When is it ok for me to indulge?!
Question: I am sort of on a diet... I want to lose a couple pounds, I workout just about everyday. I skip a day here and there, and I lose about a pound or two a week.
Is it safe for me to indulge, say one day on the weekend? I'd eat a nutritious breakfast and lunch, but for dinner i'd have maybe fried chicken and mashed potatoes with ice cream for dessert? Of course the portions wouldn't be huge, they'd be proper portions.
Answers: I am sort of on a diet... I want to lose a couple pounds, I workout just about everyday. I skip a day here and there, and I lose about a pound or two a week.
Is it safe for me to indulge, say one day on the weekend? I'd eat a nutritious breakfast and lunch, but for dinner i'd have maybe fried chicken and mashed potatoes with ice cream for dessert? Of course the portions wouldn't be huge, they'd be proper portions.
Yes.
Not only is it OK, but I'd recommend it. Indulging serves two purposes. First, if, during the course of your diet, your body finds itself deprived of any necessary vitamins, minerals, carbs, or what-have-you, it will crave those things. Thus, if you find yourself dying for a certain kind of food, then it very well might be in your best (aka healthiest) interest to indulge and eat it. Second, indulging actually helps you to stay diligent in your dietary plans. Sporadic indulgence, say once per week, will break up the tedium of a rigorous dietary schedule. Instead of the normal, gradual build-up to the consumption of a slice of pizza or cake that completely ruins the dietary endeavor, you're allowing yourself some leeway. We are, after all, only human. By giving in from time to time, but not giving up, you'll not only keep yourself healthy, but also keep yourself dedicated to your diet.
I don't know about you, but after a couple of Krispy Creams I feel guilty enough to get back on a diet for another week. A few hundred extra calories per week, in the scheme of things, means nothing.
Besides, the whole purpose of a diet is to train you to put more thought into your eating habits. Once you've trained yourself to analyze every meal you eat, you'll start appreciating those indulgences more and more for just what they are - indulgences. Not meals, not snacks, and definitely not a daily routine. Just, simply, indulgences.
yess. you deserve it. (8. it's best if you do, or you'll go crazy.
My partner is a personal trainer and he says "letting someone who diets have a 'cheat' day is like an alcoholic saying they will only drink on Friday or Saturday night".
He's right, if you eat something fattening even only on one day, it will be hard for you to get back healthy the next.
You should try to have a less sinful version of your favorites more often than once in a while, for example, have baked chicken with a baked potato and some frozen yogurt...
Instead of being 100% healthy fat-free, carb-free, whatever, all the time, just be YOU, but raise the health notch 3 or 4 times, and turn down the saturated fat.
Remember to exercise moderately as well.
My advice is to indulge in moderation if you can handle it. But, if your used to eating alot of fried food or sweets you'd better not because old habbits die hard. Fried chicken, potatoes and ice cream have tons of carbs and calories. My advice is give up fried foods, junk foods and sugar sweets for at least a month...after that you might not even crave them any more.
If your happy with your weight loss and are diciplined enough, then keep up with it, but if you would like more then try baked chicken (or better yet skinless) potatoes and veggies...and once or twice a week max have dessert.
I had ice cream or cookies almost every night with my old habbits. As I started putting more healthy whole foods, fruits and veggies in my diet and left out the sugar and fried; my cravings went away...it took about a month...and there was a 2 week point of 'withdrawls'. It was worth it!
The best thing for you to do if you want to keep the current diet your on is to exercise...it's the best weight loss tool ever. Plus, it makes you feel and look better. With the added confidence it'll make it much easier to dicipline yourself.
Talk to a nutritionist at the gym or health teacher for more tips or google healthy nutrition and exercise routines. Best regards!
it would be better for you to eat a meal a day then skipping to prevent an episode of binge eating and slowing the metabolism down because your body thinks it is starving so it trys to store any calorie it can.
So eat 3 small meals a day,exercise,drink water and give yourself a day to have an extra special treat besides your normal meals...i know i lost 150 pounds in a year by safe,healthy well rounded lifestyle.
personally i let my hair down on a friday night - but then I do 5 fitness classes over the weekend. Why don't you have your little indulgence on the saturday, then do some extra exercise that you wouldn't normally do to make up for it?
NO DO NOT INDULGE!!! Self control is the key to losing weight.
However, if you've been good all week and it's PMS time or you're at a party and the candy bowl is calling your name go for it. Have a scoop of ice cream, not two, or have a couple of pieces of candy but don't stuff your purse.
Also it really helps to substitue your favorite foods. I LOVE ice cream and now I only eat frozen yogurt. It's amazing how my craving for ice cream is totally fulfilled by yogurt. But do not be fooled diet soda is not a better version of regular soda. All soda is BAD!!!
And remember healthy diet is a way of life and so are occasional cravings. So if your asking can you still live a normal life and lose weight the answer is yes! You can have your cake (only a piece) and eat it too. But don't expect to lose weight and binge eat once a week.
I wouldn't, because it's sort of like falling off the wagon so to speak. You finally kicked the habit of eating even a little junk food, so why stop? You will most likely be back in the same boat worried about weight and calories.I say just let the junk food habit die and stay dead forever.