Do you take a "day off"?

myownadvice

I have seen and read on many "plans" that it's good to take a day off from your normal eating routine. It's not a day to binge necessarily, but a day to have things you may not allow yourself the other days. The idea is (as I understand it), that is keeps your body guessing so it doesn't just adjust to the every day calories/exercise you are doing which could lead to a stall in weight loss.

Thoughts?

Catie_v2

I have read this many times too....but it scares me!! I can say from my own (be it limited) experience on here that I have had a few days mixed in where my calories were way over (yummy homemade ice cream) and I still had a weightloss for the whole week. For me, I would need to limit it to maybe once a month...I have read of people doing it one weekend day each week - dont think I am disciplined enough right now to do this.

3foldchord

I have always taken a day off, I call it a cheat day, but it's not a BINGE day. just a 'not keeping track mentally or worry much about eating a goodie or little bigger serving"

It was actually yestrday for me, if you are able to access my food diary. you can see. I went over of course, but OH well. I weight the same today. It keeps my metabolsim guessing-

grdnr03

I've only been with mfp since early July and the first few days were rough for me. At this point I don't have an "off day" set aside, I just don't beat myself up If I have to eat a fast food meal or sugary snacks.

m_shuman

I always take the weekends off. Infact if you look at my diary I don't even log my calories those days. And when I go on vacation I take the week off. I have done this since starting and do not think it has hindered my weight loss. I think eating is like exercise in the fact that if you do the same thing over and over the body conforms to it and adjusts your metabolism accordingly. That is why there are days I will eat all my exercise calories and days when I don't.

Aplmark

It may sound crazy but when my weight loss stalls I'll have pizza or a cheese burger or some other fatty foods. It seems to help jar my body out of that starvation mode. It's just one day and then back on plan but it seems to help.

rose313

I never take a day off! Instead of cheat days I'll have a "cheat" snack if I can fit it into my cals and macros.

MB_Positif

I haven't really seen a reason to do this because my whole purpose here has been for me to learn how to eat in moderation as opposed to depriving myself of things that I love. I have had some high calorie days here and there but usually it's not from over eating, it's from eating a lot of high calorie foods in one day. I personlly don't think it is necessary, but I know that there is some research that backs it up as being a good thing.

Iveylee

I take one MEAL off a week. For instance, will eat healthy and track all week and Saturday day, but then have whatever I want Saturday night for dinner and dessert!

DonniesGirl69

I didn't have "cheat days" when I started because I had a LOT to lose. Now, I've lost 91 and have 9 to go and I run daily, so I don't have to be quite as strict with my food. I still don't do cheat days, though, I'll just have a treat occasionally....like my once a month, full fat with whipped cream Starbucks treat. LOL Or the Corona I had when I went dancing last night. Little things like that here and there.

bpwparents

I do this a 2-3 times a month. I also have weeks due to my schedule where I to to the gym less because of my kids schedules. I think my bodies guessing all of the time what I am doing. It's working so far...

Sharyn913

Life is meant to be enjoyed. With that said, I do not plan cheat meals or cheat days or anything of that nature. If my husband takes me out for dinner, I'm conscious of what passes my lips, but I don't beat myself up over it or anything. I may go over on my calories, but I cherish the time I have with my loved ones more, and those fun times and memories are more important than the scale.

MsTonyaRenee

I don't purposely take cheat days, but I do have mess-up days. Usually every other sunday because my mom cooks a big family dinner, with not alot of healthy options.
I always track, even on bad days because it still helps me keep in check even when I go over. It makes it harder to mess up extremely bad.

Natihilator

I have too many daily"treats" (slip-ups) to warrant a day off which is probably a big reason why my weight is coming off slowly, but I want to try that approach.

Brandicaloriecountess

Of course. I want to live a healthy life, but I still want to live life.

DisneyAddictRW

I use to have cheat days. They turned into cheat weekends. I'm focusing on staying on track 7 days a week no cheating. That said there are times I will allow myself something I normally wouldn't eat. However I promised myself I would log the good and bad. I have a soft spot for pizza and tacos!

I walk a min of a mile a day. I try to take a day or two with just my small walks. When I went 7 days a week hard training it was too much and I got burned out! I've gone 55 straight days of a mile a day.

paintlisapurple

I do intense exercise every other day (active with a toddler on my "rest days") and never take a day off from the nutritional goals. I find that even treats fit into my calorie goals unless I go overboard on meals for the day.

heybales

It works great when you are generally under-eating for your level of activity, if you started it at the beginning of the diet change. Allows body to see there is still food available, no need to slow down metabolism.

Problem is starting it when your metabolism has already slowed, one day doesn't speed it up, just gets added as surplus fat unless your glucose stores are depleted, in which case they get topped off first.

Better method would be just to eat enough for level of activity so that cheat day for speeding metabolism back up isn't even needed in the first place. Keep it burning high all the time.

Cheat meal and such is nice reward to look forward, but probably too little to effect the metabolism. But great mentally for self-control until reward.

bcattoes

Hmm, I never think of it as a "day off", but just by nature of my job, my weekends are usually very different from the weekdays. And vacations and special occasions are even more different. I don't know if my body is guessing when the next "off" day will be or not.

JoLo27

I often have days when I don't log because I'm eating out and it just gets too complicated to work out what's in everything. Conference buffets are the worse! On those days I do tend to eat more than usual, which probably explains why I've stayed at the same weight for a couple of months! Still, staying the same is much better than putting on and, to be honest, most people are telling me that I don't need to lose anymore otherwise I'll start to look old! Why, once you get past a certain age, does skinny equate to looking old? :ohwell:

I guess that answer doesn't really help apart from to say that if you're maintaining, the odd "day off" isn't going to do you any harm!

movn4ward

I don't necessarily have a planned day off, but I do have times when I plan for an indulgent meal. Like on the weekends I like to have a big country style breakfast, since most weekdays I'm eating something simple. When I do have the big breakfast, I keep portions down and compensate the rest of the day without logging my calories. The good thing is at this point, even if I don't log on MFP I know almost all the calories for things I eat, especially since I try to eat in and cook my own foods a lot. It's like a blessing and a curse.

nekochanpurr

I don't do it once a week or anything, but if i go to a wedding or an anime convention, i won't count. No point at a wedding (it won't kill me) and at a con i will be walking SO MUCH it won't matter. lol

tlblood

I never take a day off! Instead of cheat days I'll have a "cheat" snack if I can fit it into my cals and macros.

^^This!^^ I had S'Mores last night for dessert because I had the calories left.

When I did WW, my leader recommended not taking a cheat DAY, but maybe a cheat MEAL...one meal where you don't track, versus a whole day of not tracking.

DBiddle69

This is a lifestyle change...you never get days off. You make modifications!

My week runs Saturday - Friday. My weekly calorie intake is 12600 calories (1800 a day)

On Saturday I workout and burn 850 calories which I add to my weekly total....(13450)...I eat 1800 calories for the day (11650).
On Sunday I workout and burn 1000 calories which I add to my weekly total...(12650)...I eat 2200 calories for the day (10450)
On Monday I do not work out...I eat 1500 calories...(8950)

Without any more exercising this leaves me with 8950 calories for the four remaining days of the week...or 2237.5 calories per day. As long as I do not go over the 12600 calories for the week!

No cheat days when it is a lifestyle...modification!

As a matter of fact we are having a luncheon and I am eating a few extra cookies because I burned extra calories on Monday that I have not used yet!

kaaaayla

For me it's not about keeping my metabolism guessing; it's about allowing myself to have chocolate so I don't go crazy! If I didn't have a little cheat once in a while, I'd give up on dieting all together because I have a huge sweet tooth and can't handle all healthy eating all the time.

nxd10

I don't. I just have days when I make a spontaneous decision that I want something that will or might put me over that I know I'll need to compensate for over the course of a week.

It's a lifestyle, not a diet.

elm2008

I do not take a whole day off. I want this to be a lifestyle, not just a temporary change. I do not completely cut foods out of my diet and still incorporate a junk food every now and again when I want it.

Jehsakah22

I take one MEAL off a week. For instance, will eat healthy and track all week and Saturday day, but then have whatever I want Saturday night for dinner and dessert!

I like this idea!!

avasano

I try but then I just feel too guilty.

shelbynicole32

I am today solely for the reason that it is my birthday and I want a cheat day.

ETA That means that I will be working out extra HARD tomorrow.

nxd10

What she said (missed the quote - sorry).

This isn't a puritanical religious order. It's a way of life. And that includes small pleasures.