Do you take a "day off"?

I have read this many times too....but it scares me!! I can say from my own (be it limited) experience on here that I have had a few days mixed in where my calories were way over (yummy homemade ice cream) and I still had a weightloss for the whole week. For me, I would need to limit it to maybe once a month...I have read of people doing it one weekend day each week - dont think I am disciplined enough right now to do this.

I've only been with mfp since early July and the first few days were rough for me. At this point I don't have an "off day" set aside, I just don't beat myself up If I have to eat a fast food meal or sugary snacks.

It may sound crazy but when my weight loss stalls I'll have pizza or a cheese burger or some other fatty foods. It seems to help jar my body out of that starvation mode. It's just one day and then back on plan but it seems to help.

I haven't really seen a reason to do this because my whole purpose here has been for me to learn how to eat in moderation as opposed to depriving myself of things that I love. I have had some high calorie days here and there but usually it's not from over eating, it's from eating a lot of high calorie foods in one day. I personlly don't think it is necessary, but I know that there is some research that backs it up as being a good thing.

I didn't have "cheat days" when I started because I had a LOT to lose. Now, I've lost 91 and have 9 to go and I run daily, so I don't have to be quite as strict with my food. I still don't do cheat days, though, I'll just have a treat occasionally....like my once a month, full fat with whipped cream Starbucks treat. LOL Or the Corona I had when I went dancing last night. Little things like that here and there.

Life is meant to be enjoyed. With that said, I do not plan cheat meals or cheat days or anything of that nature. If my husband takes me out for dinner, I'm conscious of what passes my lips, but I don't beat myself up over it or anything. I may go over on my calories, but I cherish the time I have with my loved ones more, and those fun times and memories are more important than the scale.

I have too many daily"treats" (slip-ups) to warrant a day off which is probably a big reason why my weight is coming off slowly, but I want to try that approach.

I use to have cheat days. They turned into cheat weekends. I'm focusing on staying on track 7 days a week no cheating. That said there are times I will allow myself something I normally wouldn't eat. However I promised myself I would log the good and bad. I have a soft spot for pizza and tacos!

I walk a min of a mile a day. I try to take a day or two with just my small walks. When I went 7 days a week hard training it was too much and I got burned out! I've gone 55 straight days of a mile a day.

It works great when you are generally under-eating for your level of activity, if you started it at the beginning of the diet change. Allows body to see there is still food available, no need to slow down metabolism.

Problem is starting it when your metabolism has already slowed, one day doesn't speed it up, just gets added as surplus fat unless your glucose stores are depleted, in which case they get topped off first.

Better method would be just to eat enough for level of activity so that cheat day for speeding metabolism back up isn't even needed in the first place. Keep it burning high all the time.

Cheat meal and such is nice reward to look forward, but probably too little to effect the metabolism. But great mentally for self-control until reward.

I often have days when I don't log because I'm eating out and it just gets too complicated to work out what's in everything. Conference buffets are the worse! On those days I do tend to eat more than usual, which probably explains why I've stayed at the same weight for a couple of months! Still, staying the same is much better than putting on and, to be honest, most people are telling me that I don't need to lose anymore otherwise I'll start to look old! Why, once you get past a certain age, does skinny equate to looking old? :ohwell:

I guess that answer doesn't really help apart from to say that if you're maintaining, the odd "day off" isn't going to do you any harm!

I don't do it once a week or anything, but if i go to a wedding or an anime convention, i won't count. No point at a wedding (it won't kill me) and at a con i will be walking SO MUCH it won't matter. lol

This is a lifestyle change...you never get days off. You make modifications!

My week runs Saturday - Friday. My weekly calorie intake is 12600 calories (1800 a day)

On Saturday I workout and burn 850 calories which I add to my weekly total....(13450)...I eat 1800 calories for the day (11650).
On Sunday I workout and burn 1000 calories which I add to my weekly total...(12650)...I eat 2200 calories for the day (10450)
On Monday I do not work out...I eat 1500 calories...(8950)

Without any more exercising this leaves me with 8950 calories for the four remaining days of the week...or 2237.5 calories per day. As long as I do not go over the 12600 calories for the week!

No cheat days when it is a lifestyle...modification!

As a matter of fact we are having a luncheon and I am eating a few extra cookies because I burned extra calories on Monday that I have not used yet!

I don't. I just have days when I make a spontaneous decision that I want something that will or might put me over that I know I'll need to compensate for over the course of a week.

It's a lifestyle, not a diet.

I take one MEAL off a week. For instance, will eat healthy and track all week and Saturday day, but then have whatever I want Saturday night for dinner and dessert!

I like this idea!!

I am today solely for the reason that it is my birthday and I want a cheat day.

ETA That means that I will be working out extra HARD tomorrow.