Diet break?

How do y’all know when it’s time for a diet break or eating at maintenance and taking a break from focusing on weight loss?

Replies

  • emmamcgarity
    emmamcgarity Posts: 1,593 Member
    I use social situations to choose to eat at maintenance for a day or two. The holiday season was a good opportunity to eat at maintenance for a few weeks (continuing to track but a bit looser tracking). Our family has several birthdays over the next couple months which will prompt me to choose a few maintenance days so that I can more easily fit in a slice of cake and special meal. Knowing that I can make the choice to make any day a maintenance day makes it psychologically easier for me to eat at a deficit on all the other days.
  • LauraSrock18
    LauraSrock18 Posts: 125 Member
    sardelsa wrote: »
    I usually take one every 8-10 weeks. The closer I get to goal and leaner I get the more breaks I need. Also I will take one of I am away from the gym because I don't like being in a deficit if I'm not lifting regularly. I try not to wait until I have started to burn out before I take one. By then it's too late doesn't work well for me.

    There is a great thread on the topic, I am not sure if it's a sticky somewhere I can't seem to find it maybe someone can dig it up for you.

    When you take your diet break do you not track at all? I just feel so burned out!
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    sardelsa wrote: »
    I usually take one every 8-10 weeks. The closer I get to goal and leaner I get the more breaks I need. Also I will take one of I am away from the gym because I don't like being in a deficit if I'm not lifting regularly. I try not to wait until I have started to burn out before I take one. By then it's too late doesn't work well for me.

    There is a great thread on the topic, I am not sure if it's a sticky somewhere I can't seem to find it maybe someone can dig it up for you.

    When you take your diet break do you not track at all? I just feel so burned out!

    I don't track my intake at all actually. I go by trend weight, increasing portions and by feel. However I would not typically recommend that to most people. If you are tracking in a deficit, you can continue to track on a diet break just increase your calories.
  • LauraSrock18
    LauraSrock18 Posts: 125 Member
    sardelsa wrote: »
    sardelsa wrote: »
    I usually take one every 8-10 weeks. The closer I get to goal and leaner I get the more breaks I need. Also I will take one of I am away from the gym because I don't like being in a deficit if I'm not lifting regularly. I try not to wait until I have started to burn out before I take one. By then it's too late doesn't work well for me.

    There is a great thread on the topic, I am not sure if it's a sticky somewhere I can't seem to find it maybe someone can dig it up for you.

    When you take your diet break do you not track at all? I just feel so burned out!

    I don't track my intake at all actually. I go by trend weight, increasing portions and by feel. However I would not typically recommend that to most people. If you are tracking in a deficit, you can continue to track on a diet break just increase your calories.


    I was thinking about bumping my intake to
    Maintenance and then I will be at Disney world for 5 days this week so I’ll probably just be in the moment and not track at all! I have been tracking consistently for 12 weeks along with working out consistently but for the past week or two I just have no energy and I am always so hungry and irritable! I’m losing my passion for the gym & my journey! 😩 before that I tracked consistently for 8 months and got so resentful I went on a binge for 4 months.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    sardelsa wrote: »
    sardelsa wrote: »
    I usually take one every 8-10 weeks. The closer I get to goal and leaner I get the more breaks I need. Also I will take one of I am away from the gym because I don't like being in a deficit if I'm not lifting regularly. I try not to wait until I have started to burn out before I take one. By then it's too late doesn't work well for me.

    There is a great thread on the topic, I am not sure if it's a sticky somewhere I can't seem to find it maybe someone can dig it up for you.

    When you take your diet break do you not track at all? I just feel so burned out!

    I don't track my intake at all actually. I go by trend weight, increasing portions and by feel. However I would not typically recommend that to most people. If you are tracking in a deficit, you can continue to track on a diet break just increase your calories.


    I was thinking about bumping my intake to
    Maintenance and then I will be at Disney world for 5 days this week so I’ll probably just be in the moment and not track at all! I have been tracking consistently for 12 weeks along with working out consistently but for the past week or two I just have no energy and I am always so hungry and irritable! I’m losing my passion for the gym & my journey! 😩 before that I tracked consistently for 8 months and got so resentful I went on a binge for 4 months.

    I would use your past and learn from it and try to prevent that from happening again.

    Go for the break. Eat reasonably, walk a lot. You will be good.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,048 Member
    edited February 2019
    When changing intake, either up or down, that is the time I think it is most helpful to track. E.g. when starting a deficit and when transitioning to maintenance. Tracking at Disney (or any vacation with lots of eating out) will be tough, though. There are lots of good threads with advice on it, so you might do a quick search. People have a blast at Disney without blowing all their progress all the time. Have fun!
  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
    I took a diet break after dieting for a year when I hit a plateau for 3 months. I probably waited too long to do it. I ate at maintenance for a week. They say you should break for a couple weeks but I was too worried I would gain all the weight back. It helped. I gained a couple pounds which came off when I went back down to losing calorie levels and then I managed to start losing again. I did track every day though and stopped at maintenance level calories. Alot of folks seem to think a diet break is a free for all. That's not the purpose at all. Good luck.

    This ^^^
  • Tamie_Girl
    Tamie_Girl Posts: 218 Member
    Oh my gosh, just today I switched my calories to maintenance, even though I want to lose 20 more pounds. I just need to take a break and re-adjust my mindset. I believe I have the winter blues. I'm just going to chill for another month and re-start back up. :):)
  • lin_be
    lin_be Posts: 393 Member
    I’m sorry you’re feeling burned out. Diet break while at Disney sounds great!

    Maybe reevaluate, after you diet break, what your goals are. Do exercise you look forward to and be in a reasonable calorie deficit (.5/week). If you’re getting irritable, it may be because your diet is too restrictive or your deficit is too large or you’re killing your self at the gym. (I’m saying this blindly with no idea of who you are or where you are in your diet journey.)
  • Tamie_Girl
    Tamie_Girl Posts: 218 Member
    By the way, I'm tracking every day while doing a brief maintenance period.
  • jlynnm70
    jlynnm70 Posts: 460 Member

    I was thinking about bumping my intake to
    Maintenance and then I will be at Disney world for 5 days this week so I’ll probably just be in the moment and not track at all! I have been tracking consistently for 12 weeks along with working out consistently but for the past week or two I just have no energy and I am always so hungry and irritable! I’m losing my passion for the gym & my journey! 😩 before that I tracked consistently for 8 months and got so resentful I went on a binge for 4 months.
    [/quote]


    I think Disney would be great! And remember - all that walking around the park will help too. Bump to maintenance and I bet you are surprised. Or just enjoy yourself and be careful - remember to drink lots of water to help you feel full and hydrated...eat the occasional healthier item at a time you don't care as much - like maybe at breakfast before the park instead of while you are in the park. Mostly - HAVE FUN - and just get back to it when you get back!