Is this normal?

adrianegenette582

Hello everyone. I normally follow a 40/35/25 ratio for my carbs, fat, and protein. However I have been sick with the flu and a sinus infection for more than two weeks and have really struggled with my diet and exercise. Yesterday I had a sudden craving for crackers and ate an entire box of nut thins and an entire box of saltines, putting me 900 calories over for the day and skewing my macros. To top it all off, I literally only left my bed a few times. I am feeling really ashamed that I let myself go like that, and I was wondering if anyone has any advice for how to prevent this in the future. I don't want to get in the habit of binging just because I am sick. It also creates a vicious cycle where because I'm not eating right I have no energy to workout, so I'm risking weight gain on all fronts. Thanks for any and all help.

nutmegoreo

What is your weightloss goal set to? If it's at 2 lb/week, good news is you were still under your maintenance levels.

What is your daily calorie goal? When I was aiming for 1200 calories I would overeat at least once a week. I found it much better to increase the daily goal and have more control over myself.

As for the macro split, a one off isn't going to cause significant issues. I always look at fats and proteins as minimums, many others do as well.

Finally, focus on getting better, depending on how steep your deficit is, it could make it more difficult for your body to fight things off. Consider eating a bit more while you regain your health.

adrianegenette582

My calorie goals is 1250, but I always add in my exercise. My goal is 2lb/week as well. When I mentioned I was 900 over, that was at maintenance level, not weight loss level. I had really overdone it!

lioness803

Were you undereating when you were sick, causing your body to desperately want the calories? One binge isn't going to derail your progress (even eating 900 calories over your maintenance, that wouldn't even make you gain 1 pound) The macros won't affect you weight loss either. Unless you're sick all the time and will have this problem monthly, you've got nothing to worry about. Focus on getting well, and then get back on track.

AnnPT77

Are you sick very often? If not, I wouldn't worry about one incident of over-eating while sick. Just log it and go on.

In general, one's (so-called) will power can be somewhat reduced when sick (just as it can with lack of sleep or any other physical stressor). That's one possible explanation.

How much weight do you have to lose? Unless you're at least 50+ pounds overweight, your 2 pounds a week loss rate may be too aggressive. Too-rapid weight loss can lead people to fall off the wagon and over-eat, under the best of circumstances. Add that to a stressor like illness, and it could become more likely. (BTW, there are lots of reasons to lose weight at a more moderate rate unless obese, such as unnecessary loss of muscle mass, damage to hair/nails, fatigue, weakness, increased likelihood of illness (?), etc.)

adrianegenette582

Thanks for your replies. I usually don't get sick much, but I've been sick twice in the past two weeks, once with the flu and once with a sinus infection. Both times I had intense cravings and ate nothing but crackers for a day. I don't feel like I'm underrating on a regular basis...I'm within 5 lbs of my goal weight.

ccsernica

adrianegenette582 wrote: »

Thanks for your replies. I usually don't get sick much, but I've been sick twice in the past two weeks, once with the flu and once with a sinus infection. Both times I had intense cravings and ate nothing but crackers for a day. I don't feel like I'm underrating on a regular basis...I'm within 5 lbs of my goal weight.

Then it's as @AnnPT77 said. Your goal rate is too aggressive, especially if you're already at a healthy weight and you're just taking a few more pounds off for aesthetics. At this point 0.5 lbs/week is more in order. This probably has something to do with bingeing while ill. Underfeeding yourself plus the stress of illness made you twice as hungry as otherwise.

Machka9

adrianegenette582 wrote: »

Hello everyone. I normally follow a 40/35/25 ratio for my carbs, fat, and protein. However I have been sick with the flu and a sinus infection for more than two weeks and have really struggled with my diet and exercise. Yesterday I had a sudden craving for crackers and ate an entire box of nut thins and an entire box of saltines, putting me 900 calories over for the day and skewing my macros. To top it all off, I literally only left my bed a few times. I am feeling really ashamed that I let myself go like that, and I was wondering if anyone has any advice for how to prevent this in the future. I don't want to get in the habit of binging just because I am sick. It also creates a vicious cycle where because I'm not eating right I have no energy to workout, so I'm risking weight gain on all fronts. Thanks for any and all help.

Did you need the salt?

Sometimes when I'm sick, I need more electrolytes, of which salt is the main one, and so I'll crave potato chips and salted crackers and cheese and pickles and things like that.

acorsaut89

So two parts to this: the first . . . as someone said . . . when you're sick your main focus is to get better. That usually involves a ton of sleep and general lounging around as the more energy we expend the less our body has to fight the illness we have.

Second: if you workout why is your protein ratio so low? The carbs I can see but is there a reason your protein intake is much lower than your fat intake? The more protein you have you have a better chance of satiating hunger cravings if you're concerned about that. I am not telling you how to set up your food . . . I am really just curious why it's so low.

Tacklewasher

When sick, I eat what I want, log it and move on.

The bigger questions is why are you trying to lose 2 lbs per week when you are 5 lbs from goal weight? Please, please stop doing that. Aim for .5 lbs at this point.