The Monday Morning Bounce Back

anewell28

What tips, motivation and support can you guys share on bouncing back on Monday morning after a bad weekend?

I am trying to maintain weight right now, but try to stay in the diet mindset. I had a fun weekend out with my friends to celebrate Christmas and a birthday and wayyyyy overshot my calorie goals. I know it's life and a couple bad days here and there isn't the end of the world.
My plan is to stick to lean proteins, veggies and fruits this week to bounce back while staying active. I learned this weekend that the fattening foods aren't that great and not really worth the binge. Always a learning process!

What have y'all learned?

jemhh

Just go back to my normal deficit--don't try to "make up" for going over in calories the previous two days. That is what works for me. Otherwise I end up just bouncing back and forth, back and forth, between too many and too few calories per day.

toxikon

Because I know that I'm more likely to indulge more on weekends, I generally work that into my weekly goal.

So let's say I want to average 1400 calories per day. So I have 9800 calories total for the week.

I want to be able to eat more on Saturday and Sunday, so I'll set those days to 2000 calories per day. That means I have 5800 left for the other 5 days, so after dividing them up, I have 1160 per day for Mon - Fri.

It's very easy for me to deal with a lower calorie goal on weekdays when I'm distracted at work and can sip on tea all day. Then I can enjoy my weekends without worrying too much!

kommodevaran

No need to bounce back or restrict intake (quantity and/or quality) or overexercise to make up for indulgences. No foods are intrinsically fattening; a calorie surplus over time will make you gain weight. I don't know what you mean by "binge", but if you overate until sick, and/or if you feel that a fun weekend of celebration is somehow "bad", maybe you need to assess whether your approach is healthy.

kristen8000

Just go back to normal life. It was my birthday yesterday. I had 2 treats planned - ate them - enjoyed them - and now I'm back to logging accurately again. Some of the days last week I didn't meet my maintainace calorie goal, so I feel that my over indulgence and my under indulgence last week will cancel each other out.

What I find really helpful is weighing everyday and tracking that in Libra (or Trendweight or Happy Scale). If your weight fluctuates, it smoothes things out so you see the accurate picture. Since entering maintainance in September, I've gradually lost more weight because I've been balancing out my "crazy" days with "low" days. Maintainance is a balance. Working out a deal with yourself and carrying that out.

Lounmoun

Just go back to normal eating and exercise.

Decide if next time you are going to overdo things so much or figure out how to stick closer to your goals and still have fun.

fitoverfortymom

On Monday, just get back to what's normal. Don't fret over the past or try to overcompensate for it. It's a new day, just stick with your plan.