Is this eating strategy crazy or OK?

Here is what I have been doing lately and it seems to be working, but I wanted some opinions if it was a good idea. Monday thorugh Friday, I exercise like crazy and eat pretty low carb (good carbs), low fat, low calorie (under 1200). On weekends, I still exercise pretty hard on Saturday, take off the day on Sunday, but I eat whatever I want saturday and Sunday. Saturday I went to a Kentucky Derby Party and had 3 mint juleps- I did not dump and I was not intoxicated- buzzed- yes (it was over 4 hours and I was eating with it) I had some ice cream yesterday. Last Monday I weighed 142, then by Saturday morning I was 137, then this morning I am 140. I do not dump if I eat a reasonable amount of sugar and I have some other food with it. Is this a reasonable way to live? 140 is the goal weight set by my doctor, though I have been as low as 131. I'd like to stay between 135 and 140. I think I can live like this and not feel deprived.

I take comfort in how I eat now. I still have a ways to go and know that I cannot really "treat" myself quite yet...BUT I know that if I do treat myself I know how to do it correctly so that I do not gain the weight. If its a one day thing and you work out all the time its OK to have that oops day or that treat day. I find that I can actually maintain very easily now, although I need to actually loose its still comforting to know that I can maintain. You sound like you have a good handle on things. I think your schedule sounds great! Very active and not so strict that you completely and utterly deprive yourself. Who can live like that anyways? The goal is to be normal and eat carefully and healthy! You sound like you are doing a very nice job Congrats!!! Elizabeth M

I think it is perfectly reasonable. Maybe not both Saturday AND Sunday, but one day a week to relax a little is fine. Even my doctor (who while he's not a bariatric patient himself does not tell his patients to do anything that he doesn't follow himself) tells us to give ourselves a day off during the week. The closer you are to goal the less impact those days of 'relaxation' are going to have. Specially if you have been rebuilding muscle mass and retraining your metabolism. I signed a 'contract' with my doctor of the things I would not do for a year following surgery. One of those things was consume alcohol. Well, my year is up, and now when we go out to eat, I will have a glass of wine. Sometimes it's two glasses, and sometimes I can't even finish a single glass of wine. Sounds like you have a good handle on things there! Hugs, Mo

It sounds to me like you are developing a very healthy relationship with food. This is something which all of us need to do. If this system works for you, why question it??!! If you can do what you are doing and maintain your weight, it sounds like an ideal way to go. We all need to develop a system to live by for the rest of our lives. There's no way that we can expect to be on a strict diet forever. I think that you have hit on a workable system for you, so go for it!! Congratulations and continued success! Mike