When you fall off the wagon...

Helendv8

Do you log? Have had a few VERY dodgy weeks culminating in a proper binge day yesterday with all my old favourite 'bad' foods.

Just logged it all and it felt more like an exercise in self-harm than anything - but I suppose it was useful to see all those cals adding up and give myself a reality check!

So, do you log when you have a bad day like that?

ForeverSunshine09

Always! So I know where I stand. I don't let it affect me mentally though. If it was good food than it was worth it.

CassidyScaglione

Yes, because seeing it all input helps you realize just how unhealthy some habits are... but don't take it too seriously, everybody slips. Just count it as a learning experience and move on.

callsitlikeiseeit

yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup

iecreamheadaches

I log it. Bad day, good day. It doesn't matter.

Your bad days will teach you a lot about your habits you need to correct. I know my certainly did. I LOVE taco bell, but after eating there a couple times and logging my favorite meal (Cheesy Gordita Crunch (cool ranch locos shell), with a cool ranch locos hard taco, a soft taco and a large sweet tea) I realized I was wasting SO MANY calories, and it wasn't even keeping me full until the next meal. (this is generally a lunch trip). I have pretty much given up taco bell now as a result, I'll splurge once in a while though, especially if I know I'm going to have a busy, active day (like yesterday, taking my entire front end of my car apart to get ready to put in this motor! or Junk yarding with dad for parts for whatever he's working on at the time, that'll really get ya moving haha)

and your good days will keep you moving forward.

Although you only learn from it if you want to. And this site/app only works if you're honest with yourself and accurate about what you're eating/logging. I have started weighing everything for the last two weeks and I'm doing really freaking well, I had a small gain (1.7 lbs) because I at some carbs and was all bloaty and yucky but I've been steadily going down since I started, whereas before I was weighing my food I'd lose weight then gain it then lose it then gain it, Stuck in the same 5-10lb loops always.

elaineamj

So far, I always have. Pushes me to work off that surplus! I'm going on a week's vacation soon and am considering not logging. Don't plan to stick within calories for that week although I also don't want to overeat too much. I guess I'll play it by ear. Might be nice to know either way.

Jeniccm

I log it. And the fact that I know I have to log everything helps me think twice about what I'm eating. I just had one of those fall off the wagon weekends and it's good to look back and think - did I really need all of that? Time to get back to it!

lthames0810

I always intend to log those days, but somewhere along the way I lose track.

This past Saturday at a party, I kept count of the beers and the stuffed mushroom appetizers, but began to lose track of the cheese and crackers. I may have been able to recall dinner and dessert, but by the time we were outside by the fire pit with a bottle of Jack Daniels, all was lost.

kgirlhart

I try to log everything everyday to the best of my ability. I did not log everything on Thanksgiving because I forgot to do it that night and then I couldn't remember what all I ate. I usually either log ahead or at the time I eat, but I didn't want to make a big deal at the holiday about what I was eating so I didn't log when I was at my mom's. I wasn't worried about going over that day, but I did try to eat modest portions of the things I had. Most days I do a pretty good job of staying around my goal. A couple of weeks ago I went to visit my son at college and ended up eating out and went over my calories, but I just logged to the best of my ability and tried to do better the next day.

Helendv8

lthames0810 wrote: »

I always intend to log those days, but somewhere along the way I lose track.

This past Saturday at a party, I kept count of the beers and the stuffed mushroom appetizers, but began to lose track of the cheese and crackers. I may have been able to recall dinner and dessert, but by the time we were outside by the fire pit with a bottle of Jack Daniels, all was lost.

This sounds like a gooooood day

I got out of the habit of logging while I was on honeymoon, and have struggled to be consistent with it since I got back. But you're right - it only works if you're honest with yourself!

Thanks guys

BurnWithBarn2015

I dont see it as falling of the wagon...never have
I just ate one day more than normal because i wanted too, couldn't resist, needed it or whatever reason.
The next day back to normal....


yes normal, after all its not a diet you are on, you just have cut back some calories to lose weight. When done it is upping your portions....so normal eating.

tristen_leigh

I only recently started logging my "off the wagon" days. Even if that means I quick add 1000 calories and make a note of what happened that day. You just have to remember you get a fresh new batch of calories the next day to start over with. Good luck!!

dragerk

callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »

yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup

Hahaha - I see what you did there.

hpatti23

I "fall off the wagon" every Friday night to Saturday night. On Fridays, I'm at my thinnest, having eaten well and worked out all week long, then everything goes sideways on the weekend, and by Monday I'm a slug and have to start all over again. I used to get really frustrated, but its a choice, either I want to be an isolated hermit freak on the weekends and be skinny, or join in the rest of the group and cut loose some and risk the consequences.

MissConsistency

Absolutely.

Helendv8

tristen_leigh wrote: »

I only recently started logging my "off the wagon" days. Even if that means I quick add 1000 calories and make a note of what happened that day. You just have to remember you get a fresh new batch of calories the next day to start over with. Good luck!!

Love this way of looking at it. All those lovely calories I get to spend the next day

bigorange70

Yes you always log. It helps so you know where you went wrong. I had a bad week last week and I knew I was eating incorrectly but couldn't help myself. I walked and walked and walked during the week knowing it was not going well and I lost 2 lbs when I weighed this morning. Today my 4 year old wants to go to Waffle House to eat tonight so guess what? Letting the walking begin. HA HA Didn't mean to ramble but it is important to log so you know what you need to do to get back on track. Anyone feel free to add me and you can see my bad meals. HA HA

amusedmonkey

I keep a monthly budget instead of daily, so it's very important for me to log every single day, including high calorie ones. There is no wagon for me. High calorie days are part of my overall diet, just like they are part of any normal weight person's diet. People who are "naturally thin" regulate their calories this way, by having some higher and some lower days without consciously planning it. It all evens out.

emmaprocopiou

I log all the calories , even with quick add if mfp doesn't have it or I'm being lazy as I like to work with a weekly budget of calories.
Before when I was on mfp I wouldn't and that's when I fell off the wagon and lack of logging made me slack in my eating habits , then before I knew it was logging on again with the same weight gain I had previously lost

Not this time

Some days I'm not as hungry and I can bank cals for eating out , takeaways drinks etc
The way I see it good for 80% not so good 20% as I am going to be doing this always and binges happen , not the end of the world

kat_princess12

No, because when I "fall off the wagon" so to speak (which for me is not going a little over or having a treat, but a full-out binge) I do so in such spectacular fashion there's no way I could log with any reasonable degree of accuracy. I find it better to just go to bed, get up the next morning and treat it as the blip it is.

tomteboda

Everything gets logged. There's no wagon, this is just life, and if I can't be honest with myself then I'm in big trouble.

richardgavel

I always log, because just as important as the actual weight loss to be is reinforcing the good habits I've built. That will help me to ensure that I continue along even when life and circumstances cause a day or meal to be off-plan.

aanelson72

BurnWithBarn2015 wrote: »

I dont see it as falling of the wagon...never have
I just ate one day more than normal because i wanted too, couldn't resist, needed it or whatever reason.
The next day back to normal....


yes normal, after all its not a diet you are on, you just have cut back some calories to lose weight. When done it is upping your portions....so normal eating.

This is how I'm learning to view it. It's easy to have a "bad day" and give up. But giving up after a bad day is like "slashing your other tires because you have one flat." It's a process of retraining how you view your health and your habits.

Francl27

You got to log it. Some weeks I go back through my log when I thought that I had a good deficit that week and once I add it up... damn. I guess that's why I didn't lose anything/not as much as I expected.

If I didn't log it, it would be total guesswork.

Helendv8

Massive thanks all for your thoughts on this. I def have high and low calorie days and log them accordingly, but this was a full out, fall down binge day. I mean, it was great, but logging all those calories... Man, makes you realise why I wa so chunky before!

chandanista

I might have to guess but I do my best. Usually when I look at the weekly average it's not actually too bad! Never above maintenance anyway.

HelenRobertsNZ

I always log, because I know that I'll dismiss those unlogged chocolates and chips as somehow not counting. I can easily see myself slipping back to my old "eat a handful of XXX" every time I go to the kitchen habits.

elaineamj

kgirlhart wrote: »

I try to log everything everyday to the best of my ability. I did not log everything on Thanksgiving because I forgot to do it that night and then I couldn't remember what all I ate. I usually either log ahead or at the time I eat, but I didn't want to make a big deal at the holiday about what I was eating so I didn't log when I was at my mom's. I wasn't worried about going over that day, but I did try to eat modest portions of the things I had. Most days I do a pretty good job of staying around my goal. A couple of weeks ago I went to visit my son at college and ended up eating out and went over my calories, but I just logged to the best of my ability and tried to do better the next day.

I have started taking notes on my phone at parties/when eating out. Nothing too crazy... Stuff like

2 cups sautéed mushrooms
3 deviled eggs
1 slice ham
1 pc lasagna

Then I estimate as best as I can when I get home. Taking a few notes on my phone isn't too distracting and takes only a few seconds.

scolaris

Just get back on. I do log it all, even if it's just approximations. The practice of restarting after a flop is probably one of the most important skill sets we will all need to master. So I chalk it up as practice & keep on going.