Making up after a binge day

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pbandz
pbandz Posts: 128 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Today was bad. I went 350+ over my goal (I'm assuming I under calculated). Now I walked 9 miles today so myfitnesspal says I'm still in the green but I still feel bad about eating a lot of junk.
What are suggestions for the day after a binge day? Is eating mostly veggies and fruits a good/bad idea? I plan on skipping the coffee and opting for a spinach smoothie. Any meal suggestions would be greatly appreciated . Thank you
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Replies

  • tcarp8
    tcarp8 Posts: 370 Member
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    Don't look at 1 day. Look at 1 week.
  • DaddieCat
    DaddieCat Posts: 3,646 Member
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    Yup... one day does not make or break you. Just start tomorrow fresh and hit your goal. Getting caught up in a punishment cycle like this is not a healthy way of going about this.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    The day after a binge you should move on like it never happened. Trying to make up for your guilt often starts the restriction/binge cycle. Go back to what you would normally do on a Monday.
  • KrisiAnnH
    KrisiAnnH Posts: 352 Member
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    Just log it and move on. Depending on your overall weekly deficit, 350 calories is very very unlikely to make any kind of difference. You'll probably experience some fluctuations due to water weight, depending on what you've eaten of course, for example if you've eaten foods particularly high in sodium. But that will soon be gone in a day or two if you stick to your goal the next few days. Just count it as an off day and carry on as usual :)
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
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    You are still in the green, don't worry about it. Even when I'm in the red, I just go back to normal the next day. As others have said, punishing yourself (or feeling guilty for that matter) is not a good place to be.
  • kissedbythesunshine
    kissedbythesunshine Posts: 416 Member
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    I'm 400 over tonight after an unplanned piece of delicious red velvet cheesecake my husband brought home. No worries because I'll burn it off in the morning. I suggest you either do the same or just log it and move on.
  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,757 Member
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    I got 50 lbs overweight by doing that everyday. I lost the weight by doing that occasionally. It happens. Food is great, enjoy it. make tomorrow a better day. You are not going to eat 100% perfect everyday. I doubt that even the most serious of athletes in competitions eat to the atom everyday either.
    There are days where I skip a meal because I know I am going out, or want to have a few beers. If it kind of just happens, I don't worry about it at all. Just try not to make it habitual :)
  • janjunie
    janjunie Posts: 1,200 Member
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    350 calories and in the green?? Trust me this is not a binge.
  • lseed87
    lseed87 Posts: 1,110 Member
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    Just eat normal
    Workout a little more
    Eat but minus 350 to your goal


    Just some options
  • Obnoxa
    Obnoxa Posts: 187 Member
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    You're perpetuating a negative attitude by feeling bad or trying to make up for it. If you plan on living a healthier lifestyle permanently, you have to accept some days won't be full of win. It's not realistic expecting to never eat outside your goal and its not fair to punish yourself when that happens.
    Log it and move on; one day won't even make a dent in your progress as long as you are on track most days ;)
  • scolaris
    scolaris Posts: 2,145 Member
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    I have a weekly calorie goal. If I eat or drink a little too much I add some to each day of that week's log. For me it's helpful to see it & remember 'oh yeah! I had four glasses of wine on Saturday. Lay off the wine girl!' Otherwise I would go over, forget all about it & by Tuesday be like 'mama wants to open a bottle of wine!' Hahaha
  • ElJefeChief
    ElJefeChief Posts: 651 Member
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    No offense, but 350 sounds like a pretty sad excuse for a binge.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    edited November 2015
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    pbandz wrote: »
    Today was bad. I went 350+ over my goal (I'm assuming I under calculated). Now I walked 9 miles today so myfitnesspal says I'm still in the green but I still feel bad about eating a lot of junk.
    What are suggestions for the day after a binge day? Is eating mostly veggies and fruits a good/bad idea? I plan on skipping the coffee and opting for a spinach smoothie. Any meal suggestions would be greatly appreciated . Thank you
    You are in the green. That is a fantastic day!!!!! :mrgreen:
    Eat as if the next day is a brand new day: coffee, meet, eggs, veggies -- whatever you have been planning for yourself lately.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
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    You mean you didn't meet your macros? One day won't hurt, except perhaps for protein and weight lifting or carbs and long runs, etc. If you need to bump up a macro tomorrow a bit for performance reasons, that sounds fine.

    Same with micronutrients, really, since you are talking spinach and the like. Those won't get wiped out in a day, but if it makes you feel better, go for it. I have a cold, so I really am looking at my micros through food a lot right now myself. I take a supplement, but still :) Even if it's psychosomatic, feeling better is the point, lol.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    350 calories over your goal is not a binge. Just return to your regularly scheduled deficit. An important part of this process is learning how to healthily handle mistakes.
  • crb426
    crb426 Posts: 657 Member
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    On Friday I ate well during the first half of the day, but had a rough day at work and wanted a beer... and spinach artichoke dip, and fish and chips... I knew it wasn't going to be good, but when I got home and logged my calories (based on the restaurant's nutrition info on the web) I found out my one meal totaled over 2200 calories, and it was only that low because I shared with my husband. That was JUST for dinner. My total for the day was almost 3000 calories (and my exercise was minimal). I was nervous about it, and thought about not weighing myself for an entire week just to have some time to get back too a normal weight. But I sucked it up and weighed myself the next day...and I still lost a half pound. And I lost another half pound two days later.

    My point is, sometimes a splurge/binge might set you back a little but it won't ruin your diet completely.
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
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    I think you need to re-evaluate the way you see food. Eating over your calorie allowance here and there is not a 'binge'. I think the word 'binge' is vastly over-used and 9 times out of 10 inaccurately used. You're a human being, not a robot programmed to survive on a certain figure each day or else. 350, in the grand scheme of things, is totally okay - not to mention you more than made up for it. I'd say, relax, breathe, keep up the hard work :)
  • kristen6350
    kristen6350 Posts: 1,094 Member
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    You don't "make" up for it. You learn from it. You don't do it again. Log it and move on. Do better today.
  • MorganMoreaux
    MorganMoreaux Posts: 691 Member
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    350 cal is NOT a binge, especially if you are still in the green. I am concerned about your relationship with food if you are feeling bad about this and considering this a binge. It seems a little disordered.

    Subsequently, if you are "trying" to eat healthy all the time, and are severely restricting yourself you are setting yourself up for binges. I did that for a long time, would try to completely cut "junk" out of my diet and could only do so for about a month at a time, then I would binge (4000 cal - 6000 cal in the red at a time).

    What works for me now is to allow for some higher quality "junk" in my diet daily. I still won't eat anything that is a trigger for me wanting more, or foods I lose self control on (ie donuts), but I allow myself to indulge in sweets daily. I work them into my calories. Right now it's a slice of chocolate cheesecake a night (it doesn't have ingredients like high fructose corn syrup etc which seem to trigger me). It's 390 calories and fits within my calorie budget. The rest of the day I eat fairly "clean" - raw fruits and veggies. I no longer have cravings, and I have stopped obsessing about food.

    Good luck!
  • pbandz
    pbandz Posts: 128 Member
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    DrEnalg wrote: »
    No offense, but 350 sounds like a pretty sad excuse for a binge.
    I more or less consider it a binge because all of my calories came from junk food

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