Occassional free day?

Alderaic

I think a free day is fine as long as you don't over do it and eat everything in sight! If you use it as a day to consume 6000 calories, then it might be a problem!

But if a free day allows you stay on track, then go for it!

agreed.

I have a free day every week where I can get anything and will often bang around 6k to 8k for that day, then my regular week is zero sugar/zero white carbs/zero dairy except cottage, but a ton of veggies and beans and meat (ballpark of 2k per day)
I lose half a pound per week and I am mostly losing fat (not a lot to lose mind you). My wife who has more to lose has been trending at 2lbs per week for two month now

Elzecat

Why are you starving? I have found that weight loss does not need to be painful...you don't have to go hungry. I never have hunger pangs. I would suggest maybe re-evaluating your caloric intake. Do you eat exercise calories back? You should (that's the way this tool is designed). Honestly, you shouldn't need to be hungry all of the time to lose weight.

In RE to a free day...I actually take a diet break every 6-8 weeks and eat to maintenance for a week or so to spike my metabolism. I also calorie cycle a lot...so I have a big day one day and more restrictive day the next, etc.

^
I agree with the above--you might also re-evaluate the types of foods you are eating. Maybe you need more protein or another nutrient?

As for free days--I eat around maintenance on weekends (I don't even log most of the time). I do long runs on Sundays though so it probably balances out. The only thing that's hurt my progress on occasion is when I completely throw portion control out the window for weeks on end.

Blacklance36

Every Friday. I am diligent for the six other days and I need to reward myself. I drink wine and eat a little more.

AmazonRDH

Every Sunday is a free day for me. I have whatever I want all day. I've found I don't go too crazy though. I've been at this for 3 1/2 weeks and have lost 16 pounds so I guess it's going pretty good. My hubby read a diet once that talked about that "free day" once a week actually helping because it keeps your body from freaking out and hanging onto everything. Plus it keeps you from going mental, all week long I tell myself......four more days and I can have that! :drinker:

nursedebra2000

Actually, a free meal...NOT DAY!!! is a fabulous thing to do for your body and metabolism. When you eat the same things everyday and/or the same amount of food every day, your body adjusts to that intake and if it is a low intake, your metabolism will slow down....that is why dieters hit plateaus and stop losing. If you have a cheat meal once a week, you will jump start your metabolism and confuse your body because you are consuming more calories than normal. While you should not eat an entire pizza or a whole half galloon of ice cream, using your cheat meal to eat foods you like in moderation will keep your feelings of deprivation at bay. Try it and see how you feel!

JessiAnn88

I let myself have one cheat mean every other week. So 2 meals a month I can eat whatever I can but I still keep the portions realistic. Last time I had a cheat meal we went out to a Mexican restaurant and I ignored the chips and salsa that were brought to the table and just enjoyed my meal. I ended up still under my calorie goal for the day. The trick is not saying "today is my free day so i'm going to eat a whole box of oreos", instead it needs to be, "Today is my day off so i'm going to enjoy a serving of oreos because I haven't had them all month" Just watch how you treat the day off and it should be fine.

Duck_Puddle

Why are you starving? I have found that weight loss does not need to be painful...you don't have to go hungry. I never have hunger pangs. I would suggest maybe re-evaluating your caloric intake. Do you eat exercise calories back? You should (that's the way this tool is designed). Honestly, you shouldn't need to be hungry all of the time to lose weight.

This. I eat all day every day - like there won't be any food tomorrow so I need to eat it all now. Needless to say, I don't have hunger pangs either.

nokanjaijo

I have a free day where I break every rule about once a month. It is mostly to ensure I am in a healthy head space. I am restricting my calories quite a lot. If I were to do such a day and then hate myself or feel disgusted with myself or something like that, I would see that as a red flag.

hellobritney

You should never deprive yourself because that is a path to failure. It's not about what we are giving up, but what we are gaining by staying within our calories and eating what we love. If you feel like you need a free day, just take a day off from logging and see what happens. Sometimes taking the pressure off trying to be perfect is the best medicine.....

I can't agree with this more. If you are absolutely craving ice cream or pizza, enjoy them. Maybe find a healthier alternative for it so you don't feel so guilty about it, or eat it in moderation. Just make sure it's a free day and not a free week/month/year. Get back on track after you've had your off day.

wilsoje74

If you are starving, then you should look at what you are eating and find foods that are more filling. I would maybe say a free meal would be better than a whole day.

lynn1982

I think you should absolutely do this. This should be a lifestyle, not a "diet." Are you really never going to have that piece of birthday cake or glass or wine ever again just because it puts you a couple hundred calories over your daily budget? As long as it's only once in a while, then I think it will make things much more sustainable. I personally have one meal a week where I'm not super strict. It's usually a family meal so I have no control over the ingredients and therefore do not know the calories (but I don't have dessert with it or wine). The caveat is that it's always healthy food if I'm doing it once a week. Personally, I've learned a lot about what my body can handle and how I feel after eating "treats" that I used to consume on a regular basis - fries, burgers, ice cream, etc. I've given myself "free" days here and there (and sometimes a bit too many) and I usually feel awful afterwards. So, try it out and see how it goes. My one piece of advice though is to log it...that way, if you don't lose or gain that week, you'll be able to go back and see where you went wrong.

Also, as a few others have mentioned - you shouldn't feel like you are starving. The first few days might be rough, but afterwards things should level out. If you are eating all your allotted calories, then you might not be eating enough...

smarquis1963

As others have said there is no "free lunch". If you want to lose weight you should track everything you eat to meet your goals. If you are on a 500 calorie per day deficit which adds up to 3500 per week you should (eventually) lose 1 pound. If you eat 1000 calories more than your plan on the seventh day, then your deficit will still allow you to lose 1/2 pound per week, so as long as your "cheat day" does not put you over your "budget" for the long term, you should continue to lose weight, albeit at a slower pace.

But that may be better for you than trying to be at a high deficit for a long time (better for the mind, body and soul).

The other thought is to try to work the foods you love into your daily budget - at a manageable amount. If you love pizza, try to find a pizza that will give you 300-500 calories (or whatever amount fits in your plan) in a slice and try to stick to one slice (easier to say than it is to do!!). That way you still get to enjoy the foods you love but perhaps a slightly less amount (not sure if this is an issue for you or not).

I like an earlier suggestion to take a "break" every 6-8 weeks and eat at "maintenance calories" for your current weight (not your target weight). If you think about it, if you eat at maintenance calories you should not "gain" any weight (and of course you will not lose any weight either). So while you will not lose any that week, you will get a bit of a break from the reduced amount you have been eating and you shouldn't put on any weight either. A little holiday on our long road towards our overall weight and healthy lifestyloe goals.

The other thing that has helped me is to find a relatively healthy food I can eat when I feel hungry. Sometimes you just need a little something to get over a hunger pain and celery just isn't going to do it. For me, it is yogurt with some granola on top. Perhaps not the healthiest in some categories (e.g. sugar), but it gets me through a day between meals. I need to measure to make sure I don't take too much yougurt or granola, but I certainly enjoy it when I need it.

Just try to keep everything in perspective. A slight jump in the scale is not the end of the world as long as you stay committed to a plan, and one meal, one day or one week is not going to change the world if you truly believe you are headed in the right direction.

Best,
Steve

jillfuzz

I've been fine until recently (not hungry...which is why I've been able to lose 18 lbs since Jan. 2)....but this week I've been really hungry for some reason. I've been doing 1,200 calories/day since I started. Only thing I can figure is that I need to be eating my exercise points on those days b/c maybe that's what's causing me to be hungry this week (that, or female stuff that I won't get into....lol). Honestly, I haven't waivered a day since I started.....it's been pretty easy.....Again, the hungry is just very recent.

Why are you starving? I have found that weight loss does not need to be painful...you don't have to go hungry. I never have hunger pangs. I would suggest maybe re-evaluating your caloric intake. Do you eat exercise calories back? You should (that's the way this tool is designed). Honestly, you shouldn't need to be hungry all of the time to lose weight.

In RE to a free day...I actually take a diet break every 6-8 weeks and eat to maintenance for a week or so to spike my metabolism. I also calorie cycle a lot...so I have a big day one day and more restrictive day the next, etc.

Duck_Puddle

I've been fine until recently (not hungry...which is why I've been able to lose 18 lbs since Jan. 2)....but this week I've been really hungry for some reason. I've been doing 1,200 calories/day since I started. Only thing I can figure is that I need to be eating my exercise points on those days b/c maybe that's what's causing me to be hungry this week (that, or female stuff that I won't get into....lol). Honestly, I haven't waivered a day since I started.....it's been pretty easy.....Again, the hungry is just very recent.

Why are you starving? I have found that weight loss does not need to be painful...you don't have to go hungry. I never have hunger pangs. I would suggest maybe re-evaluating your caloric intake. Do you eat exercise calories back? You should (that's the way this tool is designed). Honestly, you shouldn't need to be hungry all of the time to lose weight.

In RE to a free day...I actually take a diet break every 6-8 weeks and eat to maintenance for a week or so to spike my metabolism. I also calorie cycle a lot...so I have a big day one day and more restrictive day the next, etc.

Yes. I net 1200 calories. I eat my exercise calories (so I eat 1500-2300 give or take). As I said back a few posts, I eat all day every day. I am not hungry. I don't deprive myself of things and I don't find that I feel the need to have "cheat" meals or days because I eat at very sustainable levels and find room for "treats". Try eating your exercise calories-that's why when you log exercise, mfp adds to your calories remaining. A "diet" is useless if you can't adhere to it forever.

smsisfat

I am starting to think about a free day - or maybe a free meal - once every week or two, also.

For a couple of reasons - one - I have some cravings, that I just shouldn't eat all the time - but I miss them - such as ice cream.

plus, my older son, went on the paleo diet a couple of years ago - and he always incorporated a free day every week. after awhile, he just gave those up - once inawhile he'll eat something a little off the plan - but not much. It seems that by allowing himself to indulge once a week, after awhile he just didn't obsess about foods that weren't allowed.

and that is what I want, I want to stop obsessing about foods I shouldn't eat. I am usually not really hungry - I just want that taste in my mouth.

so, if I incorporate a cheat day once in awhile, maybe I'll get over that fixation.
and of course, I'll make sure I exercise well the day I over indulge (so I keep within my calories, but probably eat more sugar and carbs - the things I crave)