Ever taken the day off?

I took 24 hours off at Christmas. It just wasn't worth it to try.

I have, but not after two weeks.

I had a diet break one day a week for the majority of my weight loss. However I still logged what I ate. Initially my plan was to eat with no limits but overtime it actually worked out that I would eat to maintenance or a few 100 calories over.

I haven't taken a day off from logging in nearly 18 months, but there are many occasions when I have had to estimate (eating at non-chain restaurants or eating at someone else's home). I don't do that much planning beyond what I did before I started using MFP (grocery lists, planning to eat things before they go bad, occasionally packing a lunch, deciding where I want to go for lunch if I don't pack one), except that I'm far more likely to look up a restaurant's menu and nutrition facts before I go, especially if I'm unfamiliar with it. And I was pretty flexible on daily calorie counts from the beginning, just trying to average my daily calorie deficit goal over the course of the week.

After losing about twice as much as I had hoped to lose when I first started, about twice as fast the one-pound-a-week goal I had set, and seeing a lot of health and quality-of-life benefits, I decided I just wasn't in that much of a hurry to lose the rest of it (partly concerned about losing too much lean body mass, partly worried that losing too fast would just result in rapid regain, and partly just feeling like I wanted a little more flexibility to be able to eat more food more often). It is a lot harder to see the downward trend at a slow loss, so I started averaging my weekly weigh-ins for each month, and then I could see the slow downward trend of just under a pound a month over the past year or so.

I don't know how much weight you have to lose, OP, but if you're tired of logging after just two weeks, it doesn't seem like a good sign for long-term success. Maybe you're being too restrictive in trying to hit your goal exactly or always come under it, and that's why it's taking so much time and energy for planning? If you're set for a pound (or more) loss each week, it's not the end of the world if you don't plan so carefully and end up 100 or even 200 calories over. You're still in a deficit, just a smaller deficit. You may find it gets easier as you go along and internalize what a lot of the foods you eat frequently will "cost" you in calories, and you get into a routine of a certain range of calories for breakfast and lunch (which for a lot of people don't change that much from day, or tend to be selected from a relatively limited set of options), and then adjust dinners and snacks to fit your goals.

But if you feel like you really need a day off, a single day won't make a difference to long-term success. It's what you do the next day and all the days after that...

OP I say push through! I found the first month tough and I really had to dig deep to find my perseverance, motivation and patience. And it was totally worth it. Feel free to add me here

On holidays yes, 1 day or 3 weeks, I dont log.
Every other time I log though, the good, bad and the ugly!

When we go to WDW I don't track. But I'm happy to accept whatever the scale says when we get home. If you don't track for a day, that is totally your choice. But you should accept that the result maay be a weight gain.

julziepal wrote: »

Have you ever needed/wanted to take the day off from the planing, thinking, listing and logging and just eat what you want to for a day/half day/meal? I'm having one of those day's today for the first time scene I started over two weeks ago. Is it better to allow yourself this freedom on rear occasions or plow through? Also, If you're looking for a friend to share encouragement please add me.

Thank you,

Not really. I'm on day 110 of logging everything. I don't find it stifling or hard. I do eat what I want every day. I just plan for it and log it.
Maybe you are being too restrictive.

Taken the day off..of eating? Nope, i eat every day.

lolzz

julziepal wrote: »

Thank you to everyone for responding! It seems there's an agreement that most haven't taking a day off. I realize that my stress level was Very high yesterday and healthy food supply was low. Got home late, hungry and frustrated when I posted my question. I did go over my daily calories on some pizza. However, I logged it and wrote a note for tracking tigers. I strongly believe it's not the fall that defines us but how we recover to stand even stronger! So, there's several lessons in this, but a big one for me is knowing a tiger.

Thanks again,

Good for you!! You pushed through and logged what you ate and made a note. That's awesome!

I just want to clarify, I have absolutely taken time off from logging (or just estimated or quick added calories) for several meals or days, and even took an eight week weight loss hiatus and maintained recently. I believe that there is room for that and that it's fine, as long as you are still meeting your goals. You will know on weigh in day if your strategy is working and if it's not, readjust!

SergeantSausage wrote: »

If you feel the need for a day off, you're doin' it wrong.

I took a whole month off... During that time, I realized I WAS doing it all wrong before. LOL!! :laugh: