Deficit Breaks

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Replies

  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    @dhiammarath That is how I feel. I understand how words can be very important and they were to me originally. I think I moved past it when I started feeling more bulletproof. Then I was scared I felt too bulletproof and that I should be worried I was not more worried... but that is another thread.

    I think that is why it is so good to have people here at various stages. @ConfidentRaven is nine months in she will have an experience that she can share that others may learn something from. Even if they learn they don't want to do it themselves... ever. If she were nine weeks in I might be trying to talk her out of it.

    I think it will be helpful for @jjlewey to share his cruise experience too. He will have access to a lot of food. How will he handle it? I have my own rules for vacations but he will likely do things differently. In the main forums I have seen people say a wide spectrum of answers from eating everything in sight to maintaining a strict calorie deficit. I can't imagine maintaining the deficit but that is me.
  • dhiammarath
    dhiammarath Posts: 834 Member
    @NovusDies I agree! It is invaluable to have all of these perspectives, yes! Everyone has the chance to discover something that someone else is dying to know but doesn't know they need that information. :smiley:

    At work this is my motto: No matter what level I am, no matter what knowledge or experience I have, I can learn from anyone. Whether it is the newest intern, the most junior engineer, or the most experienced architect: everyone has something they can teach me. And I have something I'm waiting to learn.

    I'm glad you started this group!
  • conniewilkins56
    conniewilkins56 Posts: 3,391 Member
    I have a class reunion in october and I will be making a two day road trip to get there...12 to 13 weeks into the program at this time I have started to become anxious about how I am going to juggle meals and exercise into my time...with the information and ideas all of you have shared, I have new ways of handling all of this without becoming more stressed....the idea of having a few more calories on some days without going over board is something I can handle mentally.....I am so glad ConfidentRaven is trying this and allowing us to see her results...I love My Fitness Pal!
  • merph518
    merph518 Posts: 702 Member
    I may have skipped all of my class reunions (mostly) because of my weight. Maybe I'll go to the next one.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    Day 2 found me eating fast food, but I had planned this in and I stuck to my plan. However, I didn’t really enjoy the food. There wasn’t anything wrong with it, I just found it okay. I also realized that I eat a lot less than I used to. I’m embarrassed to admit how much food I took in at a time, often enough for two people. No longer though and that realization alone makes doing this worthwhile. I also ditched my entire list of treat items that I had planned to buy. I realized that I didn’t really want them and I was only going to get them out of habit.

    Oddly enough I’m having trouble with meal planning because I keep going no I don’t really want that. On the plus side it is so nice to go hmm I’m a little hungry and not have to wonder if I have the calories for a banana or some grapes.


    You are getting pickier about how you spend your calories which I believe is a good thing. You are probably also starting to learn that as long as you are living within a calorie goal, even a relaxed one, you don't really lose sight of what you are trying to accomplish. I think that is the fear that some people have with eating maintenance for a short time. That is why even if I plan to eat over maintenance for a special occasion I set a limit like maintenance plus a half.

    Oh and about past eating habits... none of us gained our weight magically. We can't change who we were. We can only change who we are.
  • merph518
    merph518 Posts: 702 Member
    @ConfidentRaven I've had similar experiences eating old favorites. Things I thought I've been missing out on don't taste as good as I remember. I've also made the mistake of eating larger portions (yet still smaller than I used to) and feeling physically sick to my stomach from doing so.
  • real_change
    real_change Posts: 53 Member
    @ConfidentRaven and @merph518 There's actually a name for food not tasting as good as you remember. It's very common for people who are working on losing weight. I tried to find it with a quick Google search but couldn't. I've found this to be true as well. I also find that now I crave some of the healthier but more flavorful new foods I've been eating. Like Indian food!!!
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    Yesterday was the last day of my maintenance break and since I weigh daily I have the results weight wise of this little experiment. I started at 296.2 and ended at 299.2, well within what most people gain when they start maintenance. I learned a lot during the two weeks and my weight fluctuated a lot the first week. Week one had two birthdays and several eat outs, so it wasn’t an average week. Week two was a normal schedule and I used it to test a few food plans. So for example I would have a lower calorie breakfast or lunch and see if I was overly hungry before the next meal, if I was I had more than enough calories to add in a snack if needed. This really helped me because my daily schedule changed last month and I was having trouble balancing my food plan around my shifted activity. I’m confident I can move forward with my weight loss journey with less struggle.

    Very smart use of your maintenance time. I really appreciate your willingness to share this experience. It helps all of us. I have a "test" I have been putting off that you have inspired me to do when I am in maintenance for recovery very soon. I will wait until near the end but I will get it done. Thanks.
  • hansep0012
    hansep0012 Posts: 385 Member
    @ConfidentRaven Good for you in achieving your maintenance goal and coming through with strategies that will serve you well in the future! As @NovusDies stated above, your willingness to share this experience is both brave and generous. Thank you!
  • If what you are doing and eating is realistic and sustainable, there really isn’t a need for a break... Learn to love the process of becoming and being the healthier, more physically fit you!
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    If what you are doing and eating is realistic and sustainable, there really isn’t a need for a break... Learn to love the process of becoming and being the healthier, more physically fit you!

    The science suggests that breaks are good regardless of how sustainable your plan is and much more when you have far fewer fat stores.

    Also, I feel like my plan is very sustainable most of the time but taking a break helps me so it is not one size fits all on what is right.
  • Satisfiedwithbetter
    Satisfiedwithbetter Posts: 970 Member
    edited September 2019
    Ok.
  • Satisfiedwithbetter
    Satisfiedwithbetter Posts: 970 Member
    edited September 2019
    I truly love my journey, and honestly don’t ever see a need to break. If I did, what would I change and why? If I need a break it would suggest something isn’t sustainable or realistic about my plan, about living my life day to day? Ok, I can see eventually stepping away from MFP, because I no longer need it, as what I am doing has become as natural as brushing my teeth in the morning.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    I truly love my journey, and honestly don’t ever see a need to break. If I did, what would I change and why? If I need a break it would suggest something isn’t sustainable or realistic about my plan, about living my life day to day? Ok, I can see eventually stepping away from MFP, because I no longer need it, as what I am doing has become as natural as brushing my teeth in the morning.


    I am not sure you understand what is happening here. A break is a 10 to 14 day vacation from being in a deficit. Its purpose has a physical and in some cases a mental benefit.

    When you are in a prolonged deficit your BMR will downshift to adapt. A break will reset it back to normal. It also resets hormone levels that can be influenced by a deficit. I read an interesting article that was linked today about how a deficit can impact seratonin.

    This BMR reset though can be crucial in the final stages of weight loss for a short woman. If her BMR has decreased enough to nearly be at the minimum nutrition line she may not have enough room to create enough of a deficit. A break may be the only thing that bumps her back up so she can lose her final pounds.

    There is an interesting new study conducted where some of the participants were asked to be in a very aggressive deficit for 2 weeks and then be at maintenance for 2 weeks. The second group was asked to eat at half of the first group's deficit but take no break. The first group showed a more efficient weight loss because they kept resetting their BMRs.
  • conniewilkins56
    conniewilkins56 Posts: 3,391 Member
    How often and when do you know it’s time for a break?....I have been doing this a few months but I can honestly say I have not felt deprived or extra hungry....I have not really denied myself any type of food but I have certainly eaten less food than was my normal!...I am so determined to lose weight and finish this journey that I hate to lose my momentum at this point but I want to do everything right....does everyone eventually need a break for a week or two?...could you take a mini break of a couple days eating at a higher calorie amount or do you need to take a longer break to reset your BMR?....this is the longest I have eaten healthy for a very long time!....it is taking me a while to realize I am really doing this!....thanks for the help and information!
  • maiomaio71
    maiomaio71 Posts: 231 Member
    That's my question too...how do you know when you need to take one?