Will you power through to the goal or take a break?

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schelly81
schelly81 Posts: 161 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm curious if people here are planning on taking a break from the weight loss anywhere along the way. I'm .2 pounds from the halfway mark and I wonder if I have it in me to lose the other 40 pounds without stopping. I'm playing with the idea of eating at maintenance for a week or two when I get to my 3/4 point.
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  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    Break for maintenance whenever you want. As long as you aren't backsliding I don't see a problem with it. :flowerforyou:
  • peanuttyist
    peanuttyist Posts: 19
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    power thru for sure. good health is becoming more important to me everyday...gonna see it thru
  • psych101
    psych101 Posts: 1,842 Member
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    I quite often ramp up to maintenance for a week then cut back again. For me if gives me a mental reset - it also helps if I'm feeling burned out by lifting, I take a rest week, eat at maintenance and come back with a vengeance!!

    The coming back can be difficult - just keep that in mind :flowerforyou:
  • emdeesea
    emdeesea Posts: 1,823 Member
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    I'm not sure. I'm feeling sort of burnt out myself right now. Ideally I need to lose about another 15 pounds but the weight is coming off so very slowly at the moment and I've lost a lot of my will to do this.

    If I "take a break" I risk gaining some of this weight back or at least losing some muscle. And then I'll lose a month or two and then hate myself because I could have been closer to my goal.

    I don't know. I guess I'll just keep going because there's no other option that I won't hate myself for later on.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    I took breaks along the way, and having reached my weight goal, the fitness goal is ongoing, and I still take breaks - full rest weeks, and times of eating at maintenance just for the mental break, or to make room for vacation or holiday goodies, or whatever.

    This is for life, and there are days and weeks, and could even be months where I am more focused on the exercise & eating, and times when I am less focused. For me, the breaks help - it's refreshing, it's restful, and I always come back focused and ready to go.
  • sculli123
    sculli123 Posts: 1,221 Member
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    Already made my goal but the only time I've taken a break is for vacation. On vacation I always just eat whatever I want.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
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    I don't see eating at maintenance once in a while as taking a break. You'll be fine.
  • knitapeace
    knitapeace Posts: 1,013 Member
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    I have about 5 pounds to go after hitting my original goal and moving the goal line. I also have a twinge-y knee and want to give running a break for a bit. I'm having a week of eating at maintenance and walking only, and next week I'm going back to a small deficit and starting a strength program. This week has been extremely nice and refreshing, and there is a part of me that just wants it to be over so I can charge into this weight program. Breaks can be mentally restful and helpful, as long as they don't stretch themselves out to months or years. :)
  • RachelSteeners
    RachelSteeners Posts: 249 Member
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    I plan to power through to the last week of November... I will then be visiting family for four weeks, so I plan to do maintenance during this time.

    I think doing maintenance for a week is ok, but make sure you track everything in MFP still. You don't want to go backwards. You've worked too hard! :smile:
  • schelly81
    schelly81 Posts: 161 Member
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    I am a little worried that a week or two would turn into a month or two.
  • monolith66
    monolith66 Posts: 168 Member
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    If one needs to "power through", they're doing it wrong. It's about sustainability and compliance, forever.
  • Cerakoala
    Cerakoala Posts: 2,547 Member
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    Everyone is different you have to do what is best for you :) For me this is about changing my lifestyle. :) I have went 3 years "powering through" and I am sure I have another year or two ahead of me before i hit goal :) I dont take "time off" because this is about making what i am doing a everyday plan. Do I have bad days sure but that is part of life and it will happen now and in the future. I don't plan for bad days but I have recognized they will happen no matter what and when they do I promise myself to do better the next :)
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
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    I wasn't going to "take a break." Pregnancy however for me meant a break from eating at a deficit. So I guess, I'll consider that a 9-month break. While I didn't eat at a deficit for 9-months, I did stick to every other change I had made to my life (well exercise kind of stopped around 8 months). I'm going for overall lifestyle changes, so the only thing that is going to stop once I get to my goal will be eating at a deficit.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    If one needs to "power through", they're doing it wrong. It's about sustainability and compliance, forever.
    No, I'm not going to be eating at a deficit forever, so sustainability isn't really relevant beyond my goal.

    I won't be taking any breaks, but I'll have a few days over maintenance until I get to my loss goal. So, I'll be powering through.
  • DebTavares
    DebTavares Posts: 170 Member
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    I am a little worried that a week or two would turn into a month or two.

    Why don't you eat maintenance calories for your goal weight?
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    i plan on taking breaks every 2-3 months. my breaks will more than likely also line up to when it's time to take a week or 2 off from hard workouts and will be deloading/active rest weeks .

    lyle mcdonald explains pretty well the resaons to take a full diet break

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    power thru for sure. good health is becoming more important to me everyday...gonna see it thru

    Im the same I wanted to be smaller then I was in my teenage years and I am way stronger now.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    If one needs to "power through", they're doing it wrong. It's about sustainability and compliance, forever.
    No, I'm not going to be eating at a deficit forever, so sustainability isn't really relevant beyond my goal.

    I won't be taking any breaks, but I'll have a few days over maintenance until I get to my loss goal. So, I'll be powering through.

    Sustainability can be relevant. Well you're hugely tall so your calorie needs may always be higher than most. But consider for instance people eating at a deficit of a half pound per week , for whatever reason. When they get to "maintenance" they really won't be eating that much more per day. Their maintenance habits could need to be rather similar to their weight loss habits.
  • LucasEVille
    LucasEVille Posts: 567 Member
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    If one needs to "power through", they're doing it wrong. It's about sustainability and compliance, forever.
    No, I'm not going to be eating at a deficit forever, so sustainability isn't really relevant beyond my goal.

    I won't be taking any breaks, but I'll have a few days over maintenance until I get to my loss goal. So, I'll be powering through.

    I'm usually the first to shout from the rooftops sustainability but I have to agree. I have no plans to switch to maintainance between now and my goal although may slip over deficit kcals on holidays etc.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    I am a little worried that a week or two would turn into a month or two.

    I think I actually just came off a break that was probably a bit worse than maintenance. However, things like exercising and logging are already habits for me; I just couldn't stop them, whether or not I was under goal. I sure as heck wasn't losing my streak. Perhaps taking a break doesn't have to mean stopping everything. It could be letting one aspect wait for a few days while you continue to push on other fronts that you do not find so cumbersome

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