6 pounds lost in a week... THEN D'OH.

AshleyWallace3

Christmas coming has been the perfect motivation to lose this last stone (5'5" and 147 pounds right now, trying very hard to get down to 140)... So I was a saint all week, restricted to myself to about 900 calories, didn't really treat myself....

And then, Christmas shopping. I had a rolll and sausage about 1 o'clock, came out the shops at 6:50 in the evening, bought myself a McD's and said I'd only have a few of the chips and half of the drink... At this point had around 800 calories left so this seemed safe.

I felt pretty hungry, so of course, completely lied to myself about having some restraint.

Checked the calories and I'm at -189... Already exercised today and can't really do it not without disturbing people.

GRRRRRR. It feels so annoying that I sabotaged my own weight loss! I'll try compensate until Christmas eve, but do the rest of you have experiences like that?

jjpptt2

Just for a contrasting perspective... 900 calories probably isn't "being a saint". 900 cals is probably too low (too low to sustain over the short term, too low to be healthy over the long term).

janejellyroll

Over-restriction (which 900 calories certainly is) often leads to stuff like this. Your body needs food in order to run and you can only deny yourself for so long before it becomes too difficult.

If you choose a reasonable calorie goal, your progress will likely be more steady because it will be easier to avoid eating more than you mean to.

Too many people get caught in a cycle of over-restriction, eating too much, and then going back to over-restriction. That's what will really sabotage your weight loss (and your health).

TavistockToad

Trying to only eat 900 cals is ridiculously low and unhealthy.

jennifer_417

You're trying to do this at a rate that is neither healthy nor sustainable. 900 calories simply isn't enough, and that's exactly why you felt so hungry and ate more than you planned or wanted. I know you're feeling extra motivates right now, but you have to think of what's healthy in the long term, ie giving your body enough nutrition to function well.

apullum

First, you have been undereating. 900 calories per day is too few for any adult. Women need a minimum of 1200 calories per day and men 1500. In both cases, that number does not include exercise. These minimums are generally only appropriate for people who are short, sedentary, and/or older.

Second, don’t get into the mindset of having to burn off every calorie you go over your goal. Exercise is for physical fitness. It is not punishment for eating.

Third, going over your calorie goal (which is already far too low) by less than 200 calories is not “sabotage.”

Fourth, you were hungry because you have not been eating properly. No one should expect to have “restraint” when their body desperately needs fuel.

None of the behavior you’re describing is saintly, and some of it is potentially harmful.

collectingblues

You overconsumed because you've been underconsuming to a point that isn't healthy. Your body needed fuel.

Don't want to be in that cycle? Stop undereating. There is no reason for a full-grown woman to eat 900 calories unless it's under a medical directive.

jjpptt2

I see a trend here...

AnnPT77

Once more with feeling: Eating 900 calories to lose vanity pounds is self-sabotage. Eating 200 calories over a punitively, unhealthfully low calorie goal is not self-sabotage, it's (partial) re-fueling.

Do not "compensate" until Christmas Eve. Eat sensibly until Christmas Eve, and beyond. (Indulging on Christmas is NBD, as long as it's a day or two, not a week or two.) It should take you close to 2 months to lose that 7 pounds, if you want to do it in a way that gives you best odds of good health and good appearance.

Listen to your MFP granny-type here; I like to see everyone stay strong, healthy, and at best appearance while they lose weight. Also, I'm 5'5", at 135-point-something this morning, and been at a healthy weight for 3 years now, after decades of obesity . . . so it's just barely possible that I actually know something useful.

I ate at 1200 + exercise for a while when losing (MFP underestimated my calorie needs). That was a big mistake - I got weak and fatigued, and it took weeks to recover. I lost most of around 50 pounds at 1400-1600 plus exercise, in under a year.

Have a re-think.

kshama2001

AshleyWallace3 wrote: »

Christmas coming has been the perfect motivation to lose this last stone (5'5" and 147 pounds right now, trying very hard to get down to 140)... So I was a saint all week, restricted to myself to about 900 calories, didn't really treat myself....

And then, Christmas shopping. I had a rolll and sausage about 1 o'clock, came out the shops at 6:50 in the evening, bought myself a McD's and said I'd only have a few of the chips and half of the drink... At this point had around 800 calories left so this seemed safe.

I felt pretty hungry, so of course, completely lied to myself about having some restraint.

Checked the calories and I'm at -189... Already exercised today and can't really do it not without disturbing people.

GRRRRRR. It feels so annoying that I sabotaged my own weight loss! I'll try compensate until Christmas eve, but do the rest of you have experiences like that?

Had experiences with under-eating leading to overeating? Sure. If you need help getting off that roller-coaster, seek professional help.