Diet Breaks?

lindacollins78
lindacollins78 Posts: 44 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Just wanted to get a few opinions. I'm 5'7" and started my weight loss journey at 245. Now I'm at 213. I'm finishing up my first 12 weeks of dieting in a couple of days. The first couple of weeks, the pounds just fell off. Since then, I've been losing 1-2 pounds per week. I've noticed my weight loss has virtually stopped over the last couple of weeks and I've been fighting hunger a lot more.

I've been reading up on controlled diet breaks on the web. I've been considering taking 10-14 days of eating at maintenance and then going straight back to 500 under maintenance. What do you all think? Good idea or just stick with staying at 500 under with no break?
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Replies

  • Ed98043
    Ed98043 Posts: 1,333 Member
    I recently took a 3-week break from logging. I didn't go hog-wild with the eating but I was just having mental diet fatigue and needed a break from logging, measuring, counting, thinking about it, worrying about it, feeling guilty about it, etc.. I gained 2 lbs which was no biggie, and I'm feeling refreshed and ready to lose another 20.
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
    Just wanted to get a few opinions. I'm 5'7" and started my weight loss journey at 245. Now I'm at 213. I'm finishing up my first 12 weeks of dieting in a couple of days. The first couple of weeks, the pounds just fell off. Since then, I've been losing 1-2 pounds per week. I've noticed my weight loss has virtually stopped over the last couple of weeks and I've been fighting hunger a lot more.

    I've been reading up on controlled diet breaks on the web. I've been considering taking 10-14 days of eating at maintenance and then going straight back to 500 under maintenance. What do you all think? Good idea or just stick with staying at 500 under with no break?

    First, congrats on the amazing success so far.

    Second, I feel I need to know more about the diet plan you're following. Is diet just a simple term for being in calorie deficit (basically eat the calories MFP set for you plus at least half, if not all, of your workouts calories)? Or is it some other diet. I think that would information come in handy.

    I personally take "diet" breaks but 2 weeks of not really a halt. Its a fairly small time frame to judge with. I have had months go by without a loss. Which is fine. If you are confident about your calories logging. Which means that you are measuring and logging precisely. Even little things like those 10 calorie cup of black coffee, then I would suggest going on maintenance for a couple of weeks and then going back down to cutting calories. It always helps me break a plateau.

    Good luck :)
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,963 Member
    A diet break helped me. Like you, the first 25 pounds dropped off really easily. Then I just stalled. Tried eating less, eating more and finally the diet break when I got desperate. After all if I wasn't losing on 1300 cals, I might as well be eating at maintenance. After 3 weeks at TDEE (where I initially fluctuated upward but dropped back to my lowest weight) I started eating at a deficit. The scale started moving again, albeit at a slower rate than my initial weight loss. I now incorporate a 2 week break every 3 months.
  • lindacollins78
    lindacollins78 Posts: 44 Member
    Just wanted to get a few opinions. I'm 5'7" and started my weight loss journey at 245. Now I'm at 213. I'm finishing up my first 12 weeks of dieting in a couple of days. The first couple of weeks, the pounds just fell off. Since then, I've been losing 1-2 pounds per week. I've noticed my weight loss has virtually stopped over the last couple of weeks and I've been fighting hunger a lot more.

    I've been reading up on controlled diet breaks on the web. I've been considering taking 10-14 days of eating at maintenance and then going straight back to 500 under maintenance. What do you all think? Good idea or just stick with staying at 500 under with no break?

    First, congrats on the amazing success so far.

    Second, I feel I need to know more about the diet plan you're following. Is diet just a simple term for being in calorie deficit (basically eat the calories MFP set for you plus at least half, if not all, of your workouts calories)? Or is it some other diet. I think that would information come in handy.

    I personally take "diet" breaks but 2 weeks of not really a halt. Its a fairly small time frame to judge with. I have had months go by without a loss. Which is fine. If you are confident about your calories logging. Which means that you are measuring and logging precisely. Even little things like those 10 calorie cup of black coffee, then I would suggest going on maintenance for a couple of weeks and then going back down to cutting calories. It always helps me break a plateau.

    Good luck :)
    I log religously and only eat half of what MFP tells me on exercise because their numbers always look too big. My hrm usually is about half of what MFP says. My coworkers and family think I'm obsessive with counting calories because I'm constently weighing stuff and I'm generally always talking about my diet :tongue:
    I've been sticking with most of the MFP macros but basically focused on calorie count. Thanks for the compliments!
    Just wanted to get a feel of what people think about taking diet breaks.
  • lindacollins78
    lindacollins78 Posts: 44 Member
    I recently took a 3-week break from logging. I didn't go hog-wild with the eating but I was just having mental diet fatigue and needed a break from logging, measuring, counting, thinking about it, worrying about it, feeling guilty about it, etc.. I gained 2 lbs which was no biggie, and I'm feeling refreshed and ready to lose another 20.

    Thanks for the input!
    I think I better stick with logging everything even if I decide to take a break. It gives me a better sense of control, which is probably why I've been doing good so far. I'm afraid if I stop logging I won't get back to it. And if I'm not watching it, I'm a girl who can definetly eat!
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
    <snip quotations.>
    I log religously and only eat half of what MFP tells me on exercise because their numbers always look too big. My hrm usually is about half of what MFP says. My coworkers and family think I'm obsessive with counting calories because I'm constently weighing stuff and I'm generally always talking about my diet :tongue:
    I've been sticking with most of the MFP macros but basically focused on calorie count. Thanks for the compliments!
    Just wanted to get a feel of what people think about taking diet breaks.

    Sounds like you're doing things right. I usually take a diet break once in a while naturally (stress eating, religious or family obligations etc). I would say yeah a Diet break for a few weeks is in order. Just don't freak out over the temporary gain you get. The last time I took a break I gained like 5 lbs after a month of break but most of it was water weight and I think I gained only 2-3 lbs of fat. Which in the long run isn't that bad to deal with if it helps you get over the plateau.
  • lindacollins78
    lindacollins78 Posts: 44 Member
    A diet break helped me. Like you, the first 25 pounds dropped off really easily. Then I just stalled. Tried eating less, eating more and finally the diet break when I got desperate. After all if I wasn't losing on 1300 cals, I might as well be eating at maintenance. After 3 weeks at TDEE (where I initially fluctuated upward but dropped back to my lowest weight) I started eating at a deficit. The scale started moving again, albeit at a slower rate than my initial weight loss. I now incorporate a 2 week break every 3 months.

    Thanks. That "2 week break every 3 months" is about what I've been thinking. I'm currently set at 1600 because I wanted to go slow and steady. Plus I'd have trouble at 1200-1300 a day. I'd over eat then feel guilty and just cause myself to be a mess.
  • wiltl
    wiltl Posts: 188 Member
    I'm trying the same thing right now. I've been plateaued for a good 6 months...I'm adding 300/day which puts me barely below by TDEE and try this for a week. Then go back down 300, maybe 400 and see if that kicks things off again.

    I was doing like 1 weekend every month or two of no logging days and that helped quite a bit to not only keep the scale moving for a year, but also kept my sanity in check.

    If you've been stalled for only a couple of weeks, you may not want to go a full two weeks at TDEE yet. Maybe take a weekend? Good Luck!
  • lindacollins78
    lindacollins78 Posts: 44 Member
    [/quote]Sounds like you're doing things right. I usually take a diet break once in a while naturally (stress eating, religious or family obligations etc). I would say yeah a Diet break for a few weeks is in order. Just don't freak out over the temporary gain you get. The last time I took a break I gained like 5 lbs after a month of break but most of it was water weight and I think I gained only 2-3 lbs of fat. Which in the long run isn't that bad to deal with if it helps you get over the plateau.
    [/quote]

    Thanks. I think I could handle a few lbs up if I started going down again.
  • lindacollins78
    lindacollins78 Posts: 44 Member
    I'm trying the same thing right now. I've been plateaued for a good 6 months...I'm adding 300/day which puts me barely below by TDEE and try this for a week. Then go back down 300, maybe 400 and see if that kicks things off again.

    I was doing like 1 weekend every month or two of no logging days and that helped quite a bit to not only keep the scale moving for a year, but also kept my sanity in check.

    If you've been stalled for only a couple of weeks, you may not want to go a full two weeks at TDEE yet. Maybe take a weekend? Good Luck!

    Thanks for the ideas!
    About one day a month, I've been allowing myself a maintenance day. I've had two so far. I'll think about a weekend.
  • lindacollins78
    lindacollins78 Posts: 44 Member
    Bump. Does anyone have the opinion of no break? If so, please explain. Thanks!
  • ritchiedrama
    ritchiedrama Posts: 1,304 Member
    I assume this is what you read?

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html

    then yes, do it - you won't gain fat (only water weight) even if you did it would be minimal, it'll be a nice mental break for you too.
  • lindacollins78
    lindacollins78 Posts: 44 Member
    I assume this is what you read?

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html

    then yes, do it - you won't gain fat (only water weight) even if you did it would be minimal, it'll be a nice mental break for you too.

    Thanks, and yes this article is what got me thinking and researching. :wink:
  • ritchiedrama
    ritchiedrama Posts: 1,304 Member
    I've been through diet breaks myself and they made a difference :p
  • lindacollins78
    lindacollins78 Posts: 44 Member
    I've been through diet breaks myself and they made a difference :p

    Did you get hungrier right before you went on a break? I thought I was over that hump but especially the last week I've noticed the ole stomach a growling more often. I can work through it, I did when I first started but was just wondering.
  • ritchiedrama
    ritchiedrama Posts: 1,304 Member
    I've been through diet breaks myself and they made a difference :p

    Did you get hungrier right before you went on a break? I thought I was over that hump but especially the last week I've noticed the ole stomach a growling more often.

    Hmm, I can't really say, because through my entire time 'cutting' my weight I was on a fairly steep deficit.

    But I did things different than majority would here.. like I did Intermittent Fasting and that has removed all hunger pangs anyway, and I carb cycled so some days I could eat at maintenance anyway.

    The main reason for diet breaks was just the stall in weight loss for me, I only did two in like a year - but still, it won't hurt to just take 2 weeks off even if you just feel like you need it.
  • lindacollins78
    lindacollins78 Posts: 44 Member
    I've been through diet breaks myself and they made a difference :p

    Did you get hungrier right before you went on a break? I thought I was over that hump but especially the last week I've noticed the ole stomach a growling more often.

    Hmm, I can't really say, because through my entire time 'cutting' my weight I was on a fairly steep deficit.

    But I did things different than majority would here.. like I did Intermittent Fasting and that has removed all hunger pangs anyway, and I carb cycled so some days I could eat at maintenance anyway.

    The main reason for diet breaks was just the stall in weight loss for me, I only did two in like a year - but still, it won't hurt to just take 2 weeks off even if you just feel like you need it.

    I appreciate the guidance. Truly!
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html

    Don't consider it a challenge to eat back everything you've lost.

    Also, it's exactly 14 days for the reasons outlined in the article.
  • lindacollins78
    lindacollins78 Posts: 44 Member
    That's what I was thinking about. At first I was thinking 7 days but after that article I think tomorrow I will start a 14 day Maintenance period.
  • andreagenther
    andreagenther Posts: 67 Member
    I have heard someone say that will power is like a muscle, it gets tired and can fail at the worst times. I think i heard it from Jillian Micheals. That is what has helped me.
    I take "planed" breaks, a party, family visit, or just because, as often or rarely as I need them sometimes it is once a week, twice a week, or every other week. I try to listen to my body if i have been especially hungry for a few days I will take a day off and eat maintenance. I figure this whole journey is about learning to maintain a healthy lifestyle and I have had a problem binging my whole life. So in my quest to conquer my binging problem and be healthy for life, planned breaks work for me long term.
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    I forgot to say, I did the diet break a couple of times last year and didn't notice any negative changes in the mirror. Went from eating an average of 1900 cals a day to ~2700 cals a day for the 2 weeks. Towards the end of the 2 weeks, I was getting fed up of the extra calories and quite relieved to be back to a deficit.
  • lindacollins78
    lindacollins78 Posts: 44 Member
    That would be a nice feeling, lol, fed up with too MANY calories!
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    It is essentially a refeed period where you eat at or above maintenance calories for a period of time. Two weeks is ideal and allows your hormone levels to rebalance in a way that is conducive to fat mass loss.
  • lindacollins78
    lindacollins78 Posts: 44 Member
    Do you think I should eat at maintenance for the 2 weeks or above?
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    Do you think I should eat at maintenance for the 2 weeks or above?

    I would eat a few hundred calories above maintenance.
  • lindacollins78
    lindacollins78 Posts: 44 Member
    Do you think I should eat at maintenance for the 2 weeks or above?

    I would eat a few hundred calories above maintenance.
    Wow that would put me almost to 2500. I could go hog wild! Just curious about the reasoning behind eating above?
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    Do you think I should eat at maintenance for the 2 weeks or above?

    I would eat a few hundred calories above maintenance.
    Wow that would put me almost to 2500. I could go hog wild! Just curious about the reasoning behind eating above?

    Your body will initially store the extra calories as mainly muscle mass after eating at a deficit, so the added LBM will enhance your metabolism overall and give you a few ounces of additional muscle, which is always a good thing. That is, if you believe Torbjorn Akerfeldt's research.
  • lindacollins78
    lindacollins78 Posts: 44 Member
    That makes sense. I think you've convinced me. And WOW, what fun will it be to eat all those calories!

    Did you have any problems with hunger after the rest period? I kinda think I might. When I first started, it was a hurdle for me for the first two weeks and coming off that high of a calorie intake, seems to me, might be pretty similar. Just wondering.

    Thanks, I definetly appreciate the input!
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    Any hunger issues I come across I usually try to squash by eating more nutrient dense/calorie light food for awhile, like a LOT of veggies and lean meats. Once you become accustomed to the lower intake, you can resume more calorie dense foods.
  • lindacollins78
    lindacollins78 Posts: 44 Member
    Thanks again for your input. I guess I'll be eating it up for the next 14 days starting tomorrow!

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