Free days

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MariePR84
MariePR84 Posts: 8
in Health and Weight Loss
I've decided that Saturday is going to be a "free day". I'm going to take the dog for a walk/run in the morning (as long as the weather cooperates), then we're going to a street food festival. I'm sure I'll still eat fairly well (but might go over calories) since a lot of food trucks are all about "from the farm to the truck" lately, but I'm probably also going to treat myself to a cupcake and/or a beer :)
I've read and experienced that eating a bit more every now and then can trick your body and help boost weight loss...

How do you handle "free days"?

Replies

  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
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    i do them about once a month. birthdays, holidays, stuff like that. gives me something to look forward to if i plan them.
    i just eat what i want. at midnight, i'm back on lowcarb.
  • bjshields
    bjshields Posts: 677 Member
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    :smile: I think it helps you to be mentally healthy. Being super strict all the time makes you into a nutcase. I don't feel guilty, as long as it's a *planned* day to be off plan. I try to do some harder cardio those days first, that helps with the guilt.
  • Charloo1990
    Charloo1990 Posts: 619 Member
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    Saturday is my set treat day but 9 times out of 10 atm i tend to have Saturday and Sunday off and eat what i want. I wanna try and just stick with Saturday only but luckily even 2 treat days a week doesnt affect my weight loss ect cause i do work damn hard on my diet and exercise mon-fri lol.
  • lynnprice
    lynnprice Posts: 101 Member
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    I'm doing the 4hour body and there's a free day once a week to help reset your metabolism. It's slow carb every day of the week then that one day a week to really look forward to. It helps me to get through those rough days where I could eat a house and the day is moveable (so long as I have one every 6-10 days) so I can make it fit in with whatever plans I have for the upcoming week.

    My only advice would be not to weigh for a couple of days afterward. The water weight can be a bit depressing but it disappears in a couple of days.
  • 1968LisaG
    1968LisaG Posts: 17 Member
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    I don't have a whole day of cheating, just Thursday night after weigh in. I found that I'm used to it because last week wasn't a good cheat meal so I did it on Friday. It's a science involving dopamine. Great article in Health magazine, May 2012 - The new way to conquer cravings
  • brandi1425
    brandi1425 Posts: 8
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    I agree that we all need a "free day" and mine is usually Saturdays too! The work out program I do actually encourages them once a week. I have found that I eat pretty good those days to...but I can have a beer or a cookie or a fat cheeseburger, but I think it really helps me stay on track the rest of the week cause I just tell myself that I can have it on Saturday!
  • Bronx_Montgomery
    Bronx_Montgomery Posts: 2,287 Member
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    I use to have free days but it was on the weekend and it ended up being a free weekend. The cause of it was because of Beer....I can drink a lot then I get hungry and ate a lot so my hard work for the week was gone. I have dedicated myself to try not having a cheat day or free day and have cut out beer for the next 12 weeks. It seems to be helping a lot.

    I would suggest instead of having a free day just have a cheat meal. Also since it doesn't seem as if you are doing it all the time do not let it stress you out. We are all human and should enjoy all foods and have a good time especially during the summer. Enjoy the food festival and do not worry about your calories. Sometimes that extra food that one day can help your body
  • MrsSexton2013
    MrsSexton2013 Posts: 98 Member
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    I'm doing the 4hour body and there's a free day once a week to help reset your metabolism. It's slow carb every day of the week then that one day a week to really look forward to. It helps me to get through those rough days where I could eat a house and the day is moveable (so long as I have one every 6-10 days) so I can make it fit in with whatever plans I have for the upcoming week.

    My only advice would be not to weigh for a couple of days afterward. The water weight can be a bit depressing but it disappears in a couple of days.

    What is the four hour body? I am SO STUCK with weight loss right now.. I just googled it, but just got a little brief description.. a little Atkins like?
  • EBakkenPacificNW
    EBakkenPacificNW Posts: 4
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    I don't have them. If I plan carefully, I can work almost anything into my menu. I am a T2 diabetic and need to control my intake.
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
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    When I first started this, I would have an occasional free weekend. If I was going out of town, I wouldn't bother counting. Worked fine back then. As I lost weight, I had to cut that back to a free day. I would eat whatever I wanted that day. Worked fine for a while. Now, I'm down to a cheat meal. I'll have an appetizer, entree, and a dessert. The free days were getting too hard to recover from so now I do cheat meals. I find it important to just let yourself go sometimes so you don't feel deprived. I can get that cream based sauce, I can eat that cheesecake. I do find that I still limit myself in volume over what I would have eaten before the weight loss.
  • momofthreesons
    momofthreesons Posts: 162 Member
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    I don't have cheat days or meals. If I know I'm going out to dinner and will order a high calorie meat etc I will go for a hike or long walk the morning of and in the evening after. I burn off what I overate. Eating badly and not exercising is what got me into this situation. Since this is a lifestyle now for me this is how I deal with overeating even if it's planned.
  • Fitty_Cent
    Fitty_Cent Posts: 41 Member
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    I personally don't do cheat days anymore. I had a tendency to go overboard and then spend the next few days starving myself and feeling guilty. Sometimes I will let myself eat maintenance if I'm really hungry, so it's like a mini-cheat. Lots of people do the cheat though--I heard Jennifer Anniston say she did in an interview years ago.
  • ShrinkingShawna
    ShrinkingShawna Posts: 186 Member
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    I don't do a whole day but I plan a "treat meal" once a week, usually on Fridays. I'm not sure I'm going to do it anymore though because I really felt horrible this last time (pizza), and stressed to the weigh in (thankfully I lost weight). I know there are certain trigger foods I will never be able to eat again (fried food mostly). I simply cannot control myself when it comes to that stuff. If I can't get a food off my mind, I will eat it to keep myself sane. My dietritian recommends not depriving yourself (within reason) because it can lead to binging. I feel pretty guilty when I don't eat healthy though, so I'm not sure it's worth it.
  • joecollins9385
    joecollins9385 Posts: 355 Member
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    holidays and special occasions are "free days" for me, but i try to eat really good for breakfast and lunch then its whatever i want for dinner (desserts included).

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