can you take a break?

joselo2
joselo2 Posts: 461
in Health and Weight Loss
Is it possible to have a little break from your diet without wrecking everything? I have been slogging away at this for over a year and I am just sick of it and feel like I need to not be actively on the diet for a bit. Does anyone know if you cn? Like how long can it be? Is it bound to lead to saboutage? I just want to maintain or at least not gain too much, before going back to it.
thanks, joselito

Replies

  • itsmyvwbeetle
    itsmyvwbeetle Posts: 272 Member
    I have taken a break since May pretty much. I wouldnt say I completely fell off the wagon until about 2 weeks ago. Just ate within reason and I gained about 5 pounds and maintained that for months. About 2 weeks ago, I really fell off the wagon and quickly gained about 5 more so today I am restarting. BUT for 5 months I maintained and didnt gain.
  • annette_15
    annette_15 Posts: 1,657 Member
    Take a break, eat at maintenance and go back when ur ready :)
  • Heather_MXP
    Heather_MXP Posts: 48 Member
    I doubt there is one answer. But what if you loosened up your goals, etc? Went from weight loss settings here on MFP to maintaining settings?

    A friend of mine lost a bunch of weight on weight watchers. When she reached her goal, she started monitoring her food only 4 days a week. The other 3 days she would eat what she wanted (within reason) and only worked out if she felt like it. But the other 4 days a week, she stayed dedicated. She said it made her feel "more free" but also kept her on track and not regaining.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Take a break, eat at maintenance and go back when ur ready :)

    This
  • firefoxxie
    firefoxxie Posts: 381 Member
    For me, its sort of possible. I don't have a good grasp on calories in relation to food. I wouldn't be able to tell how much I would be eating at all. Though, counting my calories has become second nature to me. I've been doing it for me than a year as well and I don't think much of it. It doesn't feel like homework, it's just something that takes maybe one second, depending on the app speed, to do.
    At one point I did stop, I forgot why, and I only gained 5lbs(luckily)
  • links_slayer
    links_slayer Posts: 1,151 Member
    why do you want to stop? what's making it difficult (besides thinking of it as a "diet")?
  • flumi_f
    flumi_f Posts: 1,888 Member
    I think that depends on you. I took a 2.5 week break, while on vacation, but set up a 'meeting' with myself, when I would jump back into logging on my return.

    If you've been logging a year, you can judge the cals on your plate. If you stay honest with yourself, I think it can be done. Call it your maintenance month. Or take a week off, if you maintain, decide if you want to go longer or not. I think the hardest part is jumping back in, if you don't set a date for yourself.

    Good luck!
  • ken_hogan
    ken_hogan Posts: 854 Member
    why do you want to stop? what's making it difficult (besides thinking of it as a "diet")?

    This. Don't look as this as a 'diet' but a lifestyle change.
  • Inshape13
    Inshape13 Posts: 680 Member
    I think that it depends on the person. I would like to think that I have been at this long enough to take a break with logging and stay the same, but in reality there are certain foods and situations that lead to binges for me. I will take a weekend off and "get it out of my system", but longer than that I chance having to break the pattern of bad eating all over again so I just won't chance it.

    Then again I have a friend who lost weight and does not track and has been just fine at maintenance so it depends on the person.

    Best of luck either way you choose to go with this!
  • gregbennett1973
    gregbennett1973 Posts: 48 Member
    Not sure if this helps, but I reckon I need to set an end date for the break before I've even started it. I reckon that if I didn't set an end date, it could potentially just go on and on.
  • FerretBuellerr
    FerretBuellerr Posts: 468 Member
    I take "breaks" on weekends. By "breaks" I mean I try and stay at my daily cals, but I don't focus on making sure I'm under and I don't stress if I'm over. I also let myself indulge more than usual on weekends, so I don't make myself go completely crazy. I've been doing this through most of my time using MFP and I haven't gained back any weight that I've lost so far!

    You can't really take a break from a lifestyle change if you want the change to be permanent. I think giving yourself lazy days is fine (ie. skip a workout while while still maintaining a defecit, or allowing yourself an awesome cheat meal that you've been craving), so long as they don't turn into lazy every-other-days or lazy weeks - then your work will more than likely be sabotaged.
  • hilts1969
    hilts1969 Posts: 465 Member
    Bit of a silly question really, if you want a break have one, if you don't want to put too much weight on keep an eye on the scales, the more you eat the more you will put on, how you manage it is up to yourself really
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    You can do whatever you want...if you do not eat above a maintenance level of calories, how would you "ruin" anything?
  • micheleld73
    micheleld73 Posts: 914 Member
    Are you talking about the effort to log everything or are you talking about you miss certain foods? It would seem by now that logging everything would be a habit and even if you stopped being consistent on MFP you would still have a grasp of approximately how many calories you are consuming and burning on most days. If you're just missing certain foods, you haven't grasp that it is a life change and that you shouldn't totally deprive yourself of anything that you would miss later - just in moderation. I still like my fast food meals on occasion and I know when I can afford to splurge. We never stop watching what we eat - we just sometimes stop caring!
  • lharvey2797
    lharvey2797 Posts: 91 Member
    "Don't look as this as a 'diet' but a lifestyle change."

    I agree with this! DIET is a four letter word and they do not work!!!

    I have been telling people all along that have asked me that I have been making a Lifestyle Change! It feels great and is more permanent! Best of Luck!!
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Yes. A break from "diet" can actually kick start your weight loss again, if you have been eating low calorie for a long time. Just don't eat more than maintenance amount.
  • joselo2
    joselo2 Posts: 461
    Yeah. Whos knows, i might even continue to lose on the maitainence amount. maybe it is a useful step to thinking of the day when i have to maintain the target.
  • isbef72
    isbef72 Posts: 7 Member
    Be careful! I spent six months losing 30 lb for an overseas trip and wedding. Since my return 3 months ago I gained 18 lb :(. Spent most of last 3 months eating sensibly and working out. Just quit counting calories and keeping food diary. I don't think 1 or 2 weeks would hurt if you committed to returning to your plan.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Is it possible to have a little break from your diet without wrecking everything? I have been slogging away at this for over a year and I am just sick of it and feel like I need to not be actively on the diet for a bit. Does anyone know if you cn? Like how long can it be? Is it bound to lead to saboutage? I just want to maintain or at least not gain too much, before going back to it.
    thanks, joselito

    A break? Why?

    I'm not on a diet, therefore there is nothing to break from. I am on a health and fitness journey that is changing my life.
  • jak1958
    jak1958 Posts: 82 Member
    Its actually a good idea to do so often... A break allows your body to reset hormones :)

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/index.php?s=diet+breaks..
  • shapefitter
    shapefitter Posts: 900 Member
    Wow. Congrats. I have logged in every day for 30 days on a row, and celebrated with a meal out on Sunday. I think it's important to give yourself a treat, once in a while. So the answer to your question- give yourself a break. After a year on MFP, I think you would have a pretty good understanding of what foods you need to eat. And well done!
  • LiminalAscendance
    LiminalAscendance Posts: 489 Member
    You need to address why you feel the desire to take a "break," since those elements will probably factor into whether or not you will be able to sustain your weight loss.

    Do you desire to eat more food in general, or do you miss specific types, etc.?
  • joselo2
    joselo2 Posts: 461

    Do you desire to eat more food in general, or do you miss specific types, etc.?

    Bit of both really. More, specificallymore of things i have to limit myself on like takeaway
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member

    Do you desire to eat more food in general, or do you miss specific types, etc.?

    Bit of both really. More, specificallymore of things i have to limit myself on like takeaway

    You'll always have to limit yourself if you want to be healthy though... that's part of being healthy unfortunately. Even if you lose all the weight, you'll still won't be able to eat as much as you used to.

    Order your takeaway. Enjoy it. Then go back in the wagon the next day. It doesn't have to be all or nothing. As long as you're still careful of not totally overeating, you can still indulge once in a while.

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