The Fat Loss TroubleshootThis is your place to troubleshoot your fat loss problems from nutrition to training. This section is led by Leigh Peele, author of "The Fat Loss Troubleshoot," the ultimate fat loss manual. If your results have slowed or stalled this is the place to come for advice for all your fat loss needs.
I know its a strange question. But Ive been thinking about reasons why I binged this week, and why I prolonged my diet past the point of needing a break.
So here is the scenario. Say your diet is set up so that you have 5 low days and 2 high days. Youve planned a certain caloric intake on those days, whether refeeds or just higher calorie/carb days on the higher days. Say on week 3 you go over your calories. Is that still considered week 3 and you move on the week 4, and take your diet break as scheduled on week 12, or do you re-do week 3 and postpone your diet break?
I know its sounds weird to many of you, but I find that if I dont follow my "plan" as written, I feel like by week 12, I didnt deserve the diet break. Is this wrong?
At what point is the diet week void? Or do you just continue as planned and move on and take your diet break at the original time?
For me, I guess it'd depend on how far off plan I went. If it was 150-200 extra cals, even every day of the week, I think I'd just continue with the plan. Extra calories happen, life goes on, not a good idea to feel constant guilt and dwell on it.
If, however, I'm leaning more toward the 500-1000 extra cals every day (not just one day, for which I'd follow the above approach), I think that for me that'd be a sign that I have have some other stuff (likely mental/emotional) that needs to be dealt with before attacking fat loss. In other words, it's entering new territory.
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They call me Amanda, that being my real name, and "They" being people who know me in person as I don't go around introducing myself in real life as "scribess." 'Cause that would just be strange.
I would be *tempted* to skip the break, but I think for me, it would be best to continue on as planned, even if the break wasn't "earned". I would just go on like nothing happened. Reasoning being, it:
*avoids "punishing" yourself, which could lead into the next point:
*avoid binge/starve cycle--just continue on as normal
*avoid having to figure out when you *do* then deserve a diet break, because you can just follow the schedule.
But, I can see redoing week 3 for motivational purposes. Do you feel like you can honestly go through week 3 without feeling punished/deprived/needing to binge? If yes, go for it. If not, consider it done.
I guess the other question to look at here is whether or not the binge is a symptom of your need to take a diet break. If the reason you're bingeing is because it's time for you to take a break then I'd say take a break no matter how off it put you in the calorie department.
I also find for myself that it's best to just carry on from right now and not try to compensate for past flubbubs. Start with a clean slate so to speak.
At what point is the diet week void? Or do you just continue as planned and move on and take your diet break at the original time?
That sounded like a title of a Sex and the City episode, you know, where Carrie types onto her Mac laptop the theme of the episode.... "At what point is the diet week void?"
That sounded like a title of a Sex and the City episode, you know, where Carrie types onto her Mac laptop the theme of the episode.... "At what point is the diet week void?"
from everything you have posted here recently girl you NEED a break.
You seem to think in terms of whether or not you were "good or bad" on your plan and if not perfect you don't "deserve" a break. Well your body and mind DESERVE and NEED a break. Ok?? The more you prolong it, the more problems with binges you are likely to have.
I never incorporated breaks before. This last 6 months of dieting I have done regularly planned breaks. I find as I am getting closer to goal I need them more frequently. Prior to November I was binge eating like crazy. I started seriously dieting in November and doing it smartly with breaks and most importantly lots of work on my "mindset" (Intuitive Eating is a great book!) and have not binged one time. Not once. Nor did I ever significantly go over calories unless I had planned to. That is huge for me and I think the breaks and mental "work" I have done is the reason.
I know its sounds weird to many of you, but I find that if I dont follow my "plan" as written, I feel like by week 12, I didnt deserve the diet break. Is this wrong?
I think if you're going to think of it in terms like that, you should definitely take the diet break as planned, or you'll be punishing yourself from here to doomsday. You know what I mean?
If you let guilt or thoughts of 'deserving' motivate changes to your plan, I think you might end up worse than you started. Also mentally. Stick to the plan, don't overcompensate
from everything you have posted here recently girl you NEED a break.
You seem to think in terms of whether or not you were "good or bad" on your plan and if not perfect you don't "deserve" a break. Well your body and mind DESERVE and NEED a break. Ok?? The more you prolong it, the more problems with binges you are likely to have.
I never incorporated breaks before. This last 6 months of dieting I have done regularly planned breaks. I find as I am getting closer to goal I need them more frequently. Prior to November I was binge eating like crazy. I started seriously dieting in November and doing it smartly with breaks and most importantly lots of work on my "mindset" (Intuitive Eating is a great book!) and have not binged one time. Not once. Nor did I ever significantly go over calories unless I had planned to. That is huge for me and I think the breaks and mental "work" I have done is the reason.
How often do you do planned breaks Lara? I was about 5lbs from goal before I binged this week.....and was 12 weeks into my diet.
It took a LOT of struggling against the idea of breaks to realize how important they are. Accepting them has made me much more sane. Reading people's input is really valuable for overcoming my urge to skip them (and then I would wonder why I binged later on!).
You may also want to checkout Leigh's pod cast "Starve after a Binge?" As always, it's loaded with lots of great info. You can find the pod cast on iTunes under the Fatloss Troubleshooter. The episode is dated 12/9/08.
How often do you do planned breaks Lara? I was about 5lbs from goal before I binged this week.....and was 12 weeks into my diet.
Initially I did every 6-8 weeks (I started with trying to lose 20-25 lbs) When I got to the 15 or so lb lost mark things started slowing down so I started doing breaks every 4-6 weeks. Now I am about 18 lbs downs and it is now going super sloooow so I am going to do it every 4 weeks. I am at my body's "set point". I always get stuck at this point. I would like to lose 5 lbs more but not if it is going to make me miserable and have to really continue to restrict to maintain. So right now I am giving it another month or so and see what happens then if no more loss might focus on a recomp.
I still track and eat clean during my breaks but eat at deficit level and have room for some of the extras I don't normally have room for during the deficit (breads, more nuts, larger portions) plus some treats/wine thrown in as well. I dont look at as a cheat week.
I still track and eat clean during my breaks but eat at deficit level and have room for some of the extras I don't normally have room for during the deficit (breads, more nuts, larger portions) plus some treats/wine thrown in as well. I dont look at as a cheat week.
You still eat at deficit during your break? Isnt the technical definition of the break to eat at maintanence?
I like your idea though, and perhaps my break, esp if done more often can be like that, perhaps clean and just lots of veggies and fruits.
when is a diet week void?
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