Free Day Discussion: Pros and Cons?

[RobBroadhurst]

Hey everyone,

I just started Week 6 of BFL and I'm doing really well. I've gained a lot of strength and seeing my abs again is starting to become a reality (down at least 12 pounds, though the scale at my gym is a little wonky). I have a friend on Week 7 right now and he sent me the following concern about Free Day:


So I did my best yesterday to both keep a tally of everything I ate AND not eat any differently than I usually do on a free day. I got the nutrition info on all of the stuff I ate and added it all up. The results are staggering:

Total calories: 6,304
Total fat: 226g
Total saturated fat: 80g
Total sugars: 227g

I'm wondering if maybe I should try to aim for a little less next time. I mean, free day is fun and all, but if I'm hoping to lose a pound or two a week, then eating two pounds worth of calories and almost half a pound of fat (226g = .49 pounds) might not be a good idea. Here's my whole list for the day... tell me if you feel like it's more than yours by a large margin:

1 McGriddle 420 cal 19g fat 8g sat fat 15g sugar
1 can Pepsi 150 cal 0g fat/sat fat 41g sugar
1 three musketeers bar 260 cal 8g fat 4.5 g sat fat 40g sugar
6 flaky biscuits 320 cal 8g fat 2g sat fat 8g sugar
1 bottle double chocolate nesquik 400 cal 10g fat 6g sat fat 56g sugar
2 drumstick cones 720 cal 42g fat 22g sat fat 54g sugar
1 can Sparks Plus 384 cal
2 bottles Brooklyn India pale ale 340 cal
½ of large pizza + 1 slice 1807.5 cal, 90g fat, 17.5 sat fat
2 bottles bud light 220 cal
1 pint Coors light 102 cal
1 bottle BL lime 111cal
1 bottle red stripe 153 cal
1 mcdonald’s cheeseburger 300 cal, 12g fat 6g sat fat, 6g sugar
4 chicken mcnuggets 190 cal, 12g fat, 2g sat fat, 0g sugar
½ of a 99 cent bag of 4-cheese Doritos 150 cal 8g fat 4g sat fat
¾ of a hagen-dazs dark chocolate on chocolate ice cream bar 225 cal 15g fat 8g sat fat
1 dose 5-hour energy 8 cal
5 tums 25 cal, 7 sugars
1 dose salmon oil 18 cal, 2g fat

Here was my response:

I encourage you to do your own research on the matter, but keep a few things in mind:

1) The idea that one day of binging can somehow offset the effects of six days of eating right and exercising intensely is silly. One of the reasons BFL doesn't ask you to count calories (whether its on your meals or the "calories burned" on your treadmill) is because the effect of BFL on your metabolism can't be measured. You do the things you do to make your body run more efficiently.

2) Traditional body builders go through cycles, bulking up and cutting (at least they used to). Six weeks of eating lots of protein and feeding your muscles followed by six weeks of dieting to get rid of the extra fat you consume when eating 4,000 plus calories a day. With BFL (God, this sounds like an infomercial), you get the benefit of both. You do cardio 20 minutes because any more would burn muscle. You eat six balanced meals and gorge on calories one day to maintain and encourage muscle growth. More muscle, more calories your body needs to burn to sustain it, more fat loss.

3) If you're good during the week, you've earned your Free Day. Don't restrict your calories. Believe me, I've tried. You'll grow to resent the diet and you'll be more susceptible to cheat during the week ("my last free day sucked, so it's no big deal if I have blank").

4) As you know, you have to mix things up if you want your body to keep responding to the exercise or diet. If you eat the same amount of calories everyday, your body learns to work with it and your metabolism slows down. Free Day is a kick in the a$$ for your metabolism, reminding your body you're not starving, making it work hard to process the huge amount you're consuming.

I eat a comparable amount every Free Day, so you're not going above and beyond. The only thing I'd encourage you to think about (and something I'm trying to watch this time around) is the amount of alcohol you put in your body. Unlike everything else, alcohol stays in your system past your free day. It can make you hungrier, more dehydrated, and lead to muscle fatigue faster on your weight days. If you have a weights day after a Free Day, consider limiting alcohol to 1-2 beverages. I've done BFL before I drank and after, and I think it really does make a difference.

Like I said, research it yourself if this doesn't satisfy you. Physiologically and psychologically, Free Day really keeps me in line. You're gonna feel fat and bloated after a Free Day, but that's almost all water retention from all the sodium. Some people "gain" as much as six pounds after their Free Day, but by Tuesday they're back on track.

Healthy weight loss is 1-2 pound per week AVERAGE. Some weeks, especially at first, you'll lose 3-4, followed by a week of maybe nothing. If you're sticking with the program and staying honest, then it's nothing to worry about. Do you feel like you're not losing fast enough or gaining more than you expected?


Does anyone have anything else to add? Is my information more or less correct?

I'd appreciate any thoughts.

[Chris]

Well, you've basically stated my opinion on the issue.. and very eloquently, I might add... Nice job!

Except, I honestly was a bit shocked at the amount this guy ate on his free day. There's free days to reset your metabolism, and then there's free days that give you 6,304 calories.. I would advise not letting every free day be this "free".. but again, I agree with your statements above.

[Maljonic]

I agree with Chris, nice post and I think a free day is a time to eat heartily not a go totally wild day and eat like Mr Creosote. I just see it as a day where you can eat this or that without thinking about it too much, worrying about the ingredients etc. Although I know a lot of people, especially if they never did BFL before, tend to pine for their free day and use it as a focus to keep them going - but I think it's not so good to think of it that way, I think it's best to think of it as a day when you don't have to think.

[RobBroadhurst]

I agree that 6,000 plus calories is a lot and that it's a pretty impressive Free Day, but I think binging to the point of nausea can be a good thing (notice that his last meal included five Tums ) My first time around on BFL, I would yearn for my Free Day and totally devastate myself for the first few weeks. But after dealing with the heartburn, digestion issues, and all the other fun that comes with overeating, I learned to tame my Free Days just a little.

In other words, I'm hesitant to tell him that his Free Day is "too free" because part of what kept me on track initially was how terrible the foods I used to love made me feel on my Free Day. It's like letting a toddler touch the iron so that he burns himself and learns not to do it again. Except with cheeseburgers.

I think cutting back on alcoholic beverages would not only slash the calories by almost 1,000 in his example, but will generally help him start his week. I love beer, but I'm trying to keep it between 1-3 on my Free Days from now on (if at all). I suggested he do the same.

[RobBroadhurst]

Originally Posted by Chris

Well, you've basically stated my opinion on the issue.. and very eloquently, I might add... Nice job!

Thanks, I appreciate it!

[Maljonic]

Originally Posted by RobBroadhurst

It's like letting a toddler touch the iron so that he burns himself and learns not to do it again. Except with cheeseburgers.

I love that.

[statona]

I'm jealous - I can't even eat that much - and not drinking a whole lot - maybe if I did eat that much - I would let it all go at the end of the night.