justifying little mini binge
CarvedTones
Posts: 2,340 Member
yesterday I went over by 250 calories. Today i am going through my calories quicker than normal and could easily run out. There is more candy around than usual because of some my son had in a big bowl and didn't want to take with him on a move (he is trying to cut back). I also indulged because I knew justification was coming. I am going to move yesterdays overage to today even though that will drop me really low for any dinner, but the justification is coming - I am paddling about 3 hours tonight. Paddling hard on a SUP, probably in the touring range:
So I will make it all disappear and have plenty of calories for dinner. I kinda feel like I should have used it on something more nutritious. No doubt the people who believe the woo about added sugar being evil think I will be dead by morning. I am torn as to whether it is a slippery slope or not. I don't think it will turn into a full fledged binge; I know the stuff is going away and I know I will effectively erase the overage anyway, but I haven't allowed myself this much junk in so little time since I started my loss.
So I will make it all disappear and have plenty of calories for dinner. I kinda feel like I should have used it on something more nutritious. No doubt the people who believe the woo about added sugar being evil think I will be dead by morning. I am torn as to whether it is a slippery slope or not. I don't think it will turn into a full fledged binge; I know the stuff is going away and I know I will effectively erase the overage anyway, but I haven't allowed myself this much junk in so little time since I started my loss.
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Replies
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You know what, as long as you've got room in your goal to not be hangry before bed, more power to ya.
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Over eating is not the same as bingeing.
Work to your weekly goal. I often have 2 days over goal per week.17 -
I've seen your threads/comments here & there and I relate to your concerns. We both know how weight loss/maintenance works, we know that we don't have to deprive ourselves, but that we just need to use moderation and make sure things fit into our day. But we both have a weakness for sweets. As you've said, you're fine for today, but I definitely don't think you should let it become a habit. The first thing I would do is throw the rest of the candy out. I had taken off 40 lbs & maintained it for a couple of years (still had another 30 or so to go). My hubby started getting into the habit of bringing grocery bags full of marked-down candy home after holidays. A piece here, a piece there, a few pieces earlier in the day that I told myself I would "make up for" later, etc, and now I have put 20 back on. I vote for slippery slope (but wouldn't worry about this one time).10
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I went over by about 3,000 calories on Sunday. Big deal. It was a special occasion, I went crazy and enjoyed the heck out of myself. I ate to excess, drank a bunch, and even had like a 1,000 calorie dessert!
Why stress over 250 calories when you are in maintenance and its all about staying in a range anyway? You'd have to eat like that for 2 weeks to even gain a pound.
Enjoy your chocolate and enjoy your paddling! Life is meant to be enjoyed not endured!20 -
I rolled the overage from yesterday into today and made it even. I will log only part of the exercise this afternoon but probably still end the day even. unless something happens to keep me from paddling (weather is good, no conflicts, have all my gear with me). It still somehow feels wrong because of all the time I have avoided doing this.1
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It will only turn into a full binge if you allow it to do so.
It all comes down to choices. Each meal/snack selection is a choice, make this choice to indulge but then go right back to making positive choices. Topically, what's the old saying about rough seas making skilled sailors? We all get faced with some sort of challenges to our plans each day, learning to navigate what is and isn't an acceptable excursion is part of the learning process. You're already cognizant of the potential for this choice to turn into a spiral so be proactive about preventing that reality; double down on pre-planning the next few days of meals and activities.5 -
CarvedTones wrote: »I rolled the overage from yesterday into today and made it even. I will log only part of the exercise this afternoon but probably still end the day even. unless something happens to keep me from paddling (weather is good, no conflicts, have all my gear with me). It still somehow feels wrong because of all the time I have avoided doing this.
Don't waste time feeling bad about it. But do remember that budgeting calories is very much like budgeting money- it's better to plan & save up ahead of time rather than spend now and hope the check gets deposited tomorrow
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When I started maintaining one of the hardest things I had to learn was balance. After a long time in a deficit, it was difficult to convince myself that a day or two (or six) over didn't mean I was immediately going to gain all the weight back.
If you enjoyed the candy and it all works out in your week, then relax. You can drive yourself absolutely nuts trying to be perfect all the time.1 -
There's really no need to justify an overage. It is what it is and is negligible in a day as long as your net weekly goal is still on track. The long running average is a bit more reliable than the day to day stuff.3
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If you're paddling for 3 hours, you need more fuel. You chose candy instead of chicken. I'd call that a choice, not a binge. And honestly, I'd probably do something similar if I needed more calories (says the woman who works a pint of Halo Top into her calories almost every day).
I'm maintaining, but since it's summer here, we go out to eat with friends almost every week. I'm compensating with the once a week eat and drink whatever I want by eating at a deficit for the other six days. Thus far, it's working well. I'm not about to give up living my life, but I also weigh myself every day and weigh/log all my food so I can catch any possible weight creep early on.6 -
We can justify anything.5
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Maintenance is a lifelong process. Not every day is going to be perfect. As long as you're on par with your diet most of the time, don't sweat the one offs.4
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You just took the leap into maintenance. Pay as you go.
The brain whether you consciously know it or not wants you to eat it back. This is where the rubber meets the road. You are more than willing to apply yourself, you can read that in all of your posts. You're true blue and honest with yourself.
You don't want to go backwards, none of us do. You've accomplished a major achievement. Congratulations.
UP your focus until you're clicking and clacking back down the tracks at your optimum setpoint. Cheat meals, mini-binges, splurge meals, "guilty" pleasures, carb nites, beast mode at the gym.
There is more work to do. The brain does not care if you are at the crossroads, the middle and it does not care if you cave in every single day. The brain does not care. The brain doesn't care if you had a textbook weight releasing.
Don't compensate for overeating by undereating. Stripping meals while doing more super intense cardio followed by yet another binge that wants to creep in there is not the way to navigate.
There's more work to do. What you've experienced is mission creep. It's sneaky, it's subtle but it can turn into a roaring lion. UP your laser focus once again.5 -
CarvedTones wrote: »I rolled the overage from yesterday into today and made it even. I will log only part of the exercise this afternoon but probably still end the day even. unless something happens to keep me from paddling (weather is good, no conflicts, have all my gear with me). It still somehow feels wrong because of all the time I have avoided doing this.
Life happens. Deal with it. Log everything honestly and move on. You're way overthinking this.
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250 cals is NOT a binge. If you believe in cal banking, it should average out w/in a week.
3-5k cals would be a binge. Hard to average out 2-3 days of food intake in a week but it can be done in 10-14 days as long as you don't binge again w/in that time period.
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I wouldn't call 250 calories over your goal a binge. That can easily fit into your calorie budget if you look at your calories from a weekly average perspective rather than just day by day. All you have to do is compensate for it elsewhere in the week, which is exactly what you did.
There's also nothing wrong with using calories on candy if you enjoy the candy and it fits your goals. I have chocolate every day. Now that I'm in maintenance, I have more chocolate than I did when I was losing weight.
It can be really hard to change your mindset from "I have to cut calories wherever possible" to "I need to eat all my calories." That was the toughest thing about transitioning to maintenance for me.6 -
And one of my kids did something that I had to deal with and didn't get to meet up with the group to paddle. I can just go over and deal with it tomorrow.4
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CarvedTones wrote: »And one of my kids did something that I had to deal with and didn't get to meet up with the group to paddle. I can just go over and deal with it tomorrow.
Yep... that's where the problem lies with "I'll make up for it later".
I actually agree with the point people have been making that 250 calories one day is not worth worrying about and to take a long-range view. *Except* that my own experience with sweets tells me diligence is really required.3 -
CarvedTones wrote: »And one of my kids did something that I had to deal with and didn't get to meet up with the group to paddle. I can just go over and deal with it tomorrow.
Yep... that's where the problem lies with "I'll make up for it later".
I actually agree with the point people have been making that 250 calories one day is not worth worrying about and to take a long-range view. *Except* that my own experience with sweets tells me diligence is really required.
Actually, as of now I am even. I had rolled forward the overage from yesterday and then snacked to where I had almost nothing left for today, thinking I would earn my dinner calories. I should eat and roll it and try to get out and paddle tomorrow.1 -
CarvedTones wrote: »CarvedTones wrote: »And one of my kids did something that I had to deal with and didn't get to meet up with the group to paddle. I can just go over and deal with it tomorrow.
Yep... that's where the problem lies with "I'll make up for it later".
I actually agree with the point people have been making that 250 calories one day is not worth worrying about and to take a long-range view. *Except* that my own experience with sweets tells me diligence is really required.
Actually, as of now I am even. I had rolled forward the overage from yesterday and then snacked to where I had almost nothing left for today, thinking I would earn my dinner calories. I should eat and roll it and try to get out and paddle tomorrow.
Pre-eating planned exercise calories - or getting into an "earn my dinner" mindset - is a very slippery slope, one that's likely doomed to fail. The issue is that if people tend to 'blow" their allotment for the day and keep trying to play catch-up, the tendency is to say, "*Kitten* it! I've totally screwed up this day/week, might as well go big or go home."
As mentioned earlier, log what you ate honestly, learn from it and move on. Tomorrow is another day and a brand new chance to start fresh. 9 -
Right now, I am rolling things to tomorrow and I may yet get away with it by paddling tomorrow instead. Still, I should go the other way.0
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CarvedTones wrote: »I rolled the overage from yesterday into today and made it even. I will log only part of the exercise this afternoon but probably still end the day even. unless something happens to keep me from paddling (weather is good, no conflicts, have all my gear with me). It still somehow feels wrong because of all the time I have avoided doing this.
Have you considered just using your weekly number rather than jiggering around food and exercise to make your diary look like you want? It’s been helpful for me.6 -
CarvedTones wrote: »I rolled the overage from yesterday into today and made it even. I will log only part of the exercise this afternoon but probably still end the day even. unless something happens to keep me from paddling (weather is good, no conflicts, have all my gear with me). It still somehow feels wrong because of all the time I have avoided doing this.
Have you considered just using your weekly number rather than jiggering around food and exercise to make your diary look like you want? It’s been helpful for me.
I have rarely allowed an overage to go past a day. But it's pretty simple; if the calories are used up and I want to eat more before bed, I log it on the next day. If the exercise doesn't catch me up tomorrow, I will either eat really light or I will go ahead and log the overage. Last I weighed, a couple of days ago, I was 3 pounds below the top of my 5 pound range and the top of my range is 4 pounds below the weight I set as my goal (to stay at or below a BMI of 24.9). All kinds of room for a misstep and correction yet I still have anxiety about it.2 -
CarvedTones wrote: »CarvedTones wrote: »I rolled the overage from yesterday into today and made it even. I will log only part of the exercise this afternoon but probably still end the day even. unless something happens to keep me from paddling (weather is good, no conflicts, have all my gear with me). It still somehow feels wrong because of all the time I have avoided doing this.
Have you considered just using your weekly number rather than jiggering around food and exercise to make your diary look like you want? It’s been helpful for me.
I have rarely allowed an overage to go past a day. But it's pretty simple; if the calories are used up and I want to eat more before bed, I log it on the next day. If the exercise doesn't catch me up tomorrow, I will either eat really light or I will go ahead and log the overage. Last I weighed, a couple of days ago, I was 3 pounds below the top of my 5 pound range and the top of my range is 4 pounds below the weight I set as my goal (to stay at or below a BMI of 24.9). All kinds of room for a misstep and correction yet I still have anxiety about it.
Curved.... I think we are a lot alike. I also have issues with not hitting my targets perfect everyday. I think people like us have control issues. When we were larger, we let food control us, now we have gone the exact opposite direction. While i do not consider what you did to be a binge, we are talking about someone who once ate an entire jar of pickles then tracked it lol, eating for a week has helped me in certain situations. Really more cutting cals a couple of days to enjoy an occasion. I still don't like to do not often because I think it could lead to kitten it days. That's just part of my anxiety. Message me if you need any support. Best wishes.1 -
CarvedTones wrote: »CarvedTones wrote: »And one of my kids did something that I had to deal with and didn't get to meet up with the group to paddle. I can just go over and deal with it tomorrow.
Yep... that's where the problem lies with "I'll make up for it later".
I actually agree with the point people have been making that 250 calories one day is not worth worrying about and to take a long-range view. *Except* that my own experience with sweets tells me diligence is really required.
Actually, as of now I am even. I had rolled forward the overage from yesterday and then snacked to where I had almost nothing left for today, thinking I would earn my dinner calories. I should eat and roll it and try to get out and paddle tomorrow.
Or you could eat and not even bother to roll it over because long-term those 250 calories won't make any difference as an occasional thing. Look back through your diary and add up how many days you were under your calorie goal. Bet you don't have to go back that far before you have hit that 250 calories. Learn from it and move forward guilt free.3 -
psychod787 wrote: »CarvedTones wrote: »CarvedTones wrote: »I rolled the overage from yesterday into today and made it even. I will log only part of the exercise this afternoon but probably still end the day even. unless something happens to keep me from paddling (weather is good, no conflicts, have all my gear with me). It still somehow feels wrong because of all the time I have avoided doing this.
Have you considered just using your weekly number rather than jiggering around food and exercise to make your diary look like you want? It’s been helpful for me.
I have rarely allowed an overage to go past a day. But it's pretty simple; if the calories are used up and I want to eat more before bed, I log it on the next day. If the exercise doesn't catch me up tomorrow, I will either eat really light or I will go ahead and log the overage. Last I weighed, a couple of days ago, I was 3 pounds below the top of my 5 pound range and the top of my range is 4 pounds below the weight I set as my goal (to stay at or below a BMI of 24.9). All kinds of room for a misstep and correction yet I still have anxiety about it.
Curved.... I think we are a lot alike. I also have issues with not hitting my targets perfect everyday. I think people like us have control issues. When we were larger, we let food control us, now we have gone the exact opposite direction. While i do not consider what you did to be a binge, we are talking about someone who once ate an entire jar of pickles then tracked it lol, eating for a week has helped me in certain situations. Really more cutting cals a couple of days to enjoy an occasion. I still don't like to do not often because I think it could lead to kitten it days. That's just part of my anxiety. Message me if you need any support. Best wishes.
My anxiety about this sort of thing is a little over the top. I finally went ahead and logged even more as over yesterday. It got cancelled out by other anxiety. Last week I was worried about what was then the upcoming weekend when I would be away at my son't graduation and go out to dinner and eat well, including a rich dessert. I started rounding up on anything I wasn't sure of for food and only logging a little of my exercise. I used the elliptical at the hotel, both mornings, only logging part of it one morning. I continued with the low loging of exercise early this week.
Anyway, all that caught up with me; when I weighed this morning, I set a new low (by less than half a pound) for me in the last 34 years or so. I am still inside my 5 pound range, but a little lower in it instead of a little higher. It could be a swing and in two days it may swing the other way. But right now, I feel kinda stupid for even worrying about it.11 -
'i see you posting all over the forums. it is obvious how hard you have worked and how serious you take your fitness. you are going to be fine. you can exercise extra during the week, and eat some fish dinners with vegetables to compensate for the calories.
Maybe it is too much pressure to try and hit a precise calorie goal every single day. It is asking a lot of yourself.
Some of my favorite things to eat for dinner after i've eaten a meal or two out over the weekend are; broiled scallops, boiled shrimp, and fish, lobster, or crab. These are so low in calories..yet so good tasting.
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CarvedTones wrote: »psychod787 wrote: »CarvedTones wrote: »CarvedTones wrote: »I rolled the overage from yesterday into today and made it even. I will log only part of the exercise this afternoon but probably still end the day even. unless something happens to keep me from paddling (weather is good, no conflicts, have all my gear with me). It still somehow feels wrong because of all the time I have avoided doing this.
Have you considered just using your weekly number rather than jiggering around food and exercise to make your diary look like you want? It’s been helpful for me.
I have rarely allowed an overage to go past a day. But it's pretty simple; if the calories are used up and I want to eat more before bed, I log it on the next day. If the exercise doesn't catch me up tomorrow, I will either eat really light or I will go ahead and log the overage. Last I weighed, a couple of days ago, I was 3 pounds below the top of my 5 pound range and the top of my range is 4 pounds below the weight I set as my goal (to stay at or below a BMI of 24.9). All kinds of room for a misstep and correction yet I still have anxiety about it.
Curved.... I think we are a lot alike. I also have issues with not hitting my targets perfect everyday. I think people like us have control issues. When we were larger, we let food control us, now we have gone the exact opposite direction. While i do not consider what you did to be a binge, we are talking about someone who once ate an entire jar of pickles then tracked it lol, eating for a week has helped me in certain situations. Really more cutting cals a couple of days to enjoy an occasion. I still don't like to do not often because I think it could lead to kitten it days. That's just part of my anxiety. Message me if you need any support. Best wishes.
My anxiety about this sort of thing is a little over the top. I finally went ahead and logged even more as over yesterday. It got cancelled out by other anxiety. Last week I was worried about what was then the upcoming weekend when I would be away at my son't graduation and go out to dinner and eat well, including a rich dessert. I started rounding up on anything I wasn't sure of for food and only logging a little of my exercise. I used the elliptical at the hotel, both mornings, only logging part of it one morning. I continued with the low loging of exercise early this week.
Anyway, all that caught up with me; when I weighed this morning, I set a new low (by less than half a pound) for me in the last 34 years or so. I am still inside my 5 pound range, but a little lower in it instead of a little higher. It could be a swing and in two days it may swing the other way. But right now, I feel kinda stupid for even worrying about it.
Do you see a therapist? Might not be the worst idea.6 -
I went over again today, even with the massive amount of exercise. I am going to try to move the scale back up slightly to help me figure out the right goal. I need to stop losing, even though I have slowed it and am still in my chosen range. Also the surplus while I am exercising may give a little more in the chest and shoulders. I paddled 8 miles today and will go again Saturday and/or Sunday early am.0
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If you need to stop losing, why are you worried about going over your calorie limit?7
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