Need a break

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shrez
shrez Posts: 22 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Does anyone else sometimes feel like they just want a break from measuring and counting and thinking about everything that they eat. I am fine most of the time and feel satisfied. I even manage to work in treats that I like.

Every now and then though I just feel like not weighing and measuring and just enjoying a meal.

Anyone else the same?

Replies

  • mommyofjan
    mommyofjan Posts: 65 Member
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    I took my break around the holidays. I'll probably take another this summer for a couple of weeks.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    I took a break the week of Christmas, and I'm doing it again end of April/beginning of May. Diet breaks are actually common if you've been at it a long time.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    Every year when we go camping for a week. I still track and log things as best I can, but I do not bring my food scale with me, and I do not measure anything.m I enjoy myself, SWAG method (scientific wild *kitten* guessing - a term I learned from an old boss B) ) my diary and call it good. When we get home, I go back to being more accurate.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    I took a two week diet break in October and it was fantastic. It didn't mean I wasn't conscientious, it just meant I didn't weigh and log.
  • LovingLife_Erin
    LovingLife_Erin Posts: 328 Member
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    I really like knowing what I'm eating, but I'm planning a few days off this coming week as my husband and I are going away for an anniversary trip. It will just be a few days, but it will be too tricky to constantly guess and log calories so I'm not going to bother. It doesn't mean that I'll go overboard, but it will allow me to enjoy our trip without constantly trying to find calorie details for each restaurant. In the grand scheme of things, I doubt a few days not logging will do me any harm.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    im going on vacation in 2 weeks and probably wont measure much (im certainly not packing my scale LOL). i might try to estimate calories for the day with a quick add, but im not going to worry about my overall intake. its a vacation.
  • kindrabbit
    kindrabbit Posts: 837 Member
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    If I stop, or take a break, I'd worry that I wont start again. I have found that with every diet that I have been successful with (slimming word and CICO) I have to be 'all or nothing'.

    If I don't 'obsessively' count syns or calories, I will stop paying attention and things will go wrong again and the weight will go back on.

    Of course, there are meals that I relax over - a meal out, special occasion or even just a cheat meal on a Friday night, but in general, everything that goes in my mouth, except water, is logged.

  • Ellaskat
    Ellaskat Posts: 386 Member
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    Logging doesn't get in the way of my enjoyment. I don't restrict foods- I eat cupcakes if I want, etc, I just fit into my calories. I also don't weigh anything. I use a measuring cup at home when available, and I cook almost all meals, so that has worked great for me. At restaurants, I do my best to log something,but I don't sweat it. I check my bank account daily, and I view MFP in the same way. A task I do to keep me on track. I actually really like logging my days that are off the diet so to speak. I've realized that for the most part, my bad days aren't nearly as bad as I thought- it's just that I used to have bad days every day:)
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    The problem with going on or being on a diet is that people don't know how to handle eating when they aren't on the diet. It is better to figure out how to eat in moderation over the long haul, instead of doing stuff that is difficult to keep doing.
  • Datarn
    Datarn Posts: 79 Member
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    It actually helps me to take a break now and then - and it usually is when I travel - or if I get sick. It makes me ready to get back to measuring and the "details" of this new lifestyle.
  • YalithKBK
    YalithKBK Posts: 317 Member
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    I actually DO take a break. I'm not in a hurry to lose weight and I know burning out is more dangerous than stalling for a while. Every 10 pounds, I take a week off. No counting, no measuring, no logging. I try not to go overboard, but it's really nice to take a week off.
  • meremaid2014
    meremaid2014 Posts: 18
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    Measuring all your food, every day, forever, isn't really sustainable in the long term. There are going to be days you miss because you have to, and gosh darn it, sometimes you just don't feel like it. That's okay. Diets fail because people drop off, then think "I screwed up, it's all over, I ruined it." Lifestyles work because people eat healthy and look after themselves *most* of the time, but sometimes they don't, and that's okay. Don't punish yourself or feel guilty. Take a break! If you've been doing this for a while, you probably know what's good for you and what's not, and can make a pretty good estimation for a little while. I was on vacation last week, eating in restaurants, and didn't dream of trying to log my meals. I would've been over every single day, and you know what - GOOD! I'm not going to go on vacation and pick the healthiest item on the menu every day, always, I want to enjoy my life and the wonderful foods in it. So I skipped that week, enjoyed my meals, probably gained a few but didn't even weigh myself. This week, I'm back to eating healthy, and logging again. The world didn't end, everything is fine, and I feel happy that I got to enjoy some splurges last week. People think the most important thing is being in a calorie deficit - I think the most important thing is having a healthy mental attitude towards food and life.
  • hollen_carol
    hollen_carol Posts: 121 Member
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    meremaid2014 wrote: »
    Measuring all your food, every day, forever, isn't really sustainable in the long term. There are going to be days you miss because you have to, and gosh darn it, sometimes you just don't feel like it. That's okay. Diets fail because people drop off, then think "I screwed up, it's all over, I ruined it." Lifestyles work because people eat healthy and look after themselves *most* of the time, but sometimes they don't, and that's okay. Don't punish yourself or feel guilty. Take a break! If you've been doing this for a while, you probably know what's good for you and what's not, and can make a pretty good estimation for a little while. I was on vacation last week, eating in restaurants, and didn't dream of trying to log my meals. I would've been over every single day, and you know what - GOOD! I'm not going to go on vacation and pick the healthiest item on the menu every day, always, I want to enjoy my life and the wonderful foods in it. So I skipped that week, enjoyed my meals, probably gained a few but didn't even weigh myself. This week, I'm back to eating healthy, and logging again. The world didn't end, everything is fine, and I feel happy that I got to enjoy some splurges last week. People think the most important thing is being in a calorie deficit - I think the most important thing is having a healthy mental attitude towards food and life.

    Oh this sound so wonderful to me! I'm over 200 days logging and am getting married in three weeks and will be at the beach the whole week after and I need a darn break. I don't even know if I will be able to keep at it til then I'm so darn burnt out! I'm starting to think I'm going crazy!
  • KateTii
    KateTii Posts: 886 Member
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    I have "breaks" when I'm on holidays, sick or on special occasions. But it is always a defined period and I have never had issues "restarting". As long as you have the willpower to get back into it cold turkey, there is nothing wrong with a break to restore sanity.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    even when i take breaks (Which are never long and few and far between) - i still log and still remain mindful of how much i am eating.

    but the occasional weekend at maintenance sure is nice ;)
  • Bowsergirl
    Bowsergirl Posts: 89 Member
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    I log my whole week in advance and then just update it as things change, so that I don't have to be logging after every meal.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
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    No, I've only been logging for 145 days, and I don't want to take a break because I don't trust myself to start logging again after a while.
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
    edited September 2015
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    YES! I've been on a deficit consistently for around 5 months and have lost steadily. I've recently been introduced to the idea of a 'Diet Break' which is a week or so at Maintenance. I think it's important to give yourself a little rest, mentally and physically. This can be quite a gruelling process. I've planned to take my 'Diet Break' over the Christmas holidays. However, the 'Diet Break' for me won't be a massive binge - just maintaining my progress so far. Then it'll be back to it! :D

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