Trying to get over a bad day yesterday

All my hurdles with losing weight in the past have been due to having a bad day and then tossing it all in. I used to have regular get togethers with our neighbours & drink and eat loads. I absolutely love these get-together and would always say there's no way I'm giving that up, so just give up my diet. We've moved now & don't have those nearly so often any more. I'm 6 weeks in to my lifestyle change now and until yesterday had not had a bad day of too much alcohol (some alcohol but always budgeted & fit into my calories). Yesterday we went to the pub for lunch and met up with a few other mums, the kids had a play & we drank loads of prosecco. We were then invited to next door neighbours for pizza and more wine. I only had 1 slice of pizza and limited my food, but drank way too much. For the first time ever I still logged it all, and I was 300 calories over maintenance. Aarrrggh!!! I'm telling myself it's just one day, don't give up. It was such a fun day, one of those spontaneous crazy days of sunshine, lots of fun and alcohol, and I love those days. I just have to get back on track and not beat myself up about it.

Writing that helped me put it in perspective and feel better about it.

Replies

  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,128 Member
    300 calories over maintenance one day, every once in a while, isn't going to halt your weight loss, it may slow it a little but not significantly. Try maybe focusing on your weekly calories rather than daily, when you have a day like this. You've already made a better choice by only having one slice of pizza, give yourself a break. You've done great by writing your post and taking a bit of perspective :smile: It's just a blip on the radar, carry on.
  • Tiikerinraidat
    Tiikerinraidat Posts: 61 Member
    This is something that has also ruined my weight loss efforts before. But if you think about it, that 300 kcals over maintenance on one day won't ruin your weightloss - but giving up DEFINITELY will do so.
  • mudonthetires856
    mudonthetires856 Posts: 79 Member
    I know it's easy to give up but you don't always want to take the easy way out. I've had days where I was 1,000 over maintenance and still lost that week. Even if you don't lose and gain a bit, no big deal. Just log everything and move on. I'd say 99% of us have days where we go over. Just don't do it very often. If I know in advance that I'll be going out for drinks, I'll eat less throughout the week to bank my calories. That one day will not negate all the work you've done unless you have those kind of days frequently.
  • animatorswearbras
    animatorswearbras Posts: 1,001 Member
    This is me every weekend! As long as you're under maintenance when averaged out over the week no worries, I see this as just part of my lifestyle, sure I lose a bit slower but I still lose. I'd rather be happy and social and go down the pub now and again, if I totally changed every aspect of my life I'd give up, because I still allow social events I've managed to stick to MFP for 5 months solid. :)

    I bet you if you look at your deficit the day before or the day after you'll be under maintenance when adding together those two day, 300 is nothing and is good for your sanity. ;) Don't sweat it. x
  • kenyonhaff
    kenyonhaff Posts: 1,377 Member
    You know, for that sort of awesome day, I think that's honestly worth being 300 calories over. That's just a blip on the screen, and days like that are often all too few in our lives.

    Yeah, you don't want to go over like that often. But I've found that to accept a few times a year that there will be times you will go over or there's no good way to log anyway. It's OK.

    Don't let perfectionism ruin a perfectly good day.

  • LotusCass
    LotusCass Posts: 145 Member
    This is me every weekend! As long as you're under maintenance when averaged out over the week no worries, I see this as just part of my lifestyle, sure I lose a bit slower but I still lose. I'd rather be happy and social and go down the pub now and again, if I totally changed every aspect of my life I'd give up, because I still allow social events I've managed to stick to MFP for 5 months solid. :)

    I bet you if you look at your deficit the day before or the day after you'll be under maintenance when adding together those two day, 300 is nothing and is good for your sanity. ;) Don't sweat it. x

    Thank you for posting that! That's always been my failure, that I felt I'd have to give up these fun days of lots of prosecco in the sunshine if I was to lose weight. I'm so glad to hear you've stuck to your goals after 5 months even with days like these. You've given me more hope.
  • vivelajackie
    vivelajackie Posts: 321 Member
    My past month had two weekends where both my husband and I indulged. Our anniversary we had burgers the size of our head, fried pickles, chocolate truffles, and beer. The next weekend we had two days of eating out and beer, ice cream, and a burger lovingly called the Big Pig.

    Between those meals though? We were in a deficit. I still managed to be 10lbs lighter when I did my monthly check-in. So. A bad day doesn't have to turn into a bad week to a bad month to a bad year (whoops, me). You got this.
  • cis5
    cis5 Posts: 5 Member
    If I have a bad day, I reflect on what I might have eaten before! Also I'm a strong believer in the 'Mind' I'm sure if you turn those negative thoughts into positive thoughts, the body will compensate.
  • InkAndApples
    InkAndApples Posts: 201 Member
    Bad day? That sounds like a lovely day! Hope you enjoyed it :smile:

    I always use a weekly deficit rather than a daily one, it's the one thing I took with me from weight watchers years ago. Much more sanity preserving!
  • angelawrence11
    angelawrence11 Posts: 19 Member
    Same here. Yesterday we held a housewarming 'make your own pizza party' with friends. I budgeted calories all say, ran, walked extra (total run/walk distance was 9 miles) and thought I'd be okif I logged after and just ate in moderation during. At the end, my estimates say I'm 500 over maintenance without any walking added back in, 300 over with half of walking calories added in. I'm kicking myself because I worked so hard for it, and then overdid it on the garlic knots. It's one day though, and it's going to happen if we want to maintain some normalcy in our lives. You got this moving forward!
  • clicketykeys
    clicketykeys Posts: 6,575 Member
    If you know you have a big meal coming up, try pre-logging it. This gives you an idea of how you can 'spend' your calorie allowance and lets you make better-informed choices about what you really want and what you might pass on.

    At any rate, sounds like you're sticking with it. Good for you!
  • junodog1
    junodog1 Posts: 4,792 Member
    Bad day? That sounds like a lovely day! Hope you enjoyed it :smile:

    I always use a weekly deficit rather than a daily one, it's the one thing I took with me from weight watchers years ago. Much more sanity preserving!

    Yup, I worry about the week overall too. And for me it is also the most valuable thing I learned from WW.

    OP if you use this thought process, and your indulgences are on the weekend, set your week to Sunday thru Friday.