How often do you go on deficit breaks/eat at maintenance?
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Cortneyrenee04 wrote: »Cortneyrenee04 wrote: »I've been thinking about taking a break and eating at maintenance because my workouts have been so hard to push through lately. I was hoping to hold out until the week of Thanksgiving but now I'm rethinking that.
What kind of workouts do you do? If you're lifting you might want to consider deloading. And if you mostly do cardio, maybe try doing lighter intensity and/or less time (e.g. instead of 30 minutes, do 15; instead of hard intensity, to light to medium). I had to deload and reduce my volume because I was ovetraining, which really made working out a lot harder than it should have been and made me so squishy
th ankfully I've mostly gotten back on track and am no longer overtraining! Maybe take a diet break now though and then declare Thanksgiving a free day as well.
Thanks, Ana
I think I am overtraining. I really love exercise and the boost in mood and better sleep I get from it. I tend to worry about rest days leading to rest weeks so I end up burning out.
I lift weights about every third day, bike daily (10-15 miles at about a 13mph pace) and run about every other day. Yesterday on my ride I had to stop just 6 miles in and I didn't think I'd make it back home! I'll take your advice and lighten up the intensity this week.
no problem! Weights every 3 days is fine though, so unless you are spending like 2 hours at the gym each time you are probably fine to keep it as-is. But all that cardio might be too much if you aren't resting! Do you eat a lot of carbs? If resting doesn't help, you might either need to incorporate more carbs (especially important for people who do endurance/cardio!) or take that diet break!0 -
I do it when I hit a plateau, or if I start to feel fatigued or see physical changes I don't like (irritability, fatigue, dark circles under my eyes). Not sure if it was due to dieting, but at one point some of my hair was falling out! And I never ate under 1300 cal /day, usually it was at least 1600, or more if I exercised. But once I started eating more, I noticed the hair growing back in after a few weeks. Again, I'm not sure if that was the cause, but it makes me much more careful about how much and WHAT I am eating.
I did go to the doctor, and all my blood work was normal, except for being slightly anemic, which I already knew about and for which I take a supplement.
I'm glad I've not succumbed to low cal dieting, I already have almost no hair (shaved my head)! Don't want to lose what I have! I have noticed that I've been a bit moodier too, but I also have struggled with depression and anxiety most of my life along with being highly neurotic, so that can often be a problem unrelated to food intake. But I do tend to be less moody when I eat more.0 -
amusedmonkey wrote: »I have taken breaks, many of them. Most based on my feelings and only a few structured ones. My longest break lasted 5 months and it was a great way to learn about maintenance. It has given me confidence that I'm able to maintain, and now every time I have an event or simply don't feel like restricting calories I go at maintenance. As long as the weight is going in one direction and one direction only, you will be fine to take as many breaks as you want provided they don't last a lifetime.
Thanks! I've done the no-logging thing for like half a day before, and still lost.. I might have to try not logging at all on Friday if I go to that halloween party, other than logging my protein intake to make sure I hit my needs.0 -
Very glad I read this because it never occurred to me. I am 7 lbs from my goal weight but I have only been lifting for 6 wks and I was wating to see how I feel at my goal and then possibly re-evaluating my goal. If I decide to lose another 10 lbs after that, I will go on a break and then come back to it.0
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Every 8-10 weeks of eating in a deficit. This is why: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html/
Thanks for posting this. A really good read.
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I try really hard to keep at a deficit and within reason make sure I don't feel deprived of the things I love. Like my Boyfriend's Mom's *homemade* apple pie. I still log everything, but allow myself to eat at maintenance. Probably happens on average, one day out of every two weeks.
I plan on giving myself more maintenance days during the holidays because...cookies. 0 -
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I KIND of did. I ate at a very tiny deficit for the past 3 weeks. The third week was just kind of an accident, went over a lot. Plus I thought I'd give body recomp I try. I'm actually not mentally prepared for THAT. Starting my deficit today. My stomach looks humungous.0
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arditarose wrote: »I KIND of did. I ate at a very tiny deficit for the past 3 weeks. The third week was just kind of an accident, went over a lot. Plus I thought I'd give body recomp I try. I'm actually not mentally prepared for THAT. Starting my deficit today. My stomach looks humungous.
was googling and considering a recomp.. but then I always see that it's really only ideal for lifting newbies
Also I think I have the same sports bra as you LOL.0 -
arditarose wrote: »I KIND of did. I ate at a very tiny deficit for the past 3 weeks. The third week was just kind of an accident, went over a lot. Plus I thought I'd give body recomp I try. I'm actually not mentally prepared for THAT. Starting my deficit today. My stomach looks humungous.
Shuddup woman- it so does not!0 -
Cortneyrenee04 wrote: »Cortneyrenee04 wrote: »I've been thinking about taking a break and eating at maintenance because my workouts have been so hard to push through lately. I was hoping to hold out until the week of Thanksgiving but now I'm rethinking that.
What kind of workouts do you do? If you're lifting you might want to consider deloading. And if you mostly do cardio, maybe try doing lighter intensity and/or less time (e.g. instead of 30 minutes, do 15; instead of hard intensity, to light to medium). I had to deload and reduce my volume because I was ovetraining, which really made working out a lot harder than it should have been and made me so squishy th ankfully I've mostly gotten back on track and am no longer overtraining! Maybe take a diet break now though and then declare Thanksgiving a free day as well.
Thanks, Ana I think I am overtraining. I really love exercise and the boost in mood and better sleep I get from it. I tend to worry about rest days leading to rest weeks so I end up burning out.
I lift weights about every third day, bike daily (10-15 miles at about a 13mph pace) and run about every other day. Yesterday on my ride I had to stop just 6 miles in and I didn't think I'd make it back home! I'll take your advice and lighten up the intensity this week.
no problem! Weights every 3 days is fine though, so unless you are spending like 2 hours at the gym each time you are probably fine to keep it as-is. But all that cardio might be too much if you aren't resting! Do you eat a lot of carbs? If resting doesn't help, you might either need to incorporate more carbs (especially important for people who do endurance/cardio!) or take that diet break!
I've realized my carbs are probably too low lately so I've been eating brown rice and tortillas! I'm not afraid of carbs, just would rather spend my calories on other stuff.0 -
I have been taking one for about 10 days. It isn't working too well for me. The plan was just to maintain, but I have gained. So, I think it is back to logging ever calorie and staying out a deficit until I can learn how to maintain better.0
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theflatpick wrote: »I have been taking one for about 10 days. It isn't working too well for me. The plan was just to maintain, but I have gained. So, I think it is back to logging ever calorie and staying out a deficit until I can learn how to maintain better.
How much have you gained? If you've gained a few lbs then it's most likely water weight. Also, not everyone can maintain without logging. I definitely do not plan on maintaining without logging most days, partially because I need to log protein but also because I know that I would easily wind up over-eating. Maybe next diet break try logging while eating at maintenance and see how that goes!0 -
Cortneyrenee04 wrote: »Cortneyrenee04 wrote: »Cortneyrenee04 wrote: »I've been thinking about taking a break and eating at maintenance because my workouts have been so hard to push through lately. I was hoping to hold out until the week of Thanksgiving but now I'm rethinking that.
What kind of workouts do you do? If you're lifting you might want to consider deloading. And if you mostly do cardio, maybe try doing lighter intensity and/or less time (e.g. instead of 30 minutes, do 15; instead of hard intensity, to light to medium). I had to deload and reduce my volume because I was ovetraining, which really made working out a lot harder than it should have been and made me so squishy th ankfully I've mostly gotten back on track and am no longer overtraining! Maybe take a diet break now though and then declare Thanksgiving a free day as well.
Thanks, Ana I think I am overtraining. I really love exercise and the boost in mood and better sleep I get from it. I tend to worry about rest days leading to rest weeks so I end up burning out.
I lift weights about every third day, bike daily (10-15 miles at about a 13mph pace) and run about every other day. Yesterday on my ride I had to stop just 6 miles in and I didn't think I'd make it back home! I'll take your advice and lighten up the intensity this week.
no problem! Weights every 3 days is fine though, so unless you are spending like 2 hours at the gym each time you are probably fine to keep it as-is. But all that cardio might be too much if you aren't resting! Do you eat a lot of carbs? If resting doesn't help, you might either need to incorporate more carbs (especially important for people who do endurance/cardio!) or take that diet break!
I've realized my carbs are probably too low lately so I've been eating brown rice and tortillas! I'm not afraid of carbs, just would rather spend my calories on other stuff.
I sort of know how you feel, in the sense that I'd rather eat peanut butter all the time
but I also love carbs, but sometimes I way over-do the fat. Carbs can be really helpful though for energy, this is why refeeds (eating at or above maintenance while meeting protein goals and then filling the rest with as many carb-heavy things as possible) is recommended. I have yet to do this thouhg, I like fats too much 0 -
I took a YEAR LONG break and maintained within 5 pounds during that time. I was burned out and going through a TON of personal life changes and I just couldn't focus on weight loss. Now I'm back into weight loss mode and feel refreshed and ready for this leg of the journey.0
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Missjulesdid wrote: »I took a YEAR LONG break and maintained within 5 pounds during that time. I was burned out and going through a TON of personal life changes and I just couldn't focus on weight loss. Now I'm back into weight loss mode and feel refreshed and ready for this leg of the journey.
Holy, a year is a long time! Although I know how hard it can be to focus on weight in tough times. Glad things are looking up and hopefully you have great success!0 -
Unless I misunderstood her post, I think what she's saying and what I have seen her post elsewhere is that eating at a calorie deficit is how you lose weight. Exactly how you do that isn't the same for everyone. I know for me, I read a lot, take what I want to take and discard the rest or what I find to be not true. So many people on this site get so militant with their theories or rules for weight loss. There shouldn't be so much "my way or the highway."I stop logging whenever I feel like not logging.
I wanted some Halloween candy the other day, so I ate some.
It's all about what you want.
There is no right way to lose weight. You don't have to follow any special anything.
Do what works for you.
As always just more randomness from you. Do you even science? Oh wait, you don't. Because you refuse to.
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