taking a day to eat whatever you want and not count calories

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brenn24179
brenn24179 Posts: 2,144 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
it seems like once a month or two I take a day and eat whatever I want, I don't know if this is binging or just giving myself a break. It could even be I try to be perfect for so long. It seems to be ok as long as I get back on track but I do feel guilty.

I know skinny people overeat sometimes also. Well this weekend I had a day like that so I am off to the gym. Do you sometimes just take a day off and eat what you want.
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  • kaizaku
    kaizaku Posts: 1,039 Member
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    Yea, a month or two. That's too long for me lol
  • healthypelican
    healthypelican Posts: 215 Member
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    I did this yesterday. Not because I wanted to, but because I was tired of tracking. I made chocolate icing (had a few heaps teaspoons of icing sugar, with butter and cocoa), 3 pieces of bread with ketsup and cheese, some crackers and dinner. I am actually terrified of tracking what I ate, because I won't get an accurate amount and I'm terrified I ruined my week. I guess I'll just stick to my limit the rest of the week and pray for the best. I need to start preparing food before I get hungry, once I am hungry I lose my patience.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,843 Member
    edited March 2017
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    Quite frequently I take a day where I just eat as much as I want of whatever I want. :)

    Co-incidentally, those days are usually the same days I cycle long, long distances.

    But sometimes they're a special occasion like a weekend away or a birthday or something.

    Because I exercise a lot, I can eat whatever I want to eat ... within reason ... every day. So for me, it's not a matter of striving to be perfect, it's just a matter of staying withing quite a reasonable calorie limit. And then some days I just don't bother to count.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,843 Member
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    dfranch wrote: »
    I may surpass my goals once in a while, but I always try to log as best I can. Got to keep up my 1128 day streak.

    You don't have to log food to maintain your streak ... you just have to log into MFP.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
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    I have an IDGAF day 4 times a year, works out around every 3 months though the first 2 of the year are further apart than the last 2. I eat what I want in amounts I want and I track it. For me, it's a mental break where my little lizard brain can be in charge for once.
  • perkymommy
    perkymommy Posts: 1,642 Member
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    brenn24179 wrote: »
    it seems like once a month or two I take a day and eat whatever I want, I don't know if this is binging or just giving myself a break. It could even be I try to be perfect for so long. It seems to be ok as long as I get back on track but I do feel guilty.

    I know skinny people overeat sometimes also. Well this weekend I had a day like that so I am off to the gym. Do you sometimes just take a day off and eat what you want.

    Yes. It actually helps with my weight loss if I do this every now and then. But I have a habit of falling off the wagon too so I don't plan to do it often this go round until I've had a good loss first. Last year I had some cheat days (as people call it) and they were spread out at first which was fine and then it started being every weekend and a couple days during the week until I regained the 25 lbs I lost last year. Now here I am back again.
  • brenn24179
    brenn24179 Posts: 2,144 Member
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    I know when I couldn't get that last 10 lbs off I would eat something different like sausage buiscuit or hamburger and it seem to shock my system or something so I think sometimes changing things up helps. The main thing for me is to get back on track ASAP.
  • dawn_h_d
    dawn_h_d Posts: 184 Member
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    Saturday I indulged. And tracked. And regretted - not the numbers on MFP, but the fact that I felt so bloated and overly full. My birthday is today, and we went for a big weekend lunch to celebrate. Although 1.5 Root Beer Floats and 2 Sides with my lunch from Red Robin looked appealing at the time, I think I will remember how I felt afterwards, and never do it again........ (I don't remember the last time I had a 3000 calorie day, and I don't think I want to do it again any time soon)
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 4,973 Member
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    I always eat whatever I want, but not in unlimited amounts. Sometimes I go over my calories, most days I don't. I still log everything as best I can. I think it is fine to have an occasional day over as long as that is the exception, not the rule. If what you are doing is working for you then I wouldn't worry about having a IDGAF day every few months. But you shouldn't be feeling guilty about it.
  • mlbish624
    mlbish624 Posts: 33 Member
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    I don't track or worry about what I eat on special occasion days like holidays or trips. However, now that I have changed my eating habits, I have a lot better idea of how much I *should* eat, and I get full a lot faster, so even a blow off day is nothing like what it would have been for the "old me!"

    Even if I am not tracking, I try not to go crazy and listen to my body, stopping when I should.
  • fitRTs
    fitRTs Posts: 58 Member
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    I do this too. On weekends, I take one day where I don't track and allow myself to eat out or order in. I do try to be generally better than I used to be, though. Weekends used to be a kind of binge-fest for us. I also make sure to be way more active than I used to be in the past. So far this is working for me. I've stuck with this "diet" much longer than any other in the past and I've seen more results.
  • cnbbnc
    cnbbnc Posts: 1,267 Member
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    I used to but I'm working on getting over that. I've been maintaining for a year now. This is the first time I've ever managed to keep weight off of me, and the thought of loosening up was pretty scary.

    Now I let myself have a day here and there where I eat whatever I want. Yeah...the scale jumps up a bit because of the extra food and water, but if I get right back to my usual way of eating it falls back off easily.

    To me this is part of the learning process. Learning to take care of my body and give it what it needs, but still give myself permission to enjoy myself.
  • SteadyDoinIt281
    SteadyDoinIt281 Posts: 24 Member
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    Don't beat yourself up. Although I can't cite them, studies show that eating more (or more often) 2x per week or less does not negatively impact your overall plan. I've consistently gone over my goal 2x per week since I started 2.5 months ago, usually Friday and Saturday or Saturday and Sunday, and I've lost 10# over that stretch.
  • breannemarie1993
    breannemarie1993 Posts: 161 Member
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    I log Monday-Friday.. on the weekend I still eat how I would during the week with maybe an exception of something I've really been wanting but I don't log Saturday or Sunday.
  • rainbow198
    rainbow198 Posts: 2,245 Member
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    If I want something I plan for it and work it into my day. It's never unlimited eating though.

    Sometimes my brain wants to overeat, but physically I can't do it anymore.

    If it works for you I wouldn't feel guilty about it though. Just get back on track the next day.

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