Taking a "day off" please reply asap!!

OneLife2Love
OneLife2Love Posts: 39
edited September 22 in Recipes
So my mom, me and my brother are doing our usual thing we do after sunday morning service. We go eat out to one of the local restaraunts(sp?) And i don't know if i should allow myself a day off because i have worked really hard to get where i am(started wednesday lost 4.2lbs) and it would be really messed up if i go and really just have a "free meal" and gain everything i have just worked my butt of to loose. My mom says its okay, the internet says its okay, but I don't think it is. People say you should because of you body taking in so few calories it could think is starving and be relectant to loosing weight! And usually if i would go it out i would over eat, so i dont allow myself that much control and i feel very guilty for eating so much. BTW i am loosing weight and i am doing excellent, my clothes are starting to fit looser :)) So I need so advice on what should i do and what do you guys do??

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Replies

  • luv2ash
    luv2ash Posts: 1,903 Member
    Honey, you are trying to make a lifestyle change.going out to eat and ordering whatever you want is not going to put youin the right direction.

    Now, I am all for going out to eat. I go out to eat once every weekend as well. HoWEVER, all you have to do is make the right choices. Please tell your server you want this instead of that. Tell them not to cook it in butter. Tell them you want it broiled. Tell them no salt, tell them whatever you have to in order to keep your numbers down.

    I am huge advocate of this. We all deserve the opportunity to go out and enjoy a meal. We work hard. But just make the right choices and make that a part of your lifestyle change, and you will not gain anything back----EVER. This is not a temporary thing. You do not want to gain your weight back some day, so make the right choices NOW so that does not happen.

    Most restaurants offer egg beaters - an awesome choice! Stay away from home fries and choose extra fruit instead. You tell your server what you want, they are paid to make us happy. If he/she does an awesome job, let it reflect in their tip.

    You go out and have a fabulous time after Sunday service and show the people around you how it can be done. GOOD LUCK!
  • Why don't you pick what you like, eat half, and get a "go box" for the other half? That's what I did at my favorite mexican restaurant the other night! That way you get what you want, but don't go completely overboard! I don't take a day off, per se, I just make up for it later in the day.
  • luv2ash
    luv2ash Posts: 1,903 Member
    my new motto in life is .....I eat every 3 hours to KEEP FROM GETTING HUNGRY, not to feel full and fat afterwards. If you go into this meal not feeling hungry, you can eat a healthy meal, and feel completely satisfied afterward. So make sure you are not starving.
  • barefootbeauty
    barefootbeauty Posts: 188 Member
    I would say that the key to something like this would be going out and making smart food choices. The real reason you go out to eat is for the experience of being with your family, its the tradition and not what you eat. Make as smart of a food choice that you can and if the portion is too big, then bring it home for later. My son and I have Sunday brunch out almost every week and I try to force myself to bring home half of it for dinner later that day.

    Have fun! :)
  • joann
    joann Posts: 624 Member
    I personally feel that a day off this soon is to quick. Go out to eat and have what you want but only eat half of whats on your plate. You can still eat what you want but dont over do it. For myself I have in the past always said one day wont hurt me then one day turns in to two and so on and so on. It is so hard to get back on track..Its just my opinion Im sure others will think differently. Good luck in whatever you do.
  • DJJW
    DJJW Posts: 519 Member
    Find something you like, but don't go crazy! If you want dessert, then go reasonable with the meal. Drink water, not a caloried drink. Restaurants always ends up being higher in portions so keep that in mind. I think the idea of a take out box is a really great idea. That way you have something you like but can spread it out. Overall, its one meal, so enjoy yourself.
  • sec276
    sec276 Posts: 1
    I like to play a game when I go out to eat. I try to make the healthiest choices from the menu - and then make one change to make it even better. Ordering a sandwich? Make it open face by taking off the top slice of bread. Ordering a big salad? Take off the cheese or the croutons. The suggestion to only eat half of the order is a great one. Ask that they bring the to go box with your meal and separate half of it BEFORE you start eating. You're simply not as likely to eat what you're not staring at. Finally, listen to your body. When you're full (before you're stuffed), cover any odds and ends on your plate with your napkin. Again, if you can't see it, you're less likely to eat it.

    I'm so glad you asked this question today. It's exactly the conversation I needed!
  • Thanks you guys!! Really helped me out, but i did bring me some 100 calories snack just in case. When get back I will let you guys now how it went:))

    xoxo Key(:

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  • btrflyflutter
    btrflyflutter Posts: 68 Member
    I agree with most on here....GO!!! but watch what you get and you don't have to eat it all....I went to Olive Garden and they had the lower fat count items marked on the menu..it was only a few but I chose one of those and ended up bringing some home in a go box. Stay away from the rolls and the bread sticks...major calories! Get water or a diet drink! If your going to a buffet...be very very careful...most things are fried at buffets! Look for fish or chicken and some veggies! Have fun!
  • SarahRuth♥
    SarahRuth♥ Posts: 609 Member
    Lots of great advice here. I say a combination of them all... You CAN go out to eat, and you can enjoy the time out with your family, focus on that.

    Make the right choices, first of all. Substitutions are good... fruit, egg beaters, no butter, etc. Lots of restaurants have nutritional information available now. Google it, check the restaurants website (if they have one), go to your food diary here and search for the restaurants name and see if information has been entered on their selections. If you can find it ahead of time, plan out a reasonable meal ahead of time and STICK TO IT! If you can't find information ahead of time, ask them when you get there. Tell them you are trying to stick to a healthier diet and ask them what substitutions they can make for you. They can help you.

    Next, ask them to bring a box WITH THE MEAL! As soon as your food gets put in front of you, pack half of it up for later! If it's not on your plate in front of you, you will be less tempted to pick at it!

    Last, our bodies don't really function on these "days" we set for ourselves. Our bodies care about calories in/calories out, not calories in during a *day*. A day off is illogical. A meal out is not illogical. Don't let it set the tone for the rest of the day. Even if you lose your will power and splurge at breakfast, you can get back on track immediately after this meal! After your meal, you can be careful for the rest of the day, and you can exercise a little more to work off some of those calories. Don't tell yourself that "this day is already ruined, I might as well enjoy it". I've been known to do that, and the day turns into weeks, months, years, and 40 lbs later I'm regretting having to start all over. One meal will not completely wreck your diet, but letting that one meal turn into 20 will!!
  • stephensgirl
    stephensgirl Posts: 22 Member
    Be careful last time I did that, I was off plan for a year and a half...
  • I wound up goin to subway:) A place where i def know well, i opted out of goin eat plzza with my mom, grandma, etc and went with my bro instead. So i got a six inch turkey breast sandwich:) Thank you guys though cause you really helped me out and I kno that not every sunday will be like today(get to go eat to subway) so the advice will surely come in handy!

    xoxo Key

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  • poisongirl6485
    poisongirl6485 Posts: 1,487 Member
    Are you going to be faced with this option every weekend or is it just a once in a blue moon type of thing? I think that makes a difference as to what my answer would be. If it's every week, I don't think it's worth it to splurge when you've worked hard the rest of the week to be healthy.

    Now if it's like a once a month or even less often type of thing, then I think that would be fine since it's a very infrequent thing.
  • It is weekly thing we do! So it makes it a little harder on me trying to be the healthy one lol but as for now i have my mind set on not over eating esp when it comes to goin out to eat! I really don't think ill eat anything at the restaraunt instead ill bring like a 100 cal snack or fruit..
  • I try to keep my "cheats" marginal.

    I've lost 85 pounds, and at first I was using my cheats pretty liberally (about once a week), but as time's gone by, and I've started getting used to the diet I've put myself on, cheating has become less of a desire. In fact, a lot of the foods I used to be tempted by disgust me now!

    That being said, occasionally I find myself hitting a "wall," so to speak, in my weight loss. I've found that eating high calorie (but still healthy food) really helps boost my metabolism. Typically what I do in these situations is have a double calorie day, and then a 1.5x calorie day, and then go back to normal. I typically lose more weight on these weeks than on steady weeks, but if I did this every week, I doubt I'd see those results continually.

    IMPORTANT NOTE: It's still important to eat healthy foods, just more of them. Over Christmas, I hate to say, I indulged in sweets and treats, and I could tell in the gym that I hadn't been eating the foods that give me energy. I was lethargic for a few days, and it really hurt my calorie burn. Eating healthy, nutrient rich foods will help you be a monster in the gym!
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