to cheat or not to cheat?
I hear many people incorporate “free days” into their diet plans. On these days i think people are allowed to eat whatever they want, as long as they get back onto their diet and workout plan the following day for at least a week.
I went about two weeks on my 1,500 cal diet while working out daily without taking a free day, and today i just couldn’t help myself and i gave into my cravings. I know logically it will take longer to loose weight if I have a free day every now and then. But i heard it’s still “ok” to have them.
I think i would give up completely if i didn’t allow myself one day a month to give into my cravings. Many diets (Body For Life in particular) allow one free day a week for psychological reasons, because pretty much everyone would go off their diet eventually if they were not ever allowed to have what they crave.
So i was just wondering what your thoughts are about free days, and if you allow them for yourself? do you think one free day a month is ok? Thanks for your input!
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I have no idea, and I am thankful that you are blogging about this… because I would also like to hear other’s opinions on it.
For me - this week, I let myself have a cheat day, but then I lost total control for a week. For me, having a cheat day throws me completely off. So, I think I am going to restrict myself from having cheat days until I gain a bit more control.
That said, I think it is important to allow yourself something every once and a while. Having one day a month where you allow yourself a treat seems reasonable, so long as it isn’t being allowed to ‘eat as much of anything you want’.. that could be kinda dangerous. Especially since you only have about 20 pounds to lose… it would be bad if eating whatever you want once a month allows you to gain back everything you have lost that month. Which is more possible when you have less weight to lose.
But, I am not really sure… for me, I don’t think I could do it at this time. But I am in a different situation, seeing as I have over 150 pounds to lose. I think that if you allowed yourself one meal a week that consists of something you have been craving, that would be beneficial… but just keep it within reason.
i know for me, i cheat. i don’t do a strict diet- seems like if i try a strict diet i rebel and eat everything i’m not supposed to, in mass quantities. so… i try to eat the things i want, but in moderation. with that said though, i do do a lot of exerise. bare minimum an hour a day, EVERY day, and sometimes up to four. and with that, i’m totaly happy if i drop a pound a week. i think it slows things down, but hey, this is a lifestyle change, not just a diet, right?? lol- at least, thats what i keep telling myself
Well, for me, it really helps me stay on track if I have something to look forward to. For example, on August 23rd I decided that on my birthday (which is next Friday) I would give myself a “free day,” but that I would have to not eat sweets and stay on track until then. And I’ve done it!
It’s been a great motivator, I must say.
I’m planning on doing the “free day” for one day every month, roughly…and I still plan to exercise on my “free day.” I think one day out of every 30 is okay, personally…just think, in three months, that’s roughly 87 good days and only 3 bad! Theoretically. Which is pretty darn amazing. I always plan for my free days though, they don’t happen spontaneously. But it really keeps me on track!
I’m not sure about having a free day every week…to me that seems like it could sabotage the effort you put in during the week. Plus, part of the challenge is getting back on track the next day, which I think is harder to do once you get into the habit of eating things that aren’t terribly good for you. But different things work for different people.
Sorry for rambling!