"free" day advice, please!

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catherinestokes332
catherinestokes332 Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello!

I have lost 6 pounds so far, and this past weekend allowed myself a "free" day. Not a good idea. The scale went up quickly. My question is: how long after starting weight loss do you allow yourself to have a free day?

I just started on this journey 2-3 weeks ago due to high BP at doctors, and since starting and cutting out added salt, my BP improved very quickly. Still, I like my dessert.

So, should I give it a few months before a free day gets incorporated into my routine?

Thanks for any advice!
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Replies

  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    I don't have 'free days", I just work goodies into my daily calories. I don't do well with restricting foods or making things off limits or only something to have on a free day. I have chips with my lunch sometimes, I eat dessert often, dark chocolate usually finds it's way to my mouth daily. I'm in this for life, so my eating habits are such that I can sustain them, lose the fat and keep it off.
  • dmenchac
    dmenchac Posts: 447 Member
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    Most of us on this site have had "free" days for 20+ years. Its the reason we are like we are.

    Why do you want more?
  • Kitship
    Kitship Posts: 579 Member
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    Free days are what get me into trouble, because I usually undo all of my hard work from the last week.

    Maybe have a free meal, instead? Or make sure that your calories are low enough throughout the week that you can afford a free day.

    Or, you can do a free day once or twice a month instead of once a week.
  • catherinestokes332
    catherinestokes332 Posts: 9 Member
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    Thanks, AmyRhubarb! Any positive advice is helpful. There will be days where I will want to eat what I like. Special events, etc.

    I'm here for support, not to be put down, so if you have nothing nice to say, please keep it to yourself.
  • catherinestokes332
    catherinestokes332 Posts: 9 Member
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    Yes, I think one free day a month might be the best way to go. Thank you!
  • Iknowsaur
    Iknowsaur Posts: 777 Member
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    I don't have a free/cheat/whatever day.
    I occasionally allow myself a free/cheat meal (including dessert!)
    But I always log it.
  • eimaj5575
    eimaj5575 Posts: 278 Member
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    Free days need to be per individual. Some people like me can never have a full completely free day. And if you do decide to have a free day it should not be COMPLETELY free as to have anything as much as you want. Be smart about it and try to see what works for you. Always a good idea to have the yummier stuff on workout days. Just how I do it. If I went crazy on a free day it would not be good.
  • dmenchac
    dmenchac Posts: 447 Member
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    Thanks, AmyRhubarb! Any positive advice is helpful. There will be days where I will want to eat what I like. Special events, etc.

    I'm here for support, not to be put down, so if you have nothing nice to say, please keep it to yourself.

    Who put you down in this thread...? I hope you weren't referring to my comment.
  • catherinestokes332
    catherinestokes332 Posts: 9 Member
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    Thanks for the advice, all!
  • navyrigger46
    navyrigger46 Posts: 1,301 Member
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    On Sunday I usually go over by a couple hundred, but that's about it other than last week. Last week was my birthday, and as a result I had dinner at Tucano's one night, lunch at Johnny Rocket's and dinner at Los Cucos, as well as other assorted culinary delights. I was up for a few days, but by yesterday I was back at pre-birthday weight and I'll lose weight this week.

    So, don't go overboard very often, and log it when you do. Additionally, don't stress about the weightgain, it's water and waste weight and therefore, temporary.

    Rigger
  • easjer
    easjer Posts: 219 Member
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    I don't really do free days. I have days in which I consciously choose to eat more or eat less nutritionally advantageous foods. Sometimes I choose to work that off, sometimes I choose to have a smaller deficit for the day, but usually balance over the week. I log everything though, so I know what I'm realistically working with in terms of deficit.

    One thing to note - if what you ate contained a lot of sodium, or was less nutritionally dense than what you've been eating previously, then you are merely seeing water retention and bloat. It's really unlikely you ate an excess of 3500+ calories above your total energy spent on that day to have gained real mass back. So don't freak out - it'll come back off pretty quickly if you drink lots of water and eat 'clean' for a couple of days. As an example, I ate 2 meals in restaurants on consecutive days because of odd circumstances - the meals themselves were planned in advance and fit within my calorie budgets for each day and I avoided especially rich/heavy foods and was still up 6 (SIX) lbs when I weighed in the day following the second meal. It was gone within 3 days, but yeesh - that's what sodium can do.

    As for what you do - it works differently for everyone, but I've personally found the best success has been with logging everything and no longer thinking in terms of 'free' or 'treat' or 'cheat' days. I eat what I want to eat if I have the room for it. Sometimes that means I don't get what I want in that moment because I don't have room, sometimes I bargain with myself to run an extra mile or whatever, sometimes I build it in later in the week, and sometimes I just eat it and know I'm going to have a smaller deficit. I'd say I have a higher calorie (without comparably higher workout) every 2-3 weeks, but overall, I still hit weekly averages for my deficits. But I'm not cheating, because I'm not on a diet or taking a test or doing something I will quit later. I'm changing my life to enhance my health - which means cutting out a lot of less nutritionally sound choices, lowering calories, improving my food balance and nutritional choices and learning how to enjoy things in moderation.
  • catherinestokes332
    catherinestokes332 Posts: 9 Member
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    I don't really do free days. I have days in which I consciously choose to eat more or eat less nutritionally advantageous foods. Sometimes I choose to work that off, sometimes I choose to have a smaller deficit for the day, but usually balance over the week. I log everything though, so I know what I'm realistically working with in terms of deficit.

    One thing to note - if what you ate contained a lot of sodium, or was less nutritionally dense than what you've been eating previously, then you are merely seeing water retention and bloat. It's really unlikely you ate an excess of 3500+ calories above your total energy spent on that day to have gained real mass back. So don't freak out - it'll come back off pretty quickly if you drink lots of water and eat 'clean' for a couple of days. As an example, I ate 2 meals in restaurants on consecutive days because of odd circumstances - the meals themselves were planned in advance and fit within my calorie budgets for each day and I avoided especially rich/heavy foods and was still up 6 (SIX) lbs when I weighed in the day following the second meal. It was gone within 3 days, but yeesh - that's what sodium can do.

    As for what you do - it works differently for everyone, but I've personally found the best success has been with logging everything and no longer thinking in terms of 'free' or 'treat' or 'cheat' days. I eat what I want to eat if I have the room for it. Sometimes that means I don't get what I want in that moment because I don't have room, sometimes I bargain with myself to run an extra mile or whatever, sometimes I build it in later in the week, and sometimes I just eat it and know I'm going to have a smaller deficit. I'd say I have a higher calorie (without comparably higher workout) every 2-3 weeks, but overall, I still hit weekly averages for my deficits. But I'm not cheating, because I'm not on a diet or taking a test or doing something I will quit later. I'm changing my life to enhance my health - which means cutting out a lot of less nutritionally sound choices, lowering calories, improving my food balance and nutritional choices and learning how to enjoy things in moderation.
  • socajam
    socajam Posts: 2,530 Member
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    Thanks, AmyRhubarb! Any positive advice is helpful. There will be days where I will want to eat what I like. Special events, etc.

    I'm here for support, not to be put down, so if you have nothing nice to say, please keep it to yourself.


    I guess the advice given is not what you wanted to hear; may be you should have a few more "cheat" days.

    To support the others: "cheat" days is why I am overweight at 170.0, and trying to reach my goal weight of 140. I work everything into my daily calorie goal.
  • catherinestokes332
    catherinestokes332 Posts: 9 Member
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    thanksfor that, easjer! It WAS salty food, so yes, I'm actually down another pound today, so I imagine it was the sodium, that makes a lot of sense.
  • ShannonMpls
    ShannonMpls Posts: 1,936 Member
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    Most of us on this site have had "free" days for 20+ years. Its the reason we are like we are.

    Why do you want more?

    Oh, maybe because life has fun events that involve food and pulling out your iPhone to log every bite of a passed appetizer and lovely dinner at a wedding might be a big drag?

    It's perfectly possible to achieve a healthy lifestyle without having to log every. single. day. for the rest of your life. I'm proof.

    OP: I'd stick with this awhile before straying for now, but 2-3 "free" days a month were ALWAYS part of my plan. While losing, while maintaining. There is a reason I have stuck with this for 1,000+ days, why I was able to lose 130 pounds in 15 months, why I've been able to maintain that loss for a year and a half and counting: I did not make myself miserable. Some people do perfectly well logging every morsel that passes their lips for decades. I'm not one of those people. I log most of the time, and I log diligently. But I also take days off from logging (and I am a consistent exerciser). Rule #1: Don't weigh yourself for several days after a "free" day, at least not if you're prone to water retention like I am; it's only fat gain if you're above your overall maintenance calorie needs. Rule #2: A free day may be a big issue if you are prone to binging, or let it roll over into a free weekend, free week, etc. Rule #3: What works for me might not work for you; find your own way and do what's best for you and still lets you achieve your goals...in short, live the healthiest life you can ENJOY.

    I can say this: I am 100% certain that if I had not worked "free" days into my plan, I would not be the weight I am today, with the physical and mental health I enjoy daily. I would have given up.

    So, dmenchac, THAT is why some of us want free days.
  • Pipsg1rl
    Pipsg1rl Posts: 1,414 Member
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    I don't deny myself yummy things because I can only live that way for a small while until I resent "not eating" something.

    Triggers that up my weight:
    Sodium (someone mentioned it) -- BIG TIME.
    Beer - never fails. Even just one St. Arnold's Santos or a Guiness (I quit drinking so much light beer b/c i enjoy having real beer.)
    Mixed Drinks - my husband treated me to a mojito last night. BAM this morning on the scale... sigh

    I say work it into your calories. You'll be happier if you do :)
  • MagnumBurrito
    MagnumBurrito Posts: 1,070 Member
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    Have a cheat meal one once a week if you need it.

    Early on in the getting healthy journey, your willpower is low. Sometimes you need to reward meal, so you don't go off the handle. Try to make it something not too terrible for you, and not too much over your calorie allowance. Enjoy it, you earned it.

    After you get good habits down, you may not feel you need a cheat meal is necessary. Or the cheat meal you used to love, actually tastes like **** and you just didn't know it.

    To lessen the effects of the cheat meal, get a good lifting session in before hand. The extra calories will go to building muscle instead of building the waistline.
  • qb63
    qb63 Posts: 88 Member
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    OP, I don't believe anyone here or anywhere stays 100% on program all the time. You have to find what works for you and do it. The more "cheat" days, the slower your progress will be, typically, unless they are worked into your program. I don't think anyone was being intentionally nasty, I think you just didn't hear what you wanted? Good luck on your journey.
  • 1princesswarrior
    1princesswarrior Posts: 1,242 Member
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    I don't have 'free days", I just work goodies into my daily calories. I don't do well with restricting foods or making things off limits or only something to have on a free day. I have chips with my lunch sometimes, I eat dessert often, dark chocolate usually finds it's way to my mouth daily. I'm in this for life, so my eating habits are such that I can sustain them, lose the fat and keep it off.

    How was this not helpful or putting you down?

    I think this is spot on advice. I believe the advice here is to eat at a reasonable deficit everyday and allow yourself the foods you love in moderation. If sodium is a problem because of high blood pressure then you need to avoid high sodium foods all the time or as much as possible.

    What I do to work in things that I don't normally eat is plan them around my activity. I have a second job that is physically demanding to when I work there all day I will indulge in donuts and pizza that day but I know I am going to burn at least 2000 by my heart rate monitor.

    What finally helped me become successful was getting out of the diet mentality where certain foods were off limits. I still eat everything now that I ate before just in much smaller amounts in I find healthier ways to get it. For example, I use chocolate protein powder to make chocolate milk instead of buying chocolate milk. I eat quest bars instead of candy bars, heck I'm going to start putting a cookie dough quest bar into vanilla ice cream for a desert when I can fit it into my calories. By doing this I don't feel the need to have cheat days.
  • lsorci919
    lsorci919 Posts: 772 Member
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    I don't do "free" or "cheat" days. I feel it's counter productive. Now I will say I eat what I want, when I want, just in moderation. This way I never feel I need a cheat or free day. I log everything everyday. But that is just me. I do think if you are going to do a free day, don't do it once a week, make it more like once every other week or once a month.

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