Maintenance Week - Anyone else do this?

MrsRachaelFisk1
MrsRachaelFisk1 Posts: 37 Member
edited November 26 in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hey guys!

So one week out of every month I tend to give myself a "week off" where I adjust myfitnesspal to my maintenance calories and eat healthily, but with more little bits and pieces thrown in, with the goal to reaching the week after the same weight I started. I still exercise as usual I might add - 3 x 45 minute workouts a week.

I find it's really good practice for when I hit my goal, and it's also just good in general to give myself some time where I am not constantly thinking about dieting.

Anyone else do this?

Replies

  • fuzzylop72
    fuzzylop72 Posts: 651 Member
    edited May 2018
    I'm not at maintenance, but I do diet breaks every few months, which sound sort of similar. However, I never end them at the same weight due to water retention (carb and sodium levels tend to be higher on diet break).
  • MrsRachaelFisk1
    MrsRachaelFisk1 Posts: 37 Member
    Ah yeah I find that too. Sometimes it can take a couple of days for your levels to get back into the swing of things.
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    If I were to have done that (I didn't), I would have used maintenance at goal, not at the current weight. At a higher weight, that would still be a deficit but probably not as much of one.
  • Lisa8823168
    Lisa8823168 Posts: 139 Member
    I do a cycle too. Managing my counts at home is MUCH easier but I travel for work. Use a travel week for a break without going crazy, though I do have calorie/carb/protein/fat counts almost memorized by now. I still choose wisely and don't go crazy. When on the road, do best to log my meals in the evening, even in a carb up travel week. Clues me in on good/bad choices of the day, not to beat myself up...just as a behavioral learning tool. Sadly, my days logging counts keep taking a hit, but the process has worked all year, I am down 45 pounds. I find it livable and easy to manage with my life style.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,099 Member
    I have been known to calirie cycle if I know I have a special event coming up. Though, I tend to stay very consistent with my tracking and food intake. I am a numbers guy and if I deviate too much, it throws off my numbers. I am still very new to the maintaining game. Only about a year in, so that might have a bit to do with it. I am also just soooo every slightly anal retentive. Lol
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Different routine for me as I cycled within a week rather than a month.
    I dieted two days a week and ate at maintenance five days a week to lose my excess weight - made the transition to full time maintenance very easy, supported my heavy exercise routine very well. Also helped me fit my diet into my lifestyle, social eating and enjoyment of good food are important to me.

    It also stopped me getting bored and frustrated (and giving up) which prolonged spells of every day dieting had done in the past.

    Practising maintenance would seem sensible, make it familiar rather than a huge and unsettling change.

  • LJay89
    LJay89 Posts: 91 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    Different routine for me as I cycled within a week rather than a month.
    I dieted two days a week and ate at maintenance five days a week to lose my excess weight - made the transition to full time maintenance very easy, supported my heavy exercise routine very well. Also helped me fit my diet into my lifestyle, social eating and enjoyment of good food are important to me.

    It also stopped me getting bored and frustrated (and giving up) which prolonged spells of every day dieting had done in the past.

    Practising maintenance would seem sensible, make it familiar rather than a huge and unsettling change.

    I like this idea, doing a 12 week cut at the moment with the aim to lose 12llb of fat but I might cut it to 8 and do this for another 8 weeks or something
  • geltner1
    geltner1 Posts: 85 Member
    I agree with breaks and changes in routine as a way to manage the long term nature of reaching or staying at a healthy weight. I don't log on vacations or when out of town and those breaks feel good. Of course , I don't "go crazy" either which would cause too much pain when I restarted!
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,324 Member
    i do it in a different way from you..but I too like it. ..each week i eat out at a restaurant with my husband and i don't go crazy..but i'm not thinking about my daily eating plan. I lost all my weight doing that for one meal..sometimes two a week and lost steadily. 'it worked for me..and I'm glad it did.
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