Once-a-week "Bad Meal." Anyone else do this?
DrumlineGirl
Posts: 178 Member
The last time I tried to lose weight was about 5 years ago. I did really well. I didn't count calories, but I also didn't eat junk, fast food or lots of sugar. I worked out hard 6 days a week. Also, I did something I called a "bad meal." Once a week, I'd eat either a fast food meal, or we'd go to a breakfast place and have pancakes, etc, you get the idea. Just one meal in my week could be the bad meal and I wouldn't worry about calories that day.
I got the idea, I think from a magazine. And the way they said it worked is that your body throughout the week is used to burning and taking in fewer calories and that can actually slow down your metabolism over time. So with a high calorie meal once a week, it would kick your metabolism up a notch to try to digest and use all those calories. It REALLY worked for me the last time I did it. So I'm trying it again. The difference being that this time I'm not only eating healthy, but I am counting calories. I had my big bad meal today and I'm having a hard time not feeling guilty about it, even though I know it will be ok.
I can't imagine going through life without the occasional meal of no guilt, enjoying those foods I normally stay away from. And when you look at the big picture, it's only one meal out of 21 you have for the week. I'd certainly call that moderation!
Anyone else tried this technique?
I got the idea, I think from a magazine. And the way they said it worked is that your body throughout the week is used to burning and taking in fewer calories and that can actually slow down your metabolism over time. So with a high calorie meal once a week, it would kick your metabolism up a notch to try to digest and use all those calories. It REALLY worked for me the last time I did it. So I'm trying it again. The difference being that this time I'm not only eating healthy, but I am counting calories. I had my big bad meal today and I'm having a hard time not feeling guilty about it, even though I know it will be ok.
I can't imagine going through life without the occasional meal of no guilt, enjoying those foods I normally stay away from. And when you look at the big picture, it's only one meal out of 21 you have for the week. I'd certainly call that moderation!
Anyone else tried this technique?
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Replies
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Yes! Today was my bad day. As long as I don't go overboard and do portion control I feel it is OK to be able to have what I want and not feel guilty.0
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I've actually seen and heard that eating over your normal alloted calories can "confuse" your body and kick your metabolism up, but I don't really have any evidence. Interested in what other people have to say0
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That's pretty much what I'm doing. I'm on Jenny Craig, but there are the Holiday get togethers, so I give myself permission to "splurge" just on those specific occassions and build a bridge and get over it! It works. As a matter of fact, lastnight I had a Pampered Chef party and had bad foods, and now today I'm over it, back on track. That's life! You can't believe that you'll never be able to splurge ever again in your lifetime, so if/when you do, get right back on track afterwards and you'll do fine! Good luck!0
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I did it more for the psychological aspect of it rather than the physical benefits of having an "up" day now and again... I can't do the willpower 100% of the time thing (tried it several times and failed miserably), so I let myself have anything I want one day of the week (which doesn't necessarily mean eating nothing but junk, but it gave me enough flexibility that I wasn't feeling tempted). I recommend it, but whatever works for you is best!0
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I guess most people call it a cheat meal. You can google it and find lots of information about how it affects your metabolism (like someone said earlier, it tricks your metabolism, basically keeping it from being stagnant). And I think it's key to remember not to just gorge on everything you can think of. Just know you're going over your calories for just that one day, so have that waffle for breakfast, or the fish sandwich, or some fries and don't worry about it.
It is great too because during the rest of the week you can look forward to your cheat meal as a treat to yourself for doing so well on your diet.
I just feel this is so much more realistic as a long term life change. To think I will never eat cookies, or cake or some candy for the rest of my life is just unreasonable. You're allowed a little fun now and then!0 -
I started out with no days where I would break the rules. WIth the holiday season, and seeing family more than usual, I have allotted 1-2 bad days a week. Now, this isn't every week. For example, this week I had a bad Friday and will be bad tonight. Although, I have found that even when I do this now, due to my exercising, increased metabolism, and the calories I generally consume, I am still losing weight and feel great. However, I am now sure how healthy it really is to have the bad days...never really took the time to research it yet.0
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Oh, here's a blurb I just found offline that is really good:
"Weight Loss Stalled
It is common for weight loss to slow down after you have been restricting your calories for a period of time, this is because your body is so good at adapting to things. When you cut your calories your body adapts by slowing your metabolism and since your metabolism is what allows you to burn fat your weight loss grinds to a halt.
The only way to reverse this is to confuse your body so it cannot adapt and to do that you have to eat more. When you overeat for a day your metabolism springs up to peak performance to manage all of the extra calories coming in, then you return to your low calorie diet the next day but your metabolism stays high and you have a week of strong fat burning.
Sound crazy? I will admit this goes against traditional dieting but this is not a new concept in fact it has been researched and tested in real-life people for more than 15 years with a fantastic track record.
Are you worried about weight gain? The common fear is that you will gain weight from this day but what research has found is that your metabolism bounces back faster than your body can lay down fat and each week you get leaner and leaner.
If your weight loss stalled don't get frustrated, the solution is to add a cheat day. I encourage you to try this in your life or follow the links below for more detailed instructions on how to make this work for you." end quote.0 -
I see EVERY choice I make on the scale. I see someone eat cake and I swear it ends up on my *kitten*. If I have a craving I will wait it out, and I mean at least a few weeks. If it hasn't gone away I may allow myself a small portion but I will expect to have to work it off for the better part of 1/2 a week. Any bad choice results in a non-loss week for me so Im really aware that is my tradeoff.0
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I take a whole day once a week. Usually a Friday where I eat bad all 3 meals. But I work out hard after the third meal. I feel like I am accomplishing something that day. I was told by a nutritionist that it confuses the body and will keep you out of that starvation mode. When I first started loosing weight I went into the starvation mode for 3 weeks and didn't loose hardly anything then I talked to her and the pounds started falling off again.0
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Oh, here's a blurb I just found offline that is really good:
"Weight Loss Stalled
It is common for weight loss to slow down after you have been restricting your calories for a period of time, this is because your body is so good at adapting to things. When you cut your calories your body adapts by slowing your metabolism and since your metabolism is what allows you to burn fat your weight loss grinds to a halt.
The only way to reverse this is to confuse your body so it cannot adapt and to do that you have to eat more. When you overeat for a day your metabolism springs up to peak performance to manage all of the extra calories coming in, then you return to your low calorie diet the next day but your metabolism stays high and you have a week of strong fat burning.
Sound crazy? I will admit this goes against traditional dieting but this is not a new concept in fact it has been researched and tested in real-life people for more than 15 years with a fantastic track record.
Are you worried about weight gain? The common fear is that you will gain weight from this day but what research has found is that your metabolism bounces back faster than your body can lay down fat and each week you get leaner and leaner.
If your weight loss stalled don't get frustrated, the solution is to add a cheat day. I encourage you to try this in your life or follow the links below for more detailed instructions on how to make this work for you." end quote.
My sister swears by this however she does a whole "free" day. I mean chocolate cake for breakfast, burger king for lunch and maybe even taco bell for dinner. She got it from the body for life program. I think I would feel sick after a whole day but the thought about one meal a week is very tempting. I have been stalled and maybe need to try this.
Good luck, hope it works I would kill for one "bad" meal! hee hee hee 0 -
I see EVERY choice I make on the scale. I see someone eat cake and I swear it ends up on my *kitten*. If I have a craving I will wait it out, and I mean at least a few weeks. If it hasn't gone away I may allow myself a small portion but I will expect to have to work it off for the better part of 1/2 a week. Any bad choice results in a non-loss week for me so Im really aware that is my tradeoff.
uugghhh.. hugs, I feel like that too. my hubby will eat a cinnamon roll I gain 3 lbs.0 -
Yeah its really quite annoying for me too. It feels I could work my tail off all week at the gym and one bad meal just erases everything. It sounds petty but it really pisses me off sometimes. I wanna get to the point where I lose enough weight that I could shrug off the occasional gain.0
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I reached a minor goal today ( got under 100kg before Jovis concert ) but what it led me to do was pick all day and not healthy picking. I'm upset with myself and now have to crank up the training to undo any damage from today.0
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I will either do Quinzos or Subway for a bad meal. I have a hard time doing anything else bad. I don't do any soda pop or fast food. Also once a month @ work we do a pot luck type deal and not worry about the calories. I still keep it in moderaton.0
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I will maybe once or twice a week have a cheat meal. Today I'm having a cheat night - UFC 124, pizza and chips. Weeeeeee!0
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I do this too, I call it my "treat day" rather than my "cheat day" - it erases the guilt that tends to go with "cheating". I did this almost religiously for the first month of my weightloss journey, and lost consistently every week. Then I stopped "treating" since after getting used to eating "healthy" most of the time I found the cravings weren't as bad...BUT - I also stopped losing =/ Started my "treat day" up again, and boom - losing consistently again Works for me! 0
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I do this too, I call it my "treat day" rather than my "cheat day" - it erases the guilt that tends to go with "cheating". I did this almost religiously for the first month of my weightloss journey, and lost consistently every week. Then I stopped "treating" since after getting used to eating "healthy" most of the time I found the cravings weren't as bad...BUT - I also stopped losing =/ Started my "treat day" up again, and boom - losing consistently again Works for me!
LOVE "treat day" that's a good one.0 -
That's really useful. It sounds perfect to save up for eating out or getting takeaway with people. 0
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Thank you for this post. Now I dont feel so guilty.0
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Thank you for this post. Now I dont feel so guilty.
LOL! Me too!! :bigsmile:0 -
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I've done the whole day as a "treat/cheat/you know you want it" day and now it's gone down to a meal. For me, it's when I have friends over once a week for hanging out and playing Dungeons and Dragons. We buy snacks - although I've bought fruit and veggies more - and have pizza or chinese. Usually I find myself more pleased than guilty because I have 1) been good all week, b) am eating what I really want and iii) eat less than I fear because my stomach has actually shrunk!
So keep it up!0 -
I don't do the bad meal once a week thing, but I don't beat myself down if I go over the calorie count every once in a while. Like a lot of you said, I think it confuses your body and gets your metabolism up and running again. I'd mainly be curious to know if people still lose weight while doing it or if they find weight loss to be more of a struggle as a result....
Shannon0 -
I do the cheat day each week as well. I find I have to to stay sane some weeks. Besides how else am I going to feed mt Taco Bell addiction! :-)0
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I have days where I eat under my calories and days when I eat over. Some days I'm just really busy and not really thinking about food/not hungry and I'm under calories. Some days I'm hungrier than normal and I let myself eat more. I think that my body gets enough confusion from this regular way of eating. If I'm going to a place where I know there will be stuff outside of the norm (like the upcoming Christmas parties, for example), I just allow myself to enduldge (but not binge) and I workout a little more to compensate - because that's how maintenance looks to me.
I don't give myself a planned weekly day or meal to "splurge/binge" on a bunch of crap because honestly, every time I have one of those days (like at a party or something), I end up with cravings for days - and it sucks! Why would I want to plan for those days every week/month? And why plan days that allow me to fall back into the bad habits that contributed to my weight gain in the first place? Also - don't you start to really look forward to those days and obsess over them while you're cutting calories every other day? I know I would. I'm really trying to learn a healthier lifestyle - for life. I get having a planned day every now and then to go over in calories - I completely believe in that concept. What I don't understand is why go to such extremes (that I've read on a few of the posts). Why not have a few hundred calories extra - of something healthy (or even not healthy)? Why does it have to be the crappy stuff that got most of us here in the first place? If you're talking about a piece of cake for an extra 300-500 calories a day - okay I get that. But some of the posts sound like it's a whole lot more than that. Why not plan to eat healthy all the time and then if an occasion or a certain craving comes up, then allow yourself to induldge, within reason? Why not allow for those occasional splurges rather than plan an entire crappy meal or day? That just seems more healthy and sustainable to me.
Now that I've put myself out there (disagreeing with the majority in this thread), I do want to say that I'm of the opinion that you do what works for you, and if this works for you (general you), then by all means... I'm just throwing out the question because I don't understand and I know it would never work for me - and I wouldn't want it to.0 -
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I take a whole day once a week. Usually a Friday where I eat bad all 3 meals. But I work out hard after the third meal. I feel like I am accomplishing something that day. I was told by a nutritionist that it confuses the body and will keep you out of that starvation mode. When I first started loosing weight I went into the starvation mode for 3 weeks and didn't loose hardly anything then I talked to her and the pounds started falling off again.
I also do this. My trainer recommended it for the same reasons everyone has stated. Then she says the next day to have as few carbs as possible and to workout. So my bad days are usually Fridays as well and I workout Saturday morning.0 -
In response to Tonya- everyone is different. I did this same plan several years ago and it worked like a charm for me. I lost about 15 pounds in a couple of months. I do agree that it's probably not good to eat junk food all day long once-a-week, but for me, if I can have a yummy food that I've been craving and that isn't so healthy, I don't see anything wrong with it. I don't fall back into bad habits, I'm back to my healthy low cal diet the next day. Some people can't do that, and that's OK, it's not for everyone. And some people are trying to cut out junk food and sugar forever, some are not. So you can see how it would be different for everyone.
I use it as a reward to myself, and because I'm trying to be realistic about my future. I'm not going to deny myself this occasional indulgences in my life, so even though I'm trying to lose weight, I'm also getting used to the occasional high cal item, so I know how to deal with it later when I'm maintaining. That's just my take!0 -
Also - don't you start to really look forward to those days and obsess over them while you're cutting calories every other day? I know I would. I'm really trying to learn a healthier lifestyle - for life.
@Tonya - funny you should say that.. For me, it was exactly like that in the first few weeks of my journey - I would crave and "obsess" over my Saturday MacD's fix (bearing in mind that I previously pretty much had a MacD's addiction), but knowing I was "allowed" to have it on my "treat day" gave me something to look forward to. The funny thing about this is - after about a month of eating this way, my cravings pretty much disappeared so more often than not I don't even have my so-called "treat" on "treatday", however: I take pleasure in knowing that if I really want to, I can and won't feel guilty about it (the irony is, that I take even more pleasure in knowing I can have it if I want, but I don't really even want it anymore). In the past few weeks, I have gradually started changing my "treat day" to an "event day" - due to silly season parties and all that. My weightloss continues steadily, and I'm happy - lifestyle change like you said Do what works for you & good luck! 0 -
I allow myself to do this, but I don't assign a specific day and save it for when something comes up and it is just easier to run through the drive thru or if there is a holiday party, bday party, dinner out with family.. that kind of thing.. I will say that when it's a drive thru run I do pay attention and pick a lower calorie option vs. whatever my previous favorite was... and I do pay attention to portion a bit when I'm out to eat... but I don't obsess over whatever my calorie count that day...
I have also noticed that if I don't go over my calorie goal every couple of weeks or so then I hit a plateau and then as soon as I eat a bigger meal and go over I'll start dropping again almost immediately... I actually did a little yoyo action at the end of this summer and it was while I was being very strict with calories but not exercising enough.. now that I'm moving more again and throwing in a treat day once a week or so, I seem to be doing better....0
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