"Free Day"?

CuteAndCurvy83
CuteAndCurvy83 Posts: 570 Member
edited September 22 in Health and Weight Loss
Does anyone else give themselves a free day? not talking about letting yourself binge but just have a day where you relax a bit, maybe have that 2nd burger, or that slice of super fudge chocolate cake? Or when you allow yourself to eat an unhealthy meal,or fast food? I am patiently awaiting Sunday as thats my "free day" (BBQ at moms house and I'm making cupcakes and cookies)

*Edit: Just to clarify, I'm talking just a day where you aren't like super focused on what your eating and how many calories it has. Not saying you spend the day eating junk but Just a day to relax and if you want a can of coke (i've been cutting out soda) or a slice of cake or whatever you can have it and keep to portion sizes for the most part. I know before I started this whole thing I was eating A LOT, I mean A LOT and I have found that I'm losing weight just by controlling portions.

Replies

  • erin6026
    erin6026 Posts: 117 Member
    No I think an entire day is pretty dangerous. That's not to say I don't splurge a little here and there, but my splurges are like a REAL mocha with whipped cream at Starbucks, a 2nd glass or wine, or a side of fries with my salad at dinner. I think having an extra 300-400 calories one day a week is probably fine.

    You have 2 burgers in a day? That will easily ruin a lot of your progress for the week I would think!

    I think cheating here and there keeps you sane, but you can do a lot of damage really quickly if you let entirely loose for 24 hours.
  • erin6026
    erin6026 Posts: 117 Member
    No I think an entire day is pretty dangerous. That's not to say I don't splurge a little here and there, but my splurges are like a REAL mocha with whipped cream at Starbucks, a 2nd glass or wine, or a side of fries with my salad at dinner. I think having an extra 300-400 calories one day a week is probably fine.

    You have 2 burgers in a day? That will easily ruin a lot of your progress for the week I would think!

    I think cheating here and there keeps you sane, but you can do a lot of damage really quickly if you let entirely loose for 24 hours.
  • jkestens63
    jkestens63 Posts: 1,164 Member
    Every Friday is my free day. I make sure I have a healthy breakfast, get a good a.m. workout in, and then I don't worry about it for the rest of the day. Originally my free days were wild - I could down a small pizza but as I've lost weight, my free days are more reasonable because I can't tolerate the influx of too much crap at once anymore. My stomach is smaller and if I ate that much grease in one sitting now, I'd be sick.
  • givprayz
    givprayz Posts: 328
    I give myself free days whenever it's a special occasion, a wedding, a dinner out with the girls at the office, a holiday. I try not to have those often, or else I only have a free meal, not the whole day. I can't be good all the time :wink:
  • jacj46
    jacj46 Posts: 46
    yep ...
    I had one on Thanksgiving ... had 2 together on Christmas Eve & Christmas Day ...
    I have only let myself have 3 since I started in Oct 2010 ...
    I actually felt a little guilty ... that's good ... right!
    :happy:
  • Robyn1733
    Robyn1733 Posts: 58
    I give myself a "free day" every once in a while where I just allow myself alittle more. EX last night we ate mexican, I still tracked it but made sure I was very close to my goal. I wouldnt go overboard on a "free day"
  • Laceylala
    Laceylala Posts: 3,094 Member
    I've tried a free day. And I still weigh what I weighed when I first started on this site. This time I am considering one free MEAL per week and am hesitant about that too.
  • 1FitMomof4Girls
    1FitMomof4Girls Posts: 202 Member
    I do 2 cheat meals. Saturday/Sunday. I eat healthy all day. I stay within my calories. But I will have pizza, hot wings etc. What ever I want. The key is: STAY WITHIN CALORIES. PORTON CONTROL
  • sweetseraph7
    sweetseraph7 Posts: 91
    My BF and I would have free days on the weekend and before long we doubled the weight we lost. I would suggest something sweet but still good for you. Stay away from drinking on your "free days" because that will pack on the weight. Allow yourself some serburt or something on the weekend but I agree with some of the girls don't go over too much on calories after all you don't want to back pedal.
  • corey_e
    corey_e Posts: 162
    I agree with xcrewgal. Having a day to splurge can ruin all the hard work you put in, especially if you're just starting out. As you keep going you find those cravings go away. When I really crave fast food I usually get a kids meal and try not to finish it. The kids meal is actually the amount of food an adult should eat, think about how much extra crud you're eating getting the regular meals!
  • 4lafz
    4lafz Posts: 1,078 Member
    I count everything. If I want a burger I have to work for it - only one for me :-) And I have had three real good burgers out in 7 months! Since June I have taken off MFP 5 days at Christmas time but that was it - and I still watched what I ate and lost weight. This is not a diet for me - it's a new way of life. When I finish losing I will still have to eat right AND exercise.
  • winw
    winw Posts: 15
    I agree that a free meal is not a big deal, but a whole day worries me. Either way, tho, you need to own it and LOG it - even if you are 1,000 calories over. And, you need to be sure you get some exercise in that day, so that you balance it out a bit.

    I don't like the idea of "being good" or "being bad" - there's way too much value judgment in that. Instead, how about thinking of it all as "being in control". If you make a conscious decision to eat EXTRA calories, you are still in control but you need to accept the responsibility and own the calories and the decision.

    Good luck.
  • jfer1977
    jfer1977 Posts: 139
    We started eating healthier January 2008 and allow ourselves a free day. Some free days there is a lot I'm wanting and others I'm craving our healthy foods. My husband had seen something about taking a free meal instead of a day. That doesn't really work with our schedule since most of our free days are when we aren't going to be home (visiting friends or family or running errands and need to grab a bite out). I think the free day helps keep us on track better than craving things and never getting them.
  • mikaselm
    mikaselm Posts: 32
    I've never done a whole free day, but I do give myself free meals. My mom's homecooking is something I look forward to all the time, (probably because her three fav ingredients are cream cheese, bacon, and butter). I always top my limits when I eat with her (twice a month, maybe?) but I try to work out a little extra that week. If I never make exceptions, it makes it seem impossible to enjoy the low cal foods, like they're some sort of punishment for being fat. But If I can still eat my favs every once in a while, then the low cal foods the rest of the time seem more like variety. I do try to save my cheat meals for times when I know I'll be around other people who are eating fatty stuff though, that's when my resistance is the lowest :D
  • BrockDoe
    BrockDoe Posts: 25
    Surprisingly going over on your calorie intake 1 day every so often is a good thing. It Keeps your body on its toes. If you continually maintain this low calorie intake for a long period your body goes into a state where it thinks its always going to be starved of calories and starts to store them. So giving it this release it thinks its going to go back to old habits and starts burning off some stored cals/fat. So within reason a cheat day every couple weeks perhaps if your just starting out isn't to bad a thing.

    The fitter you become and more weight you lose the more lenient you can be with your cheat days. Remembering that 3,500 calories is equal to about a pound. if you go over your limit by a couple hundred one day every couple weeks you'll be fine... If not it can be a positive thing. Some people consistently eating under every day there weight loss will plateau after a while. a cheat day will give it a kick in the *kitten* and make it burn again!

    Hope this helps :)

    "My experience tells me that point is not reached weekly so cheating one day a week is out. In my opinion, metabolic slowdown usually occurs 10-17 days into a diet, depending on the person." A quote taken from my favorite nutrition website.
  • MercuryBlue
    MercuryBlue Posts: 886 Member
    When I was working 7 days a week (Office job full-time during the week, part-time job on weekends), I let myself have 'free weekends'. I ate pretty much whatever I wanted... but then, I was doing really, really physically-intensive work on those days, and burned an extra 1000-1500 calories each day. Even eating whatever I wanted on Saturday and Sunday, I was still able to lose weight.

    Now that I've quit that job and am back to only 5 days a week (at the desk job) I will no longer be allowing myself cheat days. Cheat meals every so often, probably.
  • reese1206
    reese1206 Posts: 229
    Not an entire FREE day but I do have a cheat meal once every 2 weeks....not to crazy but something I wouldn't normally allow myself.
  • Black_Swan
    Black_Swan Posts: 770 Member
    I had a "free day" today but i have a feeling i might have been a little bit too free. Next time more quality, less quantity!
  • modernfemme
    modernfemme Posts: 454 Member
    No I think an entire day is pretty dangerous. That's not to say I don't splurge a little here and there, but my splurges are like a REAL mocha with whipped cream at Starbucks, a 2nd glass or wine, or a side of fries with my salad at dinner. I think having an extra 300-400 calories one day a week is probably fine.

    You have 2 burgers in a day? That will easily ruin a lot of your progress for the week I would think!

    I think cheating here and there keeps you sane, but you can do a lot of damage really quickly if you let entirely loose for 24 hours.

    I agree. When I "cheat" I go totally insane and revert back to old habits. A million chips. 76345 glasses of wine. We're building new habits for a healthier lifestyle, so cheat days can definitely be detrimental.

    edit: sure, i splurge every now and then, maybe an extra glass of wine. Maybe I will eat to "maintain" my weight if I'm really hungry, but I never lose focus on how many calories I'm taking in, because if I let myself go nuts one day, I will do just that. Go nuts!
  • sdtul
    sdtul Posts: 24
    I'm on the *Free Meal* idea as opposed to the whole day. A whole day of being 'relaxed' can lead to alot of calories, weather you mean to or not. I'm not really strict with food ne-ways. If I want something I have it, I just practice good portion control and make sure it fits in my calorie needs.
  • Yearoftherabbit
    Yearoftherabbit Posts: 20
    I let myself fill a craving now and then. It's tough sometimes but I've learned, for me, letting a whole day go is just not worth it.
    When I have hormonal cravings or parties/gatherings, I allow myself to be human. But it's all sensible, portion controlled items and I balance it out by eating healthy foods and drinking lots of water.
    I agree with the 'No free day' responses... why ruin all of the hard work and determination you've accomplished during the week? Celebrate your healthy decision making by continuing to be healthy.
    I think a full feast of BBQ, cupcakes and cookies will not only put you back to the drawing board, but you might not feel so good after. The sugar and other not so healthy ingredients will have an affect on your energy levels later and more than likely the next day.
    I would decide "one cupcake, one cookie or a healthy portion of BBQ" not all of the above. And with that have fresh whole veggies, salad, fruit, etc... I know it's hard, especially at family gatherings. And if your family is like my family, it's hard to change eating patterns with people who you are comfortable overeating with. But maybe showing restraint will encourage them to be healthier and to promote your healthier lifestyle too.
    The confidence you'll feel after saying no and logging your calories in at the end of the day on a balanced note will be a bigger reward than the few minutes of bliss you'll experience from overindulgence.
    Just like any habit that you are trying to quit...smoking, drugs, alcohol... it's not healthy emotionally to bounce back and forth. At least, not for me.
    I hope that helps and good luck!

    *edit. Sorry for being too wordy! :) I think sometimes I'm actually giving myself advice while responding to others... I was craving a free day this weekend. But through this post... I've made my decision.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories