S days after failed N days

[OneLife]

After you have had a bad N day, do you try to compensate on your S day?

[wosnes]

No. Take your S days as usual. S days aren't a reward for good N days.

[ironchef]

I always take my S days as usual, regardless of what happened during the week. Reinhard had a great podcast (#13, Strictness), which talks about how "punishing" or "compensating" after a failure is actually counterproductive when trying to build habit.

I'm going to quote from the podcast, although I highly recommend listening to or reading the whole thing, because it is all awesome:

Punishment and restitution are actually bad and counterproductive. I don't say this from some kind of mushy "love yourself" "I'm OK, your OK" persepctive -- on the contrary. I say this because when you punish yourself or try to make amends for having messed up, what you're really doing, at a deep psychological level, is saying, "it's OK to fail because I can make up for failure later." You think you're just paying off a debt, but you're also, and more importantly, opening up a line of credit. That line of credit, that idea that you can make up for failure in the future, will make you much more likely to fail. You've lowered the stakes, you've lowered the incentive to succeed.

[oolala53]

Just in case, the previous opinions aren't enough, I'll agree.

There is nothing to say that S days have to be excessive. But I certainly wouldn't forego an S because of failed N days.

Pattern is very important. You are trying to establish a pattern that S's happen on S days. If you take them away from S days because you had them on N days.. well, you see, it would set up the wrong pattern you want.

Use the fact that you CAN'T try to make up for failed N days on S days to get more resolved to be strict in your moderate meals when it counts- on N days.

We're on your side!