Taking a break?

don't eat maintenance for your current weight, eat maintenance for your desired weight. This is how you'll have to eat eventually (if you don't want to get overweight again), so may as well get used to it now.

@hamlet1222 eating at goal weight calories for a maintenance break could leave some eating less than what they eat in a deficit.
100 lb to lose at 1lbs a week to get to 105lbs gives you more calories at that stage than you would get when you reach your goal.

A good approach if you are close to goal, but otherwise it could backfire.

Cheers, h.

Marianna93637 wrote: »

Anytime I took a break from logging for more than a couple of weeks I either maintained or gained weight.
I got tired of logging, at times I felt like not logging accurately (actually cheating) so I thought, what's the point?
I took break between august and November, and viola, I gained back 10 lbs (of the 33 lost). Wasn't a good idea for me.
Make sure you keep logging at a maintenance level. Don't stop logging lol. Just don't

That statement is relative and it doesn’t apply to everybody. Sorry that you gained back some of the weight and I wish you the best getting back to your normal.

I closed my account in 2014 for 6 months. Being in maintenance for almost 4 years, I was tired of logging my food and of being too attached to this website. I didn't log but I kept weighting my food and watching portions, and of course I kept up with my exercise routine. I survived the 2014 holidays plus two adjustments in my thyroid medication while keeping the weight +/- the two lbs that I allow to myself.

There are many people in MFP that do not log anymore in a consistent way and they are doing fine. If people watch what they eat and keep an eye on portions they will do fine too. Exercise will also help to dwarf any unwanted increase of calories consumption.

It seems to me that the people that gain back the weight that they lost are those than didn’t learn much about their “journey” (I don’t like that word much). Binges, lack of control, big portions, eating out too much and too often, and lack of exercise will set people back big time. I think that people love food too much and that clouds their judgment. We need to eat to live, not the other way around. That is my opinion and I understand and respect that not everybody will or has to agree with it.
OP: This is what I did before deleting my account (not that you want to do that).

1) I printed several nice looking diaries for breakfast, lunch and dinners as a sample of what I should eat to keep within my calories and macros goals.
2) I printed several of my recipes so I could make them again and stay within my calories
3) I weighted all my food even if I didn’t log it. Four to five ounces of chicken, fish, meat, etc. and I read and followed the portions sizes in grams written in the packages or cans.
4) I kept exercising (moderate cardio and strength training plus fitness classes), and that gave me a buffer just in case I had gone over my calories.
5) I didn’t change my eating habits.

@alizesmom :You can do it too. Good luck.

Um. Yes. Diet breaks are suggested. You really shouldn't be in a deficit for that long.

taracan25 wrote: »

arditarose wrote: »

Um. Yes. Diet breaks are suggested. You really shouldn't be in a deficit for that long.

Why? (please read that with the curious tone intended and not the moody attitude that it sounds like )

lol I got you.


Physically and mentally a break does you wonders if you have a lot to lose and will be taking quite a time to do it. I think someone posted the Lycle McDonald article already. Here is a video by an MFP member that encouraged me to take a diet break.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0jqAXpjCV0

I ate maintenance for a month (December), it was glorious. I'm slowly getting back into losing now. Fair warning: It's not easy getting back to that deficit. I'm spoiled now

arditarose wrote: »

taracan25 wrote: »

arditarose wrote: »

Um. Yes. Diet breaks are suggested. You really shouldn't be in a deficit for that long.

Why? (please read that with the curious tone intended and not the moody attitude that it sounds like )

lol I got you.


Physically and mentally a break does you wonders if you have a lot to lose and will be taking quite a time to do it. I think someone posted the Lycle McDonald article already. Here is a video by an MFP member that encouraged me to take a diet break.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0jqAXpjCV0

I saw alot of this information on a website I saw but I know so little about the subject I didn't feel like I could accurately judge whether there was some kind of science behind this or if it was broscience.... is there science for this?

I kept wondering why maintenance calories were so phenomenal. I suppose they would be if you were cutting at 1 to 2+ lbs per week!

Long breaks don't work for me because I tend to lose focus and start off on then I am eating too much, exercising too little and then I avoid coming back for too long because I know I have to start again. Instead, every Saturday I weigh in. If I have met or exceeded my weekly loss goal then I don't log for that day and eat basically what I want without getting too out of control. I know this approach isn't for everyone, but for me it makes it easier to skip over some more unhealthy choices if I tell myself that I can have whatever it is on Saturday so long as I meet my goals. In turn I am really motivated to exercise and eat well during the week.

Absolutely take a maintenance break!