few days No Diet or exercise....how much is too much?

[A H]

hey guys I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this question but I am wondering how much a few days of lettin loose really effects you. I am very dedicated and rarely have splurges other than one day on a weekend but I am going to go visit my boyfriend from Wednesday through Sunday and Whenever I do that I go ALL OUT on the food. wake up lotsa peanut butter and honey on my toast, out to eat, drinks and just generally eating whatever I feel like I want at that time. I am also not able to work out. We do a lot of walkin around and shopping but mostly just a little vacation from everything.
my question is, how much does a few days off affect my overall body and weight goals. My goals are not to loose weight but to maintain my weight at this point. Do I need to alter anything when I get back and start my routine on Monday to make up for the days I let loose and went a little calorie crazy?

[RedWifey]

this is an interesting discussion of calories and "cheating"

[rixatrix]

You're asking if a five day binge is going to affect your weight long term? Probably not really. If you have a five day binge every two weeks or something, then yeah. So I guess it depends on how often you visit your boyfriend and let loose.

I wouldn't be overly restrictive when you come back, just start eating normally again. Otherwise you set yourself up for a cycle of binging/controlling your food and that can mess with your head.

I think most of us have periods of time where we cut loose a little. There could be any number of reasons - stress, vacation, PMS, dieting too strictly, etc. I don't think it's harmful as long as you don't throw your hands up in the air and decide that one slip up every so often means you're just not cut out for eating healthy and exercising. You know?

You may gain a few pound of water weight after a free period, but you probably won't gain any significant weight unless you're really out of control. Just try to make good choices.

[Morondava]

You know, in my previous diet adventures, I always tried to diet real strict, and then allowed myself to go really loose for holidays, parties, special occasions. Problem is the holidays last for several months. And I would get into an unhealthy pattern. Eating 5 pieces of cake one night didn't really lend itself to progress and I would feel the need to keep cutting calories more and more. Even though I could probably accomplish my goals more easily by eating controlled quantities of food on all those special occasions. My advice would be, for your own sanity, try to make good choices when you're away. Even if its just for your own sanity. Clean eating one day and a pint of Ben and Jerry the next is just too bipolar for me.

That said, I've had trouble following my own advice this week, and I'm a bit down about it. But overall, I think that it's a good strategy to eat clean and count cals when you can, and eat in moderation when you can't.

[featherz]

I usually have a high calorie day each week, but 4-5 days? that's too much for me. I just did a cross country move that lasted four days and I was SURE my diet would go to hell. Well, it wasn't perfect, but I did the best I could while driving 15 hours a day sitting on my butt. :P

Get your boyfriend out and have him work out with you! it's a good thing for a relationship if you can swing it!

[kfisherx]

Personally I think every single time you cheat it affects you in some way. If you cheat by 1000 cals a day over 3.5 days you can not only gain a full pound of fat but you will send your metabolism and fat burning processes the wrong way for some period of time. Can you make all that back up?? Sure. Does it affect what you are doing? Absolutely. The question is how much does letting loose for a few days affect you personally? If you are causual about your weight loss and gaining a few pounds doesn't bother you then probably not much at all. I could see several of the people who responded to you who would fit in this camp. If a few pounds extra on the scale will ultimately freak you out or cause you to feel like throwing in the towel, then it will affect you hugely and you need to be very careful about how much you cheat. If you like to see positive, consistent results in weight loss and gaining weight just plain isn't accpetable then any amount of cheating is too much. I fall in the last camp. It really matters on how you feel about the consequences of the things you do doesn't it?

[Celestialmom]

I know that when I cheat, even if it's just a nice dinner out with wine and dessert, I am really really hungry (for the wrong foods, no less) for the next day or two. I tend to be a completely all or nothing person, so cheating puts me on that path of "well, I already messed up today, so I might as well live it up."

What about having fun and making healthier choices while not going overboard either way? Like when my family went to Olive Garden yesterday I had one breadstick, salad, and a low fat chicken meal with broccoli and asparagus instead of Fettucine Alfredo! That meal won't win any health food awards but it's a better option than one I would have taken a year ago. Could you try moderation and see how that works? (Easy for me to say...)

[A H]

Thanks for all the feedback! I definately agree with you kfisher about looking at what my goals are. Since my goal is not to loose weight anymore but to maintain it might affect me differently than someone who is trying to consistently lose weight.
I think I need some of these days off from being SO strict on my diet and worrying a lot so taht I can put a little fire under my bum to get back and work hard.
( I am usually the girl that never misses a workout and counts everylast thing that goes in to my mouth, This is probably part of the reason it is hard for me to watch what i eat when I feel like I can let loose for a few days )
I like the advise to use the days that I am unable to workout and eat what I would normally eat when I am at home and preparing food for myself as days that I practice moderation rather than "clean" eating.
Again thanks for all the responses.

[A H]

I also definately agree with the comment that when I eat high sugar and high fat foods I crave them for the next meals for a couple of days. Thats why it is easier for me to eat well when I am at home and consistently eating clean foods.