Should I "overeat?"

m13a

I've read a bunch on here about the dangers of losing weight too quickly. For clarification, I am a woman, 5'8" and about 165 pounds. I try to be as accurate as possible in my measurements of food and exercise and have lost a total of 15 pounds so far.

Over the past few days I've been eating at a significant caloric deficit - leaving approximately 600-700 calories out of my 1420 calorie goal uneaten. One day this number was high as 1036 calories left over. On that particular day I exercised and did yard work a good amount. However, the caloric deficit is not attributable to exercise on every day.

Before you start scolding me - I am trying to go about this in a healthy way. I've simply been caught up in events and spending time with family over the past few days.

So, my question is: Considering all the talk about losing weight too quickly, is it advisable for me to "overeat" and indulge myself for a day or two? Would this do me any good? I don't really have a history of binge-eating, if that's a concern at all. Or should I just move on from these "losses?" What if this were to happen again?

Ironmaiden4life

Draw a line under it and move on. Just like over eating stuff happens occasionally that interferes with staying on track.

Aim to hit your numbers and if you know you have a busy period coming up next time maybe do some meal prep so you can eat on the run and stay fueled up and on track.

jayliospecky

Wait a minute. Are you saying that on some days you are only eating 700-800 calories? Because that's very low.

m13a

Ironmaiden4life wrote: »

Draw a line under it and move on. Just like over eating stuff happens occasionally that interferes with staying on track.

Aim to hit your numbers and if you know you have a busy period coming up next time maybe do some meal prep so you can eat on the run and stay fueled up and on track.

I suppose I didn't know how busy it would get. Things got overwhelming! I definitely try to get close to my goal usually but I will keep that advice in mind. Thanks for your response.

jaqcan

I wouldn't worry about the days you've been earning exercise calories (I assume you tracked those). Those are usually over estimated. As for under eating, No I wouldn't over eat for a couple days to make up for it. If you had gone over, I also wouldn't suggest punishing yourself with eating less or exercising it off.
Do some meal prep on busy days, or eat calorie dense foods if you're in a hurry (peanut butter and toast would be my go to). Some days we eat less, but you do still need to fuel your body as ironmaiden4life said!

m13a

jayliospecky wrote: »

Wait a minute. Are you saying that on some days you are only eating 700-800 calories? Because that's very low.

Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. Very low, indeed, which is why I'm seeking advice on how to approach or remedy this.

lorrpb

Try to eat up to your goal each day, but if you are accidentally super low one day, make it up the next day or 2,
with healthy foods of course.

LaurenAOK

Many people on this website, myself included, like to pay more attention to our weekly calorie goal than our daily one. So, it's okay if I'm under some days and over some days, as long as at the end of the week I've hit my overall target calorie deficit.

With that in mind, yes, I would eat over my goal a little for the next few days to make up for the days under if I were you. However, a couple of days under also isn't the end of the world. If you want to just keep eating normally from here on out, there won't be any harm done. Live and learn - now you know to plan a little better so you don't end up eating too little on busy days.

We all have days where we accidentally over or under eat. As long as you're generally on track, things should be all good!

atypicalsmith

There will be days where you feel like eating les, just as there are days you will feel like eating more. As long as your overall calories eaten are less than your calories burned, you are good.

jeffpettis

It's not going to matter if you "make up" these calories over the next few days. It happens. Just like some days you'll go over. Sounds like you had plenty of calories those days because if you were that busy doing something that you didn't have time to eat you probably would have felt ill or low on energy had you not had enough calories. Just like when the days come that you overeat, move on. Look at it this way, you are trying to lose weight by being in a deficit, you nailed it!

And before anyone jumps on me for "advocating" VLC, that's absolutely not what I'm saying.

SaffronSunrise

I agree with everyone who said to just move on. I was barely eating 1000 calories last week, but I'd just found out that my sweet dog had cancer and was more concerned with taking care of her than myself. I'm back on track this week & back in the gym. Still working on getting closer to my calories goal this week, but lifting is getting my hungry back!

atypicalsmith

SaffronSunrise wrote: »

I agree with everyone who said to just move on. I was barely eating 1000 calories last week, but I'd just found out that my sweet dog had cancer and was more concerned with taking care of her than myself. I'm back on track this week & back in the gym. Still working on getting closer to my calories goal this week, but lifting is getting my hungry back!

I'm so sorry about your dog. She's lucky to have you taking care of her.

SaffronSunrise

atypicalsmith wrote: »

SaffronSunrise wrote: »

I agree with everyone who said to just move on. I was barely eating 1000 calories last week, but I'd just found out that my sweet dog had cancer and was more concerned with taking care of her than myself. I'm back on track this week & back in the gym. Still working on getting closer to my calories goal this week, but lifting is getting my hungry back!

I'm so sorry about your dog. She's lucky to have you taking care of her.

Aaawww thanks so much! I took her off of commercial food & am making her food (low carb). Needless to say, she's loves mealtime with her boiled chicken, broccoli, green beans and blueberries (horrible combo, I know).

Liftng4Lis

Are you eating normally now?

Cortneyrenee04

I wouldn't plan to eat more, but if you find yourself extra hungry, definitely don't worry if you go over your calorie goal because of an extra snack or two. When that happens to me, I know I'll be making up for it sooner or later!

m13a

jeffpettis wrote: »

It's not going to matter if you "make up" these calories over the next few days. It happens. Just like some days you'll go over. Sounds like you had plenty of calories those days because if you were that busy doing something that you didn't have time to eat you probably would have felt ill or low on energy had you not had enough calories. Just like when the days come that you overeat, move on. Look at it this way, you are trying to lose weight by being in a deficit, you nailed it!

And before anyone jumps on me for "advocating" VLC, that's absolutely not what I'm saying.

I see what you're saying but I think I definitely got hangry and exhausted yesterday. I didn't feel that great the entire time.

Liftng4Lis wrote: »

Are you eating normally now?

I am.





Thank you everyone for all your advice!

I thought I might indulge today but even with eating a relatively hefty portion and adding in dessert, it seems like I'll still come in around my calorie goal. I suppose I'll just continue tracking and trying to meet my goal. I won't try for more but I'll take it easy if my body tells me that it wants some extra over the next couple of days.