanity was 6000 years ago.

A good weekly feeding tricks our metabolism from going into shut down, starvation mode in response to its misreading of our diets. I've lost over 60lbs doing this, so the results are without question.

HAVE FUN - enjoy!

stevwil41

If you take a free day and go a little overboard you will see a difference in the scale but it'll be mostly water weight. If you think you can take a free day and not totally derail yourself or stay off the scales long enough to rid yourself of the water weight, then do it. As an earlier poster said, in order to gain 2 legitimate pounds you'd have to eat 7000 calories over what you would burn on a normal day. Personally, taking a day off a week keeps me from binging throughout the week. I still log and that helps me from going truly overboard most of the time (we won't mention the last time I was at Chili's and had the red velvet molten lava cake) but I don't really worry about it otherwise.

auntie_missy

Yeah, I completely agree. I almost had breakfast sausage this morning but gave them to my boyfriend instead, I thought I would be craving them once I gave them away but I didn't, they just looked too... heavy.

I don't take a "free day" for a few reasons. First, the idea of a "free day" goes along with being on a restrictive diet. I'm not on a diet. I'm making a lifestyle change. Yes, right now I'm trying to eat lower calories than I will be eating when I make my goals, but the foods I'm eating are the same. I need to work on learning to fit in the foods I want in a healthy way, not saving them for a "bad" day. One reason for that, and this is why I quoted what you said here, is that FOOD IS NOT THE ENEMY. There is nothing inherently wrong with sausage. It's food. I had sausage for dinner last night, and it wasn't heavy at all. There's something wrong with me when I start acting like something is poisonous because it has too many carbs or too many calories, and even more so when I feel like I can't enjoy something unless I gorge myself on it. I don't need a free day because there isn't anything I can't eat if I want it on my un-free days. A third reason I don't bother with free days is I really don't want to get in the habit of rewarding myself with food, especially rich, calorie laden foods. You aren't going to gain a few pounds in one free day, but you are going to play mind games with yourself, and if one of those mind games is convincing yourself that "I've been good, I deserve this" than you aren't really doing yourself any favors.

I've lost over 60lbs doing this, so the results are without question.

I quoted this to show that your mileage will vary, and the important thing to remember is that people have succeeded both ways. I've lost a good amount of weight without "cheating," but people have lost a good amount of weight zig zagging or having weekly cheat days. Heck, there's that professor who lost 27 pounds eating Twinkies. Find what works for you, make sure you are comfortable with the logic behind it, and give it your all.

TundraTed

This is a lifestyle change. Do you really never again want to eat something you really crave again because of the calorie count? I normally keeps under my goal and 2-3 meals a week I eat what I want. Some of those days I will work out extra to stay under my Net goal, other days I don't. I don't go crazy eating huge servings, but I do enjoy these meals.