Do you take a "day off"?

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  • Shrinking_Stacey
    Shrinking_Stacey Posts: 100
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    YUP, Ever Sunday I eat whatever I want and dont exercise. It's my reward for being a good girl all week;) One day isn't gonna hurt you to much.
  • fhsjewfro
    fhsjewfro Posts: 101 Member
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    are we talking a day off from the gym or a day off from dieting??

    regardless, i'd say yes on both

    off days for dieting are important to keep you sane, trust me if you diet hardcore for 3 weeks straight you are very likely to lose it one day and splurge A LOT, so much so that the 3 weeks you just worked hard for could be for nothing. The trick is to not go completely overboard on your off days. What that means is instead of having an off day, try having a cheat meal once a week. Treat yourself to a fast food combo and a small ice cream, but still make sure your other meals are on point.

    off days for the gym are very important as well, going to the gym 6-7 days a week will burnout your cns in a matter of weeks. Give your time the body to recover that it needs. I normally have 2-3 days off from the gym a week, on some of my off days i will play basketball for a few hours but i do make sure to get plenty of sleep every night and i always have at least one full rest day with no basketball and no gym

    hope this helps a bit

    good luck!!
  • liftingheavy
    liftingheavy Posts: 551 Member
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    I have seen and read on many "plans" that it's good to take a day off from your normal eating routine. It's not a day to binge necessarily, but a day to have things you may not allow yourself the other days. The idea is (as I understand it), that is keeps your body guessing so it doesn't just adjust to the every day calories/exercise you are doing which could lead to a stall in weight loss.

    Thoughts?

    I had a cheat day at least once a week. I ate whatever I wanted and did not count calories. I suspect my body reset once I jumped back on the wagon, but I have no scientific proof.

    What I do know is that if I thought I had to eat clean 7 days a week 365 days a year I'd be discouraged. I love pizza, tacos, Coors light (don't judge) and an occasional cocktail (s)

    The KEY is to know if you can stop after a cheat day. If you do not yet have the willpower to eat one day and not continue to the next, and the next, and the next... Do NOT have a cheat day because it is a slipperly slope,

    Your ability to do this will come with time.

    Good Luck!

    .
  • Debutante55
    Debutante55 Posts: 72 Member
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    Generally, I don't do a whole 'cheat day' but definitely DO 'cheat meals' from time to time...(only for special occasions). However I ALWAYS track everything, which I find helpful in training my brain to fully comprehend that there IS a shocking number of calories in a particular food. For example, who knew there were 800 calories in my favourite halibut fish n' chips (fish only)! :-0 THAT was a wake-up call and next time I think about eating it, it won't be nearly so appealing.
    If I do a cheat day (or meal) I have also found that I REALLY crave carbs the next day until my metabolism gets stabilized again, so be forewarned.
  • alisiaendris
    alisiaendris Posts: 213 Member
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    I really do not feel the need for a 'cheat' day. There are days that I do not exercise due to various reasons, but I sill stay within my calories. Actually, I set a bit of a self goal at 1200 cal even though my MFP goal is 1630. I usually end up somewhere just a bit above or below 1200. Today, I realized (or I think it works this way) that my NET calories should be 1200, I have been netting on average around 900-1000. Going to check with the doc on that in a few weeks...
  • thepolekat
    thepolekat Posts: 1
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    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.

    This is the same for me. When I start to see a pause in the scale going down, I eat a couple of big meals to "kickstart" my diet. It works. I just hope I don't kickstart myself into my old bad habits. I do log everything though. I want to make sure I never put my head in the sand again. Rule number one; don't lie to yourself.
  • liftingheavy
    liftingheavy Posts: 551 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!!

    Hey thanks... It has been a VERRY happy birthday... Chocolate peanut clusters, chocolate covered oreo, and chocolate covered strawberries... WOOHOO!

    WOO (effing) HOO!!! Happy Birthday, and I just cannot WAIT until mine!!!
  • Anyaaaa11
    Anyaaaa11 Posts: 242 Member
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    I haven't intentionally taken a "day off" since dieting but I have had occasional binging ):
    Anyway, It never hurt my weight loss but it did take me out of a deficit (obviously). So a whole week of dieting usually gets cancelled out by a couple days of binging. Maybe I'm fortunate to not gain during these times? Idk but I can tell you that breaks or days off are good if your not leading yourself onto a binge spree.

    An occasional day, week, heck even month at TDEE would not hurt at all. Even if you went a little over on your day off you would probably still have a deficit. Just know your numbers and you'll be good to go!
  • acv43
    acv43 Posts: 11
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    I find that i usually take a day off once a week, I usually don't work out on weekends so I loose a lot of my expendable calories. Plus if family/friends/boyfriend makes food or we go out I don't want to be rude by not eating with everyone else. Also there is this terrific cupcake place in my city, since i don't really eat all that many carbs usually I am sometimes overtaken by the siren call of a baked goods and driven to commit acts of extreme carbnivory :)
  • shaynak112
    shaynak112 Posts: 751 Member
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    You should make the healthy diet your "normal" eating reoutine.
    That being said - having a treat once or twice a week is fine :p
  • sarabluebell
    sarabluebell Posts: 68 Member
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    The lord said rest on the sabbith...who am I to argue...lol...in all seriousness I dont work out on sundays its the time I spend with my family
  • coraliethomas
    coraliethomas Posts: 336 Member
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    Yup, sundays are my "off days"... I dont pig out and go nuts, and I usually still count those days, but I let myself loose a little bit. I also take sundays off of working out... its my complete enjoy a good lunch with my family day.. :)
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
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    No I don't. I have set myself up in a way that I do not feel deprived ever or feel like I am ON a diet. I feel great every day. I have more energy and am even having trouble eating enough!

    My "day off" is simply the weekends when I do not go to work. :)
  • Lyerin
    Lyerin Posts: 818 Member
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    I'm trying not to look at this like a diet but as simply the way that I am eating - more healthy overall. I can't take a "day off" from my usual way of eating because it's just how I eat. I definitely have treats now and then, but I try to work them into my day and am reasonable about the treats I have. For example, this weekend we are going to my neice's birthday party. It starts at 1, so there will be snacks and then cake. My plan is to bring a salad with me to eat in the car on the way there (it's a 2 hour drive and DH will be driving - no worries about me driving and eating salad!). That way, I'm not going to be hungry when I get there. I may (or may not) have a small piece of cake if it looks like really good cake. I am not going to eat any of the snacks unless there are veggies/fruit available. I will still log everything. I'm just trying to be sensible about eating.
  • coraliethomas
    coraliethomas Posts: 336 Member
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    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.

    This is the same for me. When I start to see a pause in the scale going down, I eat a couple of big meals to "kickstart" my diet. It works. I just hope I don't kickstart myself into my old bad habits. I do log everything though. I want to make sure I never put my head in the sand again. Rule number one; don't lie to yourself.

    This works for me too... but only usually after a 3 week scale and inches stall.... I still log it, and move on, and usually a couple of days later the scale starts moving again!
  • Nicopants1314
    Nicopants1314 Posts: 38
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    I actually don't take a day off. I figure if I do, ill get lazy. And I don't want to do that. Plus my puppy loves her walks. So I keep it up with her.

    I would like a day off, but that would make me feel like I wasn't getting the results I wanted as fast as I wanted. Personally. I don't actually know that that happens.
  • MrGonzo05
    MrGonzo05 Posts: 1,120 Member
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    I don't take a "day off" on a fixed schedule, or really view anything I do as cheating. I don't think netting more than X calories on a given day means that I've failed to change my lifestyle.

    It's about perspective.

    I want to save crisis mode for when I actually have a crisis.
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
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    I do, but it is not weekly or a set day/event -- just occasions where I want to have more than I normally do -- but definitely not binge or eat a whole lot more than 2,500-2,700 calories (I find that is when I start feeling sick). Sometimes those are "special occasions" like tomorrow, which is my 30th birthday. Some days, it's just Tuesday and I want Chinese for the 3rd or 4th day in a row, so I have some. Most of the time, I do try to track -- even if it is adding it all in at the end of the day and even if I am 1,000 calories over my daily goal (1,600).

    For me, the tracking and working out has really become a way of life. So even an "off day" has the same routine -- just eating more.
  • deucesarewild1
    deucesarewild1 Posts: 36 Member
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    If i know that steak is going to be absolutely delicious, I eat the whole damn steak. Gotta have a glass of wine with a huge delicious steak. Plus a baked potato and double chocolate fudge molten lava cake with cream and berries, duh.

    And I don't feel bad about it.

    You really cannot be "on" all the damn time with what you should and should not put in your mouth. If you are, in the grand scheme of things, making good choices, a day or even two here and there will do nothing but good for balancing your lifestyle.

    I could see this becoming more of dtrimental with the last few lbs, but even still...
  • DIANADEE51
    DIANADEE51 Posts: 9
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    I do have a problem with taking a day off... especially if it doesn't cause the scale to go up. One day turns into two and before you know it, I have given up and am gaining again. If I know that I have something coming up where I may want to eat something special, I try to adjust for the few days before that. One of my biggest daily issues has always been before bed eating.. a big bowl of cereal, ice cream, toast and peanut butter.. what ever it is, I just couldn't seem to go to bed without eating stuff I shouldn't. I have been under for the last 2 days on calories and tonight I really wanted that bowl of cereal. I only had 100 calories left for the day but I had 500 left from the two previous days so I had a bowl of cereal. The difference is, instead of filling up the big mug full, I measured out 1cup and 1/2c of milk. It was perfect. I don't feel deprived. I only went over by 60 calories for the day.

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