Do you take a "day off"?

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  • nekochanpurr
    nekochanpurr Posts: 14
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    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
  • tlblood
    tlblood Posts: 473 Member
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    I never take a day off! Instead of cheat days I'll have a "cheat" snack if I can fit it into my cals and macros.

    ^^This!^^ I had S'Mores last night for dessert because I had the calories left.

    When I did WW, my leader recommended not taking a cheat DAY, but maybe a cheat MEAL...one meal where you don't track, versus a whole day of not tracking.
  • DBiddle69
    DBiddle69 Posts: 682 Member
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    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! :)
  • kaaaayla
    kaaaayla Posts: 91 Member
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    For me it's not about keeping my metabolism guessing; it's about allowing myself to have chocolate so I don't go crazy! If I didn't have a little cheat once in a while, I'd give up on dieting all together because I have a huge sweet tooth and can't handle all healthy eating all the time.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    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.
  • elm2008
    elm2008 Posts: 95 Member
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    I do not take a whole day off. I want this to be a lifestyle, not just a temporary change. I do not completely cut foods out of my diet and still incorporate a junk food every now and again when I want it.
  • Jehsakah22
    Jehsakah22 Posts: 6
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    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!!
  • avasano
    avasano Posts: 487 Member
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    I try but then I just feel too guilty. :(
  • shelbynicole32
    shelbynicole32 Posts: 179 Member
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    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.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    What she said (missed the quote - sorry).

    This isn't a puritanical religious order. It's a way of life. And that includes small pleasures.
  • Vonwarr
    Vonwarr Posts: 390 Member
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    You will find all sorts of conflicting advice from both sides of the fence.

    I take a "refeed" day once every week or two - generally on the weekend. I don't call it a cheat day, I still track my calories, still try to eat healthy, but eat to my maintenance calories or a little higher (about 2700 for me), add more carbs into my diet, and use the higher target to allow myself to eat any food I may crave, and/or have a couple drinks with friends.

    Eating more calories will increase leptin production in your thyroid, it's a hormone that helps regulate your weight (low leptin = slower weight loss)
  • DBiddle69
    DBiddle69 Posts: 682 Member
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    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.

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
  • RealWomenLovePitbulls
    RealWomenLovePitbulls Posts: 729 Member
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    my intake fluctuates a lot as it is anyway, some days i am right at my goal, some days under and some days over, so hopefully that is enough to keep my body guessing.
    i tried the foodlovers weightloss system and they do say that ur body averages out ur calorie intake for every 3 day period and resets ur metabolism accordingly, so there could be something to it.
  • ChappyEight
    ChappyEight Posts: 163 Member
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    I'm a couple months into my weight loss but I try not to allow myself an off day. Not because I don't believe they're a good idea, it's just that I know that the next day will be very tough for me to not do the same thing.

    That's what got me into this predicament. Hopefully I'll get mentally strong enough in the future to ease up on myself a bit. But right now, it's a slippery slope.
  • noweightfisherj
    noweightfisherj Posts: 220 Member
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    No cheat meals.

    No cheat days.

    Workout, don't workout.

    Eat what you want as long as it's in your daily calorie allotment.

    Eat at a calorie reduction and you will lose weight, plain and simple.
  • Enigmatica
    Enigmatica Posts: 879 Member
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    Absolutely I take days off now and then, from both diet and exercise. I usually love my routine food/exercise but if I feel a need to change it up, find I'm not feeling well, or life offers nice opportunities for celebration or vacation, I change things around. I find it refreshes me both mentally and physically, and often find that I'm really happy to go back to "normal" lol.
  • brandilacey
    brandilacey Posts: 47
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    I lose the most weight on the days I "cheat"- which should be no more than once a week. Most professionals agree to having at least once meal or day a week you do eat whatever you want, as much as you want (within reason).
  • wiltl
    wiltl Posts: 188 Member
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    Yep. It was part of the deal I made with myself when I joined this site. My internal conversation was all over the place, but one basic thing was that I wasn't going to "deny" myself, that all of the past attempts that avoided specific food groups or eat certain ways just didn't work before and this needed to be a life style change. I also don't call it cheating, which to me makes it sound like I'm doing something wrong.

    So, when I go visit my parents & friends about once a month, I don't count as closely and I also don't worry about it. I've found that I am actually eating less and making smarter choices at the exact same places we went to before I joined MFP, I'm still losing and I don't have any feelings of guilt whatsoever. I don't dread my jeans being tight after a weekend home and think it has helped me from plateauing.

    Actually, my next off day will probably be August 17th/18th, since I'm going to a Batchelorette party and plan on drinking some and eating tasty foods.:drinker:

    Everyone will have their own thoughts on "days off" and "cheating" and how best they can handle it. But, its really a brutally honest conversation you need to have with yourself and determine what you're comfortable with. If you are triggered by having a burger, then maybe you shouldn't. If you can say "yeah, that was dang good" and move on, great!
  • redscylla
    redscylla Posts: 211 Member
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    I have "cheat days" precisely because I believe it's a lifestyle change. I'm good nearly every day, eat and exercise in a way I know is sustainable for the long haul. On special occasions, like a birthday, or other special event, I indulge. That's what indulgence is for--special reasons. That's what makes it different from a binge, which is usually the opposite of a special occasion. I still avoid the truly junky food I know isn't good for me ever, but it means I can have foods that are more calorie dense than my daily fare. I can have a piece of cake or piece of lasagna. No biggie.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    For the most part, I eat what I want every day, so long as I can spare the calories. If I decide to have a fattening dessert, then I will exercise extra to make up for it. I am still new to trying to lose weight, so I have been strict on my calories. My problem was mostly that I wasn't paying attention to what I ate and was being lazy.

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