Taking a "break"?

I have done this for the mental break, not so much to jumpstart weightloss again. I feel confident that I can eat, not track, and maintain my weight.

All you can do is try it! If you feel like you need a break, take one. Nobody says you can't do that. Do you own experiment!

If you aren't starving yourself on your diet you shouldn't need a break for your weight loss to continue. A mental break maybe from tracking everything which is also good for learning to eat at maintenance when you reach your goal.

I haven't yet because I would certainly go over if I were not tracking. Maybe after I have been at maintenance for a while...

I do on the weekends a little bit. I barely track and never seem to go off track too much as I am still losing weight.

Do any of you guys take breaks from tracking calories periodically, like lets say after a month of consistent tracking you start to see your weight loss coming to a halt. Do you ever just say "alright this next week or two I'll just eat freely and not track" and then go back on your plan after that? I feel like theoretically, doing something like that would cause you to start losing up to speed again once you do get back on track. Has anyone gone such or experienced anything that would lead that theory to be true?

I took breaks from the calorie deficit as needed but not tracking. Even though I'm maintaining I love tracking my calories. I guess it does not seem like a chore because I'm older and remember the drudgery of having to do this without computers; writing everything down with pen and notepad, looking up every ingredient in calorie books, and using the calculator to do the math every night. Even weight watchers was a pain back in the day. MFP makes it FUN.

Lol, I've been tracking for nearly a year and not missed a day, if I felt I needed to up my calories for awhile I just did, needed more sweets, fine, done, needed a few cheetos, done. It all goes in the log for god and everybody to see, I don't really care about anyone but my opinion and how can I know what works and what doesn't and detect the patterns that trigger a plateau or a gain if I don't log. Well there you go, but, as a biologist I'm real partial to a "sciency" approach to this. Result, I weigh less now than I have in 40 years.

What a great attitude. Agree 100% and congrats on the fantastic loss

I've known of people doing from a mental standpoint, as it can become discouraging when you’re eating well, working out but not seeing progress. What is important to understand that this will take time. Start taking photos of yourself and keep them in a log on your computer, cell phone or apps like Instagram. Take your measurments and don't rely on the scale as it will never give you a 100% accurate answer. That way you will see changes that occur in photos that you can’t see in the mirror. Since we look at ourselves every day we don’t tend to notice the minor progress being made, which adds up over time!

I myself do skip days of logging, may 2-3 days at a time, but overall consistent about logging. Remember, this is something you should be able to sustain for a lifetime, not just while you’re trying to lose weight. The reason I’m able to skip my logging and feel comfortable is because I’ve been doing it over a year, and I know how to accurately estimate my daily calories in my head to keep me from going over or splurging. If you haven’t mastered that, I say keep logging! Taking a break really isn’t going to help you accomplish “jump staring” your results. If anything, you may lose sight of all the effort you put in by consuming foods that are not as good for you; thus putting you over your goal.

I have been tracking for 2 months straight. If I happen to go over on a Friday or Saturday night I don't stress over it...and still lose. During the week I stick quite well to my goal so if I go over once or so on the weekend I still lose, I have lost close to 20 lbs in 60 days this way. Best of luck!

if i feel like i'm obsessing over my counting, i will take a break.

Nope. I have tracked every single day since I came to MFP. I dont even think about it anymore...I just do it. Having both the computer site AND the app make it pretty easy. I may not track here every day for the rest of my life after I reach my goal, but it will probably be the majority of the time. But I'll see when that day comes. I still have 7 months to go.

Sometimes I do, but not when I first started. Now that I've been at it for a while and dropped forty pounds, I let myself "not care" when we were in Chicago last weekend. Since we walked everywhere and climbed lots of stairs, I knew that even if I went over, I'd be okay. I made some mostly healthy choices, but I indulged too.

I came back a whopping half-pound heavier, and the weight was gone a couple days later.

Also, I eat pretty much the same food every day, so there are days I forget to track but know I'm still within my calorie range. If I have any doubts, I plug it into MFP. If I notice my weight stalling, I start tracking religiously again.

For me? I wouldn't do it. Too many times I have given myself a 'break' and it turned into complete sabotage. I know for myself I will have to count calories the rest of my life, even after I hit goal weight. And I am ok with that if it means I get to stay healthy and feeling great for years to come, instead of falling back into old habits and regaining the weight.

THIS!
I did take a break and it has taken 6 weeks to get back to where I was before my "break" . If it works for you, do it.... but I found out that it doesn't work for me.

Absolutely. Sometimes I just need a break from counting every single thing I put in my mouth, so I take a break. I try to remain conscious of what I'm eating and doing but I don't stay strict.