Who Allows Themselves a "FREE DAY"?

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  • Shrelana
    Shrelana Posts: 248 Member
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    I don't intentionally give myself free days...sometimes they end up happening (black friday comes to mind - and my last overnight shift - all in one day). On those days, either I'm up for 24 hours straight and end up going over my goal by 300 to 400, or I just make some really poor decisions because I'm not logging as I should be. I've found that if I intentionally plan a free day, my free day from week one ends up being back to back with my free day from week two, and then what's the harm of having one more? Yea...vicious cycle, so I try to not even do them...
  • purplepiggy1
    purplepiggy1 Posts: 66
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    I basically have break days when my macros are terrible but still try and keep calories in check, usually of there is a party or on a Saturday, when I feel like pancakes or something
  • schustc
    schustc Posts: 428 Member
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    Wow. All this negative thinking around taking a diet break once a week is amazing. Who cares? I mean even if it did slow down your progress by one day, and in the big scheme I don't believe it does because it helps to keep your metabolism from adjusting to the same calories daily, but even if it did... this is a lifestyle for me. I am not on a diet, so nothing to cheat on. I don't CHEAT, I eat normally or above normal one day a week actually I basically took a diet break over the past few months due to a very stressful busy season at work, and some medical issues, so I ended up having 3~4 days where I was eating around 3000 to 5000 a day ~ in a row ~ and then eating at restriction for 3~5 days. So basically maintained. Then I realized, this is LIFE. This; is how the average person maintains. They may eat a lot one day out with friends, but eat less the next to compensate. Nope, no diet here. And as my busy season winds down, I am still about 6 pounds less than I was about 3 months ago. I.e., during the really bad times, I still saw an avg of 2 lbs per month loss ~ at the worst. Having an avg of 3 Cheat days, if you will, a week. It is all relative. I can live like this forever. I may have months where I lose 10, and months where I lose 2. Overall I am still losing weight, and more importantly learning how to keep it off. I don't want to lose 130 lbs. Get to the end and not have learned how to keep it off. I am learning that as I go, and it is very liberating to know that having 150 Cal's over in a day is not the end of the world ~ and neither is having 3000 over in a day. Life goes on. Every day is learning. Getting to the end faster and being perfect on the journey isn't going to guarantee lifelong results. Learning how to get and stay there forever, even if it takes a little longer, is vastly more important to me. Good luck to us all!

    Edited to clean up auto corrects from the tablet lol
  • athenasurrenders
    athenasurrenders Posts: 278 Member
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    I do about once a month - I find any more often than that I lose my momentum and want to slack off.

    But, I also budget for small treats along the way like a mini chocolate bar, so I don't feel deprived.
  • paxbfl
    paxbfl Posts: 391 Member
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    Overall I am still losing weight, and more importantly learning how to keep it off.

    This is the big thing for me. I need to find a balance that I can stick with forever. I can eat healthy and exercise for days, even weeks on end but eventually I'm going to take a break, eat more than I should, take a rest day from the gym. These days will happen, that's a fact... so I need to just accept that and move on. It's not the end of the world, and may in fact be a good thing.
  • annams76
    annams76 Posts: 161 Member
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    I do a meal and not a day. I am so frustrated with gaining weight this past week that I don't think I will be allowing myself any cheats for at least a month.
  • mkanak
    mkanak Posts: 38 Member
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    A free day for me is 3-4 glasses of wine on Saturday. Other than that since I started eating healthy 5 months ago I dont want to eat unhealthy it doesnt feel nice any more!
  • firefoxxie
    firefoxxie Posts: 381 Member
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    I used to allow myself a free day but now I don't anymore because I feel like I don't need it :)
  • wibutterflymagic
    wibutterflymagic Posts: 788 Member
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    I'm not on a diet. I started a major lifestyle change back in January of this year that would continue for a long time. Then it will be habit. There are no good and bad foods. Just better choices. Experience has shown me time and again that it is better to feed a small craving then to hold it back until it becomes a binge. But that's just me. :smile:

    Totally agree!!
  • quirkytizzy
    quirkytizzy Posts: 4,052 Member
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    I have a free day - game night. Other friends buy the food and the drinks, and I don't have enough money to buy and bring my own food. So that day is always my free day. If I didn't allow myself the option to eat junk food, I would starve that night

    I DO log that free day, though. Helps keep me from overrunning myself with calories and sweets. And I do just drink water those days.
  • FitBeto
    FitBeto Posts: 2,121 Member
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    I try to have everyday be a freeday, so I dont feel like I'm stuck in a gerdhamprison. I prefer for food not to control me anymore, its too stressful.
  • hpsNcrvs
    hpsNcrvs Posts: 74
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    I'm still recovering from a free WEEK. Thanksgiving for me, started on Wednesday and ended on Sunday. There was so much food...so much wonderful, delicious good....and I enjoyed every bit of it. It was fun while I was "doin it".....but now, I feel like *kitten*!!!

    Detoxing is a pain in the *kitten*.
  • _Wits_
    _Wits_ Posts: 1,286 Member
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    I eat whatever I want every day :bigsmile:
  • xSakura
    xSakura Posts: 288 Member
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    I'm not on a diet. I started a major lifestyle change back in January of this year that would continue for a long time. Then it will be habit. There are no good and bad foods. Just better choices. Experience has shown me time and again that it is better to feed a small craving then to hold it back until it becomes a binge. But that's just me. :smile:

    Agreed! I believe in moderation, don't deprive yourself of foods that you enjoy, just have smaller portions OR find a healthier alternative :smile: Just focus on staying under your calorie goal, drinking plenty of water and doing at least 30 mins of exercise daily, you'll be fine!
  • AngryDiet
    AngryDiet Posts: 1,349 Member
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    Why undermine your hard work and resolve during the other six days?

    I still have nice meals. I just make sure the calories balance out by the end of the week. You can eat a little less one day and a little more another without it affecting the weight loss.
  • a_certain_shade_of_green
    a_certain_shade_of_green Posts: 134 Member
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    not exactly a free day, but if i know im going to be over-consuming on one particular day i'll just go crazy on the exercise. like yesterday i was going for a meal with my family and instead of chosing a "healthy" option from the menu (how sure can you be anyway), i went for an extra long run so i felt ok about what i ordered.

    incidently, the steak and kidney pudding and chips with mushy peas that i had was outstanding! :love:
  • Kelley528
    Kelley528 Posts: 319 Member
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    I am starting to consider having a "free day" a week. I am almost at the end of my weight loss ( 5-10lbs to go depending on how I feel once I lose the next 5). i am getting tired of the 1200 calories a day after 8 months straight of it. Meal wise its ok but I am wanting more freedom to have a decent snack now and then. For 3 weeks in a row I went upto 1500 for one day each week. I used to feel guilty about that but now I'm realizing its making it easier to keep going. I never plan on going nuts for an entire day but I am going to give myself some freedom at this point.
  • lmeslie
    lmeslie Posts: 46 Member
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    I have "free" days on Fridays and Saturdays. I do not log, but I am still somewhat conscientious of what I am eating. I have lost weight slowly but steadily doing this. This has helped it feel more like a lifestyle change than a diet and I find that I do not gain after my "free" days. If I go on vacation or have a week where I don't log, I don't gain either, I maintain. Also, I really look forward to logging after my "free" days and none of this feels like a chore. I do not emotionally eat, so I think that this contributes to my success. It is going to be different for everyone and "free" days may not be beneficial to everyone. I believe that MFPers need to do what they need to to make this a lifestyle change and not a temporary diet. If that means "free" days, then have them! Free days should not be used for people who binge or emotionally eat, however, because it could impede success. Everyone has a different personality, different genetics related to weight gain, and different success stories. I don't think there is a cookie cutter answer to whether or not to have "free" days.
  • shelbysp8
    shelbysp8 Posts: 131 Member
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    I do have a free day but just like someone else said, the more free days I have the less I like them & look forward to them; because my system has gotten accustomed to the way I have been eating that I just feel YUK afterwards. I do it because if you don't give yourself the freedom just like someone else said you will go on a binge and never return which means you will never lose the weight. This is NOT a diet its a change of lifestyle so if you still want those foods and don't want to feel guilty on a tracking day give yourself a FREE DAY to not track and feel guilty because if you deprive yourself of something you want - sooner or later you are going to go back to the way you were because you DON'T like the strictness of not getting what you want.
    (I don't know if that makes sense - I seem to be a little wordy!) :-)
  • Dzambhala
    Dzambhala Posts: 149 Member
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    Yes but I try my best and workout in the morning, then I've got a bit of extra room calorie wise.

    Usually spend my extra calories on drink. Always in the green though.

    Tonight I'm treating myself to steak salad and a glass, *cough* bottle of wine :)

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