Guest guest Posted June 19, 2001 Report Share Posted June 19, 2001 How do you handle your free days? I usually take my free days on Sundays. I really look forward to this day. I enjoy food very much. I have done great my diet so far. The problem is when the free day arrives, I get a little out of hand trying to satisfy the cravings I have had all week. Any advice on what I should do with the free day-- split the day into 2 half days, eat free meal, etc.? Life is too short not to be able to enjoy great tasting food, but I go overboard. I feel I lose control sometimes. Any insight? Thanks, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 19, 2001 Report Share Posted June 19, 2001 Use the free day, take advantage of it, it has two purposes one is mental, the other is to take the body out of starvation mode, it isn't called a free day with limits it is called a free day, enjoy don't feel guilty. some people experience free day hang overs, but I usually just experienced hang overs because I liked to drink a few pints of guiness and any other beer that didn't move faster than me. there will come a time when you won't go overboard, but if it is helping you stick with the diet then by all means go overboard, hope this helps you Bill West > How do you handle your free days? I usually take my free days on > Sundays. I really look forward to this day. I enjoy food very much. I > have done great my diet so far. The problem is when the free day > arrives, I get a little out of hand trying to satisfy the cravings I > have had all week. Any advice on what I should do with the free day- - > split the day into 2 half days, eat free meal, etc.? Life is too > short not to be able to enjoy great tasting food, but I go overboard. > I feel I lose control sometimes. Any insight? > Thanks, > Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 19, 2001 Report Share Posted June 19, 2001 Personally, I don't see a problem with " getting out of hand " on free days as long as you are seeing progress. I know I have gotten out of hand on free days sometimes and feel like it did not hurt my progress. Like Bill said, it takes your body out of the starvation mode so it probably actually is helping your progress. Andyman > How do you handle your free days? I usually take my free days on > Sundays. I really look forward to this day. I enjoy food very much. I > have done great my diet so far. The problem is when the free day > arrives, I get a little out of hand trying to satisfy the cravings I > have had all week. Any advice on what I should do with the free day- - > split the day into 2 half days, eat free meal, etc.? Life is too > short not to be able to enjoy great tasting food, but I go overboard. > I feel I lose control sometimes. Any insight? > Thanks, > Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2001 Report Share Posted June 20, 2001 Mark, The truth is, for me, free days are a problem too. My first free day, I went nuts. We had a party at the neighbors' and I spent most of it at the cake and cookie table <groan>. The next morning I woke up 'sick as a dog'. I dragged the whole day and it affected my work and my workout. " Hello, my name is Les and I am a carboholic. " I've realized that I HATE feeling that way more than I enjoy the instant gratification of sweets and sauces. Now, for my free day, I eat RESPONSIBLY. I still eat foods I enjoy (crawfish etoufee), but I've locked out 95% of the sweets and cakes. Sorry, I can't handle it. Its much easier to say NO than to say, 'well...I'll have just a little piece'. At our home, we have a sign we hang on the fridge Sunday morning. It reads: ============== TODAY IS YOUR FREE DAY. REMEMBER: _F_ood _R_eally _E_xacerbates _E_verything. Eat Responsibly. ============== Its not easy, but that's what we do. Best wishes, Les ----Original Message Follows---- From: mgmaz5@... Subject: Free days Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2001 00:51:42 -0000 How do you handle your free days? I usually take my free days on Sundays. I really look forward to this day. I enjoy food very much. I have done great my diet so far. The problem is when the free day arrives, I get a little out of hand trying to satisfy the cravings I have had all week. Any advice on what I should do with the free day-- split the day into 2 half days, eat free meal, etc.? Life is too short not to be able to enjoy great tasting food, but I go overboard. I feel I lose control sometimes. Any insight? _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2001 Report Share Posted June 20, 2001 Bwahhaaaaa!!! I love that >TODAY IS YOUR FREE DAY. REMEMBER: >_F_ood _R_eally _E_xacerbates _E_verything. >Eat Responsibly. That is getting posted to my fridge - well maybe more appropriately on the cabinet where the chips and cookies are stashed!!!!! > >Reply-To: bodyforlife >To: bodyforlife >Subject: Re: Free days >Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2001 14:00:45 -0000 > >Mark, > >The truth is, for me, free days are a problem too. My first free day, I >went >nuts. We had a party at the neighbors' and I spent most of it at the cake >and cookie table <groan>. The next morning I woke up 'sick as a dog'. I >dragged the whole day and it affected my work and my workout. > > " Hello, my name is Les and I am a carboholic. " > >I've realized that I HATE feeling that way more than I enjoy the instant >gratification of sweets and sauces. Now, for my free day, I eat >RESPONSIBLY. > I still eat foods I enjoy (crawfish etoufee), but I've locked out 95% of >the sweets and cakes. Sorry, I can't handle it. Its much easier to say > >TODAY IS YOUR FREE DAY. REMEMBER: >_F_ood _R_eally _E_xacerbates _E_verything. >Eat Responsibly.NO >than to say, 'well...I'll have just a little piece'. > >At our home, we have a sign we hang on the fridge Sunday morning. It reads: >============== >============== >Its not easy, but that's what we do. > >Best wishes, >Les > >----Original Message Follows---- >From: mgmaz5@... >Subject: Free days >Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2001 00:51:42 -0000 > > How do you handle your free days? I usually take my free days on >Sundays. I really look forward to this day. I enjoy food very much. I have >done great my diet so far. The problem is when the free day arrives, I get >a >little out of hand trying to satisfy the cravings I have had all week. Any >advice on what I should do with the free day-- split the day into 2 half >days, eat free meal, etc.? Life is too short not to be able to enjoy great >tasting food, but I go overboard. I feel I lose control sometimes. Any >insight? > > > >_________________________________________________________________ >Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com > _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2001 Report Share Posted June 20, 2001 LOL!! Joe, it was the "fruity" part that sent you over the edge.....hehe! *just kidding* ~~ This last free day I woke up in the morning, and my kids gave me a box of"Fruity Pebbles" for my father's day breakfast. (yes, you probably think itis awful, but it has been one of my vices for years!) I ate three bowls,and promptly had some sort of a sugar high I have never felt before in mylife. I was dizzy and weak, and had headaches off and on for the rest ofthe day.My advice for free day: eat whatever you want, but do it in moderation soyou won't make yourself feel sick like I did. I don't worry about when Ieat, or what I eat. I just need to stay away from multiple bowls of sugarcereal.Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2001 Report Share Posted June 20, 2001 Maybe the " fruity " part was my carb portion for the meal. --- wrote: > LOL!! Joe, it was the " fruity " part that sent you > over the edge.....hehe! > *just kidding* > ~~ > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > This last free day I woke up in the morning, and my > kids gave me a box of > " Fruity Pebbles " for my father's day breakfast. > (yes, you probably think it > is awful, but it has been one of my vices for > years!) I ate three bowls, > and promptly had some sort of a sugar high I have > never felt before in my > life. I was dizzy and weak, and had headaches off > and on for the rest of > the day. > > My advice for free day: eat whatever you want, but > do it in moderation so > you won't make yourself feel sick like I did. I > don't worry about when I > eat, or what I eat. I just need to stay away from > multiple bowls of sugar > cereal. > > Joe > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > __________________________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 22, 2001 Report Share Posted June 22, 2001 Mark, You may want to try having a free *meal* as the *last* meal of the day on both Sat. and Sun. I say last meal of the day because you're going to likely tend to pig out and/or have more sugary-type foods, which will induce an insulin spike, which is best to have at the end of the day because if you were to eat afterwards you would be more likely to store later food as fat due to the earlier insulin spike. By having treat meals at the end of the day, you sleep off the insulin spike and are ready to get back on the program the next morning. Andy > How do you handle your free days? I usually take my free days on > Sundays. I really look forward to this day. I enjoy food very much. I > have done great my diet so far. The problem is when the free day > arrives, I get a little out of hand trying to satisfy the cravings I > have had all week. Any advice on what I should do with the free day- - > split the day into 2 half days, eat free meal, etc.? Life is too > short not to be able to enjoy great tasting food, but I go overboard. > I feel I lose control sometimes. Any insight? > Thanks, > Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 22, 2001 Report Share Posted June 22, 2001 > Use the free day, take advantage of it, it has two purposes one is > mental, the other is to take the body out of starvation mode, If one is eating 6x a day and getting the calories one requires, why would one be in starvation mode? Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 22, 2001 Report Share Posted June 22, 2001 > If one is eating 6x a day and getting the calories one requires, why > would one be in starvation mode? > > Andy That's a very good question, Andy. I really don't think some people actually know how many calories they need nor consume. Glenda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 22, 2001 Report Share Posted June 22, 2001 I think that a person is likely consuming less calories than they require so they can lose weight unless they have already met their goal. Then you would be consuming the amount that you actaully need to maintain your weight. Apparently, the body can adjust to the calorie deficit by slowing down metabolism and burning fewer calories. The free day reminds the body it isn't starving so your metabolism doesn't slow down on the other days. It kind of makes sense to me since even if I pig out on free days, I don't gain weight. I am keeping my metabolism revved up by not putting my body in starvation mode. Andyman > > Use the free day, take advantage of it, it has two purposes one is > > mental, the other is to take the body out of starvation mode, > > If one is eating 6x a day and getting the calories one requires, why > would one be in starvation mode? > > Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 22, 2001 Report Share Posted June 22, 2001 > Aren't you supposed to run a slight deficit during the week? Yes. Isn't that the > point of the BMR calculator, to find out what your base is, factor in the > elevated rate due to exercise, and then eat slightly less than that? Yes. ready for a rant? How many different BMR calculators are out there? A ton. Are they all correct? No. And then > use free day to shock the bod, or trick it into not adapting to the deficit? Yes, and adaptation is a very bad thing. LOL MP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 22, 2001 Report Share Posted June 22, 2001 > Hi folks, Okay I am totally confused... > > 1) I thought BFL put the " bean counting " to rest. Balanced meals, > you know protein, carb, veg, all about the size of your fist/palm. > That I can do. What is this about calories needed? It simply means that you need a minimum amount of food to build up your body. Whether or not you actually count calories doesn't necessarily determine the outcome. It's just a way of ensuring you're in the right ballpark. Some people are better at guestimating than others. > This isn't the Diet or Weight Watchers. This is a > " balanced " fitness/diet life change not diet...right? True, but that doesn't mean your body doesn't have minimum requirements. > 2) I thought the free day was a " floating " day. You use it when you > can/want. Well, I imagine it should be the same day every week, or close to it. Regards, Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 22, 2001 Report Share Posted June 22, 2001 > I think that a person is likely consuming less calories than they > require so they can lose weight a) " Losing weight " should be exorcised from our vocabulary. We are interested in losing *fat*, not weight. It's my understanding that you don't " consume less " in order to " lose weight. " Rather, you eat what is required in order to sustain your body's metabolism and build muscle - which in turn slims you down. You can't " consume less " and build muscle. > Apparently, the body can adjust to the > calorie deficit by slowing down metabolism and burning fewer > calories. The free day reminds the body it isn't starving so your > metabolism doesn't slow down on the other days. Sounds logical, although I still don't understand the " starving " bit. Once I got eating 6 moderate meals a day, I ceased feeling like I was starving. Hunger pangs vanished. AndyD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 22, 2001 Report Share Posted June 22, 2001 This is the first I've seen of this " eating less than BMR " business. I have been consistently told on this list that I should be eating roughly 200 calories above my BMR in order to avoid starvation mode and build muscle. So what gives? > > Aren't you supposed to run a slight deficit during the week? > > Yes. > > Isn't that the > > point of the BMR calculator, to find out what your base is, factor > in the > > elevated rate due to exercise, and then eat slightly less than > that? > > Yes. ready for a rant? How many different BMR calculators are out > there? A ton. Are they all correct? No. > > > > And then > > use free day to shock the bod, or trick it into not adapting to the > deficit? > > Yes, and adaptation is a very bad thing. LOL > > MP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 23, 2001 Report Share Posted June 23, 2001 > Well, guess what: if people were *macronutrient cycling*, they could > burn fat and build muscle simultaneously. > > Andy To what ratio? 50/50? MP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 23, 2001 Report Share Posted June 23, 2001 No one's advocating undereating. You have to have a deficit to lose weight. But you must take that deficit off your AMR (active metabolic rate) and not your BMR. MP > Again - NO. When you eat six times a day and are a little above your > BMR in order to build muscle, you are NOT in " starvation mode. " > We've had it drilled into us (rightly) to AVOID starvation mode by > NOT under-eating. Well now - for the first time ever since I've > joined this list - I'm seeing people advocate under-eating. That > makes NO sense to me. > > And if one wants to " lose weight " without working out, then of course > one should eat a deficit, but not if you're working out! But if > you're not working out, why the heck is someone on BFL? > > Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 23, 2001 Report Share Posted June 23, 2001 > > Well, guess what: if people were *macronutrient cycling*, they > could > > burn fat and build muscle simultaneously. > > > > Andy > > To what ratio? 50/50? You mean when the carbs are temporarily (temporarily!) eliminated? At those times (if one is eating NHE-style), there's no set ratio as long as you're under 50g of protein per sitting, and as long as you're getting sufficient calories on the day (which means that outside of protein your calories come from fat and a *few* carbs). Prior to my carb meals I stay under 20g of carbs on the day until the last 2 meals. On the strict NHE plan one eats <60g of carbs for 2 days in a row. On Day 3, one eats <30g carbs *until* the last 1 or 2 meals of the day (your choice whether it's one or two meals), and at that time eats unlimited calories of carbs *but* <20g of protein/fat. Repeat process through Days 4-7, and that's a week. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 23, 2001 Report Share Posted June 23, 2001 Addendum: Carb-cycling is more scientific, which requires more attention to detail, which is less convenient. Therefore if someone wants an eating plan that combines health with convenience, then BFL's probably the way to go (although my modified BFL/NHE approach works pretty well too). Andy > > Well, guess what: if people were *macronutrient cycling*, they > could > > burn fat and build muscle simultaneously. > > > > Andy > > To what ratio? 50/50? > > MP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 23, 2001 Report Share Posted June 23, 2001 Ah, thanks for that clarification. You see, my impression had been that people were saying to take a deficit from your *BMR*, not AMR. In fact, I'm pretty sure Andyman or somebody specifically said *BMR*, hence my confusion. Thanks, Andy > > Again - NO. When you eat six times a day and are a little above > your > > BMR in order to build muscle, you are NOT in " starvation mode. " > > We've had it drilled into us (rightly) to AVOID starvation mode by > > NOT under-eating. Well now - for the first time ever since I've > > joined this list - I'm seeing people advocate under-eating. That > > makes NO sense to me. > > > > And if one wants to " lose weight " without working out, then of > course > > one should eat a deficit, but not if you're working out! But if > > you're not working out, why the heck is someone on BFL? > > > > Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 23, 2001 Report Share Posted June 23, 2001 I guess I should have asked it this way: If I burn one pound of fat, will that be replaced with one pound of muscle? MP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 23, 2001 Report Share Posted June 23, 2001 Good question. I doubt there'd be one set answer for all individuals, though. I'm inclined to think it's more the other way around: build more muscle and you'll burn more fat as a result. It seems to me that when one is *only* concerned about losing bodyfat, they tend to lose *both* bodyfat and muscle - hence " lose weight. " Andy > I guess I should have asked it this way: > > If I burn one pound of fat, will that be replaced with one pound of > muscle? > > MP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 23, 2001 Report Share Posted June 23, 2001 > I guess I should have asked it this way: > > If I burn one pound of fat, will that be replaced with one pound of > muscle? > > MP You can lose fat and you can gain muscle but one does not automatically replace the other. Someone can lose a lot of fat but that doesn't mean its going to be replaced by muscle -- two separate processes going on. Additionally, fat can not be converted into muscle or vice versa. Two separate body processes. GOOD LUCK!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 23, 2001 Report Share Posted June 23, 2001 > You can lose fat and you can gain muscle but one does not > automatically replace the other. Someone can lose a lot of fat but > that doesn't mean its going to be replaced by muscle -- two separate > processes going on. Additionally, fat can not be converted into > muscle or vice versa. Two separate body processes. GOOD LUCK!!!! Thanks for your input, but I knew that already. I've already lost 80 lbs of fat and gained 30 lbs of muscle. I just always like to hear Andy's opinions. MP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 23, 2001 Report Share Posted June 23, 2001 Nobody can argue with your results, Glenda, that's for sure. I'm just citing the most scientific arguments I can find. My comments are always aimed at the societal average - not necessarily geared for each individual. Best wishes, Andy > > You can lose fat and you can gain muscle but one does not > > automatically replace the other. Someone can lose a lot of fat but > > that doesn't mean its going to be replaced by muscle -- two > separate > > processes going on. Additionally, fat can not be converted into > > muscle or vice versa. Two separate body processes. GOOD LUCK!!!! > > Thanks for your input, but I knew that already. I've already lost 80 > lbs of fat and gained 30 lbs of muscle. I just always like to hear > Andy's opinions. > > MP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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