is it okay to take a break!?

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aethompson5507
aethompson5507 Posts: 251 Member
in Motivation and Support
so im curious on your opinions...ive lost 42lbs so far, i have another 100lbs to go! ...i was feeling a little burned out. is it okay to take a break for a little while? ive seemed to loose all motivation :(

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  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,319 Member
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    Yes. A constant calorie deficit is NOT healthy. Switch to maintenance and stay active for a week or so.
  • Gigi_licious
    Gigi_licious Posts: 1,185 Member
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    It's your "journey". Do what YOU want to do. If you feel like you need a break, take one!
  • flausa
    flausa Posts: 534 Member
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    I find I need a break every couple of months and taking that break has helped me come back re-motivated and rested.
  • luv2ash
    luv2ash Posts: 1,903 Member
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    Why not just make some changes. Try some diff recipes maybe. I don't like to take a break as I am making a lifestyle change.
  • Jconner30
    Jconner30 Posts: 311
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    I just took a week off from running. I ran this morning and I felt refreshed - other than the huffing and puffing :)
  • jlewis2896
    jlewis2896 Posts: 763 Member
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    Yes. A constant calorie deficit is NOT healthy. Switch to maintenance and stay active for a week or so.

    I like this. A break is good as long as you don't go and un-do everything you've worked so hard for!!! Switch to maintenance and you can just take it easy for a bit.
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
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    absolutely. this is a lifetime change...you don't burn yourself out to the point that you want to be done with it altogether. just take it easy, eat more for a while and try to maintain.
  • Amo_Angelus
    Amo_Angelus Posts: 604 Member
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    If by take a break, you mean up your calories a bit, maybe even go onto maintenance...then yes, do that anytime you need to. It's not healthy to alway be on a defecit. You're still changing your lifestyle because you're not over eating.

    If you mean go back to how you were before dieting then no!
  • corrieville
    corrieville Posts: 113 Member
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    Yes!!! I lost 45lbs then took a few months off and managed to maintain my weight. I am now back at it and have lost 22lbs (9 on this site) The only advice I have is that it is hard to start back in the beginning because you allow yourself to eat a lot worse when you take a break. That is why this time I am making a lifestyle change and not a diet. I do not deprive myself anything as long as I come under my calories :) Good Luck.
  • memphismum
    memphismum Posts: 6 Member
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    Of course you can take a break. But be conscious of it. Don't go into a comma. If you let yourself, you can wake up one day and regain all the weight you have lost. Try to just eat to maintain for a couple weeks and sign in every day to keep yourself some what accountable. At least quick guess your calories and log. I regret my own bouts of amnesia. Good luck.
  • Tree72
    Tree72 Posts: 942 Member
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    Depends on what you mean by a break. I think it's definitely a good idea to go up to maintenance calories once in a while. Try it for a week. If that's not long enough, try it for a month. This is a lifestyle change, not a race. :happy:

    I've had plenty of times over the last two years where I needed to focus more energy on other parts of my life and not worry about every little detail of my food and exercise. Even with a month long break last December, I only fluctuated by two pounds and then went right back to losing when I brought my calories back down.

    Don't lose hope. Give yourself the time you need to get your mental mojo back.
  • aethompson5507
    aethompson5507 Posts: 251 Member
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    yes i just mean up my calories a bit more. ...maybe if im craving that frappe or icecream then not feel too guilty about having it. im still very active ( i have a 2 and 3 year old) just might not hit the gym everyday. ...we ordered pizza the other night. i felt really guilty about it, but i also really enjoyed it. ...i made cupcakes with the kids and didnt feel guilty for eating a few. i dont plan to go a-wall and gain what i had just lost, i'd like to obviously maintain and take my little break then start right back where i left off. but right now, im just enjoying not completely watching what i do. and no, i also call it a lifestyle change, not a diet. i dont drink milk anymore, just soy or almond, no beef or pork, only chicken, turkey, or seafood. no pop. whole grain only. great changes like that :)
  • MrsWibbly
    MrsWibbly Posts: 415 Member
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    When I was in my 20's I used to have November as my 'healthy' month (no alcohol, no junk food etc) in the run up to the Christmas season to ensure I looked good at all the Christmas parties, now just into my 40's I kind of do it the other way round... 11 months of the healthy stuff and only one month of allowing myself to indulge a little more, which is usually a couple of weeks around Christmas and a week or two if I take a holiday in the summer. The key is to insure that you plan to come back, and that during the 'break' you don't go to excess.
  • allie864
    allie864 Posts: 298
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    When I was in my 20's I used to have November as my 'healthy' month (no alcohol, no junk food etc) in the run up to the Christmas season to ensure I looked good at all the Christmas parties, now just into my 40's I kind of do it the other way round... 11 months of the healthy stuff and only one month of allowing myself to indulge a little more, which is usually a couple of weeks around Christmas and a week or two if I take a holiday in the summer. The key is to insure that you plan to come back, and that during the 'break' you don't go to excess.
    I've done this before as well and plan to again this year.

    OP, I have nothing new to add to what every one else has said because I agree with them, so I'm just putting in another "yes" :)
  • Leola2011
    Leola2011 Posts: 192
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    Yes. A constant calorie deficit is NOT healthy. Switch to maintenance and stay active for a week or so.

    I didn't know that! Please explain why this is. You learn something new everyday....

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