kingkeld's Journal, 11 March 2012

I never did- too scary. I need to maintain control and the carb monster is a bastard. Just my experience. And btw I missed you!  

I was always afraid to do an "indulgence day." But you know what? I would be so strict that eventually I would lose it and eat everything for at least a week. Sooooo....I like the idea of it. I totally took your suggestion of a day to enjoy the foods that maybe you don't eat all the time because they are so high in calories. That way I feel less deprived and less likely to go off on a binge. I know that I just have to wait until my day or enjoy with my friends and family for the day and all is not lost. And to answer your question about the weight loss..... I have been more successful losing since I have met you and taken your advice. Thanks! 

I started the indulgence day, but I can't do it. It triggers food cravings the next day, increased hunger, poor feeling. I think I could allow a treat, but indulgence calories sort of traied me to over eat (even though it was calculated calories) and swing in water weight. I still have my splurge days, but I don't like to plan them once a week because my body and schdeule is not as set as yours. I don't have a "weekend off" so, I don't look forward to going out with family, so I am a little different aswell. 

I experimented with it a bit but found that it kept getting bigger every week and I didn't find that it had much of an impact on weight loss, so I stopped doing it regularly. At the moment, it appears to be working fine for me to just eat some more calories all the time, so I really don't feel like I need it- I'm managing to fit in that stuff in reasonably quantities all week and by not setting a day aside for it, I feel like I'm much more likely to have a reasonable amount instead of eating a bunch because I can.  

I tried it for a few weeks while trying to get out from under a plateau. So, I ate low calories for the week and when the day came I stuffed myself silly. It really wasn't a lot of food compared to what I ate while before I started losing weight. I ended up gaining about 3 pounds immediately after Indulgence day but by the end of the week I have lost that and 2 additional pounds. Knowing that I had one day to eat what I wanted (within guidelines) helped me maintain the lower calorie RDI the rest of the week. if I had a craving I would enter that food into my food diary for indulgence day. I usually had that day planned out well in advance. Eventually I, when I figured I was over my plateau I evened out my calories.  

I think of indulgence days as more like birthdays, or Christmas when it is an anything goes type of thing. In general, I try to make my diet so yummy every day feels like I am indulging in somethings that are downright delicious. I like the idea of an occasional indulgence meal when eating out or celebrating but all in all, if I think of my diet as something I need a break from, then maybe I need to adjust it so I get more pleasure from how I eat on a day to day basis. Just my thoughts on it, your mileage may vary. :) 

I'm with Angel Face. I also think of indulgence days as special occasions (so excited about St. Patty's this weekend). I eat enough to stay satisfied every day of the week that I don't think I need an indulgence day. I allow myself little treats here and there all during the week - with little rules. For example, I'm only allowed to have french fries on days when I play soccer. However, I've found that it usually takes me a couple of days to get back on track when I've had an indulgence day, that's why I don't like doing it very often.