Days Off?

court428
court428 Posts: 34
edited September 26 in Health and Weight Loss
Do you ever take days off, like special days? I am just getting started, today is day 7 of tracking my calories and exercising daily. Today is one of those days that I know I am going to be tormented with delicious foods because it is my birthday and my husband is getting me a carrot cake and taking me out to dinner. Part of me feels like staying in my calorie limit would be a great gift to myself, but the other part thinks that if I were going to indulge that today would be the only day I'd really want to do that? Any thoughts on this?
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Replies

  • BamBam1113
    BamBam1113 Posts: 542 Member
    I know that I would feel better staying within my calorie range even on my birthday. If I cheated as soon as I got done putting that food in my mouth I would feel defeated. Give yourself the birthday present of will power and success.
  • lipt8611
    lipt8611 Posts: 60 Member
    personally, i don't feel comfortable taking days off. i try to plan ahead. when i know we're going out to eat or there is some occasion that is not in my control (in-laws cooking dinner) i try to plan that into my day and work out to compensate for the added calories. i find that if i am not mentally prepared each morning to be committed to making right choices i will have a much harder time making smart food choices.
    (also, since I work out after work, if I do not pack my clothes the night before and think about it all day I will not go. I know this sounds obsessive and neurotic, but it works for me!)
  • SimplyDeLish
    SimplyDeLish Posts: 539
    I know that I would feel better staying within my calorie range even on my birthday. If I cheated as soon as I got done putting that food in my mouth I would feel defeated. Give yourself the birthday present of will power and success.

    Second this one!!!
  • kmart20
    kmart20 Posts: 72
    I allow myself 1 cheat day/no working out a week (where I don't keep track of my calories) doing this make me look forward to my cheat day and not fall off the wagon because I know on my cheat day I can have that piece of cake or whatever it maybe.
  • knewbill72
    knewbill72 Posts: 133 Member
    I know that I would feel better staying within my calorie range even on my birthday. If I cheated as soon as I got done putting that food in my mouth I would feel defeated. Give yourself the birthday present of will power and success.

    I have to roll with Bam Bam on this.
  • khrys1
    khrys1 Posts: 444 Member
    I try to take one or two days off exercise a week, and at least one day off of low-cal eating. I still count my calories on those days, but am ok if I'm several hundred over. Actually, having MORE calories one day a week/every other week can actually be good for you and bust you out of a plateau, if your body is used to less calories. Go for it, just don't let it be a week off (which has happened to me the last 2 weeks, and I'm up 6 pounds!)
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
    I don't believe in counting calories on your birthday. Celebrate life and health with loved ones. Just don't go out of control and save some of that cake for the weekend (and share...share everything you order)
  • agibsonky
    agibsonky Posts: 124 Member
    I do have days when I don't watch it, but it does slow my weight loss. I don't track while on vacation (a couple of times a year) or occasionally on other special days. As long as you can get right back on the bandwagon the next day, it won't stop your loss, just slow it down a bit - I don't think weekly "cheat days" are probably good, but monthly (or maybe even every other week) would be a nice treat for you. That said, I do have a hard time staying under calories frequently on the weekends, but I still track those days.
  • sonysita
    sonysita Posts: 1
    I'd have to agree. Why put all the effort into doing great all the time and take a day off? Plus if you do this, you'll be rationalizing with yourself all the time that you can take a day off because you "earned" it. Don't ruin your good record! There are ways to indulge in your cravings without going overboard and exceeding your calorie limit. Happy Birthday :) Good Luck!
  • anacsitham5
    anacsitham5 Posts: 810 Member
    Personally no, but then I am not dieting. I made a lifestyle change. I don't splurge by eating out and ordering anything on the menu and having dessert, etc... I make myself stay within my calorie goals. If the food doesn't fit in the plan, I don't eat it. That doesn't mean I don't go out to eat, but before I order I check out the nutritional info to make sure it will work for my daily limits.
    For me, I know that if I went all out one day I would start making excuses for doing it over and over again. I did that for years. I figure an alcoholic in reform doesn't get a freebie day because it would be disastrous, so.....
  • inskydiamonds
    inskydiamonds Posts: 2,519 Member
    I cheat about once a week and continue to lose weight easily. It's not bad to indulge occasionally, so long as you're not indulging everyday. I don't think it's realistic to completely cut yourself off from things such as birthday cake on your birthday.

    How I went about my own journey in weight loss was deciding this wasn't going to only last until I got to my goal; it's a life long decision I'm making to eat better and be healthier. You have to learn to eat and deal with things that aren't particularly healthy sooner than later if that's the path you're taking.

    I don't actually call my days cheats, but treats. On my treat days I still log my food and I usually go over my allotted calories. But logging it keeps me in the habit of dong it and forces me to realize better choices I could be making even on those treat days.

    With that being said, I ate more on Easter than I have in a really long time and lost 3 pounds that week.
  • kristenheet
    kristenheet Posts: 16 Member
    I had the same situation just last week for my birthday. End result I thought, I have been doing this long enough I will jump right back on the wagon and no problems. WAS I EVER WRONG!!! It took me over a week of feeling awful before I said enough and finally started tracking and exercising again! I know I didn't go easy at all for my birthday and it was a bad idea. I wish I would have stuck to it and had just one small treat for my birthday rather than doing whatever I wanted. I ended up gaining 3 pounds for the week.
  • suzukigurl
    suzukigurl Posts: 90
    I know that I would feel better staying within my calorie range even on my birthday. If I cheated as soon as I got done putting that food in my mouth I would feel defeated. Give yourself the birthday present of will power and success.

    I agree with this!!! and Happy Birthday :flowerforyou:
  • 90poundsoflard
    90poundsoflard Posts: 81
    I don't take the whole day off. I plan for things like birthday parties, dinners, etc. For instance, today's is my friend's 50th b-day party, I am going to go celebrate it with her. Since I already know that's in my plans, I'm saving some calories for that and doing some extra exercises. I know I'll probably go over a little, but I'm not going to stress about it. This is my life now and I don't think I want to give up cake and icecream forever. LOL I also will stop with a small piece of cake and one dip of icecream, instead of going back for seconds like I used to.
  • LittleMissVintage
    LittleMissVintage Posts: 142
    I take a day off when the world seems to tell me to. Like today I'm not going to the gym cause I got a sunburn all over my back and we are under tornado warnings and it was storming. So I just am eating cleaner to compensate. Taking a day to eat bad and not excursive would kill me with guilt. So if your not comfortable don't do it. I'd say look up the nutrition facts of the restersunt and allot for the calories from the cake. It'd be ok to go a little over but don't go crazy. You don't need to eat to have a good time. This is one concept we have to learn to maintain when we reach our goal, so why not try to learn it now.
  • Helice
    Helice Posts: 1,075 Member
    I have several special days a year that i can take off.
    For example my birthday (chocolate cake), Samhain / Halloween/ Fiance's bday (Chocolate cake && sweets), Xmas (Chocolate && Massive roast dinner), Easter (Lots and lots of chocolcate eggs)....
    I think thats all of them lol..
    And if u think about it these what 4 days a year of binging really arn't going to hurt me THAT bad!
    Its ment to be a lifestyle change, you need to be able to still occassionally eat the things u enjoy!

    So go for it!!
    And happy birthday!
  • angeljamin
    angeljamin Posts: 234 Member
    I know that I would feel better staying within my calorie range even on my birthday. If I cheated as soon as I got done putting that food in my mouth I would feel defeated. Give yourself the birthday present of will power and success.

    Totally agree! I would try to work in some additional exercise. You can definitely exercise enough to add yourself a small slice of cake, and then get rid of the cake so that you aren't tempted to have another piece tomorrow ; )

    Happy Birthday!! :wink:
  • godroxmysox
    godroxmysox Posts: 1,491 Member
    I never take days off because it always reflects on the scale and then I get upset with myself. To me, it's just not worth it. That doesn't mean you cannot enjoy your birthday (happy birthday by the way)...everything in moderation =)

    Good luck!
  • erin6026
    erin6026 Posts: 117 Member
    Kind of. I have cheat MEALS. If I let myself eat anything and everything I want for an entire day, my body is sensitive enough that it can REALLY affect the scale.

    So for my birthday, I might eat a healthy breakfast and lunch, try to get a workout in (albeit maybe a relaxed one), then order something fun for dinner. If it were my birthday today, I'd go out for sushi. It minimizes the damage, I still LOVE the food, but I'm not going massively over my calorie goal.

    In general, if I have a cheat food day I still exercise (and vice versa).
  • damcool
    damcool Posts: 97 Member
    Really, you've just got to know yourself. I have a cheat day once a week, where I eat my maintenance calories instead of my weight loss calories and I feel like I'm splurging. However, I've heard people say before that if they have a cheat day, they can't stop themselves from doing it the next day or the next. I don't have that problem, that's why a cheat day is essential for me to continue and not give up on my weight loss journey. As for my birthday and my anniversary, it's no holds barred. That's only twice a year and I'm going to have my cake and eat it too, so to speak. My anniversary is coming up on Sunday and I'm having some wine (which I never get to have anymore), a good healthy dinner, and a big huge piece of chocolate cake. And, I won't feel guilty one bit! But, really, you know yourself, and how you'll feel afterward. No one can speak to your conscience, but you...Hope you have a wonderful birthday!!
  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
    I'm an advocate of cheat days. I much prefer a cheat day because I planned it rather than I cheated out of a moment of weakness. Plus, if you told me I could never have certain foods again, I wouldn't be able to stick to it. Cheat days are a must.
  • inskydiamonds
    inskydiamonds Posts: 2,519 Member
    Advice: The day after you go out to dinner double up on your water intake.
  • Sweetcheeks278
    Sweetcheeks278 Posts: 356
    A week ago I would have said, "Go for it!" But I have to tell you I have been REALLY motivated to loose weight and stuck to it(6 weeks) without any "cheats" or "days off" until this past weekend. We have relatives in from out of town so lots of goodies and dinners together. Now I am saying Dont Do It! It has been SO hard for me to get back on track. Its been almost a week and I'm still struggling. Its not worth it. Find something at the restaurant that is low calorie to eat and maybe have a small small piece of the cake.
  • gsarro
    gsarro Posts: 25 Member
    I usually take the weekends "off" and I mean that I don't actually write down my calories, but after keeping track all week I can get a pretty good idea of what or not to eat. I don't go for huge bags of chips or cake on my weekends off, but if I go over I don't worry about it. I think you should enjoy your birthday and a small piece of cake will not harm you, just don't eat the entire thing. I also think you can make proper food choices when you are out to dinner. There are many tricks to eat half of what you ordered and still enjoy the night out. Don't double up on your desserts, if you are going to have birthday cake with the family don't have dessert when you go out.

    If you deprive yourself it will feel more like a diet and not a lifestyle change and you will want to indulge and go over.

    Good luck
  • tam120
    tam120 Posts: 444 Member
    I don't like to think if it as cheating, eating a piece of carrot cake is not bad. Food is not bad. What's bad is giving up completely because you want to have a piece of cake. Have a piece of cake but don't quit for the entire day because it's your birthday.
    Every Saturday after he gets off work my husband delivers Chipotle for lunch, I love Saturdays, I look forward to that lunch but just because I'm eating it doesn't mean I should just chuck it all and ignore my food and exercise plan that day. I make concessions, I don't eat as much dinner, I exercise more. I may still be over in my goal calories but I still haven't eaten enough to ruin my efforts from the rest of the week. There is NO CHEATING, it's just living and making better choices and when you want to eat something like carrot cake for your birthday eat it! Just don't eat the whole thing.

    And have a very happy birthday!
  • BatCola
    BatCola Posts: 64 Member
    if you eat too much forgive yourself... then get back on... that is the only strategy that has helped me from feeling defeated.
  • MZ_GET_IT_RIGHT
    MZ_GET_IT_RIGHT Posts: 3
    I agree with lipt8611 we get so many caloires back just from working out. In the future when I know I am going to be in a situation similiar to yours I will just kick up my cardio so that it will all balance out. Happy Birthday

    Nikki
  • court428
    court428 Posts: 34
    Thank you everyone for your thoughts! I am going to eat healthy today, but I will go out and enjoy my birthday dinner and have a small piece of cake. I like the suggestions of planning ahead, so I am going to look up the nutrition info for meals at some of the resturants that I am considering going to tonight. I'll try to know what I am going to order before I go in to eat! And I did get my exercise in this morning, plus I plan on doing some more biking in the evening when it cools off. Thanks again!
  • _SusieQ_
    _SusieQ_ Posts: 2,964 Member
    I think you are making a good compromise...enjoy the cake but cut somewhere else. Add in an extra workout that day or the day after to compensate for the calories. You shouldn't have to sacrifice everything, but you also don't want to sabotage, so order what you want, eat half what you normally would and don't beat yourself up about it! Happy birthday!
  • vold94
    vold94 Posts: 256
    If the food doesn't fit in the plan, I don't eat it. That doesn't mean I don't go out to eat, but before I order I check out the nutritional info to make sure it will work for my daily limits.

    I totally agree. I do still go out to eat places, I just make sure that I really watch what I eat the rest of the day and get a good workout too. So I would go out to eat and eat what you'd like, just watch the rest of your days caloreis. Happy birthday! It's also my sister's birthday today!
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