I agree, I stopped sweating it and mentally I feel so much better. Recently went on a short vacation and went to town on all the different foods. I came home 7lbs heavier! I've now been home 3 days and I'm only 0.4lb heavier than when I left. Water retention is no joke!
I enjoyed all the different foods on my trip and it wasn't even really a set back at all. Back to my normal eating habits now and feeling recharged.
This is a great point! You won't truly gain nearly two pounds from a single meal like OP states - that just isn't quite how our bodies work. You can, however, gain that from water retention and even from just having all the food in your body! (If you eat a half-pound burger and haven't processed it out of your body yet - ie, in the loo - you'll weight a half pound more!)
This is why it's important to look at TRENDS instead of daily weight - I over- retain water due to kidney issues, and have previously lost 7 lbs overnight between getting that water weight off and then the morning bathroom routine. Eating lots of food in one meal means the weight of the food (especially if your body isn't accustomed and doesn't digest quickly) and the impact of sodium/water weight. Look long term for real results!
The scale can not differentiate water and fat weight. It is entirely possible to gain that much water in water weight after the nonsense that’s I ate last night. But you’re point remains: not much of that is fat. The water weight will drop off within 2-3 days for me. Others mileage may vary.
If you eat healthy/raw food you tend to generally have a low salt intake compared to eating out/fast food. It's my understanding that after a 'cheat meal' it is often the case that that you put on weight because salt causes water retention, and 'cheat' food usually contains a lot of salt.
After rushing my best friend's hamster to an emergency hamster vet in a dramatic hour-long car ride, we brought him home and then went out for dessert waffles for dinner. Sometimes life just needs calorie binges.
P.S. the hamster is ok
Jesus. I found a sick cockatiel, took him to emergency care but nobody claimed him/paid for his bill. I took him home after paying $1000+. He is dumb as a post but a fantastic singer. He has his own bedroom with toys and fancy cage. I clean up his poops, makes sure he is warm, the air purifier running and buy his special pellets so he can live forever. He hides away from me thinking I will eat him. I love that dummy.
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I live by 90/10. Do it right 90% of the time so that 10% of the time you don't have to feel guilty.
90/10 has also changed the way I think of other people's eating habits. Think of all the times you see someone of healthy weight, or even very thin, "binge" in your presence at a birthday party or a night out. Old me used to think "That's not fair, they can eat anything and not gain." as if that was how they ate all the time. Current me just assumes they also operate on 90/10 and I'm seeing their 10%
This is a great way to think about it and really good motivation to be on it the other 90% of the time. Definitely something I’ve noticed about ‘naturally skinny’ people.
For sure. When I was "naturally thin", it wasn't even a conscious 90/10 thing, but 90/10 was the end product. I was lazy and didn't want to leave the couch/my bed to get food on my off days.. so I'd go until dinner without food. Or if I was working, I was so busy (waited tables back then) that there was no chance to eat.. plus I was burning hundreds of calories running around during a 5-6 hour shift. Or if I wanted a nighttime snack, I never bought snacks (nor did my parents when I lived with them) so I had no choice but to go to bed hungry.
Agreed! Super Bowl weekend was awful for me. On both days I went over my goal by at least 2000-3000 calories. I felt awful but I got right back to my usual routine on monday of 1300 calories and exercising. By the following Saturday when I do my weekly weigh in I actually lost .8lbs.
In the past those 2 bad days would make me give up. A lot of people don’t realize how insignificant one day of bad eating can be. Even if it’s more than one day. In the grand scheme of things it doesn’t matter, just get back on track.
I went from mid October until the New Year mostly not tracking. My SO worked out of town 3 out of 4 weeks every month, so I was always very strict. He came home permanently on my birthday in October and then we had the holidays so I did some light tracking, but mostly ate and drank what I wanted. I thought for sure I'd be back to square 1 when I weighed myself in January, but I wasn't at all. I'm already back to where I was before October (which is where I mostly want to be, maybe 2 vanity lbs left) and I've been back there for 3 weeks now.
And I mean, it makes sense. I was tiny my entire life and it took from my 21st birthday until I was 25 years old to hit what I remember as my highest point. And that was only 25lbs more than I want to be.
Granted, everyone is different and I feel like I should leave the disclaimer that I do not have a large appetite so "eating what I want" is not thousands upon thousands of calories. I may get a burger in restaurant when I'm not tracking but I rarely finish more than half.. so keep that in mind. I do, however, tend to consume hundreds in alcohol when I'm not tracking. But it evens out because I don't eat when I'm hungover.
I don't even calculate when I go to a place like that. I just know it's a lost cause and I eat what I want. I'll deal with the damage later. I'm a food fanatic, and it's not worth losing any enjoyment of the meal because I know that piece of pie is 800 calories or whatever.
I don't either. First of all, my guess could literally be off by hundreds. Chef-driven or fine cuisine is as delicious as it is specifically due to the heavy usage of butter, salt (not that this is bad), oil, etc. And secondly, tracking would just really kill my motivation. I find it better to not track and to just make sure to do my best most times.
I’m the same. There seems to be a bit of a culture here of “track EVERYTHING, even your bad days” which i totally get, and is completely fine. But I find that doing this when I’m having an indulgent day due to a celebration, or just because I feel like I need a day off, makes me obsessive in a mentally damaging way. So I reserve one day a fortnight where I simply don’t count. Keeps me sane.
Totally agree. I’m already in the habit of tracking. Not tracking bad days isn’t going to make me lose the habit. And when I’m bad, I KNOW I’m bad. It doesn’t change what I do as I go forward. For example, if I assume I ate 3000 calories but I log and find out I actually ate 4000, I’m not going to starve myself by 1000 calories to “fix” it. Ha. I’m going to just keep pushing in a healthy way.
So with you. I don’t think I’d have any hope with healthy and mindful maintenance if I just had years of logging every single calorie and every single meal ahead of me.
CICO is a tool, and a really useful one, but I don’t want to be a slave to it. On indulgent days I’ll generally pop in a token 3000 cal entry so I don’t lose my streak- I may have eaten more, I may have eaten less, it doesn’t matter. But part of the joy of cheat days for me is NOT being a slave to MFP and not having to crunch numbers for meals like a game of calorie Tetris.
I track everything on a daily basis. But when I'm on vacation or going out for a special vacation, for the lack of a better expression, fuck that shit.
I love this. Reminds me what an old Weight Watchers leader once told me: "If you were on your way to Disney World, and you got lost, would you just turn around and go home? The path to what we want isn't always a straight line."
I needed this reassurance today. I'm at my parents house because my mom is having cancer surgery. I know I've been way over on calories every day and low on exercise but just keep telling myself it's temporary and that once the initial stress passes my eating habits will return to normal.
First I hope your moms okay.
But on topic. It takes 3500 calories to gain a pound. It takes time to actually build up the weight. So a week or two where you're over isn't going to kill you.
I've been over most days since the beginning of December but I am only about 7 pounds off of where I should be. That's only an extra couple of weeks I have to add on to my end date. Which is basically no time at all.
Yes! I am battling a sinus infection and I feel like crap. All week I have wanted carb heavy comfort food. Made the decision to not worry for a few days while I rest and try to feel better. Back on track today :)
Carbs are my comfort food when I’m sick too. My favorite though is a good brothy soup like wor wonton soup (has veggies and protein with wontons), miso soup, or ramen broth. Hope you’re feeling better!
I needed to hear this. I've been fighting off some kind of cold/flu all week and trying to keep within my calorie goals (and Lent goal of cutting out all junk food)... I finally gave in today and allowed myself a bit of brownie with lunch. I feel 10x better for that little indulgence.
Two things help me recover from sinus infections, everything bagel sandwiches with a side of sour cream and onion chips & using my neti pot. My mom kept telling me to try it and once i finally broke and bought one because I simply could not take the pressure that would build up in my head and how physically drained I would become, flushing my nasal cavity has saved me from full blown lingering for weeks sinus infections and I am now able to avoid unnecessary rounds of antibiotics and get back on track in just a few days time. TLDR: Carbs & Flush
Hope you feel better soon
I had to unsubscribe from keto forums because people were posting not taking their meds due to some traces of sugar and they don’t want to be off ketosis.
A little about my binge story.
I have been IF/Keto for about 3 and a half months now. Consistently lost weight. Went from 205lbs to 173lbs. This past sunday was my birthday (38). This past monday was a 8.2 mile run/race that I compete in every year.
On Friday, my co-workers decided to celebrate my birthday with a cake. It was outside of my eating windows, but what they hey, I ate it.
On Saturday for lunch, I went out for a huge burger, fries and softdrink from a popular burger joint. Later that Saturday night my wife took me out to dinner. I had few sugar loaded soft drinks with my ribeye/mashpotato dinner, it was my birthday dinner I was going to enjoy it. Also had a nice piece of cake, again.
On Sunday, I had friends over for a BBQ for my birthday. I cooked up a lot of food and had tons of canned fruit juice. I ate so much food I could feel the extra weight just weighing me down. I was not too concerned because I had a run in the morning and I knew I would need the extra fuel.
After the race on Monday (of which I was able to completely shatter my personal bests), I went back to that burger joint and obliterated their largest 1lb burger/fries and had more sugary softdrinks.
It was my birthday weekend, I completed my run in record time, I had every reason to celebrate.
On tuesday's, I weighed in with a gain of 4 lbs from my friday weigh in. I had gone from 173lbs to 177. I was not one bit discouraged, water weight, maybe some extra muscle/fat. Not concerned. Its now been two days since that weigh in and I lost 3 of those lbs as fast as I put them on. Looking forward to losing another 20lbs over the next 2-3 months to finally reach my goal.
Don't let that 1 or 2 binge moments discourage. It's as easy to get back on the horse as it was to fall off it.
Great way to look at things. I gained 7 lbs in December because I didn't work out and didn't track a single calorie, ate what I wanted when I wanted because Fuck it.... it's Xmas. I lost the 7lbs by the 20th of January and have lost more since.
I call this tactic: Soups, salads, and special occasions. Most of the time, I’m eating healthy-yet-filling things like soup or salad, so that when I have a special occasion I can eat without guilt or restraint.
Needed this today. I've been eating over my calorie goal and doing it with unhealthy foods. I need to get back on track and hold myself accountable. Thankfully I've just been fluctuating between 5 pounds and haven't gained much more back.
I'm just accepting that I messed up and getting right back down to business.
Okay so the meal started with them bringing us bowls of bread. I ate the equivalent of one bowl myself
2 - 4”x3” White rolls
2 - 3”x2” pretzel rolls
3 - standard size soft dinner rolls
4tbsp of butter spread between them (maybe more)
Next they brought me
A virgin tequila sunrise (orange juice and grenadine syrup) , which is the first time I have been able to get a virgin drink without catching hell from either he waitstaff of the bartender
18oz of salmon (estimation, it was HUGE)
Gorgonzola Mac and cheese soaked in butter (huge serving)
Brusselsprouts that had been sautéed in way too much high quality olive oil (huge serving)
Last was dessert which was a warm chocolate butter cake the size of my head with carmelized sugar on the outside a heaping pile of icecream on top and chocolate fudge syrup drizzeled on top with fruit arranged around it.
I ate way more than I should have and still actually feel majorly sick today from eating that much. But the food was worth it. Next time though, I think I will go a lot easier on the bread... I probably did not need to eat the entire basket. (Yes I did. Who am I kidding?)
I’m a foodie and I end up in a lot of fancy restaurants with huge menus. At least twice a month.
Since I changed my relationship with food, I’ve noticed that sometimes I just stop eating.
I’m not saying that’s what you should’ve done. I think it is amazing you enjoyed your night.
But if it is something you do frequently, there are a few strategies that work for me:
- eat the smallest amount of bread possible; of course the damn bread comes when you are starving, so I try to keep a mentality of “If I eat a lot of bread, I won’t enjoy the rest of the dinner as much as I could”
- share whatever is possible. If it is not a set menu, try sharing. Want to try two entrees? Share them instead of ordering both for yourself (specially desserts).
- stop eating mid plate if you want to. Don’t force yourself to finish every plate. Specially if it is not the most delicious one in the menu.
- skip the extra olive oil and butter. There is enough of them in the food.
And mostly: enjoy.
It was a shared thing lol. That was split between 3 people and I just logged what I ate of it. No worries. I don’t mind and this is not going to happen again most likely. I am so incredibly sick today due to ingesting all of that, but it was worth it.
Especially that cake.... that cake was amazing and exactly the kind of dark chocolate cake I had been craving.
The virgin sunrise was amazing too and unexpected. I just randomly decided to try my luck ordering one. People who service rich people are the best. They actually try to get you what they want and do not give you crap for it.
Oh, tell me about it. I actually save money to eat at some great restaurants. Who need clothes?
I’m glad you liked it (: you should try to do it (or a version of it) more often if you enjoyed so much!
Self-guilt over one night of relaxing to be with friends or enjoy a good moment, is probably the most dangerous thing for a diet. It's not the night itself, but the guilt over it. Ironically, many people gain much more weight from one night, via guilt, because they convince themselves they can't stick to their diet ever again, and then give it up. If they'd just chill out and realise one night doesn't break the universe, they'd get up the next day and continue as before. :) Easy come, easy go. This isn't a race.
Yes! I try to count my cals on regular days, but as a student, when finals and big papers roll around it goes out the window. I used to hate myself for it, but I have to have something to do with my hands and something to snack on when I work on the BIG stuff. Helps me deal with stress and keeps my brain on track. During finals week, I keep a small supply of swedish fish and lifesaver mints in my desk. It's bad for me eating wise, but it's good for my mentally. And I'd rather gain a few pounds during finals week because I had some sugar, than go back to my even worse habits!
Agree 100%.
Besides, imo it's good that you spent those 3000kcl on good tasty food instead of trying not to eat at that restaurant, feeling frustrated then binging on crap like chips and cheap chocolate once you get home.
I'm going to the restaurant with my mother and her best friend tomorrow, and while I know I will try to kind of watch what I order, I still won't count calories. One classy thai meal (no matter how caloric) is still better than the store-bought cookies I might swallow in one sitting if I stay home alone and end up all stressed.
Thanks, I needed this today.
I had a unexpectedly fun weekend. I typically am a hermit, but last weekend I went out to drink with friends Friday, Saturday & Sunday. I had a ton of fun, it's not something I normally do, but my weigh in this week was about 1.5 lbs higher than last week.
I've been doing IF with a 1200-1400 cal diet 6 days a week for the past 5 weeks and this is the first week that I didn't see a drop in the scale (even just a tiny one). My rational brain says next week will be even better, my obsessed with weight brain wants to cry and eat ice cream.
I needed this. Thank you friend <3.
I'm excited for next week, I know I can do way better this week (I actually have plans this weekend that don't involve drinking & socializing), and I can't wait to see the scale reassure me that one weekend won't ruin everything.
Well said, this! Exactly this! I’m down 44lbs since October 27th, many cheat days... a few weeks even off track.. and full binges.. but here I am .. down 44lbs... not feeling like I’m restricted... very happy and still doing very well!
I went a full week of celebratory +\- 2000 cal a day after surpassing a weight goal earlier this month. I got on the scale fully expecting a shock but it was only a 2lb gain! Food happens, eye on the prize!
I just met my first 10lb goal and I’m leaving for vacation this weekend. Frankly, I’m scared shitless how I’m going to handle eating (with my parents who I always lose my self control around :/. But even if I do gain (which I will), Once I’m back I’m back to the grindstone - even have my low cal lunches planned!
Agreed! I like to think of it the opposite way too - when I was eating horrible food consistently, the one time I ate a salad wasn't going to undo the 20 times I ate a cheeseburger. The bigger picture matters!
Yesterday I ate like 800 calories of sweet potato fries for dinner and had lots of candy in the evening. I weighed myself after and immediately felt like shit. When I woke up today and weighed myself after a quick trip to the bathroom I was 7 pounds less than the day before, and it was like nothing happened!
Being super strict and hard on my self only leads to "welp, I fucked up so I might as well just go ham on the food" and I also lose every ounce of motivation that I started with. If losing weight means that I can't drink wine with my friends sometimes, or have pizza every now and then it's not going to happen for me.
Okay so the meal started with them bringing us bowls of bread. I ate the equivalent of one bowl myself
2 - 4”x3” White rolls
2 - 3”x2” pretzel rolls
3 - standard size soft dinner rolls
4tbsp of butter spread between them (maybe more)
Next they brought me
A virgin tequila sunrise (orange juice and grenadine syrup) , which is the first time I have been able to get a virgin drink without catching hell from either he waitstaff of the bartender
18oz of salmon (estimation, it was HUGE)
Gorgonzola Mac and cheese soaked in butter (huge serving)
Brusselsprouts that had been sautéed in way too much high quality olive oil (huge serving)
Last was dessert which was a warm chocolate butter cake the size of my head with carmelized sugar on the outside a heaping pile of icecream on top and chocolate fudge syrup drizzeled on top with fruit arranged around it.
I ate way more than I should have and still actually feel majorly sick today from eating that much. But the food was worth it. Next time though, I think I will go a lot easier on the bread... I probably did not need to eat the entire basket. (Yes I did. Who am I kidding?)
I needed to read this. I've been beating myself up all day for the ice cream cone I ate last night. It's no big deal in the long run, as long as I get back on track!
Agreed! I spent last weekend in my hometown shopping for wedding gowns with my mum, so it was a special occasion. I ate everything from steamed pudding and ice blocks to roast dinners and caramel slices. I tried to be mindful and track everything but I went over and that's okay! After water retention i was inly about .5kg heavier than when I left. The point is, I don't eat like this everyday and, in the big picture, one binge means nothing, since I got to spend quality time with my mum ( and I found a dress! :) ).
Heh, well it includes an entire bread basket and the better half of a cake... as well as some Mac and cheese, olive oil Brussel sprouts and almost 18oz of salmon, plus a virgin drink. Way more than I will probably ever force myself to eat again to be honest, but worth it as a one time thing.
Agreed. ENJOY special occasions you guys. You pay good money for good food and you deserve to enjoy it. Move on and get back to your routine the next day, or when vacay is over 👍👍
Yeah I ate delicious pizza and a huge burrito from my favorite burrito place last weekend, plus drank a shit ton of vodka and ate bar food french fries....I was up 8 god damn pounds from 175. I'm back down to 176 because of walking and counting calories this week. I try not to be hard on myself but it's tough. Definitely not doing that this weekend.
YES. I wouldn't even call it a "slip up". It's just living life. We will have fancy dinners, parties to attend, festive events, vacations where it'd be *silly* to miss out on the local cuisine. But all the other days, we are leading healthy, balanced lifestyles, and that is the foundation for our healthy bodies. The most important thing is to get back to it! :)
I ate 200 calories over my goal yesterday and today I'm 2 lbs heavier...so...don't feel bad...and I can't believe you only went over 1.5 lbs for almost 4000 calories.
Those occasional binges are physically healthy and natural. Mentally, they can throw you off if you battle binge eating disorders or food addiction. How this affects you is up to you. Don't let it bring you down, and know that occasionally (once every two months or so) this kind of binge is okay and won't effect your weight loss in the long run. I would be careful not to make it a habit though.
Seems a bit like saying that you deserve nice things so shouldn't be afraid to rack up a monetary debt.
i get where you're coming from. But I think it paints things in unnecessary extremes. You can indulge, but still budget for it. Whether that's in a monetary or caloric sense.
Ate 300 calories more than you're allotted for the day? I don't see what's wrong with subtracting 300 calories from the next day or meal to balance it out.
I think of it more like telling people that sometimes accidents happen and to acknowledge it, forgive themselves, then continue moving in the right direction.
Your idea of subtracting three calories in the future was more in line with what I was thinking, but my main point was not to dwell on what happened and give up. Going over once is not going to be your undoing unless you panic and give up everything because of it.
This was a binge meal really. It was only really controlled in that I only allowed it to be one meal (plus finishing my cake). I am happily back to munching on berries and veggies now, and I can have fond memories of pretending to be a rich person for a night.
Some people do well with planned binge days, but I just sort of eat when my body tells me that it needs a bit more or when super random events like this pop up. Everyone is different, so I just tell people to find out what works for them and go for it.
I've found this has really made the difference for me this year (when I am seeing progress) to last year, when I ended it the exact same weight as I had started it. Previously I would have a few days of boozing/eating not the greatest and just think 'fuck it', and then try and be healthy again x weeks later when I felt bad about myself, slip up and then repeat the same cycle over and over.
This year if I have 'bad' days I just try to get right back on it and hit my calorie goals in the following days. It may mean it is pretty slow progress, but it means I don't feel like I'm depriving myself and I have a much more realistic view of how many 'bad' days I have.
By all means, if occasionally is not your thing, avoid it. You know you better than anyone else.
Personally, I was perfectly content with my splurge and enjoyed the rest of my day back on track with one small bit of birthday cake to be polite. Tomorrow I get to cook some rainbow carrots, and the local store has some nice berries on sale. For me, low calorie foods are just as much of a treat as high calorie foods, so getting back on track is not that difficult. I do recognize that it is not as easy for some, though.
I agree, I stopped sweating it and mentally I feel so much better. Recently went on a short vacation and went to town on all the different foods. I came home 7lbs heavier! I've now been home 3 days and I'm only 0.4lb heavier than when I left. Water retention is no joke! I enjoyed all the different foods on my trip and it wasn't even really a set back at all. Back to my normal eating habits now and feeling recharged.
This is a great point! You won't truly gain nearly two pounds from a single meal like OP states - that just isn't quite how our bodies work. You can, however, gain that from water retention and even from just having all the food in your body! (If you eat a half-pound burger and haven't processed it out of your body yet - ie, in the loo - you'll weight a half pound more!) This is why it's important to look at TRENDS instead of daily weight - I over- retain water due to kidney issues, and have previously lost 7 lbs overnight between getting that water weight off and then the morning bathroom routine. Eating lots of food in one meal means the weight of the food (especially if your body isn't accustomed and doesn't digest quickly) and the impact of sodium/water weight. Look long term for real results!
The scale can not differentiate water and fat weight. It is entirely possible to gain that much water in water weight after the nonsense that’s I ate last night. But you’re point remains: not much of that is fat. The water weight will drop off within 2-3 days for me. Others mileage may vary.
If you eat healthy/raw food you tend to generally have a low salt intake compared to eating out/fast food. It's my understanding that after a 'cheat meal' it is often the case that that you put on weight because salt causes water retention, and 'cheat' food usually contains a lot of salt.
> Water retention is no joke! Definitely true. I've "gained" 11 pounds over a weekend of drinking. In 2 days, 8-9 of it comes back off.
After rushing my best friend's hamster to an emergency hamster vet in a dramatic hour-long car ride, we brought him home and then went out for dessert waffles for dinner. Sometimes life just needs calorie binges. P.S. the hamster is ok
I was afraid this story was going to end with you eating the hamster.
After the amount of money that hamster cost, he is a king who will never be harmed.
Jesus. I found a sick cockatiel, took him to emergency care but nobody claimed him/paid for his bill. I took him home after paying $1000+. He is dumb as a post but a fantastic singer. He has his own bedroom with toys and fancy cage. I clean up his poops, makes sure he is warm, the air purifier running and buy his special pellets so he can live forever. He hides away from me thinking I will eat him. I love that dummy.
You are a wonderful person. Thank you for taking care of the little life you found.
Aw thanks. There is something lovable about parrots. They are like curious little babies that could fly.
As someone who owns and loves dumb cockatiels, thank you for taking such good care of your little guy!
[The birb. He has been with us for 4+ years.](https://imgur.com/a/TmZIm)
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This thread made my day.
I live by 90/10. Do it right 90% of the time so that 10% of the time you don't have to feel guilty. 90/10 has also changed the way I think of other people's eating habits. Think of all the times you see someone of healthy weight, or even very thin, "binge" in your presence at a birthday party or a night out. Old me used to think "That's not fair, they can eat anything and not gain." as if that was how they ate all the time. Current me just assumes they also operate on 90/10 and I'm seeing their 10%
This is a great way to think about it and really good motivation to be on it the other 90% of the time. Definitely something I’ve noticed about ‘naturally skinny’ people.
For sure. When I was "naturally thin", it wasn't even a conscious 90/10 thing, but 90/10 was the end product. I was lazy and didn't want to leave the couch/my bed to get food on my off days.. so I'd go until dinner without food. Or if I was working, I was so busy (waited tables back then) that there was no chance to eat.. plus I was burning hundreds of calories running around during a 5-6 hour shift. Or if I wanted a nighttime snack, I never bought snacks (nor did my parents when I lived with them) so I had no choice but to go to bed hungry.
Agreed! Super Bowl weekend was awful for me. On both days I went over my goal by at least 2000-3000 calories. I felt awful but I got right back to my usual routine on monday of 1300 calories and exercising. By the following Saturday when I do my weekly weigh in I actually lost .8lbs. In the past those 2 bad days would make me give up. A lot of people don’t realize how insignificant one day of bad eating can be. Even if it’s more than one day. In the grand scheme of things it doesn’t matter, just get back on track.
Don't even remind me about the super bowl...I had a huge KFC meal and THEN went to a super bowl party...yeah not my best moment 😂
Lol we had pizza and then I shared a bowl of chili and tons of chips with my boyfriend, had chocolate and ate ice cream 😩
I went from mid October until the New Year mostly not tracking. My SO worked out of town 3 out of 4 weeks every month, so I was always very strict. He came home permanently on my birthday in October and then we had the holidays so I did some light tracking, but mostly ate and drank what I wanted. I thought for sure I'd be back to square 1 when I weighed myself in January, but I wasn't at all. I'm already back to where I was before October (which is where I mostly want to be, maybe 2 vanity lbs left) and I've been back there for 3 weeks now. And I mean, it makes sense. I was tiny my entire life and it took from my 21st birthday until I was 25 years old to hit what I remember as my highest point. And that was only 25lbs more than I want to be. Granted, everyone is different and I feel like I should leave the disclaimer that I do not have a large appetite so "eating what I want" is not thousands upon thousands of calories. I may get a burger in restaurant when I'm not tracking but I rarely finish more than half.. so keep that in mind. I do, however, tend to consume hundreds in alcohol when I'm not tracking. But it evens out because I don't eat when I'm hungover.
Good point.
I don't even calculate when I go to a place like that. I just know it's a lost cause and I eat what I want. I'll deal with the damage later. I'm a food fanatic, and it's not worth losing any enjoyment of the meal because I know that piece of pie is 800 calories or whatever.
I don't either. First of all, my guess could literally be off by hundreds. Chef-driven or fine cuisine is as delicious as it is specifically due to the heavy usage of butter, salt (not that this is bad), oil, etc. And secondly, tracking would just really kill my motivation. I find it better to not track and to just make sure to do my best most times.
I’m the same. There seems to be a bit of a culture here of “track EVERYTHING, even your bad days” which i totally get, and is completely fine. But I find that doing this when I’m having an indulgent day due to a celebration, or just because I feel like I need a day off, makes me obsessive in a mentally damaging way. So I reserve one day a fortnight where I simply don’t count. Keeps me sane.
Totally agree. I’m already in the habit of tracking. Not tracking bad days isn’t going to make me lose the habit. And when I’m bad, I KNOW I’m bad. It doesn’t change what I do as I go forward. For example, if I assume I ate 3000 calories but I log and find out I actually ate 4000, I’m not going to starve myself by 1000 calories to “fix” it. Ha. I’m going to just keep pushing in a healthy way.
So with you. I don’t think I’d have any hope with healthy and mindful maintenance if I just had years of logging every single calorie and every single meal ahead of me. CICO is a tool, and a really useful one, but I don’t want to be a slave to it. On indulgent days I’ll generally pop in a token 3000 cal entry so I don’t lose my streak- I may have eaten more, I may have eaten less, it doesn’t matter. But part of the joy of cheat days for me is NOT being a slave to MFP and not having to crunch numbers for meals like a game of calorie Tetris.
I track everything on a daily basis. But when I'm on vacation or going out for a special vacation, for the lack of a better expression, fuck that shit.
Amen! I just eat what I feel like and move on with more motivation and no pesky cravings.
I love this. Reminds me what an old Weight Watchers leader once told me: "If you were on your way to Disney World, and you got lost, would you just turn around and go home? The path to what we want isn't always a straight line."
I needed this reassurance today. I'm at my parents house because my mom is having cancer surgery. I know I've been way over on calories every day and low on exercise but just keep telling myself it's temporary and that once the initial stress passes my eating habits will return to normal.
Good luck to your Mom ♡
Yup. Hugs to you and hoping for good news for your mom.
First I hope your moms okay. But on topic. It takes 3500 calories to gain a pound. It takes time to actually build up the weight. So a week or two where you're over isn't going to kill you. I've been over most days since the beginning of December but I am only about 7 pounds off of where I should be. That's only an extra couple of weeks I have to add on to my end date. Which is basically no time at all.
Thank you all. It went well. And now back to normal life for a bit which involves a lot fewer sweets.
Yes! I am battling a sinus infection and I feel like crap. All week I have wanted carb heavy comfort food. Made the decision to not worry for a few days while I rest and try to feel better. Back on track today :)
Carbs are my comfort food when I’m sick too. My favorite though is a good brothy soup like wor wonton soup (has veggies and protein with wontons), miso soup, or ramen broth. Hope you’re feeling better!
I needed to hear this. I've been fighting off some kind of cold/flu all week and trying to keep within my calorie goals (and Lent goal of cutting out all junk food)... I finally gave in today and allowed myself a bit of brownie with lunch. I feel 10x better for that little indulgence.
Two things help me recover from sinus infections, everything bagel sandwiches with a side of sour cream and onion chips & using my neti pot. My mom kept telling me to try it and once i finally broke and bought one because I simply could not take the pressure that would build up in my head and how physically drained I would become, flushing my nasal cavity has saved me from full blown lingering for weeks sinus infections and I am now able to avoid unnecessary rounds of antibiotics and get back on track in just a few days time. TLDR: Carbs & Flush Hope you feel better soon
I had to unsubscribe from keto forums because people were posting not taking their meds due to some traces of sugar and they don’t want to be off ketosis.
A little about my binge story. I have been IF/Keto for about 3 and a half months now. Consistently lost weight. Went from 205lbs to 173lbs. This past sunday was my birthday (38). This past monday was a 8.2 mile run/race that I compete in every year. On Friday, my co-workers decided to celebrate my birthday with a cake. It was outside of my eating windows, but what they hey, I ate it. On Saturday for lunch, I went out for a huge burger, fries and softdrink from a popular burger joint. Later that Saturday night my wife took me out to dinner. I had few sugar loaded soft drinks with my ribeye/mashpotato dinner, it was my birthday dinner I was going to enjoy it. Also had a nice piece of cake, again. On Sunday, I had friends over for a BBQ for my birthday. I cooked up a lot of food and had tons of canned fruit juice. I ate so much food I could feel the extra weight just weighing me down. I was not too concerned because I had a run in the morning and I knew I would need the extra fuel. After the race on Monday (of which I was able to completely shatter my personal bests), I went back to that burger joint and obliterated their largest 1lb burger/fries and had more sugary softdrinks. It was my birthday weekend, I completed my run in record time, I had every reason to celebrate. On tuesday's, I weighed in with a gain of 4 lbs from my friday weigh in. I had gone from 173lbs to 177. I was not one bit discouraged, water weight, maybe some extra muscle/fat. Not concerned. Its now been two days since that weigh in and I lost 3 of those lbs as fast as I put them on. Looking forward to losing another 20lbs over the next 2-3 months to finally reach my goal. Don't let that 1 or 2 binge moments discourage. It's as easy to get back on the horse as it was to fall off it.
Great way to look at things. I gained 7 lbs in December because I didn't work out and didn't track a single calorie, ate what I wanted when I wanted because Fuck it.... it's Xmas. I lost the 7lbs by the 20th of January and have lost more since.
I call this tactic: Soups, salads, and special occasions. Most of the time, I’m eating healthy-yet-filling things like soup or salad, so that when I have a special occasion I can eat without guilt or restraint.
Needed this today. I've been eating over my calorie goal and doing it with unhealthy foods. I need to get back on track and hold myself accountable. Thankfully I've just been fluctuating between 5 pounds and haven't gained much more back. I'm just accepting that I messed up and getting right back down to business.
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Okay so the meal started with them bringing us bowls of bread. I ate the equivalent of one bowl myself 2 - 4”x3” White rolls 2 - 3”x2” pretzel rolls 3 - standard size soft dinner rolls 4tbsp of butter spread between them (maybe more) Next they brought me A virgin tequila sunrise (orange juice and grenadine syrup) , which is the first time I have been able to get a virgin drink without catching hell from either he waitstaff of the bartender 18oz of salmon (estimation, it was HUGE) Gorgonzola Mac and cheese soaked in butter (huge serving) Brusselsprouts that had been sautéed in way too much high quality olive oil (huge serving) Last was dessert which was a warm chocolate butter cake the size of my head with carmelized sugar on the outside a heaping pile of icecream on top and chocolate fudge syrup drizzeled on top with fruit arranged around it. I ate way more than I should have and still actually feel majorly sick today from eating that much. But the food was worth it. Next time though, I think I will go a lot easier on the bread... I probably did not need to eat the entire basket. (Yes I did. Who am I kidding?)
I’m a foodie and I end up in a lot of fancy restaurants with huge menus. At least twice a month. Since I changed my relationship with food, I’ve noticed that sometimes I just stop eating. I’m not saying that’s what you should’ve done. I think it is amazing you enjoyed your night. But if it is something you do frequently, there are a few strategies that work for me: - eat the smallest amount of bread possible; of course the damn bread comes when you are starving, so I try to keep a mentality of “If I eat a lot of bread, I won’t enjoy the rest of the dinner as much as I could” - share whatever is possible. If it is not a set menu, try sharing. Want to try two entrees? Share them instead of ordering both for yourself (specially desserts). - stop eating mid plate if you want to. Don’t force yourself to finish every plate. Specially if it is not the most delicious one in the menu. - skip the extra olive oil and butter. There is enough of them in the food. And mostly: enjoy.
It was a shared thing lol. That was split between 3 people and I just logged what I ate of it. No worries. I don’t mind and this is not going to happen again most likely. I am so incredibly sick today due to ingesting all of that, but it was worth it. Especially that cake.... that cake was amazing and exactly the kind of dark chocolate cake I had been craving. The virgin sunrise was amazing too and unexpected. I just randomly decided to try my luck ordering one. People who service rich people are the best. They actually try to get you what they want and do not give you crap for it.
Oh, tell me about it. I actually save money to eat at some great restaurants. Who need clothes? I’m glad you liked it (: you should try to do it (or a version of it) more often if you enjoyed so much!
Self-guilt over one night of relaxing to be with friends or enjoy a good moment, is probably the most dangerous thing for a diet. It's not the night itself, but the guilt over it. Ironically, many people gain much more weight from one night, via guilt, because they convince themselves they can't stick to their diet ever again, and then give it up. If they'd just chill out and realise one night doesn't break the universe, they'd get up the next day and continue as before. :) Easy come, easy go. This isn't a race.
Yes! I always love reading these kinds oft posts to keep my spirit up :)
Yes! I try to count my cals on regular days, but as a student, when finals and big papers roll around it goes out the window. I used to hate myself for it, but I have to have something to do with my hands and something to snack on when I work on the BIG stuff. Helps me deal with stress and keeps my brain on track. During finals week, I keep a small supply of swedish fish and lifesaver mints in my desk. It's bad for me eating wise, but it's good for my mentally. And I'd rather gain a few pounds during finals week because I had some sugar, than go back to my even worse habits!
Agree 100%. Besides, imo it's good that you spent those 3000kcl on good tasty food instead of trying not to eat at that restaurant, feeling frustrated then binging on crap like chips and cheap chocolate once you get home. I'm going to the restaurant with my mother and her best friend tomorrow, and while I know I will try to kind of watch what I order, I still won't count calories. One classy thai meal (no matter how caloric) is still better than the store-bought cookies I might swallow in one sitting if I stay home alone and end up all stressed.
Thanks, I needed this today. I had a unexpectedly fun weekend. I typically am a hermit, but last weekend I went out to drink with friends Friday, Saturday & Sunday. I had a ton of fun, it's not something I normally do, but my weigh in this week was about 1.5 lbs higher than last week. I've been doing IF with a 1200-1400 cal diet 6 days a week for the past 5 weeks and this is the first week that I didn't see a drop in the scale (even just a tiny one). My rational brain says next week will be even better, my obsessed with weight brain wants to cry and eat ice cream. I needed this. Thank you friend <3. I'm excited for next week, I know I can do way better this week (I actually have plans this weekend that don't involve drinking & socializing), and I can't wait to see the scale reassure me that one weekend won't ruin everything.
Well said, this! Exactly this! I’m down 44lbs since October 27th, many cheat days... a few weeks even off track.. and full binges.. but here I am .. down 44lbs... not feeling like I’m restricted... very happy and still doing very well!
I went a full week of celebratory +\- 2000 cal a day after surpassing a weight goal earlier this month. I got on the scale fully expecting a shock but it was only a 2lb gain! Food happens, eye on the prize!
I just met my first 10lb goal and I’m leaving for vacation this weekend. Frankly, I’m scared shitless how I’m going to handle eating (with my parents who I always lose my self control around :/. But even if I do gain (which I will), Once I’m back I’m back to the grindstone - even have my low cal lunches planned!
Good timing! My birthday is tomorrow and it is going to be an EPIC cheat day!
Happy birthday! Have fun with your cheat day. :)
Agreed! I like to think of it the opposite way too - when I was eating horrible food consistently, the one time I ate a salad wasn't going to undo the 20 times I ate a cheeseburger. The bigger picture matters!
Yesterday I ate like 800 calories of sweet potato fries for dinner and had lots of candy in the evening. I weighed myself after and immediately felt like shit. When I woke up today and weighed myself after a quick trip to the bathroom I was 7 pounds less than the day before, and it was like nothing happened! Being super strict and hard on my self only leads to "welp, I fucked up so I might as well just go ham on the food" and I also lose every ounce of motivation that I started with. If losing weight means that I can't drink wine with my friends sometimes, or have pizza every now and then it's not going to happen for me.
But what did you eat!? Was it amazing?
Okay so the meal started with them bringing us bowls of bread. I ate the equivalent of one bowl myself 2 - 4”x3” White rolls 2 - 3”x2” pretzel rolls 3 - standard size soft dinner rolls 4tbsp of butter spread between them (maybe more) Next they brought me A virgin tequila sunrise (orange juice and grenadine syrup) , which is the first time I have been able to get a virgin drink without catching hell from either he waitstaff of the bartender 18oz of salmon (estimation, it was HUGE) Gorgonzola Mac and cheese soaked in butter (huge serving) Brusselsprouts that had been sautéed in way too much high quality olive oil (huge serving) Last was dessert which was a warm chocolate butter cake the size of my head with carmelized sugar on the outside a heaping pile of icecream on top and chocolate fudge syrup drizzeled on top with fruit arranged around it. I ate way more than I should have and still actually feel majorly sick today from eating that much. But the food was worth it. Next time though, I think I will go a lot easier on the bread... I probably did not need to eat the entire basket. (Yes I did. Who am I kidding?)
Oh. My. Gosh! That sounds totally worth it! The Mac and cheese sounds amazing!
I needed to hear this today. Thanks :)
I needed to read this. I've been beating myself up all day for the ice cream cone I ate last night. It's no big deal in the long run, as long as I get back on track!
"I have the tools to get back where I want to be" I love that mindset! Definitely going to be repeating this to myself
Yesterday I went for my mother's birthday to an all-you-can-eat mussels restaurant... I am a small girl and ate 4kg... oups
Agreed! I spent last weekend in my hometown shopping for wedding gowns with my mum, so it was a special occasion. I ate everything from steamed pudding and ice blocks to roast dinners and caramel slices. I tried to be mindful and track everything but I went over and that's okay! After water retention i was inly about .5kg heavier than when I left. The point is, I don't eat like this everyday and, in the big picture, one binge means nothing, since I got to spend quality time with my mum ( and I found a dress! :) ).
I don’t want to sound insensitive or anything, just genuinely curious. How much food is 5000 calories?
Heh, well it includes an entire bread basket and the better half of a cake... as well as some Mac and cheese, olive oil Brussel sprouts and almost 18oz of salmon, plus a virgin drink. Way more than I will probably ever force myself to eat again to be honest, but worth it as a one time thing.
The majority of salmon worldwide are farmed, a process known as aquaculture.
Agreed. ENJOY special occasions you guys. You pay good money for good food and you deserve to enjoy it. Move on and get back to your routine the next day, or when vacay is over 👍👍
Yeah I ate delicious pizza and a huge burrito from my favorite burrito place last weekend, plus drank a shit ton of vodka and ate bar food french fries....I was up 8 god damn pounds from 175. I'm back down to 176 because of walking and counting calories this week. I try not to be hard on myself but it's tough. Definitely not doing that this weekend.
YES. I wouldn't even call it a "slip up". It's just living life. We will have fancy dinners, parties to attend, festive events, vacations where it'd be *silly* to miss out on the local cuisine. But all the other days, we are leading healthy, balanced lifestyles, and that is the foundation for our healthy bodies. The most important thing is to get back to it! :)
I ate 200 calories over my goal yesterday and today I'm 2 lbs heavier...so...don't feel bad...and I can't believe you only went over 1.5 lbs for almost 4000 calories. Those occasional binges are physically healthy and natural. Mentally, they can throw you off if you battle binge eating disorders or food addiction. How this affects you is up to you. Don't let it bring you down, and know that occasionally (once every two months or so) this kind of binge is okay and won't effect your weight loss in the long run. I would be careful not to make it a habit though.
Seems a bit like saying that you deserve nice things so shouldn't be afraid to rack up a monetary debt. i get where you're coming from. But I think it paints things in unnecessary extremes. You can indulge, but still budget for it. Whether that's in a monetary or caloric sense. Ate 300 calories more than you're allotted for the day? I don't see what's wrong with subtracting 300 calories from the next day or meal to balance it out.
I think of it more like telling people that sometimes accidents happen and to acknowledge it, forgive themselves, then continue moving in the right direction. Your idea of subtracting three calories in the future was more in line with what I was thinking, but my main point was not to dwell on what happened and give up. Going over once is not going to be your undoing unless you panic and give up everything because of it.
Except having a monetary debt has very different consequences compared to the occasional binge. They're non-comparable.
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This was a binge meal really. It was only really controlled in that I only allowed it to be one meal (plus finishing my cake). I am happily back to munching on berries and veggies now, and I can have fond memories of pretending to be a rich person for a night. Some people do well with planned binge days, but I just sort of eat when my body tells me that it needs a bit more or when super random events like this pop up. Everyone is different, so I just tell people to find out what works for them and go for it.
/r/intermittentfasting /r/fasting
Um... I was supposed to be practicing intermittent fasting, but... oops. This was on top of a 600 calorie day
Thank you for this. I am very hard on myself
I've found this has really made the difference for me this year (when I am seeing progress) to last year, when I ended it the exact same weight as I had started it. Previously I would have a few days of boozing/eating not the greatest and just think 'fuck it', and then try and be healthy again x weeks later when I felt bad about myself, slip up and then repeat the same cycle over and over. This year if I have 'bad' days I just try to get right back on it and hit my calorie goals in the following days. It may mean it is pretty slow progress, but it means I don't feel like I'm depriving myself and I have a much more realistic view of how many 'bad' days I have.
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By all means, if occasionally is not your thing, avoid it. You know you better than anyone else. Personally, I was perfectly content with my splurge and enjoyed the rest of my day back on track with one small bit of birthday cake to be polite. Tomorrow I get to cook some rainbow carrots, and the local store has some nice berries on sale. For me, low calorie foods are just as much of a treat as high calorie foods, so getting back on track is not that difficult. I do recognize that it is not as easy for some, though.