Diet "Break" To Recharge Batteries, Anyone Else Do This? - Page 2 - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

ohlauren · 03-10-2012, 10:36 AM

I have a close friend in upstate NY who I visit 7-8 times a year, I stay for a weekend and use those times as cheats. Now I don't pig out and eat everything in sight, I still use portion control, I'm just controlling portions of foods that I don't normally eat. I also don't track (I'm a WW), but I make sure not to use any weekly points during the days that week that I am tracking. It's a treat for me and it's nice to be able to live my life and still keep losing weight at a healthy rate!

pixelllate · 03-10-2012, 12:08 PM

Just to add to my last post-not everything I do is 100% healthy, at work I do have a packet of diet hot chocolate - 25 cals. I also add a few tablespoons of almond milk to sweeten my coffee-which they say its good for you, but ehh its all packaged, I don't care, I'll have it whether it is or isn't.
Neither of those things ruin my weightloss and they don't entice me to have more and more, unlike most other carbs/sugary things.

Vex · 03-10-2012, 03:22 PM

Yep, had one last night in fact at this fantastic Italian place.

I don't schedule them, but I do tell myself that it's ok to go enjoy yourself out every once in awhile. (like 2 or 3 times a month for me)

The key is to make sure you're right back on plan the next day. Like tonight, we're going out again, but I already looked at the menu online to find the grilled chicken and vege side.

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JustSharing83 · 03-10-2012, 03:35 PM

Once a week, usually Sunday, my husband and I have a lenient day. Most aren't too crazy... Like last Sunday we had "Walking Tacos" but made with Baked Doritos and ground turkey breast taco meat topped with cheese, veggies, and sour cream. Then once a month or so we have something we're really wanting on Sunday, like a burger and fries.

LeilaJey · 03-11-2012, 10:06 AM

I don't think I could do it unfortunately. I'd probably just keep pigging out and making lame excuses.

Daki · 03-11-2012, 11:49 AM

I do it every Saturday. It keeps me on track during the week because I say "I can just have it on Saturday!" to myself and 98% of the time that's good enough.

Waffles · 03-11-2012, 03:34 PM

most of the time i don't have a 'free' day however for each stone i lose i can order a pizza from my favourite place and not stress about eating it. so that way it gives me something to look forward to but equally it doesn't happen so frequently so that i am pigging out all the time. sadly i still have little self control

bopbot · 03-11-2012, 10:57 PM

I tend to under-eat my calories by a little bit every day, so I use a spreadsheet to keep track of how many excess calories I have and then I can cash those excess calories in later when I want or need them. Those 50-70 leftover calories at the end of a day really add up after a while! It feels like a break, but I'm still well within my goal, and sometimes it gives my metabolism a needed kick-start.

slicedbreadbox · 03-16-2012, 03:06 AM

I did this before and then they become cheat WEEKS. So I've tried to cut down on this. I restarted my diet and I've been good (although very tempted!) for 2.5 weeks now.

I'm thinking of giving myself a cheat day on Monday though, and periodically. I would probably stick to every few weeks though. I know I'll just go overboard and hopefully every few weeks would help to re-start my metabolism.

I also use MyFitnessPal and I hate seeing the red bars when I go over. So that motivates me to not have cheat days.

stimkovs · 03-16-2012, 01:57 PM

have you considered maintenance as opposed to "cheats"?

i know for me, i cannot have spikes without going totally overboard and feeling like crap. but i can eat at maintenance (low maintenance) loose a little tiny bit, be REALLY full, have lots of treats, and not go overboard!

pavvie · 03-16-2012, 04:13 PM

The scientist in me likes this article from Lyle McDonald: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat...iet-break.html

I've done this before and have (more or less) maintained my weight during breaks. My weight-loss overall has not been super fast, but it has been very very maintainable for me.

MiZTaCCen · 03-19-2012, 08:39 AM

The last two weeks have been sort of a "diet break" I'm getting back into it again and starting calorie counting as well. I usually don't do my calorie counting on sundays, but I do on saturday's since I work that day as well anyways. I guess cheat days are a "break" but I still calculate the number of calories I consume lol.

sontaikle · 03-19-2012, 09:41 AM

Has anyone had adverse effects from doing this? I mean, digestion-wise, not necessarily weight gain.

I just can't take a "diet break" and eat certain foods any more. I never really took breaks...just worked the foods into my plan, but for some reason I just can't eat certain things anymore.

Not long ago (and I mean during my weight loss!) I could scarf down two slices of pizza, no problem. Now I just can't stomach that any more without feeling ill. I LOVE pizza though, so once every few weeks or so I will have one slice of grandma's which has a lot less cheese and is smaller. I also really need to have the whole wheat kind.

My mom and I make this awesome apple pie. She made it a few weeks ago and of course I needed to have a slice...but I felt very tired afterwards and my stomach wasn't happy.

My birthday is coming soon and I'm even thinking of skipping my own cake because I'm not certain it's worth what I'll go through.

These are only a few examples, but because of the effects the food has had on me, I just don't want certain things anymore. I guess it makes maintenance a lot easier.

I was always a bit sensitive to these things before I lost weight. If I had a day where I just ate a lot of junk I would feel sick.

MiZTaCCen · 03-19-2012, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sontaikle

Has anyone had adverse effects from doing this? I mean, digestion-wise, not necessarily weight gain.

I just can't take a "diet break" and eat certain foods any more. I never really took breaks...just worked the foods into my plan, but for some reason I just can't eat certain things anymore.

Not long ago (and I mean during my weight loss!) I could scarf down two slices of pizza, no problem. Now I just can't stomach that any more without feeling ill. I LOVE pizza though, so once every few weeks or so I will have one slice of grandma's which has a lot less cheese and is smaller. I also really need to have the whole wheat kind.

My mom and I make this awesome apple pie. She made it a few weeks ago and of course I needed to have a slice...but I felt very tired afterwards and my stomach wasn't happy.

My birthday is coming soon and I'm even thinking of skipping my own cake because I'm not certain it's worth what I'll go through.

These are only a few examples, but because of the effects the food has had on me, I just don't want certain things anymore. I guess it makes maintenance a lot easier.

I was always a bit sensitive to these things before I lost weight. If I had a day where I just ate a lot of junk I would feel sick.

The first time around when I start all of this, I noticed my stomach didn't react well to certain foods I used to eat. This time around I haven't really cut a lot of the old stuff out, I just portion size it so doesn't affect me much when I eat something crappy, but I do notice it if I stuff my self with it more than I would have as a "fatty" lol

AilsaPearl · 03-19-2012, 10:48 AM

I took Spring Break off this year because I was really sick and knew I wouldn't want to exercise or stay on plan. I ate out with my family at delicious restaurants and enjoyed every bite! I paid for it by gaining 6 lbs in 2 weeks but now i'm back on track with more vigor and I actually want to eat healthy now after slacking off for a week, I felt fat and realized that I actually like the way I feel when I'm eating healthy. So don't feel bad for taking a little break, as long as you don't go too crazy! enjoy!