Free Day Once a Month

boogiewoogiekar
boogiewoogiekar Posts: 36
in Food and Nutrition
I have decided to take a free day once a month. Free days means that I can eat whatever I feel like. I still exercise, though. I started losing weight and MFP in January. For January, I didn't count my calories, but today (Valentine's), I am counting them. I also am getting full faster than before.

Has anyone else taken free days? Do you exercise more to make up for it? How has it affected your weight loss?

Replies

  • spdleeuw
    spdleeuw Posts: 10 Member
    My father used to do this, he called it "St Glutton's Day"!
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
    Shoot I take a free day every week or two...I just make sure to stay with in my TDEE and I know I am fine no matter what I eat.
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
    I do this once a week. I exercise every other day, so if my free day falls on that day (varies, depending on if I take an extra rest day), I do. Otherwise, no.

    See ticker.

    I'd say go for it. Give it a shot.

    Also, I ate 2,000 calories over my maintenance last free day, and maintained overall for the week. If I gained, I might be less reckless for my next free day.
  • tj1376
    tj1376 Posts: 1,402 Member
    Only when I lose control and binge for a day. Its not a cheat day or a free day. Its my falling off the wagon day. I try not to stress it because I know I will get back on.
  • boogiewoogiekar
    boogiewoogiekar Posts: 36
    I have noticed this time, that I don't want to shove a bunch of crap in my mouth. Today I had french toast, sausage, hash browns and an egg for breakfast. I only ate half of it. For lunch I had coconut curry. And again, I only at about 1/4 of what I was served. The calories do add up fast, but I am more conscious of what I put in my mouth.
  • boogiewoogiekar
    boogiewoogiekar Posts: 36
    Only when I lose control and binge for a day. Its not a cheat day or a free day. Its my falling off the wagon day. I try not to stress it because I know I will get back on.

    I would call it falling off the wagon, but since I am being conscience about the day, my calories, and exercise, I would say just leaning off the wagon :smile:
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
    In my average days I am usually pretty good about meeting my caloric and exercise goals. If I splurge a lil at one meal I make up for it in another meal or add in exercise. But I do like to have a day or two every so often I go "off the track" and just eat. It sounds worse than it usually is, and most the time I still keep up my exercises. The important thing for me is not to let it become anything more than just the day I designate. We all know how things can snowball from just one meal splurge, to maybe just a day splurging, to a few days, toa week, etc.

    Cheers.
  • khall86790
    khall86790 Posts: 1,100 Member
    I do this once every 3-4 weeks, generally it consists of ordering a pizza with my friends and just thinking why the hell not? You have to let yourself "live" once in a while or you will make yourself miserable!
    I normally exercise on these days too and make a conscious effort for the next 3-4 days to keep my diet to really healthy foods to balance it out for the week.
  • sunsnstatheart
    sunsnstatheart Posts: 2,544 Member
    Yes. I take a day or two once in a while and just don't log or care. I rarely binge though. It's really just a mental break and on some of those days I probably still have pretty low calorie count.
  • AggieFan2011
    AggieFan2011 Posts: 551 Member
    Yes, I usually take a few a month actually. I usually try to still log what I eat and stay under my TDEE for the day, but occasionally that doesn't happen. I do tend to stay a few hundred under on my calories normally though so it tends to make up for it. It hasn't affected my weight loss really at all, at least not from what I can tell. As long as you're taking a free day and not letting it turn into a free week, then month, etc. you should be fine. It's nice to be able to indulge guilt free every once in a while. :)
  • never124get
    never124get Posts: 163
    Has anyone else taken free days? Do you exercise more to make up for it? How has it affected your weight loss?

    I do a cheat meal once a week...I pick whatever day I want (one day a week) and pick a meal I want (breakfast, lunch or dinner) and eat what I want. This definitely has NOT made an impact on my weight loss what so ever. Just make sure you work out and drink lots of water
  • Xelace
    Xelace Posts: 18
    I have one cheat day every week, but always the same day - Saturday.
    As long as I eat a healthy breakfast, I can have whatever I want for the rest of the day.
    This is also the only day of the week I eat any grains or dairy (my body is not a huge fan, but I basically grew up on it and it's hard to let go completely).
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    You should have seen how excited I was last month when a friend had her birthday dinner at a pub!

    I allow myself to enjoy outings with my friends, as long as they are not more often than once a week. I still try to track and usually I am still within maintenance. It is easier for me than for some, because I never drink much. What really kills me are parties with munchies out. Even holding back a little, I can end up consuming 1000 calories.

    Other than that...I am having cheesecake tonight, but one reason I went and picked it up is because didn't have a snack this morning, since I didn't have breakfast until 9:30. So the cheesecake calories are just snacks for the day.
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
    I have a free/spike/cheat day or whatever the heck people want to call it, once a week and have done so for the last 14 mths. It has never effected my results negatively. I am maintaining so sometimes I go over my TDEE, 200-300 cals at the most, but I don't stress bc it usually falls on my heaviest lifting day (legs). It works for me but not everyone can adjust to it so you'll need to find your balance.
  • gennafer731
    gennafer731 Posts: 27 Member
    I do one "free" day a week on the same day I don't exercise. However my version of free is I still count calories and I stay around 1200 which is my not exercise day limit but I eat whatever I want that is in my calorie limit and don't worry about carbs/protien/etc. BBQ, rice, breads are my usual free day cheats. Since I don't workout that day I don't have to worry about the sugar rush/energy drag.
  • CharRicho
    CharRicho Posts: 389 Member
    I just do "free meals" not free days. So I'll have a gluttonous breakfast of bacon and eggs and whatever else, but I still log it, and then I make sure that dinner is something like lean meat and veggies so I still stay within my allotted calories for the day.

    I do this about twice a week, once will be a breakfast cheat meal and once will be a dinner cheat meal, but never on the same day.
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
    I eat a lot daily, 3500, & I still do a 5000 - 6000 calorie day once a week or so. Last week I did a 4250, followed by two 5000's... that was a bit much.
  • majope
    majope Posts: 1,325 Member
    I don't, because I don't need them. My weekly long run burns enough calories that I can eat pretty much anything I want on that day, and still stay within my day's calories.

    That said, today is Valentine's Day. I planned my day, entered what I was making for dinner in my MFP diary...and my husband came home and wanted to go out. So I went over. No biggie--life happens!
  • bethann223
    bethann223 Posts: 28
    My advice is never to take "free" days. I used to do this and ended up gaining back all the weight I lost previously because a day turned into a week.....and then it was just anarchy after that. A free meal out with friends that is planned ahead of time might work....like going to your favorite restaurant and ordering whatever you want on the menu. But an all out free day is a BAD idea, imho. It can seriously affect your weight loss if you are a binger like me.
  • aleesh_
    aleesh_ Posts: 137 Member
    I used to do free days every Saturday, but what I do now is just give myself about 500 extra calories Saturday and Sunday. Still, I fully support free days!
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
    I eat a lot daily, 3500, & I still do a 5000 - 6000 calorie day once a week or so. Last week I did a 4250, followed by two 5000's... that was a bit much.
    Oh, those 6,000 calorie days are so fun. Luckily I don't have them often, but they are quite a spectacle. :P
  • bethann223
    bethann223 Posts: 28
    I eat a lot daily, 3500, & I still do a 5000 - 6000 calorie day once a week or so. Last week I did a 4250, followed by two 5000's... that was a bit much.
    Oh, those 6,000 calorie days are so fun. Luckily I don't have them often, but they are quite a spectacle. :P

    Yeah, it's fun until you lose control and can't stop....then it's just scary, pain-inducing, and guilt-laden.
  • BarbaraCarr1981
    BarbaraCarr1981 Posts: 903 Member
    I like to binge sometimes but i think it does mess up my weight loss and I know it totally messes up my stupid type 1 diabetes! But Im crazy, I will eat good all day then go for a full 250g bag of ketchup chips, 2 chocolate bars, 25 or so 5cent sour candies and a box of nerds or sweet tarts or something. And you never know - I might finish it off with some cheesecake or icecream or both. Unreal crazy eh??? I know! It's like 2500cals at once or something. It all tastes sooooo gooooood though!!! I have to stop typing about it because I really want...............

    Moral - If you cheat, don't do it as bad as I do.
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
    I eat a lot daily, 3500, & I still do a 5000 - 6000 calorie day once a week or so. Last week I did a 4250, followed by two 5000's... that was a bit much.
    Oh, those 6,000 calorie days are so fun. Luckily I don't have them often, but they are quite a spectacle. :P

    Yeah, it's fun until you lose control and can't stop....then it's just scary, pain-inducing, and guilt-laden.

    You need to step back and realize that everyone is not YOU. Some don't have these issues and can do free days or whatever and not get off track. Please stop criticizing the way others do what works for them.
  • bethann223
    bethann223 Posts: 28
    I eat a lot daily, 3500, & I still do a 5000 - 6000 calorie day once a week or so. Last week I did a 4250, followed by two 5000's... that was a bit much.
    Oh, those 6,000 calorie days are so fun. Luckily I don't have them often, but they are quite a spectacle. :P

    Yeah, it's fun until you lose control and can't stop....then it's just scary, pain-inducing, and guilt-laden.

    You need to step back and realize that everyone is not YOU. Some don't have these issues and can do free days or whatever and not get off track. Please stop criticizing the way others do what works for them.

    My advice is never to take "free" days. I used to do this and ended up gaining back all the weight I lost previously because a day turned into a week.....and then it was just anarchy after that. A free meal out with friends that is planned ahead of time might work....like going to your favorite restaurant and ordering whatever you want on the menu. But an all out free day is a BAD idea, imho. It can seriously affect your weight loss *****if you are a binger like me*****


    Note final phrase.

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