Occassional free day?

jillfuzz
jillfuzz Posts: 10 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Anybody have any luck with having a FREE eat day every month or so? I've been staying on track, but have been starving lately and am thinking that an occassional free day to eat what I want may help with my long-term success. Just wondering how seriously this would impact my weight loss.....? Obviously, the crazier I go, the less I may lost that week, but again, I'm thinking about long term success, what's realistic and what may work for me. Thoughts?
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Replies

  • LemonJADE
    LemonJADE Posts: 89 Member
    I don't think it would affect you too much if you had a free day! It is always nice to treat yourself, for example I treated myself to a bag of sweets today and I have no regrets! Food is a wonderful thing and it is always nice to eat the bad things once in a while!
  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
    I go out to dinner and have what I want once a week including dessert and I still lose. I don't eat freely the rest of the day though and I'm sure to exercise.
  • EmmaKarney
    EmmaKarney Posts: 690 Member
    There's no such thing as a free lunch.
  • kbelliot
    kbelliot Posts: 38 Member
    I have had a free day once a week on Staurday since I started seriously trying to lose weight 7 weeks ago and I have lost 16 pounds in that time. Having a free day gives me something to look forward to each week as a treat for eating healthy all week. I don't go crazy or anything, I still try to stay within my calories for the day and I exercise on my free day so that I have more available calories to eat treats. My free day normally inclused pizza, pancakes, or a slice of cake and a couple of beers since I also eat very few carbs during the week. I know that I could possibly be losing faster if I cut out my free day, but I would not be very happy doing it. :smile:
  • toomuchrose
    toomuchrose Posts: 2 Member
    I don't have much success yet to back up my right to an opinion, but I'm working with a health coach provided by my health insurance company, (And it's not just an insurance company, it's a very respected medical center organization). She endorses the idea of an occasional free day to keep me from feeling deprived and get those cravings out of my system. I simply refuse to spend Thanksgiving Day, Christmas dinner or my birthday dieting, that's a little extreme. One big meal isn't going to make that much difference. Of course, the important thing is not to stretch it out to more than one day! No leftovers for the next 3 days like I used to do, etc.

    In February I planned my free day for a Mardi Gras party and for my food tracking, I put in 3000 calories entering as quick add calories. That was the best way I could estimate it. The great part was, I got that craving for potato chips and brownies out of my head for awhile. The next day I went back on track and had the satisfaction of realizing the greasy chips weren't all that worthwhile cause they made me feel kind of yucky, and I haven't craved them since. Once you get used to healthy eating, taking a brief side trip into junk food shows you how it actually makes the body feel awful! :wink:
  • trophywife24
    trophywife24 Posts: 1,472 Member
    I have a 'free' meal once a week or so.... an entirely free day maybe once a month.
  • tripodsmom
    tripodsmom Posts: 95 Member
    I call saturday my Crazy Day, I do extra excersize, keep at or just a few over calories but eat what i want and dont watch the rest of my macros. It keeps me sain...
  • NinjaTheGinger
    NinjaTheGinger Posts: 89 Member
    Perhaps, if you can control yourself after that "free day". You know what works for yourself, so go with that gut feeling. If you don't believe you can "stay on the wagon" after that cheat, then perhaps you should skip that free day until you feel confident enough in yourself to know you can stay on track afterwards.
  • Querian
    Querian Posts: 419 Member
    I occassionally have a free meal but not the whole day, and I usually still try to stay within my budget by either exercising extra or eating light for my other meals.

    If you are starving all the time maybe you should up your calories in general. How much are you eating every day right now?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    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.
  • Sherbog
    Sherbog Posts: 1,072 Member
    There's no such thing as a free lunch.

    I pay for over the top meals by putting more time in walking or exercising and eating less before going out to dinner.. I agree there is no free lunch. It is so much hard to take off than to put on. Another thing I do is to eat fewer calories the day before I have a scheduled meal out.

    It's all a math game to me.

    Shirley in rainy Oregon
  • cricket_77
    cricket_77 Posts: 165 Member
    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!
  • MissDeAnn
    MissDeAnn Posts: 47 Member
    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.
  • EmmaKarney
    EmmaKarney Posts: 690 Member
    Depends how free your free days are?

    If your calorie intake wipes out any deficits you've created on the other 6 days - you will not lose.

    So - no such thing as a free lunch.
  • seanezekiel
    seanezekiel Posts: 228 Member
    I have one once a week. I weigh in every Friday morning and have something bad on Saturday evenings.
  • junejadesky
    junejadesky Posts: 524 Member
    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.....
  • supermodelchic
    supermodelchic Posts: 550 Member
    I am on a program right now, I allow myself 1 cheat meal a week, and it is still healthy, I would not take a whole day of meals, put me off track ..goodluck
  • bailyc
    bailyc Posts: 57 Member
    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

    I do this too and it has been pretty successful
  • EmmaKarney
    EmmaKarney Posts: 690 Member
    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 fully agree with this.

    However - it's all about accountability and if you take days where you obviously go way over on calories it will have a knock on effect on your progress and then you can't really complain about "plateaus' and "just not being able to get the weight off"

    You know what I'm saying....
  • canadiandee
    canadiandee Posts: 196 Member
    For me, it's unrealistic to not have a free day or a meal. I typically loosen the calorie budget on the weekends, but still log all my food and exercise. If I know I have a treat day or a meal, I don't seem to miss my old favourites quite as much. If it works for you, do it.
  • Alderaic
    Alderaic Posts: 294 Member
    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
    Elzecat Posts: 2,916 Member
    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
    Blacklance36 Posts: 755 Member
    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
    AmazonRDH Posts: 203 Member
    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
    nursedebra2000 Posts: 26
    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
    JessiAnn88 Posts: 73 Member
    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
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    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
    nokanjaijo Posts: 466 Member
    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
    hellobritney Posts: 4
    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
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
    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.

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